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Edinburgh's entry requirements vs Oxbridge's reputation

So University of Edinburgh is said to have one of if not the biggest research centre for Computer Science in the UK, very high quality of education in this field and so on, but if I take all this into consideration and then compare UoE's entry requirements with Oxbridge's or with any other university in the >>top top<< it's still A*A*A vs ABB... Is it because of Oxbridge's reputation alone that they make their requirements so high or is there really that huge of a gap between these Unis ?
Original post by JakuJ
So University of Edinburgh is said to have one of if not the biggest research centre for Computer Science in the UK, very high quality of education in this field and so on, but if I take all this into consideration and then compare UoE's entry requirements with Oxbridge's or with any other university in the >>top top << it's still A*A*A vs ABB... Is it because of Oxbridge's reputation alone that they make their requirements so high or is there really that huge of a gap between these Unis ?


Entry requirements =/= course quality or institutional quality. Edinburgh's standard offer is AAA.*

Entry requirements reflect popularity and scarcity
(edited 7 years ago)
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JakuJ
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I was hoping for some more in-depth explanation on this phenomena but thanks anyway :smile:
Original post by JakuJ
I was hoping for some more in-depth explanation on this phenomena but thanks anyway :smile:


There's not much to explain:
- Edinburgh has a 4 year system as a scottish university, where it was once tradition to start university at 17 after completing what amounts to a bit more than AS level content. So the 'minimum' requirements for first year are as such, lower than they would otherwise be because of the assumed level of content

- Entry requirements are more about the demand for a course than they are about quality or prestige. It just so happens that prestige correlates with popularity which in turn correlates with entry requirements. All they are really, are a manifestation of a given courses appeal in the overall university marketplace for students talent

- Many universities also use entry requirements to 'simulate' prestige and artificially create popularity/appeal when they'll in fact take on people with much lower grades on results day (e.g. QMUL, KCL for some things)

- Edinburgh's typical offer for their first year is AAA, and many people who are predicted above this get rejected. It has a roughly 50% offer rate - so it's not like it's easy to get an offer or like the offer itself will be 'nice'

- I'm not exactly sure why you're making this comparison.. They're all excellent, world leading universities in the area of CS regardless of entry requirements

It's not really a phenomenon, it's just the way universities compete and how different education systems differ across the country.


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JP298
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Original post by JakuJ
So University of Edinburgh is said to have one of if not the biggest research centre for Computer Science in the UK, very high quality of education in this field and so on, but if I take all this into consideration and then compare UoE's entry requirements with Oxbridge's or with any other university in the >>top top<< it's still A*A*A vs ABB... Is it because of Oxbridge's reputation alone that they make their requirements so high or is there really that huge of a gap between these Unis ?


I've just moved to Edinburgh to start as a fresher at the University of Edinburgh studying Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. You are correct, Edinburgh has one of the biggest research centre for Informatics - which is different to computer science. When you reach universities of this standard, you will find that it's how much time and effort you put into your degree that will affect what you gain from the degree. So far Edinburgh has been fantastic and we've nearly met all of our lecturers. They seem great. The facilities are fantastic and so too is the support system. I originally considered Cambridge last year but decided not to pursue it. I don't regret it at all, in-fact I think I have made a better choice. Hope this helps, give us a shout if you have any questions!


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