Oxford or Cambridge?

Which one do you think is better?

At the moment I'm going for Oxford because I've heard a lot of /scary/ stories about Cambridge (that they're racist and sexist, don't let you have a job as it /interferes with your studies/ and cause students to have depression through all of the pressure). Now I know that these are just rumours but it kind of steers me away from Cambridge and more towards Oxford. However Cambridge is rated higher than Oxford (last time I checked) so what do you think? And what are the two universities really like?

Cambridge or Oxford?

Reply 1

username1108411

11

Original post by Dancing212Potato

Which one do you think is better?

At the moment I'm going for Oxford because I've heard a lot of /scary/ stories about Cambridge (that they're racist and sexist, don't let you have a job as it /interferes with your studies/ and cause students to have depression through all of the pressure). Now I know that these are just rumours but it kind of steers me away from Cambridge and more towards Oxford. However Cambridge is rated higher than Oxford (last time I checked) so what do you think? And what are the two universities really like?

Cambridge or Oxford?

Rumours of racism and sexism are by no means limited to Cambridge. A very small number of unfortunate incidents lead to the media painting a distorted and inaccurate image of Oxbridge life/atmosphere. I wouldn't pick Oxford over Cambridge for this because neither have a great deal of issues in this regard and from speaking to friends at Cambridge, there's little to no difference in their frequency at Cambridge over Oxford.

Cambridge don't let you work but neither do Oxford (excluding college bar work and a few other little opportunities). Both institutions have 8 week terms meaning there's a lot less time to put into non-academics. Sure you can manage a few extra hobbies but the time/energy required for even a part-time job would be almost untenable at either.

Cambridge and Oxford are both lovely universities but perhaps you should consider different criteria when making your choice.

Reply 2

El Salvador

21

Oxford.

But Oxford would probably have all those bad things you heard about Cambridge at the same level. For the record, I don't think there's actual sexism or racism at either.

Reply 3

Doones

21

Original post by Dancing212Potato

Which one do you think is better?

At the moment I'm going for Oxford because I've heard a lot of /scary/ stories about Cambridge (that they're racist and sexist,

No more or less than anywhere else - i.e. not a major issue. There can always be idiot individuals anywhere... even Oxford (or Cambridge).

don't let you have a job as it /interferes with your studies/

Pretty much correct - but holiday jobs are more realistic especially during the long summer vacation (terms are short). Oxford would have the same view.

and cause students to have depression through all of the pressure).

It can happen and indeed the academic pressures and workload are not for everyone BUT student support is generally very good. And consequently the dropout rate at both Cambridge and Oxford is among the lowest of any universities. Cambridge is a fraction lower than Oxford but both are still much lower than most other universities.

Now I know that these are just rumours but it kind of steers me away from Cambridge and more towards Oxford. However Cambridge is rated higher than Oxford (last time I checked) so what do you think? And what are the two universities really like?

Cambridge or Oxford?

The above criteria don't allow a significant differentiation between the two.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 4

Big Gibb

2

Original post by Dancing212Potato

Which one do you think is better?

At the moment I'm going for Oxford because I've heard a lot of /scary/ stories about Cambridge (that they're racist and sexist, don't let you have a job as it /interferes with your studies/ and cause students to have depression through all of the pressure). Now I know that these are just rumours but it kind of steers me away from Cambridge and more towards Oxford. However Cambridge is rated higher than Oxford (last time I checked) so what do you think? And what are the two universities really like?

Cambridge or Oxford?

The universities are very similar in general. For you to make your decision you would have to go and visit each university and some colleges to get a feel. It is also very important to compare how the courses differ as they are not the same at each university. Successful Cambridge applicants normally average 93UMS or more in their AS levels so if you don't think you can meet that (and have excellent GCSE grades) you would probably be better off applying to Oxford.

Reply 5

alcibiade

11

Visit both and see which one your gut tells you you would prefer. Both are elitist and have their own brands of arrogance and faults. But both merit their reputations as unsurpassed learning environments, with a majority of pretty normal people.

My daughter wanted to go to Oxford from the age of 12. She then visited it and, at least in her perception, was put off by snobbishness, etc. We then went to Cambridge and she loved it, so applied there. But many have the opposite perception. Go and see for yourself.

Reply 6

otah007

13

I suggest taking a day trip to both, apply to UNIQ (Oxford 6-day summer school) and Sutton Trust (same but includes Cambridge among other universities). Cambridge is a smaller city than Oxford, and places less emphasis on GCSE grades. Both have different courses, for example you can't do a joint Computer Science and Mathematics degree at Cambridge, but you can at Oxford (Cambridge does let you do 50% maths in your first year though). Both use the same collegiate system and have similar atmospheres and environments - after all, Cambridge was founded by Oxford students!

Personally, I'm going to apply for Cambridge because even though I can't do joint CS and Maths, I love the city as I've grown up around it and I currently attend sixth form there. Also my GCSEs aren't great (3A*, 4A, 4B including a B in CS :frown:

) so I have a better shot at getting into Cambridge. Also I would never betray Cambridge for Oxford :biggrin:

.

Reply 7

CoryHannah

Hi there
In our school it is compulsory that we do a PreU in Global Perspectives, but I feel this is gonna be useless in applying for Cambridge or Oxford.
They won't let us drop it, so does anyone know if it is likely to be worth anything? I'm applying for Modern Languages.
My other A levels are Spanish (predicted A) French (predicted A) and English literature (predicted A/B).

Thanks

Reply 8

Scotney

20

Really important about those AS scores .Cambridge do not make exceptions even for outstanding candidates.Son at Oxford and chose a very left wing college by accident so maybe look at college you are applying to and proportion of state school undergrads it takes if you are wanting to be with people like yourself.Son took 4 a levels and finds work load far less than at school but it is obviously more intellectually demanding. .If you really enjoy the subject you are going to study and get through the interview process you will be fine.Oxford has generous bursaries for less well off students better than Cambridge I believe Both unis are rich and you can also apply for grants for lots of things.Working during the uni year is not permitted as terms are very intense.

Reply 9

Doones

21

Original post by Scotney

Really important about those AS scores .Cambridge do not make exceptions even for outstanding candidates.Son at Oxford and chose a very left wing college by accident so maybe look at college you are applying to and proportion of state school undergrads it takes if you are wanting to be with people like yourself.Son took 4 a levels and finds work load far less than at school but it is obviously more intellectually demanding. .If you really enjoy the subject you are going to study and get through the interview process you will be fine.Oxford has generous bursaries for less well off students better than Cambridge I believe Both unis are rich and you can also apply for grants for lots of things.Working during the uni year is not permitted as terms are very intense.

They both have generous bursaries, and yes, Oxford is £1k more generous if household income is below £16k. But it's more complicated than that and Oxford is much less generous at higher income bands. e.g. at £25k Oxford gives £2,000, whereas Cambridge gives £3,500.

Full details here:
Oxford: http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/fees-funding/ug-funding/oxford-support
Cambridge: http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/cambridgebursary/uk/

Oxford or Cambridge?

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