This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Does an Oxbridge degree give you a significant advantage when applying for jobs?

TakeshiFan

Is it as useful as it's made out to be?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

TakeshiFan

I realise I'm being pretty general in this question btw, sorry

Reply 2

icklebrov

In theory yes. It's one of the best unis in the world so it looks pretty good.

BUT, one has to take into account the vast prejudice that exists throughout the country against people from an Oxbridge background. Often they are percieved as arrogant, self congratulating, rich, and god knows what else.

Secondly, alot of people could percieve them to be a threat. If your a manager with a degree from Hertfordshire and you going to want to employ an Oxford grad who might outshine you one day. I don't think so.

Yes. Probably.

Most of the time yes. Though I have seen instances where it does not guarantee you a job with a few having graduated and not finding any form of employment (with a sold 2:1 bear in mind) for more than 18months. Though in a lot of cases, many people get jobs pretty easily.

Reply 5

shady lane

It only gives you an advantage at the interview stage for most graduate jobs. I've frequently seen Oxbridge grads beaten out for positions by better prepared students from other top universities.

Reply 6

coolershaka

I think that big employers are increasingly wanting to project an image of social inclusiveness in their recruitment, and in that respect being preferential to Oxbridge graduates is a detriment.

Consultancies though can be, especially if they put the CVs of their consulting staff in their tender applications (as you have to do sometimes).

Reply 7

Lolly-88

student20077

oh my god i cant believe this. users of this forum are so up themselves. i mean get over yourselves. when i went to lehman there was an investment banker there and he went greenwich. he told me does not matter what uni u go to just get a good degree however must be a pro on the tests and interview.

Who is being up themselves?? :confused:

For once i actually thought the responses on this topic were good instead of the general 'if you don't go to Oxbridge LSE or Imperial you're trash' type comments that are fairly common.

Reply 8

coolershaka

I was once turned down by a recruitment agency for an interview at a management consultancy as (I was told) they were only accepting applications from Oxbridge applicants.

Reply 9

NW8_SW1_EC3

coolershaka

I was once turned down by a recruitment agency for an interview at a management consultancy as (I was told) they were only accepting applications from Oxbridge applicants.

No company would openly admit that, even if it were true.

Reply 10

coolershaka

I didn't find out the name of the Management Consultancy as I applied through an agency, and as you know agencies doesn't publicize this information unless you get called for interview. The agency got me a job with another company (my present employer) a few months later, so in an act of professional respect I will not reveal its name.

Also, don't call me a liar. Prove that I am. I'm 27 years old and have been working and looking for jobs for five years. I've seen quite a bit in my time. What else have I lied about?

And with respect to the comment about only choosing Oxbridge candidates, this ad for a Java developer on the Reed website specifically states it, so it does happen of course.

http://www.reed.co.uk/job/Details.aspx?JobID=13482342&k=oxbridge&jto=False&st=5&nr=100&set=2&SearchID=-2147483648&EpdId=-2147483648&sb=8&ns=True&da=154&ss=False&ps=20

Reply 11

coolershaka

You are right, but the ad also says -

"The candidate must be Oxbridge caliber with a proven track record of academic brilliance, as they are only looking for the top candidates to join there elite global equities analytics and development group."

I agree that it also says leading university, but it states Oxbridge "caliber" by name. I'm not saying that the ad would refuse all those who did apply from other universities, but I would get the impression that Oxbridge has a precedence.

You can also take a look at this Times article about Oxbridge bias in law (from 2004 so I cannot judge if it is still relevant).

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article394718.ece

Reply 12

Drogue

student20077

Try getting an interview while going to Greenwich today. It doesn't happen. It's not that Oxbridge is a necessity, but going somewhere decent is.

Reply 13

unknown demon

Drogue

Try getting an interview while going to Greenwich today. It doesn't happen. It's not that Oxbridge is a necessity, but going somewhere decent is.

Precisely, there is a considerable emphasis on UCAS points now from all employer i.e. Tesco to the Ibanks et al asking for a specific number of ucas points i.e. between 300-360++. None of which a Greenwich candidate is likely to have. Greenwich is not even considered decent from an employers perspective.

Reply 14

coolershaka

I once had a discussion about this with one of the Prospects careers advisors, who stated that A-Level stupulations (i.e. UCAS points) are a contentious issue that careers advisors and recruitment consultants hate, mostly because it discriminates against people from "non-traditional" backgrounds (i.e. people from abroad, older staff etc). Personally, I find them totally irrelevant.

In fact, with the new laws against age discrimination in recruitment and the workplace, it could be outlawed.

When I took over selection for my present employer early last year (which I was asked to do for about four months until a dedicated HR officer was recruited), I asked our recruiting consultancy to remove A-Levels from the requirements.

Reply 15

shady lane

Drogue

Try getting an interview while going to Greenwich today. It doesn't happen. It's not that Oxbridge is a necessity, but going somewhere decent is.

I had a long discussion on another thread about my flatmate who went to Greenwich, is doing a masters at a non-prestigious (albeit UoL) university, and works at the Foreign Office, with a view to get a foreign posting once the MA is completed.

It's harder, but not impossible--especially if you stick to a real subject instead of Golf Management.

Reply 16

Trevor 12345

It does give you an advantage; not just because its oxbridge, but most of the students who have studied there are very intelligent.

Reply 17

coolershaka

Mrm.

It does give you an advantage; not just because its oxbridge, but most of the students who have studied there are very intelligent.

How does that in itself offer you an advantage when you have already graduated and are out in the world of work? You can state that it can be advantageous in that you would have had to display a consistently high level of intelligence and achievement to get that far and compete, but that is an innate quality of the individual as opposed to a quality bestowed by Oxbridge itself.

Reply 18

Trevor 12345

coolershaka

but that is an innate quality of the individual as opposed to a quality bestowed by Oxbridge itself.

I rather think that is what I said.

Reply 19

mayavara

This summer, 100% of interns at OC&C Strategy Consultants, London were from Oxbridge. I think it was also 100% at BCG. There are several niche consultancy firms, as well as engineering and boutique finance places, that only advertise their jobs to Oxbridge students/grads, and only take on Oxbridge people. They won't say this explicitly (though some get close, look at Estin & Co only stating Oxbridge of UK unis - http://www.estin.com/career/welookfor.htm), but this is the fact of the matter. As graduate recruitment gets more and more competitive year on year you see an increasing proportion of the cream of the crop from Oxbridge getting in at a lot of places.

It's little wonder why as well. I've been in the city for a few years, and the calibre of people from the likes of LSE, Warwick, Imperial, is noticeably inferior to those of Oxbridge. When they joined uni, the Oxbridge crowd were a small cut above the rest, but what you can gain from Oxbridge in terms of mixing with top-calibre people, much better networking opportunities and more really helps you. You can dismiss this all you want, you just need to look at the facts to see how much more worthy an Oxbridge degree is.

Maya (BA Cantab, 2004)