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I'm confused, so Harvard is more reputable than Oxford?
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Caspar David Friedrich
Did you go to a private school by any chance? The people I went to high school with who ended up at Harvard, Yale, Stanford and the likes took 3, 4, or even 5 APs.
I just think, there are many people who do AP's in the double digits, so don't their value diminish if kids do so many?
The Sourbon is widely regarded as the best University in the world. However if they came on here and said it was better than Harvard that would be considered a tad gauche. 
Yes Harvard is better than Oxford:
Backadder: And then the final, irrefutable proof. Remember, you mentioned a clever boyfriend...
Mary: Yes.
Blackadder: I then leapt on the opportunity to test you. I asked if he'd been to one of the great universities: Oxford, Cambridge, or Hull...
Mary: Well?
Blackadder: You failed to spot that only two of those are great universities.
Mary: You swine!
General Melchett: That's right-Oxford's a complete dump!
Irrefutable proof I think...
Yes Harvard is better than Oxford:
Backadder: And then the final, irrefutable proof. Remember, you mentioned a clever boyfriend...
Mary: Yes.
Blackadder: I then leapt on the opportunity to test you. I asked if he'd been to one of the great universities: Oxford, Cambridge, or Hull...
Mary: Well?
Blackadder: You failed to spot that only two of those are great universities.
Mary: You swine!
General Melchett: That's right-Oxford's a complete dump!
Irrefutable proof I think...
River85
I know. Although I hope there'll be at least an enlightened few who are aware of its Cathedral and historical signifance. Even if it is 0.008% of the population.
Durham was known well enough in Theological circles for one of my lecturers to go there. He's from Florida, went to Harvard, Princeton, Oxford and Durham.
Durham looks really out of place there! lol
Durham was known well enough in Theological circles for one of my lecturers to go there. He's from Florida, went to Harvard, Princeton, Oxford and Durham.
Durham looks really out of place there! lol
Lol! Durham just doesn't have the fame of other places, and when it comes to global universities fame is all that really makes an impact.
Then again, Durham wants to be 'the Princeton of Europe' someday. They may have a long journey ahead of them
Shrayans
I just think, there are many people who do AP's in the double digits, so don't their value diminish if kids do so many?
I wouldn't say they had much value to begin with, but that is just my personal view.
That Bristol thing was a joke....really, the most famous UK unis are either: Oxbridge, or Unis in cities with famous Football teams, and London Unis.
From the other corner of the globe, i'd say the must well known UC in the US is UCLA..other than that i don't even know half the Unis from Ivy League before i did my college search.
Let's put it this way if you're gonna compare US vs UK unis....300-400 Government endorsed Universities, quality wise from good to excellent (top 5 in the world). US: 3000-4000 Universities (mixture of state run and private), qualities range from no quality/name to excellent (no.1 in the world). US higher education doesn't get professional until you're doing your masters(when you'll have a long broad education and mature enough to start earning big bucks), whereas anyone with a bachelors from the UK can get a decent professional job (due to specialization since A-levels).
....really, the most famous UK unis are either: Oxbridge, or Unis in cities with famous Football teams, and London Unis.From the other corner of the globe, i'd say the must well known UC in the US is UCLA..other than that i don't even know half the Unis from Ivy League before i did my college search.
Let's put it this way if you're gonna compare US vs UK unis....300-400 Government endorsed Universities, quality wise from good to excellent (top 5 in the world). US: 3000-4000 Universities (mixture of state run and private), qualities range from no quality/name to excellent (no.1 in the world). US higher education doesn't get professional until you're doing your masters(when you'll have a long broad education and mature enough to start earning big bucks), whereas anyone with a bachelors from the UK can get a decent professional job (due to specialization since A-levels).
I can only assume this web site is a joke site.
http://www.arwu.org/rank/2004/top500(1-100).htm
my arse, apparently every American University is better than every other University on the planet except Oxford and Cambridge. That's just nonsense. Who writes this bilge?
http://www.arwu.org/rank/2004/top500(1-100).htm
my arse, apparently every American University is better than every other University on the planet except Oxford and Cambridge. That's just nonsense. Who writes this bilge? 
LogiVI
Endowment (Harvard): U.S. $34.9 Billion (17.5 billion £)
Endowment (Oxford): £3.6 billion (inc. colleges)
Endowment (Oxford): £3.6 billion (inc. colleges)
Well looking at that you expect Harvard to be better than Oxford as the have more than 5x more funding. The fact that state UK unis are able to compete with private Ivy league unis shows how much better they can be if they had more funding and can definatley beat the Ivy league
Caspar David Friedrich
Did you go to a private school by any chance? The people I went to high school with who ended up at Harvard, Yale, Stanford and the likes took 3, 4, or even 5 APs.
I went to a competitive public school. Our valedictorian, who went to UPenn, took 2 AP exams. Another kid who went to Duke only took 3 AP tests, but 9 "classes." I took 9 AP 'classes' and 6 exams and went to NYU. Our teachers taught the classes how they liked, not to the test, as most of my class didn't end up taking the CB exams.
Sidhe
I can only assume this web site is a joke site.
http://www.arwu.org/rank/2004/top500(1-100).htm
my arse, apparently every American University is better than every other University on the planet except Oxford and Cambridge. That's just nonsense. Who writes this bilge?
http://www.arwu.org/rank/2004/top500(1-100).htm
my arse, apparently every American University is better than every other University on the planet except Oxford and Cambridge. That's just nonsense. Who writes this bilge? Durham's not even on it.....neither is half the top 10 in the UK. = =
Thats why you look at probably 5 different league tables over the past 5 years in order to get the approximate reputation position. = =
talespirit
Durham's not even on it.....neither is half the top 10 in the UK. = =
Thats why you look at probably 5 different league tables over the past 5 years in order to get the approximate reputation position. = =
Thats why you look at probably 5 different league tables over the past 5 years in order to get the approximate reputation position. = =
To be frank I think it was written by an American using only criteria that would favour US Universities over historical merit. Even the Alumni scores are a joke.
The Sourbon is one of the oldest most respected Universities in the world and it doesn't even rate a top 100? Arguably the worst rating system I've ever seen. I'm thinking it's a joke site?
I presume the stats are based on 3 tables, the bits at the end, only it would appear they have chosen the tables that favour the US.
http://www.arwu.org/rank/2007/ARWU2007_Top100.htm
This is the ranking from 2007.
Apparently Paris IV doesn't even rank in the top 100, and is beaten convincingly by the OU at number 192. But then when your using criteria such as size on its own to rank overall merit, I think you're kind of kidding yourself. It's quality not quantity.
The reason the results are different is because the criteria used by the newspaper league tables and Shanghai Jiao are very different - the former puts far too much emphasis on selectivity, teaching quality and student satisfaction; the latter too much on prestige factors which are often non-factors to most students and staff at and knowledgeable of said institutions. The story with league tables are never the results, but how the results were determined and in what useless, idiotic and totally misleading way they were compiled.
Sidhe
To be frank I think it was written by an American using only criteria that would favour US Universities over historical merit. Even the Alumni scores are a joke.
The Sourbon is one of the oldest most respected Universities in the world and it doesn't even rate a top 100? Arguably the worst rating system I've ever seen. I'm thinking it's a joke site?
I presume the stats are based on 3 tables, the bits at the end, only it would appear they have chosen the tables that favour the US.
The Sourbon is one of the oldest most respected Universities in the world and it doesn't even rate a top 100? Arguably the worst rating system I've ever seen. I'm thinking it's a joke site?
I presume the stats are based on 3 tables, the bits at the end, only it would appear they have chosen the tables that favour the US.
The Sorbonne isn't a single institution anymore - some of the constituent institutions of the University of Paris are in the top 100.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbonne
IlexAquifolium
The Sorbonne isn't a single institution anymore - some of the constituent institutions of the University of Paris are in the top 100.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbonne
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbonne
Aha, so then they have basically unfairly reduced arguably the best University in the world to a dump.
It's kind of sad because you could if you wanted split most universities into 80 colleges. But apparently you only do this when in danger of having to admit a French University is better than you.
Total nonsense the whole thing.They are 4 colleges, who are you trying to kid, the Sorbonne is the best University in the world.
Sidhe
Aha, so then they have basically unfairly reduced arguably the best University in the world to a dump.
In 1970, so you're a bit late to the party
IlexAquifolium
In 1970, so you're a bit late to the party
Still doesn't make them any less than the best University in the world outside of American biased league tables though does it really. They have a much better system than Harvard. This is just statistical manipulation, it's a joke.
In 1970, the University of Paris was divided into thirteen different universities. These universities still stand under the management of a common rectorate – the Rectorate of Paris - with offices in the Sorbonne. Four of these universities currently include the name "Sorbonne" in their names or are affiliated with the Sorbonne:
* Panthéon-Sorbonne University (Paris I), which also houses the observatory of the Sorbonne;
* Sorbonne Nouvelle University (Paris III);
* Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris IV);
* Paris Descartes University (Paris V).
These four public universities maintain facilities in the historical building of the Sorbonne. The building also houses the Rectorate of Paris (which manage all of the thirteen unversities of Paris), the École Nationale des Chartes, the École pratique des hautes études, the Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne and the Library of the Sorbonne.
Today the word Sorbonne no longer refers to the University of Paris but to the historical building located in the Latin Quarter in the 5th arrondissement of Paris.
* Panthéon-Sorbonne University (Paris I), which also houses the observatory of the Sorbonne;
* Sorbonne Nouvelle University (Paris III);
* Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris IV);
* Paris Descartes University (Paris V).
These four public universities maintain facilities in the historical building of the Sorbonne. The building also houses the Rectorate of Paris (which manage all of the thirteen unversities of Paris), the École Nationale des Chartes, the École pratique des hautes études, the Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne and the Library of the Sorbonne.
Today the word Sorbonne no longer refers to the University of Paris but to the historical building located in the Latin Quarter in the 5th arrondissement of Paris.
Admitedly 9 aren't affiliated but four are the Sorbonne.
It's like splitting Cambridge into 52 colleges and then asking people to believe that the table is credible.
Sidhe
It's like splitting Cambridge into 52 colleges and then asking people to believe that the table is credible.
It's like splitting Cambridge into 52 colleges and then asking people to believe that the table is credible.
True, but the UoL colleges (which is a better analogy than Oxbridge in terms of collegiate structure) are considered separately also.
I think the UoP are switching to a wholesale collegiate structure, which would make them a 'single' university I suspect in terms of rankings. But currently they simply aren't - not by league table manipulation but by constitution.
IlexAquifolium
True, but the UoL colleges (which is a better analogy than Oxbridge in terms of collegiate structure) are considered separately also.
I think the UoP are switching to a wholesale collegiate structure, which would make them a 'single' university I suspect in terms of rankings. But currently they simply aren't - not by league table manipulation but by constitution.
I think the UoP are switching to a wholesale collegiate structure, which would make them a 'single' university I suspect in terms of rankings. But currently they simply aren't - not by league table manipulation but by constitution.
Actually if that article is accurate since their adminsitration in terms of those four Universities is run from the Sorbonne a single building, it would be easy to maintain they are a single University & I'm surprised they don't. It's kind of a science, BA, philosophy&art/music subdivision. And UoL would be wise to integrate if it wants to jump up the rankings. I still think the assertion that the Sorbonne is the best University in the world holds, because it is outside of league tables, and amongst academics: considered to be.
There are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics.
Mark Twain.
Is Sidhe being remotely serious here or is this supposed to be a joke? You seem to be the only person in the known universe who would believe that the Sorbonne is the best university in the world, whereas most rational individuals would not say it was not even in contention. In what fields (i am speaking in contemporary terms, ie last 20 years) has the Sorbonne shown itself to be an academic leader?
A point I would like to make about UK universities is that the application process is something of a lottery. Aside from Oxford and Cambridge, where interviews, written work, subject specific tests are added to the conventional ucas process, universities do not have much information from which to distinguish between students. as a result, at a private school such as mine, where students were walked through exams such as gcse and as-level, i knew numerous people at my school who were not considered remotely intelligent or even people who took academic study seriously at school, who are at universities such as lse and imperial simply because the universities didnt really assess them, and by virtue of having reasonable grades which are not especially difficult to attain. having said that, i happen to know very intelligent people who also go to these universities, but at the same time, other similarly intelligent people who didnt get a place at such universities, losing out to far less intelligent people
not knowing much about the US system, I was curious as to whether it is possible for such imbalances to occur at Ivy league schools and other top institutions in the US?
A point I would like to make about UK universities is that the application process is something of a lottery. Aside from Oxford and Cambridge, where interviews, written work, subject specific tests are added to the conventional ucas process, universities do not have much information from which to distinguish between students. as a result, at a private school such as mine, where students were walked through exams such as gcse and as-level, i knew numerous people at my school who were not considered remotely intelligent or even people who took academic study seriously at school, who are at universities such as lse and imperial simply because the universities didnt really assess them, and by virtue of having reasonable grades which are not especially difficult to attain. having said that, i happen to know very intelligent people who also go to these universities, but at the same time, other similarly intelligent people who didnt get a place at such universities, losing out to far less intelligent people
not knowing much about the US system, I was curious as to whether it is possible for such imbalances to occur at Ivy league schools and other top institutions in the US?
Stanway
Is Sidhe being remotely serious here or is this supposed to be a joke? You seem to be the only person in the known universe who would believe that the Sorbonne is the best university in the world, whereas most rational individuals would not say it was not even in contention. In what fields (i am speaking in contemporary terms, ie last 20 years) has the Sorbonne shown itself to be an academic leader?
A point I would like to make about UK universities is that the application process is something of a lottery. Aside from Oxford and Cambridge, where interviews, written work, subject specific tests are added to the conventional ucas process, universities do not have much information from which to distinguish between students. as a result, at a private school such as mine, where students were walked through exams such as gcse and as-level, i knew numerous people at my school who were not considered remotely intelligent or even people who took academic study seriously at school, who are at universities such as lse and imperial simply because the universities didnt really assess them, and by virtue of having reasonable grades which are not especially difficult to attain. having said that, i happen to know very intelligent people who also go to these universities, but at the same time, other similarly intelligent people who didnt get a place at such universities, losing out to far less intelligent people
A point I would like to make about UK universities is that the application process is something of a lottery. Aside from Oxford and Cambridge, where interviews, written work, subject specific tests are added to the conventional ucas process, universities do not have much information from which to distinguish between students. as a result, at a private school such as mine, where students were walked through exams such as gcse and as-level, i knew numerous people at my school who were not considered remotely intelligent or even people who took academic study seriously at school, who are at universities such as lse and imperial simply because the universities didnt really assess them, and by virtue of having reasonable grades which are not especially difficult to attain. having said that, i happen to know very intelligent people who also go to these universities, but at the same time, other similarly intelligent people who didnt get a place at such universities, losing out to far less intelligent people
Rubbish.
If The Sorbonne reunited all of it's colleges and called itself one University it would be the best University in the world. However since it split it isn't even 1/13th of what it was or 4/13th so I fail to see your reasoning. It is the best University because the league tables are frankly bs.
And favour Cambridge simply because it hasn't divided itself up and the same goes with Harvard. Who are you trying to kid? I'm not buying it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Paris_people
Those guys since you asked. Few Nobel prize winners in there and the current Pope apparently.
I'm completely serious if we don't only go by criteria that Anglicise or Americanise the statistics unfairly I'd say that table was a complete joke.
The worlds oldest degree granting continuously operating University is The University of Fes in Morocco. Totally useless fact of the day.
there are at the very least similar but more likely superior alumni lists at oxford and cambridge (far more nobel prize winners, prime ministers and presidents of far flung nations, writers, industrialists, etc etc), not to mention Harvard (which suffers the disadvantage of being half a millenium younger). Anyway you seem to ignore that I am talking about the present age, so when Balzac, let alone Aquinas, came into the equation is totally irrelevant. I talk of present affairs, a time in which it is generally believed the french university system is a mess in need of reform.
Aside from the fact that you seem to be the only person who promotes this opinion, if the university were of such a high standard but only suffers in rankings due to its having been split up, why are none of the individual institutions referred to as leaders with respect to their specific areas of interest?
Aside from the fact that you seem to be the only person who promotes this opinion, if the university were of such a high standard but only suffers in rankings due to its having been split up, why are none of the individual institutions referred to as leaders with respect to their specific areas of interest?
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