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Oxford and Cambridge to MERGE!
Given that:
1. Oxford and Cambridge are alike in nature (collegiate system)
2. Both are powerhouses of British universities
3. Both are facing funding challenges
4. Both are fighting hard to stay at the top in the world
5. Both are struggling to keep ahead of rival rich American universities with their small pitiful endowments/assets (something like 2 billion vs. 20 billion at harvard? the figure is probably wrong! just a guess)
Would you support the merging of Oxford and Cambridge to become Oxbridge University, so that they will become a super-powerhouse against rich American universities?
Advantages:
1. Their total resources are pooled together
2. Applicants no longer need to decide whether to apply to Cambridge or Oxford. They simply apply to Oxbridge only
3. Richer diversity in research - boost quality in papers/conferences
4. Combined strengths of both univerisities in respective reserach areas
5. Pooled teaching resources
6. Increased potential to become the no. 1 university in the world, ahead of Havard and MIT etc
7. Potential of brain-drain from America to Oxbridge
8. Buy the best researchers/academics to add to their depts, not unlike top American universities
9. etc.
Disadvantages:
1. Loss of traditional sentiments/attachments at both universities?
2. ?
What do you guys think? Are you for, or against such a merger, if it happens at all?
Personally, it seems to make quite a bit of sense to me. I thought it would be interesting to hear what people think, especially those who are already at Cambridge and Oxford.
PS: Don't forget that there was talk of UCL and Imperial merging.... for much the same reasons cited above!
1. Oxford and Cambridge are alike in nature (collegiate system)
2. Both are powerhouses of British universities
3. Both are facing funding challenges
4. Both are fighting hard to stay at the top in the world
5. Both are struggling to keep ahead of rival rich American universities with their small pitiful endowments/assets (something like 2 billion vs. 20 billion at harvard? the figure is probably wrong! just a guess)
Would you support the merging of Oxford and Cambridge to become Oxbridge University, so that they will become a super-powerhouse against rich American universities?
Advantages:
1. Their total resources are pooled together
2. Applicants no longer need to decide whether to apply to Cambridge or Oxford. They simply apply to Oxbridge only
3. Richer diversity in research - boost quality in papers/conferences
4. Combined strengths of both univerisities in respective reserach areas
5. Pooled teaching resources
6. Increased potential to become the no. 1 university in the world, ahead of Havard and MIT etc
7. Potential of brain-drain from America to Oxbridge
8. Buy the best researchers/academics to add to their depts, not unlike top American universities
9. etc.
Disadvantages:
1. Loss of traditional sentiments/attachments at both universities?
2. ?
What do you guys think? Are you for, or against such a merger, if it happens at all?
Personally, it seems to make quite a bit of sense to me. I thought it would be interesting to hear what people think, especially those who are already at Cambridge and Oxford.
PS: Don't forget that there was talk of UCL and Imperial merging.... for much the same reasons cited above!
Scroll to see replies
UCL and Imperial couldn't merge because a lot of the people there didn't want them to. If it can't happen for them, there's certainly no way Oxford and Cambridge could do it, especially considering they're not even in the same city. Also, merging the two universities would do nothing to increase their financial status, which is really the main issue, so the idea seems a bit pointless.
No way. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Why change a system thaty already works so well?
Bezza
Yeah, as other's have pointed out, pooling resources ain't really going to work! You couldn't just say "well oxford has a swimming pool so cambridge doesn't need one"! Would be pretty difficult to get to oxford for a swim and back to cambridge in time for a 9am lecture!!
Distance is no problem. Lots of british unis have foreign campuses (read: cash cows), in places like I think Singapore. Outsourced teaching/ uni franchising is quite common.
But a merger still wouldn't solve Oxbridge's problems, because they'd still be state run.
Pierre Menard
Distance is no problem. Lots of british unis have foreign campuses (read: cash cows), in places like I think Singapore. Outsourced teaching/ uni franchising is quite common.
But a merger still wouldn't solve Oxbridge's problems, because they'd still be state run.
But a merger still wouldn't solve Oxbridge's problems, because they'd still be state run.
yeah but they don't share facilities with them though!
I can't really see any point in going to the hassle of doing it. I suppose if you were going to make one sciences and the other arts it might have some advantages but it would be so difficult, cost so much money and get rid of all the oxbridge traditions - the boat race would be a bit boring if it was just 1 boat!! And who would we get to insult and call filthy tabs - just think, all those songs/jokes would die out!
Gosh, you'd need to think of a name for this new super uni.
What about....... Camford?
What about....... Camford?
Bezza
Yeah, as other's have pointed out, pooling resources ain't really going to work! You couldn't just say "well oxford has a swimming pool so cambridge doesn't need one"! Would be pretty difficult to get to oxford for a swim and back to cambridge in time for a 9am lecture!!
Heh
No, I'm just saying *hypothetically* speaking - let's *assume* that all these combining and pooling of resources are possible somehow. I'm saying the *idea* of the merging, not the reality bits of it. Just like theory vs. practicalities.Oh well, I suppose I'm the odd one out here then
Just to set the record, I love both Oxford and Cambridge the way they are. This thought came up randomly because I read that the 2 ancient instituitions are struggling very hard to stay abreast of their international standing (against American unis) given the many challenges they face (funding etc)
Have you never heard that competition makes better?
JustaGuy
Both are struggling to keep ahead of rival rich American universities with their small pitiful endowments/assets (something like 2 billion vs. 20 billion at harvard? the figure is probably wrong! just a guess)
Endowments are not the sole reason. Harvard's $20 billion would not last very long if they did not receive many hundreds of million dollars from US Government and Private Industry research contracts every year.
And where would all the "friendly" rivallry between Ox and Cam go? 
What would we all do without it?
Having the choice of different courses at two of the bes universities in the world has to be a good thing - I know a lot of people that couldn't decide at all betweent thwe two cities, but the courses were so different that they were easily able to pick the one that would suit them best.
What would we all do without it? Having the choice of different courses at two of the bes universities in the world has to be a good thing - I know a lot of people that couldn't decide at all betweent thwe two cities, but the courses were so different that they were easily able to pick the one that would suit them best.
For Oxford and Cambridge to merge would be disasterous. The two universities need the domestic rivalry to ensure that they keep on top of their game. If Oxford and Cambridge did merge, this would almost certainly force the University of London colleges to integrate much more in order to provide a counter balance of some significance.
JustaGuy
Given that:
1. Oxford and Cambridge are alike in nature (collegiate system)
2. Both are powerhouses of British universities
3. Both are facing funding challenges
4. Both are fighting hard to stay at the top in the world
5. Both are struggling to keep ahead of rival rich American universities with their small pitiful endowments/assets (something like 2 billion vs. 20 billion at harvard? the figure is probably wrong! just a guess)
Would you support the merging of Oxford and Cambridge to become Oxbridge University, so that they will become a super-powerhouse against rich American universities?
Advantages:
1. Their total resources are pooled together
2. Applicants no longer need to decide whether to apply to Cambridge or Oxford. They simply apply to Oxbridge only
3. Richer diversity in research - boost quality in papers/conferences
4. Combined strengths of both univerisities in respective reserach areas
5. Pooled teaching resources
6. Increased potential to become the no. 1 university in the world, ahead of Havard and MIT etc
7. Potential of brain-drain from America to Oxbridge
8. Buy the best researchers/academics to add to their depts, not unlike top American universities
9. etc.
Disadvantages:
1. Loss of traditional sentiments/attachments at both universities?
2. ?
What do you guys think? Are you for, or against such a merger, if it happens at all?
Personally, it seems to make quite a bit of sense to me. I thought it would be interesting to hear what people think, especially those who are already at Cambridge and Oxford.
PS: Don't forget that there was talk of UCL and Imperial merging.... for much the same reasons cited above!
1. Oxford and Cambridge are alike in nature (collegiate system)
2. Both are powerhouses of British universities
3. Both are facing funding challenges
4. Both are fighting hard to stay at the top in the world
5. Both are struggling to keep ahead of rival rich American universities with their small pitiful endowments/assets (something like 2 billion vs. 20 billion at harvard? the figure is probably wrong! just a guess)
Would you support the merging of Oxford and Cambridge to become Oxbridge University, so that they will become a super-powerhouse against rich American universities?
Advantages:
1. Their total resources are pooled together
2. Applicants no longer need to decide whether to apply to Cambridge or Oxford. They simply apply to Oxbridge only
3. Richer diversity in research - boost quality in papers/conferences
4. Combined strengths of both univerisities in respective reserach areas
5. Pooled teaching resources
6. Increased potential to become the no. 1 university in the world, ahead of Havard and MIT etc
7. Potential of brain-drain from America to Oxbridge
8. Buy the best researchers/academics to add to their depts, not unlike top American universities
9. etc.
Disadvantages:
1. Loss of traditional sentiments/attachments at both universities?
2. ?
What do you guys think? Are you for, or against such a merger, if it happens at all?
Personally, it seems to make quite a bit of sense to me. I thought it would be interesting to hear what people think, especially those who are already at Cambridge and Oxford.
PS: Don't forget that there was talk of UCL and Imperial merging.... for much the same reasons cited above!
One problem--you have to move one of the unis about 80 miles
but what makes you sure it would save money? And do we want a situation like the US one where one uni pays way more than another?Related discussions
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- Is Cambridge easier to get into than oxford?
- The Russell Group hurt/heal game (Part 5)
- If I hated Oxford will I also hate Cambridge?
- medicine - Oxford or Cambridge
- Oxford or Cambridge?
- The Official "Oxford or Cambridge?" Thread
- BA (Hons) - Law (Jurisprudence) at Oxford only allows choice of 2 optional papers?
- Oxford vs Cambridge Mature Student
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- Oxford vs Cambridge for Classics
- stuck whether to apply to oxford or cambridge!
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