Is Oxford slipping academically/reputation-wise?

Firstly i'm not anti-Oxford, rather the complete opposite, but more than once I have read that Oxford is not 'what it once was' and that its slipping.

Does anyone else agree with this? Could anyone else shead their view?

I don't think its to do with US universities being bettered funded as i haven't really read the same said about Cambridge :confused:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

lovely_me

Yeah, those clowns at Oxford! They seem to let anyone off the street in! ( :rolleyes:

)

P.S you've just committed TSR suicide. :holmes:

Edit: 3 negs. Ooh you lot are cheeky.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 2

Genocidal

I would say it's slipping very slightly but only because there is more competition these days throughout the world so it seems like it's slipping.

Reply 3

Derek_the_Sheep

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/europe.html

Reply 4

237829

Here's my thought. A lot of this modern press about Oxford slipping academically is based on Oxford's position on league tables, which have marginally fallen on a global scale this year. Saying that, Oxford still came top overall in 4 different UK League Tables. Basically, league tables are not an accurate or trustworthy indicator of exact positions and rankings of universities - as a general picture, if a uni is consistently in for example, the top ten worldwide in several, then it has a high academic standard and good reputation. There's just too much variation year by year. For example, people set so much store by Cambridge's reputation in Mathematics, and yet at the recent ICM in India, Oxford Mathematician's made up half of the 12 UK delegates giving talks, with only 1 from each of the other leading Unis. I may of course by wrong, but that's how I see it - not slipping academically, or research wise.

Reply 5

T-Star*

Oxford Brookes, not quite what it once was... :holmes:

Reply 6

BJack

It's a media conspiracy!

Reply 7

Future Doc

Original post by future_hopeful_uk

Yes it is. You still won't get in though.

Reply 8

future_hopeful_uk

Original post by jbeacom600

Saying that, Oxford still came top overall in 4 different UK League Tables. Basically, league tables are not an accurate or trustworthy indicator of exact positions and rankings of universities - as a general picture, if a uni is consistently in for example, the top ten worldwide in several, then it has a high academic standard and good reputation. There's just too much variation year by year.

Yes i was pondering the same, within the UK Oxford doesnt seem to be lesser than Cambridge- Cambridge is a good benchmark for Oxford etc.

In fact on one of the league tables hasn't Oxford been top 8 times in a row, Times i think?

Reply 9

L13

Yes, it is. Why do you ask? Lancaster's on the rise, you'd probably do well to apply there in terms of monetising your education after graduating.

Reply 10

Oh my Ms. Coffey

It got merked by cambridge.

Reply 11

237829

Original post by BJack

It's a media conspiracy!

Hear hear!

Reply 12

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Slipping in what sense exactly, OP? Bit hard to comment unless you're more specific really :yes:

Reply 13

Achajecki

The answer is no....league tables mean absolutely nothing...

Reply 14

adam0311

lol at the ignorance of the OP

Reply 15

BigBadSaint

No, I don't think so. Other universities have improved tremendously, particularly some Russel group ones, to the point where UCL and LSE are as good if not beter than Oxford/Cambridge at particular subjects. Overall though, the preeminence of both Oxford and Cambridge is reinforced by their alumni's dominance over evey aspect of British life (except Sport??) . Academically it can't afford to pay as much to its teachers, but academics are rarelly in it for the money. The concentration of great academics at Oxford mean more of the best academics are drawn to become part of it and live there.
Morover, Oxford and Cambridge remain the target of the brightest students in the UK and this influence is felt in other countries round the world - I have somebody in my year who rejected Harvard for Oxford. Its not always like this, ie. many undergrads prefer Ivies to Oxbridge, but the scope of this influence is hard to deny. Crucially it still eductes a disproportionate amount of world leaders in politics and other fields.

Oxford in particular holds more sway in America than Cambridge does, based on my own encounters with Americans as well as the preponderence of Oxford on Collegeboard forums. It is still the powerhouse of world thinking in the humanities, with a huge concentration of the worlds' formost historians, literati and political scientists. In the sciences yes I would agree there has been a more significant decline, simply because the resources are not available to compete with richer universities, nor does it have access to as huge a tech-base in the same way Stanford does with Silicon Valley. Cambridge however picks up a lot of any (slight) slack in science, esp. in Maths and Economics, so between Oxford and Cambridge together, they are pretty much untouchable at the apex of higher education. I realise this sounds arrogant, but it is difficult to refute.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 16

ilikecheesytea

i wud say definitli no, goin up if anyfin, bercuz they let me in :wink:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 17

asdfg0987

Original post by T-Star*

Oxford Brookes, not quite what it once was... :holmes:

haha sad times

Reply 18

nerimon18

*******s! Oxford will always be the best!

Reply 19

definado

Original post by i.student

ox is not for everyone.
people seem nicer at ucl.
girls are def hotter and more fun at ucl.
they dont talk lit over dinner.
tutors and grad students at ox are so removed.

lol I dont think anyone has talked lit over dinner on a regular basis at my college or any other.