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Assuming by "oxbridge degree" you mean a place on the course rather than a free degree certificate for no effort:

Definitely the money, for two reasons:
- there are plenty of other great universities out there, and just going to Oxbridge isn't going to earn me an extra £250k
- getting a good grade at Oxbridge is hard work - if you're the kind of person who effectively has to buy a place on the course rather than getting in for free in the usual admissions process, no chance you can pass the course/ get at 2:1, making the degree worth a lot less
Original post by jon2016
By a couple I assume you mean at least 5


A couple means two...

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Original post by dragonkeeper999
Assuming by "oxbridge degree" you mean a place on the course rather than a free degree certificate for no effort:

Definitely the money, for two reasons:
- there are plenty of other great universities out there, and just going to Oxbridge isn't going to earn me an extra £250k
- getting a good grade at Oxbridge is hard work - if you're the kind of person who effectively has to buy a place on the course rather than getting in for free in the usual admissions process, no chance you can pass the course/ get at 2:1, making the degree worth a lot less


No you get a first degree, no course just the degree.
Original post by WoodyMKC
Strong this. Getting a degree normally means you're looking to work for someone else, and nobody's gonna pay you 7 figures or even close to work for them. Conversely, if you have a good head for business, and the funds to set your own large business up, you stand every chance of becoming rich.


That's entirely possible if you work front office finance, don't need an oxbridge degree for that though - LSE, Imperial, Warwick and UCL are just as good.
Reply 284
Money :smile:
I would buy house for that money, with my current status and how my career is going :smile:
That some people seriously want to take the money illustrates the level of stupidity and short-termism on this forum.

Calculate how much an Oxbridge 1st is worth in added value over 50 years of your working life and then come back and reevaluate.
Original post by eyeman567
No you get a first degree, no course just the degree.


Tbh, I'd still take the money - just having a first doesn't make you employable, it's all the other things you do outside your degree (societies, projects, awards, internships) that employers are looking for.
Cambridge. Money can't buy you happiness. Education is priceless.
Original post by Awesome Genius
Which would you take and why?

The degree without any associated costs.



My take on it:

ANYONE can get £250k. There are spoilt, useless people who inherit that money and more.

To get that degree either you're really smart or ridiculously well-connected to the point where you're talking about a few individuals on the planet (buy the degree and the class).

So I don't think about it in terms what the money or degree could get me, but what it represents.


I would take the 25k and go to Harvard or MIT .... Lol, Oxbridge kid talking about well connected

If you want to be well connected go to an Ivy, those schools has the offspring of the wealthiest people on Earth. While Oxbridge accepts purely by academics, you are most likely going to be studying with people with the same background as you.
(edited 7 years ago)
Tbh? Oxbridge degree, esp if I'm guaranteed a first.
I am planning to buy an Oxbridge place with my Fathers wealth. I have disposable income.
Original post by Vaughan-the-ox
I am planning to buy an Oxbridge place with my Fathers wealth. I have disposable income.


I knew you'd be at home in this thread.

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I would take the 250k without a doubt.




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If I get the brain full of knowledge that having a first class Oxbridge degree gets me, then that. I'm going uni for the knowledge not the reputation - and better unis tend to teach more content.
Original post by Awesome Genius
Which would you take and why?

The degree without any associated costs.



My take on it:

ANYONE can get £250k. There are spoilt, useless people who inherit that money and more.

To get that degree either you're really smart or ridiculously well-connected to the point where you're talking about a few individuals on the planet (buy the degree and the class).

So I don't think about it in terms what the money or degree could get me, but what it represents.


If the degree would be of my choice then yes if not then no. What's the point of having a degree in something that your not interested in? If not of my choice then money
Original post by sjohnson98
Hahahaha you'd need more than 250k to go to Harvard. Why do you think so many Americans come to the UK?


It doesn't cost £250k to go to Harvard unless your family is already very well off. Most people at Harvard have financial aid.

Assuming you have parental income of about $100k, own a $500k worth of equity in your house and have maybe $40k of other investments, you would get an annual scholarship in the region of $40k, meaning you'd be paying under $30k a year for your tuition, board and routine expenses.

https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/net-price-calculator

Original post by Princepieman
MDs in IB, Sales and Trading, Research, Asset Management at a good bank

Partners at good consulting, accounting and law firms.

Executives at large scale (FTSE250, Fortune 100) companies

Partners/MDs at hedge funds, private equity firms and asset managers..

Sales people selling big ticket items (commercial real estate, luxury goods, enterprise level software etc)..

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Not to be pedantic, but if you earn seven figures in a law firm, you don't work for anyone. You'd be an equity partner in the firm at that level, earning most of your money from your stake in the firm.
Original post by TurboCretin
It doesn't cost £250k to go to Harvard unless your family is already very well off. Most people at Harvard have financial aid.

Assuming you have parental income of about $100k, own a $500k worth of equity in your house and have maybe $40k of other investments, you would get an annual scholarship in the region of $40k, meaning you'd be paying under $30k a year for your tuition, board and routine expenses.

https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/net-price-calculator



Not to be pedantic, but if you earn seven figures in a law firm, you don't work for anyone. You'd be an equity partner in the firm at that level, earning most of your money from your stake in the firm.


That works for most people, but I know plenty of people who live in metropolitan areas whose parents earn more and whose houses/apartments are worth more because there's a higher cost of living in the city. However, they likely have big mortgages and have comparable amounts of money to someone making far less, simply because they spend more on a day-to-day basis. There's no algorithm that takes into account cost of living in a certain area and thus many people from big cities, who may have bought real estate decades ago in an area that went up in value are finding themselves unable to pay for their childrens' college educations but unable to get financial aid.
Original post by TurboCretin




Not to be pedantic, but if you earn seven figures in a law firm, you don't work for anyone. You'd be an equity partner in the firm at that level, earning most of your money from your stake in the firm.


Very true.. Same goes for all partnership-esque structures. Although one could argue you're working for your shareholders/board of directors as an executive or an MD at a bank.

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Original post by Princepieman
Very true.. Same goes for all partnership-esque structures. Although one could argue you're working for your shareholders/board of directors as an executive or an MD at a bank.

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Banks have much more complex structures and, to be honest, I'm not well qualified to comment on them. It's amazing to think that most were still partnerships up until the 80s.
Original post by sjohnson98
That works for most people, but I know plenty of people who live in metropolitan areas whose parents earn more and whose houses/apartments are worth more because there's a higher cost of living in the city. However, they likely have big mortgages and have comparable amounts of money to someone making far less, simply because they spend more on a day-to-day basis. There's no algorithm that takes into account cost of living in a certain area and thus many people from big cities, who may have bought real estate decades ago in an area that went up in value are finding themselves unable to pay for their childrens' college educations but unable to get financial aid.


Hmm. The cost of repaying a mortgage doesn't depend on what happens to the value of the property after you buy it. If you buy a house for £20k in 1980 and it's worth £200k today, that's just fortunate for the homeowner. Plenty of people in the UK have become much better off by riding that wave.