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Mental Oxbridge complex?

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Reply 80
Original post by GradeA*UnderA
You've given the numbers, because they're readily accessible on the Internet and naively assume they must be higher. There's also a fair portion getting AAA, how do you interpret that?

You still haven't commented on whether you're a Cambridge student or not. If you are, you have a clear bias with what you're saying.


Who's naive? Me with actual stats from the universities themselves, or you with guesses?

9.4% at Oxford had AAA. So what? If a "fair portion" means something below 10% then yes it's a "fair portion"... Oh and you already challenged me to find a TSRian at Imperial with AAA yet I did so.

No, I'm not a Cambridge student. And in any case I'm "defending" Oxford, you've already accepted Cambridge is better than Imperial :wink:
(edited 7 years ago)
I'm looking at engineering. Imperial is better than Oxford in the charts right now and so is bristol. Oxbridge isn't the be all and end all is it. It took me a long time to realise that, after I visited different uni's. But now I know
Original post by john2054
Also bearing in mind that it was one of these 'Oxbridge' undergraduates, who called me a 'traitor to my race', because i married a black woman. Which just goes to show that they still seem to live in a backwards, cliquey, ivory tower, despite their *good* grades!!!!!


One undergraduate is not representative of a huge body of people. Clearly that person was an absolute ****.
Don't tarnish everyone with the same brush, particularly when some come from underprivileged backgrounds.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by PhysicsIP2016
One undergraduate is not representative of a huge body of people. Clearly that person was an absolute ****.
Don't tarnish everyone with the same brush, particularly when some come from underprivileged backgrounds.


Funny though that no one said, 'hey. i'm from oxbridge, and i think that it's great that you have married a black woman'. Also i consider myself to have come from a disadvantaged position, but i sure as well hell wouldn't say something like that. it is pretty disgusting actually!
Original post by jneill
Who's naive? Me with actual stats from the universities themselves, or you with guesses?

9.4% at Oxford had AAA. So what? If a "fair portion" means something below 10% then yes it's a "fair portion"... Oh and you already challenged me to find a TSRian at Imperial with AAA yet I did so.

No, I'm not a Cambridge student. And in any case I'm "defending" Oxford, you've already accepted Cambridge is better than Imperial :wink:


You're incorrectly interpreting the statistics for your own benefit. You criticise me for guessing, but you actually have nothing concrete yourself, just questionable interpretation. If you were really certain that you'd conclusively won this debate, then you would've stopped replying hours ago. The reality is, is that until someone finds stats pertaining to Imperial, we're at deadlock. The UCAS points arguement ended up being incorrect as Imperial's statistic is actually somewhere around 540-550 while Cambridge's is around 570. There's clearly not a lot in it, and I'm guessing Oxford's is lower, so there's plenty of questions regarding who's actually got the better A Level grades between Ox and Imperial.

I don't know about you, but I've got college tomorrow, so good night.
Original post by john2054
Funny though that no one said, 'hey. i'm from oxbridge, and i think that it's great that you have married a black woman'. Also i consider myself to have come from a disadvantaged position, but i sure as well hell wouldn't say something like that. it is pretty disgusting actually!


I don't disagree, I'm very sorry you had that experience and that kind of racism is very saddening and abhorrent.
But rather than blaming it on the university they went to, or their social standing, it is more likely to be a nurture issue like when people grow up around racist parents, for example.
My whole point about some Oxbridge students being underprivileged is so you can see that not everyone lives in an ivory tower and many have had to work their way up from really difficult backgrounds just to get an offer. Of course there are some ***** that ruin it for everyone else, but they are by no means a good representative.

I can then be the first to say I go to Oxbridge and I think it's great that you have married a black woman :smile:
Original post by drowsybun
I want to know if anyone has this, or if anyone could help me out.

I've developed this complex recently that only Oxbridge is good enough, and all other unis are rubbish. I know it's unhealthy to think that way- I think it's probably due to me wanting to prove myself to my family? They're all ridiculously high achieving and all that, and I feel like I'd be a disappointment unless I got into Oxbridge, even if I got into one of the other Russel Group unis. Becuase I fell back in one of my As papers, thus severely weakening my grade (which would have been very good if it were just the coursework), unfortunately... Cambridge isn't in my sights anymore (though I'm still going to try applying)

Does anyone have any ideas that I could get over this complex? Or are any of you are suffering from the same thing?


As someone who's just gone through the whole Oxford progress, from what I've seen of it grades are far from the be-all and end-all. Someone with below average grades can still get in with a strong admissions test and/or interview. What Oxbridge do is instead of looking for those who have achieved highly, look for those with the capability to achieve highly. If you feel you're naturally gifted enough for Oxbridge then it's still worth applying, assuming you're confident with your other choices. I wouldn't if you're worried about not getting all your other offers or if you're more of the "hard-working" type though, as it's still a likely rejection for anyone and especially so for those who aren't as naturally talented.


Also, on the topic of Imperial vs. Oxbridge: the only reason Imperial give such high offers is because Oxbridge have a rigorous selection process that lets them pick only the best. Imperial on the other hand chuck out a large amount of hard offers and sees who can reach them.
Reply 87
Original post by GradeA*UnderA
The UCAS points arguement ended up being incorrect as Imperial's statistic is actually somewhere around 540-550 while Cambridge's is around 570. There's clearly not a lot in it, and I'm guessing Oxford's is lower, so there's plenty of questions regarding who's actually got the better A Level grades between Ox and Imperial.


HESA 2014/15 (latest data available)
Cambridge 600 UCAS points
Oxford 574
Imperial 567

You guessed wrong.

Good night.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by PhysicsIP2016
I don't disagree, I'm very sorry you had that experience and that kind of racism is very saddening and abhorrent.
But rather than blaming it on the university they went to, or their social standing, it is more likely to be a nurture issue like when people grow up around racist parents, for example.
My whole point about some Oxbridge students being underprivileged is so you can see that not everyone lives in an ivory tower and many have had to work their way up from really difficult backgrounds just to get an offer. Of course there are some ***** that ruin it for everyone else, but they are by no means a good representative.

I can then be the first to say I go to Oxbridge and I think it's great that you have married a black woman :smile:


Thanks m8, nice one hey. I graduated this year, and am taking the next year out to consider my options. Good luck with your degree!
Original post by john2054
Thanks m8, nice one hey. I graduated this year, and am taking the next year out to consider my options. Good luck with your degree!


No problem :smile: Congratulations, and thank you!
Original post by john2054
Funny though that no one said, 'hey. i'm from oxbridge, and i think that it's great that you have married a black woman'. Also i consider myself to have come from a disadvantaged position, but i sure as well hell wouldn't say something like that. it is pretty disgusting actually!

Do you want a badge? It's not great that you've married a black woman, it's great that you've married a woman. Why would you expect someone to say "hey. i'm from oxbridge, and i think that it's great that you have married a black woman"?
Why would anyone say that? Do you want an apology from another Oxbridge undergrad? l
Original post by Iamthelaw1
Do you want a badge? It's not great that you've married a black woman, it's great that you've married a woman. Why would you expect someone to say "hey. i'm from oxbridge, and i think that it's great that you have married a black woman"?


Correct. It's great that i got married. That's not my point though was it. If you read a bit further back story, you can see that the whole point i was making, was that someone who claimed to be an 'Oxbridge student', also said that i am a disgrace to my race. And this is pretty disgusting. It is disgusting that any university student should say this, let alone someone from the best university in the country. That is the point i was making, okay??
Original post by john2054
Correct. It's great that i got married. That's not my point though was it. If you read a bit further back story, you can see that the whole point i was making, was that someone who claimed to be an 'Oxbridge student', also said that i am a disgrace to my race. And this is pretty disgusting. It is disgusting that any university student should say this, let alone someone from the best university in the country. That is the point i was making, okay??

I read the whole post, the point I am making is that there is no need to mention the university to be honest. That is like me saying: " Last week a white person said I am a disgrace to my race, that is totally unacceptable just because he is white". See what I mean? It is unacceptable on any level so there isn't a need to tarnish a whole university due to the actions of 1 student. Furthermore, you state that he "claimed" to be an Oxbridge student.... So in fact he might not have been one. The university he went to isn't relevant and I really don't know why you would bring this up in conversation.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Iamthelaw1
I read the whole post, the point I am making is that there is no need to mention the university to be honest. That is like me saying: " Last week a white person said I am a disgrace to my race, that is totally unacceptable just because he is white". See what I mean? It is unacceptable on any level so there isn't a need to tarnish a whole university due to the actions of 1 student. Furthermore, you state that he "claimed" to be an Oxbridge student.... So in fact he might not have been one. The university he went to isn't relevant and I really don't know why you would bring this up in conversation.


It's alright, it was quite a simple point i was making, but you clearly don't get it, and to be honest it is just too late for me to have to break down the semantics of this whole argument. If you don't think i was wronged, good for you. Now leave me alone thanks again.
Original post by john2054
It's alright, it was quite a simple point i was making, but you clearly don't get it, and to be honest it is just too late for me to have to break down the semantics of this whole argument. If you don't think i was wronged, good for you. Now leave me alone thanks again.

Subtly being rude won't help you. Were you looking for some attention? I'll give you some if you need some....
(edited 7 years ago)
Some silly things in this thread I find myself disagreeing with near all sides.

1. Oxbridge is a big deal and will greatly enhance your employment prospects, as things currently stand some moves by particular employers and shifts in public attitude threaten this. Should that go further I fear for the very future of this country. However I don't want to derail this thread with that.

I am sure you can great great jobs with Degrees from other institutions, and I am sure some employers would have good reason to pick a non Oxbridge candidate if there were other factors.

However any employer who was just as happy with a 2:1 from (insert random poly) as from Oxbridge clearly does not understand the difference. in most cases your not getting 2:1 or better without working 45+ hours a week at Oxbridge. At a lot of polytechnics you can pull this of with 10 hours, I am really not kidding.

when it comes to top Russel group unis it is conceivable that for certain subjects they can come close to match or even beat Oxbridge. However unless your potential employer is aware of this and is in the specific field the rep of Oxbridge would do you more favors.

2. The notion that students who go to Oxbridge are a superior caliber of students. if we are talking about as an aggregate average then sure this will likely hold true.

However many top students get rejected and still achieve straight A*s, and could well be smarter and harder working then those that successfully gain a place.

to assume that they always select the best every time without fail is to assume that the Oxbridge admissions team are infallible. Newsflash they may well be highly intelligent but they are not Gods. They can and will make mistakes or have imperfections in their choices.

3.
Some highly talented/able students will not pick OxBridge for good reasons such as the course not been relevant to what they want to pursue. Different courses offer different course material and some do not even have a course for the specific topic. This does not always mean that is a mickey mouse degree it can be a highly specific degree.
Original post by Iamthelaw1
Subtly being rude won't help you. Were you looking for some attention? I'll give you some if you need some....


Nah mate, don't you know because one supposed Oxbridge student was racist it means all Oxbridge students are basically neo-Nazis?
Original post by Luke7456
Some silly things in this thread I find myself disagreeing with near all sides.

1. Oxbridge is a big deal and will greatly enhance your employment prospects, as things currently stand some moves by particular employers and shifts in public attitude threaten this. Should that go further I fear for the very future of this country. However I don't want to derail this thread with that.


Can you please elaborate on this? I don't think that'd derail the thread as it is quite relevant.
Original post by drowsybun
I want to know if anyone has this, or if anyone could help me out.

I've developed this complex recently that only Oxbridge is good enough, and all other unis are rubbish. I know it's unhealthy to think that way- I think it's probably due to me wanting to prove myself to my family? They're all ridiculously high achieving and all that, and I feel like I'd be a disappointment unless I got into Oxbridge, even if I got into one of the other Russel Group unis. Becuase I fell back in one of my As papers, thus severely weakening my grade (which would have been very good if it were just the coursework), unfortunately... Cambridge isn't in my sights anymore (though I'm still going to try applying)

Does anyone have any ideas that I could get over this complex? Or are any of you are suffering from the same thing?


I was in the exact same boat. I'm now in my third year of a degree at Oxford and I'm as stressed and anxious as ever - I'm applying for postgrad and would feel like I failed if I didn't stay at Ox. The perfection complex I've developed is unhealthy and has only gotten worse by being in Oxbridge... If I didn't get in I'd be forced to face the fact that there is a life outside of these two unis, but as I find myself in Ox I feel a huge amount of pressure to stay here and to be the best at everything I do... I don't think it's sustainable in the long run.

Save yourself the heartache (and physical chest pains which are a symptom of my severe anxiety that I've developed since being here)*

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