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Oxford Brookes - for the dumb rich people?

Is Oxford Brookes University a place where rich dumb people go? I asked my friend this and she said most of her friends are going to Brookes just because it's in Oxford and can convince themselves and brag to others (the misinformed) that they're actually at the real Oxford. Her friends all got C and D at A level. I guess there must be a lot of friction in the town, with real Oxford students looking down their noses at Brookes students? I can only ask these types of questions here, under anonymity, as it's a very awkward question to ask in person, as you could imagine...

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nah

durham is for the dumb rich people
Reply 2
Avatar for Voi
Voi
OP
12
Original post by ayyy2
nah

durham is for the dumb rich people


Then by that standard Brookes must be for the illiterate rich people?
Original post by Voi
Is Oxford Brookes University a place where rich dumb people go? I asked my friend this and she said most of her friends are going to Brookes just because it's in Oxford and can convince themselves and brag to others (the misinformed) that they're actually at the real Oxford. Her friends all got C and D at A level. I guess there must be a lot of friction in the town, with real Oxford students looking down their noses at Brookes students? I can only ask these types of questions here, under anonymity, as it's a very awkward question to ask in person, as you could imagine...


It's mean to use phrases like "dumb rich people" - there are thousands of regular, honest, hard working students at Brookes, just like there are at any university.
Reply 4
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Voi
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Original post by Fullofsurprises
It's mean to use phrases like "dumb rich people" - there are thousands of regular, honest, hard working students at Brookes, just like there are at any university.


But if they're all those things, why aren't they at a RG group or a top 10? They couldn't have fully prioritised their studies if they end up a Brookes, surely?
Original post by ayyy2
nah

durham is for the dumb rich people


Durham actually has high entry standards generally so I'd take the 'dumb' part out.
Reply 6
Avatar for JooW
JooW
16
Second unis are always the weaker counterparts. Manchester Met, Southampton Solent, Oxford Brookes, Anglia Ruskin; these are places that share towns with amazing unis and I can't think of a
"(Town) (Name)" uni that's on par with the top 30
Original post by Voi
But if they're all those things, why aren't they at a RG group or a top 10? They couldn't have fully prioritised their studies if they end up a Brookes, surely?


Not every student at school is informed about the RG or the 'top 10' (although there's no such thing in my opinion). I think outside TSR, most students in real life are actually quite oblivious to it. It's almost as though it's something you have to be middle-class in order to be aware of (either by going to the right sort of school or/and having university educated parents, which most people don't). I don't think most people outside the top 20-30 realise where their university stands compared to others, and don't research this when choosing an institution, even if they're hard-working and capable of going somewhere better.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 8
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JooW
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Original post by MaskOfKeaton
Not every student at school is informed about the RG or the 'top 10' (although there's no such thing in my opinion). I think outside TSR, most students in real life are actually quite oblivious to it. It's almost as though it's something you have to be middle-class in order to be aware of (either by going to the right sort of school or/and having university educated parents, which most people don't). I don't think most people outside the top 20-30 realise where their university stands compared to others, and don't research this when choosing an institution, even if they're hard-working and capable of going somewhere better.


I know someone who got AAA at A Level but went to Derby simply because of the course structure and closeness to home. I don't think league tables have an effect on education outside the top 30 like you say;
There doesn't seem to me to be much of a rivalry between Brookes and UofO as you'd get in some towns with two uni's. It's not like Leicester and De Montfort for example. They have the whole rivalry with Cambridge.

As for dumb rich people.. You get a few. But they're in a minority. Tho it does seem to be a growing minority.

You gotta remember that Brookes does have some very good departments. The automotive engineering department is the best in the country for example. So you encounter people of varying abilities, attitudes etc..

I've never met anybody who thought they could convince people they were at UofO and I've never had any sort of unpleasant attitude from any UofO student I've known here.
I would have thought that the majority of OB students would be working gclass or middle class.

There will be bright people there who have come into their own only at A-level or had bad exam days. There might even be people who acheieved the grades required for more presitigious institutions but nevertheless decided to go to OB. Such things do happen. Just the other day I found out that a uni friend of mine was predicted and got A*AA at A-level, yet decided to accept the unconditional offer my University gave her despite it not being in the top 30 for the subject, simply because she was really impressed with the University after attending an open day.
Original post by Kvothe the Arcane
I would have thought that the majority of OB students would be working gclass or middle class.


I once did some group work with a girl who went to school with Jordanian royalty. Her and her mates could barely form sentences or use a computer despite their having matching macbook airs.
Original post by green.tea
I once did some group work with a girl who went to school with Jordanian royalty. Her and her mates could barely form sentences or use a computer despite their having matching macbook airs.


Is that quite common?
Original post by Kvothe the Arcane
Is that quite common?


In that class it was about 5 people out of about 50.

Obviously I'm speaking purely from personal experience and the relatively small number of people I know may not be representative. It does seem to me to be becoming more common tho.
Original post by green.tea
In that class it was about 5 people out of about 50.

Obviously I'm speaking purely from personal experience and the relatively small number of people I know may not be representative. It does seem to me to be becoming more common tho.


I do suspect that some Universities relax english speaking requirements in order to get more internationals. But it's an unfounded opinion.
Original post by Voi
Is Oxford Brookes University a place where rich dumb people go? I asked my friend this and she said most of her friends are going to Brookes just because it's in Oxford and can convince themselves and brag to others (the misinformed) that they're actually at the real Oxford. Her friends all got C and D at A level. I guess there must be a lot of friction in the town, with real Oxford students looking down their noses at Brookes students? I can only ask these types of questions here, under anonymity, as it's a very awkward question to ask in person, as you could imagine...


There has always been an element of going to Brookes for the atmosphere back to OxPoly days but it has always been a small minority of students. Oxford has been full of non-Oxford University students at least since the War. As OxPoly/Brookes has grown, the secretarial colleges, language schools, crammers and business schools have declined.

Oxford is a very student orientated place and that, more than misrepresenting where they are studying attracts people. For white middle class southern suburban teenagers, Oxford as a city feels more comfortable culturally than many towns and cities with universities with similar grades. Moreover Brookes tends to run a lot more liberal arts courses than other similar institutions that are more obviously vocational in emphasis. Brookes' diversity tends to be expressed in the form of people with foreign accents rather than ethnic minority students speaking with the street accents of say East London. To someone from Esher, places like Luton, Hatfield and even Portsmouth are simply not on their radar. Only Brighton in the south east really appeals to a similar demographic at a similar attainment level.
Original post by Voi
I guess there must be a lot of friction in the town, with real Oxford students looking down their noses at Brookes students?


No not at all. University of Oxford is in the city centre whilst Brookes is up the hill, so tbh there isn't all that much contact, but where there is I'v never seen any unpleasantness. There are even some UoO societies which have good amounts of Brookes students as members.

Oxford considers its main rival/target of derision to be Cambridge.
Oxford Brookes has never been as posh as Bristol Poly (now UWE).
it is the same in soccer... you have Liverpool FC then you have Everton...
Original post by Voi
But if they're all those things, why aren't they at a RG group or a top 10? They couldn't have fully prioritised their studies if they end up a Brookes, surely?


Most of the grade boundaries at Brookes are BBB, so while not the best grades in the world not exactly dumb either. Plus Brookes has some very high ranking courses such as Hospitality, motorsports engineering, and Architecture (which you need AAA to get in) that are not always offered at top Unis. At the end of the day there is quite a few Posh people at Brookes, and some of them not the brightest in the pack, but to say that everyone at Brookes is rich and dumb is a bit unfair.

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