Which one: Stanford or Cambridge?

I really don't undertstand why Cambridge is suffering a money crisis. According to some article someone posted on here recently, Trinity is as rich as Man United. If so, why cant Trinity just help the Arts departments out? I am so naive.

Because its wealth is based on property, which doesn't generate much revenue unless you sell it. Its income is likely to be nowhere near that of Man United. As an example, I think Harvard, which has an endownment of $19 billion, actually spend less than $500 million a year on its undergraduates, i.e. about 2.5%.

It does. Trinity donated something like £16 million to the university last year.

If I had the choice of either Stanford or Cambridge I'd go for Cambridge.

If the choice was Harvard or Cambridge I might go for Harvard.

But as I'm a thick bastard such opportunities are unlikely to come my way.

Hmmmm.... I dunno. I may just be playing to stereotypes here but I'm not sure I'd want to go to Harvard what with some of the people who go there ( i.e people who have bought rather than earned their place ).

Also I'd insist on spelling it Haarvaard.

...whatever money they have left...

You are playing to stereotypes. However, this particular stereotype is terrifyingly accurate.

Mind you, I don't see that it's a bad thing - if you got in to Harvard on merit, the presence of stupid rich people will allow you to excel more easily, as well as increase the prospects of getting work placements in the companies their "daddies" own.

Yeah! Be the Haarvaard scruff!

Besides what's Harvard really good for? Business - yuck - and Law - American Law.

What American Unis have the best rep for Philosophy and English?

Yeah! Be the Haarvaard scruff!

Besides what's Harvard really good for? Business - yuck - and Law - American Law.

What American Unis have the best rep for Philosophy and English?

Strangely a fair number of top American academics in these subjects have spent study time in the UK (normally at Oxbridge or London).

At undergraudate level you can do neither Business nor Law at Harvard. This a little known fact, but very important - there are no undergraduates at Harvard Business School or Harvard Law School.

As to your second question - the best academic university in the United States, by a fair margin in my view, is Princeton in New Jersey. If that was your priority (for all subjects except Engineering) I would look there first.

I don't think it's strange at all - despite all the moaning from students/ministers etc, Britain has some of the world's most prestigious universities, and it is to be expected that intelligent, ambitious people will try and take advantage of what they have to offer.

Sadly it tends to be confined to the Arts and Humanities. No Harvard academic would want to come to Britain to do science or engineering research - they would have to be out of their mind!

Except for maths, probably.