So who else is rejecting Oxford?

For some subjects, you don't get an actual college place until fairly late. They're basically allocated to colleges which have "vacancies" due to people declining or missing their offers. So the people who hold an open offer know they've been accepted, but they don't know yet where they'll go.

This is all on the website, by the way...

As a qualification the Oxford MA has no real value but it is the result of historical tradition (unlike MAs at most other universities, or an Oxford MSt or MSc). It certainly isn't awarded because the Oxford BA is harder than those elsewhere.

It's pretty obvious that in general Oxford students are brighter, work under more pressure and get more firsts than people at other universities. They are, after all, completing their degree in a much shorter time span. What is not so obvious is the question of the standard of the degree obtained. Is it, for example, easier to get a first from Cardiff than Oxford? I would think that in certain subjects eg mathematics, it would be pretty easy to compare final exams and see if they are the same difficulty - most uni's have their past papers in the library. Universities have external moderators to make sure that their standards do not slip and are comparable to others, so I would think that a first is a first is a first.

I'm sure that if there was a huge discrepancy in standards it would undoubtedly have been highlighted on this forum.

As a test of this, when a friend at UWE got a very similar essay question to one of mine, he handed my essay in.

I got 64 (it was a rush job)
he got 75 and a suggestion that he might want to do a masters.

Everyone hates me when I say this but in my experience it was far more quantity than quality. I wrote papers that would have gotten me a B+ at my US university, but at Oxford I was given alphas and told I would be on track for a 1st class degree based on my work!

I never said that. I love studying, hence why I am a postgraduate student! But most people go to university because that's what you do to get a decent job. If people wanted fun for three years they'd go work on a cruise ship.

I'm sure that if there was a huge discrepancy in standards it would undoubtedly have been highlighted on this forum.

You HONESTLY think that? Do you have friends at other universities? I compare my workload to their's and the difference is RIDICULOUS! There's a reason science marks jump so much from mods to finals - it's because for finals we're moderated to be brought into line with everybody else and if they didn't award more firsts then very few scientists at other unis would get one!

I make no comment on whether degrees at Oxford are harder or not. All I'm saying is that an Oxford (or a Cambridge) MA is not a real qualification in the way that proper higher qualifications obtained through extra study are. They are awarded out of tradition (degree systems having been different in the past) not for some special merit of Oxford or Cambridge.

is this only for oxford or does it also happen at cambridge??

I hate to say this, and it'll get all the "inverse-chip-on-my-shoulder" PC ******s going, but rejecting Oxford is easily the biggest mistake you are likely to make in your life.

Not only do I have more fun than all of my friends (and admittedly do 10x more work), but all that crap your careers advisor was telling you about how "Firms dont see Oxbridge as above all other universities any more... youll do just as well from another uni"... well, its exactly that: crap.

Rejecting oxford if you are serious about your education or career = FAIL.

You have to realize that Oxford's social life only appeals to some people. It was my idea of hell.

What was hellish about it? Seems to me that there's something for everyone here, no matter what you like Oxford caters for it, whether it's "clubbing" or something obscure like C.S. Lewis...

There isn't, Oxbridge students are on a hype.

AAA at A level means you are as good as most Oxford students. Forget about geniuses, they are all over, and I bet MOST of them aren't at Oxbridge.

You have to realize that Oxford's social life only appeals to some people. It was my idea of hell. I much prefer my social life in London. I really don't think you can make a case for Oxford claiming that it's more fun--Pimms and punting ain't for everyone.

And having met undergraduates from LSE and Oxford, I don't see a significant difference in their levels of intelligence. They're all clever. The only difference is that at LSE, the student is likely to be bi- or trilingual and have multiple citizenships