Canadian Student - Need Information (Oxbridge)

Secondly, it's widely acknowledged that Cambridge is the leader in all the subjects it offers.

You can only apply to one or the other, so you'll have to choose Oxford or Cambridge. Oxford has the edge with the international reputation for most people, though Cambridge typically does significantly better in international league tables and is held with marginally higher esteem in the academic community. Oxford is a more of a city in its own right, whilst Cambridge is more of a overpopulated but quaint market town. Other than that, they're very similar. Both are within an hour of London.

Sorry but that is obviously not true. It may be acknowledged by you, but I say most Cambridge students would be humble enough to disagree with you.

For example. Oxford has a far greater literary record than Cambridge, and I would postulate that most would say that Oxford's English course is better than Cambridge's. There are many others, but it would be pointless to list them.

Oxford overall is top in both the Times AND the Guardian League. When people write novels about Oxbridge education etc, Oxford is far more referenced and idolised than Cambridge is. http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2005/story/0,,1462711,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,716,00.html

Im not saying that concretley Oxford is better than Cambridge, just saying that for you to say Cambridge is the absolute tops at everything isnt fair at all.

To be honest Id think that a fairly high people chose one over the other purely because the city, colleges (eg quality of accomodation or beauty.)

What your said before made far more sense

Again, the league tables would support the original statement

Also surely having more literary alumni would show that the Oxford course produces better quality graduates, sure it isnt a direct link, but it is an indirect link, and as there is little/no concrete evidence on which course is better, indirect evidence is the best one can manage.

I would personally say Oxford is the country's leading insitution.

It's rubbish to say that SPS is better than H&P or vice versa

But it's not rubbish to say PPE is better than SPS

I sense we've got wish-washy thinking.

So what are you saying, it's more rigorous,

it's harder,

it comes with better opportunities?

So in reflection, Cambridge is probably academically top for nearly all the courses, (Baring only English, History, Languages and Law,) and Oxford is top for nearly all its courses (baring Maths)

To the OP: Oxford is miles better at politics. Oxford graduates have utterly dominated the political scene of the Uk over the last century (probably more)

OK, I know I'm biased now I've got an offer, but I'm not so sure about History. The Times puts it at 1st place, and it's international reputation is outstanding.

Eg Mathematics at Cambridge is considered to be among the best, if not the very best in the entire world. But gives more people as a percentage who apply offers than oxford does for the maths course. So it seems to be harder to get in. Both get 5* in research ratings. Even in alumni, Oxford's undergrad course has produced Stephen Hawking and Andrew Wiles, who are probably the 2 most famous mathematicians of the last century.

OK, I know I'm biased now I've got an offer, but I'm not so sure about History. The Times puts it at 1st place, and it's international reputation is outstanding.

Anyway, we go back to the issue of how does having famous political alumni equate to an excellent course. John Prescott, our deputy PM, (who's come along way, to be fair) went to the university of Hull. As far as I know, no deputy PM has ever been to Cambridge - does that mean that Hull's got a better politics course than Cambridge?

EDIT: and I really wouldn't say that Hawking and Wiles (who both did their famous work at Cambridge as far as I know) were the most famous mathematicians of the last century, there are for example Ramanujan, Godel, Turing, Einstein etc.etc.etc.