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Harvard vs Oxbridge

Found a thread on College Confidential on the relative merits and demerits of an undergrad education at both types of institutions that makes for interesting reading.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=153048

Reply 1

GerardT

The key thing really is whether you want to specialise or not - for what they do I personally think they are as good as each other.

Postgrad would be a bit different perhaps...

Reply 2

shady lane

16

Given how few people have experienced both, I doubt most people's posts there are based on anything valid.

I think most people who follow me on TSR know my view on UK vs US and the undergraduate level.

And for the record, it's pretty well accepted in the US that Harvard is not the best for undergraduate education anyway.

Reply 3

andy_1989

Who is regarded the best in the US for undergraduate? Yale?

Reply 4

shady lane

16

Princeton--number one ranked university for undergraduate, and it has far fewer graduate students that most other top universities. I'd also put Williams College and Amherst College there as the top two liberal arts colleges.

Reply 5

thomasjtl

9

I'd also put Williams College and Amherst College there as the top two liberal arts colleges.

By that do you mean they don't offer postgraduate programmes?

Reply 6

fundamentally

15

I chose Oxford over Harvard.
I had admission to both.

I would consider Harvard for an MBA ( it is better than Oxford's Said School of Business ) but undergraduate education at Harvard is definitely second best or possibly even second-rate ( despite the inevitable whining protests from Harvard fans ).

Reply 7

shady lane

16

thomasjtl

By that do you mean they don't offer postgraduate programmes?

No (or few) postgraduate programs, sole focus is on undergraduate teaching. They don't do as much research as universities do either.

Reply 8

FadeToBlackout

15

Would you say Yarvard? So why say Oxbridge? :wink:

Reply 9

Taiping

FadeToBlackout

Would you say Yarvard? So why say Oxbridge? :wink:

Because it's a deliberately weighted argument?

Reply 10

Isaiah Berlin

4

shady lane

Given how few people have experienced both, I doubt most people's posts there are based on anything valid.

I think most people who follow me on TSR know my view on UK vs US and the undergraduate level.

And for the record, it's pretty well accepted in the US that Harvard is not the best for undergraduate education anyway.

Shady,

But you'll note that, mostly, the people who had experienced both were of the "different not better" view, whereas those who'd be to Harvard alone or, more commonly for that website, neither, were of the "Ox sux Harvard rulez" persuasion.

By the way, I was talking to about half a dozen so Stanford exchange students the other day. When I explained to them about Finals they were pretty awe struck, with comments of the "we don't have to do anything that hard" variety. Thought that would warm your heart.

Reply 11

shady lane

16

I'm surprised you were able to discuss finals, since I'd imagine you were too busy trying to figure out how unintelligent they were.

Reply 12

Isaiah Berlin

4

I already had, right about the time I had to explain to them how to queue for dinner :tongue:

By the way, when have I slurred the intelligence of Stanford students?

Reply 13

shady lane

16

It's just a general feeling that emits from the Oxford subforum--that all visiting students are thick. So you must be in Corpus, Magdalen, or Brasenose if you were at dinner with them, correct? Give them a break, most have probably just arrived!

Reply 14

Isaiah Berlin

4

Ah right. I don't think that's a very general feeling - though some people do take time to adjust to the tutorial system. That's true of everyone of ourse.

Also, how was the fact I showed them into dinner and sat with them on the first visit not giving them a break? They asked about finals, I told them. I didn't comment about their response to them. I just thought it would interest you :smile:

Reply 15

thomasjtl

9

i always wondered what happened to bluefuture- i assume that's the same guy that floated around these parts a while back- he seemed a little bit more balanced than i remembered him.

Reply 16

fundamentally

15

shady lane

It's just a general feeling that emits from the Oxford subforum--that all visiting students are thick.

No all of them are thick.
A few are actually fairly bright.
As for the rest of them, well I guess that Oxford need to raise some additional funds and the visiting student scam is as good as any. :rolleyes:

Reply 17

Spunky

14

According to my tutor there's a debate going on currently in some colleges before governing body meetings take place about whether the scheme should be ditched.

Reply 18

shady lane

16

To be fair, there's a difference between the general "anyone with a 3.4 GPA can get in" programs, and the ones that are established programs between Oxbridge and a partner US university. The program I attended was established in 1984 and has produced a good number of Rhodes Scholars. However I also met people who were on a study abroad program for students from fundamentalist Christian Bible colleges; they live right near the Purple Turtle!

Reply 19

thomasjtl

9

Fundementalist christians can be intelligent, too, ya'know.
Oxford and Cambridge have the biggest Christian Unions in the country.

Harvard vs Oxbridge

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