Disadvantages of being an Oxbridge student

FadeToBlackout

I'm not at all ashamed of my college or university. But I am ashamed of people's reactions to it.

Try being a Johnian who defected to Oxford... makes you reeeeally popular in Cambridge.

Reply 24

FadeToBlackout

15

sTe\/o

Try being a Johnian who defected to Oxford... makes you reeeeally popular in Cambridge.

I know- I keep taking the piss, remember? :p:

Reply 25

$Avatar for sTe\/o$

FadeToBlackout

I know- I keep taking the piss, remember? :p:

Bully!

Reply 26

mdog235

I enjoy this thread - at my university we have the phrase "dropping the P bomb," which is essentially the bomb that kills all normal interaction with people once they start treating you differently once they know you go to an extremely selective and prestigious school. Sometimes I tell people that I go to school in New Jersey, sometimes I just say "up north" if I'm at home in Alabama. It sounds like y'all have just the same problems with the "ox bomb" (hopefully that phrase won't catch on...)

Reply 27

dancingqueen

11

Athena

It can sometimes be a problem if you DON'T conform to the Oxbridge stereotype, though - I get so many people asking me "what uni are you at?" and when I say Oxford, the next remark is usually "Brookes?" (how do youeven answer that without sounding wierd? "Oxford Oxford" and "proper Oxford" aren't really acceptable replies), because I have a regional accent that isn't southern/otherwise posh.

I also have trouble getting my friends to come and visit me - they visit my friend at Cambridge, but not me, because apparently everyone at oxford is "stuck up" and "not like them", and I can't work out why Oxford has a worse reputation for snobbery, because I found the atmosphere in Cam pretty much the same.

Argh I *hate* that question- anyone ever fathomed a good reply??

Reply 28

thomasjtl

9

"no, university of". It'll take a moment to tick over in their minds that you mean the proper oxford, which gives you just enough time to say something quickly to move the conversation in a slightly different direction.

Reply 29

$Avatar for sTe\/o$

mdog235

I enjoy this thread - at my university we have the phrase "dropping the P bomb," which is essentially the bomb that kills all normal interaction with people once they start treating you differently once they know you go to an extremely selective and prestigious school. Sometimes I tell people that I go to school in New Jersey, sometimes I just say "up north" if I'm at home in Alabama. It sounds like y'all have just the same problems with the "ox bomb" (hopefully that phrase won't catch on...)

That expression only really makes sense for Harvard: the H-bomb.

I find when I have to drop the C-bomb ( :biggrin:

) I am usually then treated to a spiel about how their daughter/cousin had the grades for Oxbridge but decided to go to a 'better' uni, like Nottingham or Southampton, since apparently Oxbridge isn't all it's cracked up to be these days. :rolleyes:

Reply 30

$Avatar for sTe\/o$

Still, the above example compares rather favourably with another favourite of mine, the 'physiotherapy is actually more competitive than medicine' claim.

Reply 31

sTe\/o

I find when I have to drop the C-bomb ( :biggrin:

) I am usually then treated to a spiel about how their daughter/cousin had the grades for Oxbridge but decided to go to a 'better' uni, like Nottingham or Southampton, since apparently Oxbridge isn't all it's cracked up to be these days. :rolleyes:

It took google before I realised what you meant there.

Really? How arrogant of them to even suggest that! Are these just randoms?

Reply 32

sTe\/o

Still, the above example compares rather favourably with another favourite of mine, the 'physiotherapy is actually more competitive than medicine' claim.

I would gently remind them that although the similarly psychology has a long name and legions of applicans, it doesn't make it better than medicine.

Seriously, I've not had the misfortune of having to meet one of these people but I guess it's only a matter of time before I do. Better get tooled up before then eh?

Reply 33

the_alba

OP

12

sTe\/o

Still, the above example compares rather favourably with another favourite of mine, the 'physiotherapy is actually more competitive than medicine' claim.

Which, while egregious in its way, itself compares quite favourably to all the medics I've ever met (with one or two exceptions) rolling their eyes when they hear what I study and saying 'English! That's an easy subject!'

Reply 34

Posh Portia Kabine

Obviously I'm not an Oxbridge student yet, but even so, you still encounter reverse snobbery. Upon telling a fellow student of mine at college that I was going to Cambridge - she actually said (in all seriousness): "What, the rubbish one?" I was a bit confused by this, and realised later that she meant Anglia Ruskin. There's no good way of replying to these sorts of comments! She then preceded to me all the bad things she'd heard about Cambridge. (Like I give a monkey's stool...?)

Reply 35

Athena

Well, Wadham College, Oxford, usually twigs people which one I mean. I'd imagine that works better for some colleges that others, however, considering how the LEA reacted when I told them all my finance stuff said "University College, Oxford"...

Funnily enough my first SAAS award notice was for "University College, Oxford". I didn't write this down on my form anywhere so I thought that was a bit strange. What's even weirded is that they gave me less money once I corrected it.

Reply 36

apd35

9

sTe\/o

I find when I have to drop the C-bomb ( :biggrin:

) I am usually then treated to a spiel about how their daughter/cousin had the grades for Oxbridge but decided to go to a 'better' uni, like Nottingham or Southampton, since apparently Oxbridge isn't all it's cracked up to be these days. :rolleyes:

I sometimes get that one, or how their aunt's friend's cousin's son's best friend wen there and did X subject at Y college Z years ago. To which the obvious reply is "oh really?" and move on very quickly.

Reply 37

Murk

sTe\/o

I find when I have to drop the C-bomb ( :biggrin:

) I am usually then treated to a spiel about how their daughter/cousin had the grades for Oxbridge but decided to go to a 'better' uni, like Nottingham or Southampton, since apparently Oxbridge isn't all it's cracked up to be these days. :rolleyes:

Pretty much every applicant and their dog has "the grades for Oxbridge", yet not all are accepted, I wonder why...

Reply 38

--

3

After telling my (now ex-) girlfriend i was applying to Cambridge, she corrected me and said 'Oxbridge'. After 5 minutes or so of me trying to persuade her from her incorrect view that several years ago they decided to merge into one and became a super-university called 'Oxbridge', i saw that she was fairly adamant and so backed down with a 'Yes, dear.', rather than risk ridiculing her and not getting laid for a while. It was one of the most bizarre responses i've ever had though.

I've also had all of the 'Oh so you must be really clever then?' or 'Yeah, i could have got in but i decided i wanted to stay here and go to [university placed about 110th out of 120 in Times' ranking] instead.' Normally i mention Cambridge as quietly or as quickly as i can to escape the questions.

I also really wish i could convince my mates that just because i'm off to Cambridge does not mean that i've suddenly inherited parents who earn several hundred thousand pounds a year, own a small castle and once hired the queen as a servant. And that i also won't be changing my name to 'Hugo' or be saying 'Yah!' at the end of every sentence. The country bumpkins also seem to think that just because i have a neutral accent that i'm posh. Bastards.

Reply 39