Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

Cambridge doesn't have much of a reputation in the US?

I've met quite a few people from the US who claimed never to have heard of cambridge, whereas they were like omg oxford's the best isn't it. I'm quite outraged to be honest, is oxford a lot more famous in the US or am I just speaking to really dumb americans?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

DisgruntledMoth

Oxford's definately more famous in the US than Cambridge.

Why, though, I'm not sure. I think it's featured in more popular media.

Reply 2

RightSaidJames

Oxford is more infamous, generally because the classic anecdotes about British students [that Americans know] tend to be about Oxford students. But I suppose it depends who you ask. If it's an employer, they'll know what Cambridge is, that's for sure.

Reply 3

djmm

If they are academic in any way shape or form they'll know what Cambridge is.

Reply 4

mdhey89

Rouge

Cambridge is eclipsed by Oxford in the US - get over it.

Reply 5

gyrase

Compared to the institutions in US (harvard), oxbridge is nothing in its academia. And I would think they recognise oxford more because cambridge would come under the 'oxbridge' term. (They would refer to oxbridge rather than oxford and cambridge seperately)

Reply 6

L'Autrichienne

It's true, and it's pretty weird. I've mentioned to a few people that I'm going to apply to schools in England and the immediate response is "Oxford?" When I explain that no, I'm more into Cambridge (though I haven't much of a chance), the response is either something like "What the hell is Cambridge?" or a very underwhelmed "oh."

It's really very strange.

Reply 7

Prudy

DisgruntledMoth

Oxford's definately more famous in the US than Cambridge.

Why, though, I'm not sure. I think it's featured in more popular media.

I imagine it may have something to do with a number of Presidents having studied at Oxford on the Rhodes Scholarship. Clinton for example.

Also, Frasier Crane went to Oxford! :biggrin:

Although Niles went to Cambridge!

Reply 8

Petit chou

Its like alot of British people don't know many Ivy (sorry if spelt wrong) league universities other than Harvard and Yale and in most cases they're the only 2 american universities some people know about.

Reply 9

Signor Optimist

I honestly didn't know about Cambridge until I came to the UK. I knew oxford though. This was due to Oxford press being very well known. Good example is Oxford press dictionaries. So people ask who made these dic's , answer 'Oxford one of the best unis bal bla bla'

Reply 10

username149848

Cambridge just hasn't developed the fame factor over here that Oxford has long maintained, in large part due to the latter's prominence in politics and society and the Rhodes scholarship among other things. Why would (not should) your typical American know about Cambridge for that matter?

Reply 11

Battlestar Galactica

Well Oxford is probably considered more prestigious than harvard in american pop culture, judging from what ive seen, so it is probably a special case. Cambridge still has a good reputation, but it just turns out to be less famous for one reason or another.

Reply 12

trance addict

Bit strange considering the town Harvard is in was named Cambridge after the uni here in the UK..

Reply 13

Ewan

Anyone who knows anything about science will know cambridge aswell undoubtably. I find it a little wierd too, cause I would of thought it would be the opposite!

Reply 14

gyrase

Put it this way, americans think oxford is most prestigious whilst Europeans think harvard is (maybe)

Oxford is a shorter word and sounds more intelligent than Cambridge which sounds like a derelict bridge with security cameras. (I doubt some americans pronounce it correctly even)

Reply 15

KMT-CCP.GuoMinGongchan

This is really interesting, i didn't know anything about this.

I would have guessed that oxford and cambridge were bot quite well known since they usually come joint second (after harvard).

Damn i picked the wrong uni

Reply 16

Hanoi

It's because Oxford is known for it's English dictionary which has great authority on the English language, whereas Cambridge doesn't have such a thing ... this is probably the reason why it is also the case in other countries that Oxford is more well known.

Reply 17

Jace Falco

There's a college town in America called Oxford. Bill Bryson says something along the lines of, "Like they thought that it would automatically make the school prestigious." I haven't read 'The Lost Continent' in a while, so he probably phrases it completely differently, but that's the gist.

Reply 18

KMT-CCP.GuoMinGongchan

has anyone from oxford brookes ever tried to pass themselves off as a person from the 'propa' oxford?

Reply 19

YankeeUK2008

Americans think Oxford is the epitomy of higher education. A lot of Americans think it's superior to Harvard as the best university in the world. I guess it has a lot to do with the idea of it being old and British. Your average American will have never heard of Cambridge, but students in College will have obviously heard of it.

What surprises Americans more though, is that Harvard is so reknown and reputable overseas. Atleast for me, I has always known that it was recognized internationally , but I didn't know that it was practically considered the best until I met more international students.