Has Cambridge University lowered it's standards

What I mean is not academic standards as Cambridge still.in top 10 abd elite

What I mean is in terms of students life abd society for example
Obviously things have changed for the better as tget accept anyone in if you meet thrur academic Requirements
Whst I mean by standards is
Thet hsve questionable students society like taylor swift society
Stormz getting an honourable degree for absolute nothing I.e no academic work only through his charity and community involvement and youtube and social media wotk
This friday there is a tinder event with a famous music artist
Cambridge University infamous may/June ball that cost £500 to get in then get drunk till 5am or 6am

So with that said though Cambridge is very well respected
Anyone think it's standards have fallen or more to suit modern students
I don't I might be wrong

Reply 1

Anonymous #1

I don’t know much but something like Taylor Swift is probably student lead and not ingrained in the curriculum and is just for community and hobbies. Surely a Cambridge student can like Taylor swift and want to find others who do?

So many people get honourable degrees from so many different universities, not just a Cambridge thing. It is also not the same as a normal one so has no real value outside of acknowledging that person’s contribution to society. A muppet has one by the way.

I don’t think the standards have fallen off but I think it’s just society itself has changed. I’m just curious, what would a modern Cambridge where standards haven’t ’fallen off’ look like to you?

Reply 2

Anonymous #2

Original post

by Anonymous

I don’t know much but something like Taylor Swift is probably student lead and not ingrained in the curriculum and is just for community and hobbies. Surely a Cambridge student can like Taylor swift and want to find others who do?
So many people get honourable degrees from so many different universities, not just a Cambridge thing. It is also not the same as a normal one so has no real value outside of acknowledging that person’s contribution to society. A muppet has one by the way.
I don’t think the standards have fallen off but I think it’s just society itself has changed. I’m just curious, what would a modern Cambridge where standards haven’t ’fallen off’ look like to you?

Its just if Cambridge is seen as hard to get int9 then why these events etc

I just don't understand

Reply 3

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Honorary degrees are always awarded for "nothing" as you state. That's almost the entire function of them. Or at least, the ones anyone pays attention to...

Student societies are run by and for students. Do you think that poncy rich kids at Eton and the like don't also listen to contemporary music? May balls have been run like that and featured in gossip rags for decades at this point, it's old news.

Your issue seems to be more with contemporary popular culture and social mores rather than the university. In which case I don't know what to tell you. Time moves on. Old man yells at cloud. Etc.

Reply 4

xyz1234567

Why shouldn’t Cambridge students like Taylor Swift? Does wanting to join the Taylor Swift society make them less good at their Maths or History degrees than if they joined the baroque music society? Why should it not fit with Cambridge being hard to get into? It’s not like listening to music prevents you getting As and A*s at A level.

Honorary degrees are… honorary. The entire point is that you get awarded them for being famous or worthy rather than for any academic work.

Reply 5

Anonymous #3

Original post

by Academica101

What I mean is not academic standards as Cambridge still.in top 10 abd elite
What I mean is in terms of students life abd society for example
Obviously things have changed for the better as tget accept anyone in if you meet thrur academic Requirements
Whst I mean by standards is
Thet hsve questionable students society like taylor swift society
Stormz getting an honourable degree for absolute nothing I.e no academic work only through his charity and community involvement and youtube and social media wotk
This friday there is a tinder event with a famous music artist
Cambridge University infamous may/June ball that cost £500 to get in then get drunk till 5am or 6am
So with that said though Cambridge is very well respected
Anyone think it's standards have fallen or more to suit modern students
I don't I might be wrong

No offense, but your post doesn't make a lot of sense (hey, that rhymes).

I already don't understand what you mean with Cambridge "lowering non-academic standards". As you pointed out, academic excellence has become more important to get in, compared to past times when family connections and wealth could easily do the trick. So do you mean Cambridge is lowering its standards because they're not only accepting the elite?

Secondly, why would any student society be an indication of lower standards? It's not like this society is founded by the university; it gets its funding from the Student Union, yes, but pretty much every society gets funding as long as it's got active members. Each society is founded and run by students. The university has no say in this. How would a Taylor Swift society be evidence of Cambridge lowering their standards? Do you mean Taylor Swift fans (and for the record, I'm not a swiftie myself) shouldn't be allowed to study at Cambridge? I'm literally so confused.

Honorary degrees have always been nonsense from an academic viewpoint. They're not meant for academics. An honorary degree is a way to honour people that have been influential outside of academia, and to connect them to the university. If anything, Stormzy deserves the honorary degree more than most people since he literally established his own scholarship for black students at the university. He's more connected to academia than most.

A tinder event with a famous artist? Not really sure what you even mean by this and if it's connected to the university or just, I don't know, happening in Cambridge. Cambridge is a city... With events. Real people live there. And even if it's connected to the university, every university has non-academic events. It's a way to make student life more fun and not only about studying.

May Balls are a tradition that goes wayyy back. It's not a recent thing, so how is this an example of lowering standards? Do you really think that students didn't get drunk in the past? If anything, the drinking culture in Cambridge has gotten better over the years.

To be honest, your post sounds like you expect "elite" universities to be only about... Well, academia. And that's simply not the case. People have a life outside of their studies, and the contrary would be very unhealthy for any person. You need hobbies and events to keep you sane, especially in a high-pressure environment like Cambridge. If you still expect Cambridge to be a town only filled with upper class students who constantly wear their gowns and only engage in intellectually stimulating discussions and activities, I'm sorry, but you'll need a reality check. It's just a university at the end of the day, filled with the type of young people you'll find anywhere in the world.