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Higher education

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Original poster

Talking down Oxbridge after getting rejected

182 replies

Dddsfea · 22/03/2025 15:24

Does anyone know anyone else that does this? I know a parent who tries to talk down Oxford and Cambridge after her DC didn't get in.

Saying the students there aren't that better than anyone else and that they only worked hard in 6th form. And that they study less at university compared to those at other unis.

OP posts:
FlyingSquid · 23/08/2025 18:14

OccasionalHope · 23/08/2025 16:27

I’m currently reading a detective novel from 1942 in which a character is described as “one of those men whose careers start with scintillating brilliancy at school and college, and then when they come up against the rough and tumble of life, peter out into mediocrity. Usually such persons have intellect but not character”.

Edited

Oh, which book? It sounds vaguely Dorothy L Sayers but a bit too late in the century.

OccasionalHope · 23/08/2025 21:41

freeman Wills Croft, Death Comes to Chalfont.

OccasionalHope · 23/08/2025 21:49

Sorry, Fear Comes To Chalfont.

Bufftailed · 23/08/2025 21:50

So what? They are a bit sore so making themselves feel better. Smile along

tripleginandtonic · 24/08/2025 06:15

Specter17 · 22/03/2025 20:45

Volume & Frequency of Essays

  • Oxford: ~2 essays per week (≈ 16-24 per term).
  • Other UK Universities: 10-15 essays per semester (~1-2 per week at most).

You can tell you didn't study maths at Oxford

mids2019 · 23/09/2025 07:05

Grade inflation hasn't helped of course and it may be other universities are very near Cambridge in terms of accepted A level grades. Grade inflation mean A the interview has to do more heavy lifting and these things are never perfect and prone to bias.

fewer private school kids at Oxbridge shouldn't necessarily by praised to the targeted as it is early to see the impact. Let's see what society makes of the rise of Durham....I have seen many comments on new s items where the Oxbridge slip has been met with cries of 'go woke go broke'.

if Durham can continue to attract too teaching talent and have a very good intake in terms of A levels then there is no reason why its popularity should increase in a positive spiral.

Walkaround · 23/09/2025 08:01

mids2019 · 23/09/2025 07:05

Grade inflation hasn't helped of course and it may be other universities are very near Cambridge in terms of accepted A level grades. Grade inflation mean A the interview has to do more heavy lifting and these things are never perfect and prone to bias.

fewer private school kids at Oxbridge shouldn't necessarily by praised to the targeted as it is early to see the impact. Let's see what society makes of the rise of Durham....I have seen many comments on new s items where the Oxbridge slip has been met with cries of 'go woke go broke'.

if Durham can continue to attract too teaching talent and have a very good intake in terms of A levels then there is no reason why its popularity should increase in a positive spiral.

One newspaper league table only has ranked Durham higher than Oxford and Cambridge. Not so any of the other league tables. The so-called “rise of Durham” is more a long overdue return to a higher spot in the rankings, after years of being pushed below several other excellent universities the league tables, which all jostle near the top.

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