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I want to know which university is seen as the world's premier, Harvard or Oxford. If you think that there is another premier univ., say so. I have heard from intl. students that Harvard is seen to be the world's best, but I am American and we see Oxford as at least equal. Why is it the premier university? Give reasons, not statements.

By O71394658 (O71394658) on Tuesday, July 08, 2003 - 04:23 pm: Edit

Depends on program.

By Pds112 (Pds112) on Tuesday, July 08, 2003 - 06:55 pm: Edit

Classics, which is premier? However, in this thread, which is the premier overall according to prestige, academics, and student life?

By Ughstinkysocks (Ughstinkysocks) on Tuesday, July 08, 2003 - 09:52 pm: Edit

depends on ure pref... if u want a diverse travel type program go out of the country... just remember the cost tooo

if you decide oxford... try philosophy..its one of the easier ones...

By Pds112 (Pds112) on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 12:13 am: Edit

Thanks, ughstinkysocks! I thought philosophy would be hard, but I will look into it. I am interested in philiosophy, but I am an expert in Classics. What do you think about Harvard vs. Oxford? Which is better? This isn't an admissions discussion.

By Oops (Oops) on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 01:44 am: Edit

Here's a theory why the top schools in the US may be better than those in UK: Most of the students at places like Harvard and Stanford are in the US, while Oxford and Cambridge draws most of its students from the UK student pool. Because the population of US is so much greater, the top US schools have a much stronger pool of students to draw from. Sure there are international students, but the percentage is not significant enough to make up the difference of the population of the two countries.

Note this theory wouldn't apply to the top u's of countries like India or China, which have a huge population, but a smaller college student pool and even fewer resources to support a strong academic program (as strong as one in US or UK, anyway).

By Ughstinkysocks (Ughstinkysocks) on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 02:12 pm: Edit

i would visit the places... u could do one for undergrad and do another for grad if u cant choose in the end...

By Pds112 (Pds112) on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 11:24 pm: Edit

I hear that Oxford graduate programs are horrible and that the undergrad. is the best in the world. I guess that makes it easy. Still, which is the better overall school?

By Heartfang (Heartfang) on Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 03:26 am: Edit

STOP IT WITH YOUR OBSSESION .IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF YOU KEEP POSTING YOUR MESSAGE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.


TO EVERYONE ELSE, DON'T REPLY THIS THREAD. Pds112 HAS BEEN POSTING THIS MESSAGE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

LIKE WHICH IS BETTER - OXFORD OR CAMBRIDGE?
OR HARVARD OR OXFORD.

By Pds112 (Pds112) on Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 12:21 pm: Edit

I wouldn't have to post it if I got an easy answer. My posts have 69 (Cambridge vs. Oxford vs. Ivy league), 55 (World's best universities), etc messages! These are intesting posts that I created. If you don't like them, leave. People aren't made to answer my posts, it's a choice.

By Pds112 (Pds112) on Friday, July 11, 2003 - 12:18 pm: Edit

I have talked to people from France, Korea, Turkey,etc. and they all say that they think Harvard is the premier. They say that no one wants to go to the UK for college. However, I still think that Oxford is premier.

By Arealtexan (Arealtexan) on Friday, July 11, 2003 - 03:49 pm: Edit

More foreign students go to the UK for university than go to the US. Considerably more. So, uh, these people in France, Korea and Turkey are mouth-breathing morons.

By Pds112 (Pds112) on Friday, July 11, 2003 - 11:39 pm: Edit

Thanks! I don't believe their right either. I am, as you of all people know, Arealtexan, pro-Oxbridge. These people, I think, come to Phillips Academy Andover with an American bias that we don't have. If you ask any of them, they will say America is the best at everything. Again we agree!

By Pds112 (Pds112) on Friday, July 11, 2003 - 11:42 pm: Edit

I totally agree! The issue is not a UK vs. US issue. I don't have the stats on foreign students in each countries' universities, but I believe you. I didn't and don't believe them. It's as if the intl. kids at Phillips Academy Andover come to America with an American bias that we don't have. They think, especially Korea, that we are the ultimate, the best. Naturally, apply that principle to universities. It makes sense.

By Arealtexan (Arealtexan) on Saturday, July 12, 2003 - 08:04 am: Edit

1 in 10 students at university in the UK is from outside of the UK and Republic of Ireland.

1 in 30 students at university in the US is from outside of the USA.

The kids who are attending summer school in the States probably do have a bit of a bias, yes. ;) Especially the Koreans, who have an American bias for pretty obvious historical reasons.

By Pds112 (Pds112) on Saturday, July 12, 2003 - 12:13 pm: Edit

I am glad to see those numbers, but couldn't that be the same amount of kids for each school, just compared to a different population (US is bigger than UK by 200 million people). I don't want to argue this, because I like you point much better, it's just that this is a legitimate point. Still, no matter the pop., the % of intl. students is comparable to other countries' ratios.

By Pds112 (Pds112) on Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 01:45 pm: Edit

Arealtexan, why would it be that there are more intl. students in the UK, when the US is more world powerful?

By Arealtexan (Arealtexan) on Monday, July 14, 2003 - 02:47 am: Edit

Because as I have said in a previous thread, temporal power does not equate to educational pulling power. The UK exerts tremendous cultural influence on the Commonwealth - you are forgetting that Her Brittanic Majesty is Head of State of more than just the UK. Many Commonwealth countries retain educational systems very similar to the UK (Singapore, for example) and the goal of most of those students is to study at one of the ancients or redbricks in the UK.

Similarly, EU derestrictions of border movements mean that students from the EU do not have to have a visa to study in the UK. Because British universities have not experienced the terminal decline of continental higher education, there are a very large number of students from the EU coming to study here. Even students who do not speak English as a first language. Greece, for example, sends approximately 17,200 students to the UK. Even France - our traditional enemy - sends 5,000.

By Pds112 (Pds112) on Monday, July 14, 2003 - 06:44 am: Edit

Great, so it is true that Oxbridge is very intl. What about kids outside the Commonwealth, don't they apply as well? This intl. students topic is a non-sequitor; point blank, is Oxford better than Harvard?

By Arealtexan (Arealtexan) on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 01:12 pm: Edit

Better for what? A university performs many functions.

Of course kids outside the Commonwealth apply, they just don't have the ready made cultural connections.

By Irishtrep (Irishtrep) on Monday, July 28, 2003 - 05:02 pm: Edit

it's not easy, or perhaps even possible, to give an unequivocal answer...i'm reading politics, philosophy and economics in oxford and i would like to make some things clear
the admission stats quoted in oxford literature for overseas students (something like a sat score of 1400 etc.) often gives ppl the impression that with a perfect sat, admission is guaranteed. which is, of course, completely wrong. these are only guidelines. people have to remember that the interview is the truly crucial part of the admissions process.
and as for quoting a 30 per cent acceptance rate for oxford, this is also somewhat misleading, as the quality of the uni and the application rate are not always closely related. applicants to oxbridge are largely self-selecting (as borne out by the fact that they are far above bristol, nottingham etc. in terms of a-level results, even though these univs have hyp levels of successful admissions).

as for oxford's decline, i should be kept in mind that the decline affects grad studies + costly research to a far greater degree than undergrad studies. until the tutorial system has collapsed completely ;) i would be inclined to lean towards oxford. that said, life at a poor college is not much fun...

for research, harvard is superior (evinced by the no. of nobels awarded over the last 30 years, compared to oxbridge).

btw, if there are any applicants for economics out there, dixit and nalebuff's strategic thinking is absolutely indispensible.

By Gangeska (Gangeska) on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 09:23 pm: Edit

For maths Cambridge is alt least AGES ahead of Oxford, there is simply NO DOUBT! Otherwise, take a look at the league tables from the London times.

Oxford in generally more known for humaniora and medicine. Harvard is also known for medicine, however technology is not its stong side reputationwise.

(www.thetimes.co.uk)