Oxbridge rivalry: Encyclopedia II - Oxbridge rivalry - Oxbridge image and stereotypes

Oxbridge rivalry - Oxbridge image and stereotypes

Oxford and Cambridge are very well-known inside the UK, and are generally familiar to people in other countries. Their fame stems from a variety of factors, including an association with a long line of distinguished historical figures, as well as knowledge of them spread through the influence of the British Empire and the worldwide prominence of the English language. For a number of years, Oxford and Cambridge have been a magnet for scholars from the United States and elsewhere under the Rhodes, Marshall and now Gates scholarship programs. Oxbridge is often compared to the Ivy League of U.S. universities, but this comparison can be misleading: for example, both Oxford and Cambridge are public universities (funded by the government), whereas none of the Ivy League institutions are (however, some colleges at Cornell University are state-supported statutory colleges).

Oxford and Cambridge have been careful to preserve many parts of their history, retaining a number of traditions that can seem archaic and bizarre to outsiders, and even to insiders. Oxbridge students and academics have variously been stereotyped as very intelligent, resourceful, and ambitious, as well as pretentious, arrogant, and inward-looking. The institutions themselves are often seen as quaint and charming, but also slow to change and obsessed with the past. There are sometimes accusations, often overstated, in Britain that students from less affluent backgrounds are at a disadvantage when applying to Oxbridge, and that the two universities have kept their traditional reputation of being socially exclusive and elitist.

One significant change Oxbridge has made in the last century to broaden its intake is the increase in the number of women students. For the first few hundred years of their existence, only men were allowed to be students at the two universities. At the undergraduate level, the male:female ratio at both Oxford and Cambridge is now roughly equal. Despite this, there are generally fewer women holding higher positions, although the current Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge, Alison Richard, is an exception.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Oxbridge image and stereotypes", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki