<p>I want to know what universities you think of as the British elite, the cr</p>
<p>Besides Oxbridge, in terms of prestige:
St Andrews
Edinburgh
London (but also these constituent colleges: LSE, SOAS, King’s)
Imperial College, London
Trinity College, Dublin (I know, Irish, but it gets lumped together with the British unis)</p>
<p>London is an interesting case i think. </p>
<p>Only some of its colleges (and i use that term very lightly, because to all intents and purposes they’re all very different and separate institutions) are regarded as truly prestigious. LSE and UCL are definitely the front runners here, is it the same in the US?</p>
<p>In the US, I think LSE is the most well-known of the University of London schools. While I’m aware that UCL is prestigious perhaps in the UK, I didn’t list it in my post because I don’t think it’s widely known in the US. As for the other constituent schools of the University of London, I doubt very many Americans have heard of Royal Halloway, Birkbeck, et al.</p>
<p>It seems not many Americans have opinions on this, speak up people!</p>
<p>I always think of UCL as being third to Oxbridge.</p>
<p>I can’t even think of what UCL would stand for…</p>
<p>On the other hand, I have heard of (and have heard considered in high regard) LSE, King’s, St. Andrews, Trinity and Oxford & Cambridge obviously. </p>
<p>So, yeah, there’s another American viewpoint. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the regard and knowledge of UK schools differs between American coasts. There is a large difference between east and west coast perspectives on colleges and universities.</p>
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</p>
<p>University College London, the original London University. :P</p>
<p>St Andrews, Edinburgh, Imperial, LSE, and UCL, probably.</p>
<p>Edit: Also Durham. And obviously Cambridge and Oxford.</p>
<p>Cambridge and Oggsford (you either get that one or you don’t) are obviously in a league of their own - just about any American will respect those names. Below that… Imperial, St Andrews, and Edinburgh come to mind.</p>
<p>I’m very surprised at UCLs absence from most posts, and even more so that St Andrews is so highly thought of, considering hardly anyone here has ever heard of it.</p>
<p>St Andrews is known more than UCL because Prince William went there, didn’t he?</p>
<p>I know: Oxbridge, St Andrews and Edinburgh. Also know LSE and Royal College of Music because I saw them when I went to London.</p>
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</p>
<p>That hardly seems a plausible reason to think St Andrews prestigious, after all, UCLs alumni includes much more important people than him.</p>
<p>Princess Beatrice goes to Goldsmiths, UoL, Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips (grandson and granddaughter of the Queen) went to Exeter - when were they last called prestigious? Most British universities can boast at least one royal graduate; it doesn’t make them comparable to Ivies/Oxbridge.</p>
<p>Apparently Princess Eugenie is going to Williams College (of which nobody here has ever heard of) is that particularly prestigious?</p>
<p>There are only a handful of ivies, and only Oxford and Cambridge compare in most American minds. Academic minds care more about departments and professors, and not the perceived prestige of a place.</p>
<p>Most Americans don’t know royalty beyond the Queen, William, Harry, Charles. And of course Diana. It make sense why they would know only St Andrews. And I was talking about universities that I’ve heard of, not ones that I thought particularly prestigious. </p>
<p>And Williams is a very good liberal arts college in New England. Highly ranked, and pretty well known in the US.</p>
<p>But im asking what ones you think are prestigious.</p>
<p>In my experience it is something like this:
- Cambridge
- Oxford</p>
<p>Huge step down…</p>
<ol>
<li>LSE / Imperial / UCL</li>
<li>St. Andrews</li>
</ol>
<p>^ I’m going to agree with that.</p>
<p>Maybe Warwick should be #3 (just kidding, SamualUK…).</p>
<p>I wasn’t aware that anyone royal went to St. Andrews, I just know it’s old and somehow that’s linked to prestige in a college. That’s how the American ivies really work too. More time= more prestige. We don’t keep up with royalty, so I doubt anyone royal attending any college adds to it’s image in America. </p>
<p>Also, I figured UCL out after I wrote the post. U and C being all common in college acronyms. But I’ve still never heard of it. </p>
<p>And about Williams: it sounds familiar, it sounds like an LAC, but I would never be able to place it on a map or remark in any way about it. That’s how prestigious it seems on the west coast.</p>
<p>Where I live, most people don’t even know Cambridge, let alone LSE or St. Andrews. I wouldn’t think too much about it though, because the same people think that Stanford is an Ivy. Midwest ftw.
Personally, however, I’d say
- Oxbridge by far
- LSE/St. Andrews/UCL
- Durham?</p>