<p>Poor OP she is prolly tired of this chit chat</p>
<p>Nemom:
If you argue that the Ivies don’t have the better students, even when the numbers say so, then I must ask what your criteria for being “better” are. Are the US schools “better” according to the strictly academic, and slightly bookworm-ish, perspective of Oxbridge? Perhaps not. But “better” as in more well-rounded and having the time management skills to juggle a dozen extracurriculars while earning top grades? Probably yes. Now as to which approach is better, I’d say to each his own. But in the real world, I’d say that the American approach is more practical…</p>
<p>rankingsaddict states:
“What I’m referring to here, is a simple comparison of the number of students vs potential applicants. This assumes that Oxbridge take the best UK students, and the top-ranked US schools take the best US students. I know this is a very simplistic view, but with the UCAS limitations, international apps, different application cultures, financial aid woes, and the option of LACs, state schools and London universities I think it’s really the only way to do a broad comparison.”</p>
<p>This is the heart of the problem. I don’t think you can assume that either Oxbridge or the top ten US schools take ‘the best students’. </p>
<p>I am not asserting that Oxbridge is better. I am not asserting that the top ten US schools are better. I am asserting that using selectivity - meaning EITHER % of applicants accepted or % of students in the country is an appropriate basis for asserting that either set of schools is better.</p>
<p>Nemom: You mean inappropriate basis I presume?</p>
<p>Well if the percentage at the US top 10 is one-half of that for Oxbridge (0.38% vs 0.8%), I guess we have a lot of room for error here. Even if all the confounders turn out to favor the US, then I still think it’s quite safe to at least say that the selectivity of the two groups are comparable. While people on this board like to think that Oxbridge are the best universities in the world and their students are geniuses…I think it’s very important to bring the truth to them.</p>
<p>? I"m not sure what ’ inappropriate basis’ refers to.
I would certainly grant that the US top ten and Oxbridge are comparable. I think it’s impossible, really , to say more. They are also very different, both in selection method and teaching methods. Both often do a fine job, neither are perfect. Let the matter rest there.</p>
<p>cambridge is much prettier.</p>