<p>I do not understand why you devaluate Harvard's academic value. Need I remind you that all global rankings state that Harvard is number one globally, especially in terms of academics? On the contrary, the fact that Harvard, in spite of providing its students with education just as stellar as Oxbridge, puts emphasis on the social and humanitarian aspect of the students' lives. I for one have seen a very smart, but very introvert and destitute in terms of ecs student get rejected from Harvard and get into Oxbridge. By that I do not mean that Oxbridge is just a body of miserable students who are stuck in their books all day long. I am simply saying that you are fallaciously evaluating Harvard simply because of its emphasis on extracurriculars.
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oxford doesn't consider extra-curriculars in the same way harvard does because it is primarily an academic institution, and has been for 800 years. To look at extra-curriculars with greater depth would be to move away from what makes the student body so interesting-they are all passionate, and exceptionally able at their subjects, something which the US system does not place so much emphasis on.
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This is surreal. The US system places just the right amount of emphasis on grades that is needed. It does not overvalue them, and it uses ecs as a counterweight. When the balance is right, the student is admitted. </p>
<p>And since you proclaim that Oxbridge is "fundamentally academic", how do you justify the fact that Harvard has been for so long top dog worldwide? Is it because it undermines grades? Of course not! It is because it is so intellectually challenging (a notion that many people I know who attend Harvard share).</p>