Is there more to Oxford than its name?

Parents Forum
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<p>This caused a heated discussion on the Harvard Board: <a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=517274%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=517274&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Opinions?</p>

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<p>Coming from the paper at a school which is ranked by its own students 27th out of 31 schools in the Consortium on the Financing of Higher Education for academic quality and quality of campus life, it must be taken with two heaping fi st fu ls of salt. ;)</p>

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<p>Plenty of discussion on the article can already be found here:</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=308925%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=308925&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>(To save you the trouble of making points that have already been made.)</p>

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<p>Somehow it seems that the points made might be quite different.</p>

<p>less <em>cough</em> bias <em>cough</em></p>

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<p>"less <em>cough</em> bias <em>cough</em></p>

<p>Yep. Those Harvard students who ranked themselves 27th sure are biased about their own school, hack, hack. </p>

<p>(Seriously, if by the way, as an Oxford grad, with much exposure to Harvard, I think their strengths - and they have very great strengths - are quite similar. Fantastic, creative, and interesting student bodies, and many chances for students to pursue their own interests outside the classroom. The Oxford style has undergone reforms in the past decade to make it closer to the American model than it used to be, but it is still the case that one "reads" only one subject, and leaves it to the student him/herself to acquire a "general" education - one they were expected to acquire in high school.)</p>

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<p>On a related point, there is discussion about the possibility that London is eclipsing New York as the center of Global Cool and Global Cash Pots. US visas are too difficult, the constant 'High Alert' tone is wearing. London is seen as more welcoming (although some say that London does not have New York's racial mix and tolerance).</p>

<p>With that in mind, Oxford might present the best global perspective for a young humanities student. Science majors would be nutty to go anywhere but the US.</p>

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<p>^^ Yes, but London is becoming even more expensive to live in now than it has been in the past. The quality of life for students living in London is really awful, given what they pay for it.</p>