<p>It is a very American trait to be obsessed with being better than everyone else (preferably to the detriment of everyone else), and in particular to equate “bigger” with “better”. I very much doubt whether Oxford sees it’s role to compete Harvard out of existence. Especially it is not competing for American students. Statistically very few Americans enroll in overseas universities. Also, US schools attract different types of students to UK ones. If you have come from a US high school background, the UK university system is pretty difficult. I always advise students only to choose the UK system if they are very focused on one subject and know they will not want to switch courses. For many very brilliant students this is not a good fit for them. I do not think this is detrimental to the students or to Oxford in any way. The world is full of variety and that’s a good thing. </p>
<p>Looking at you other posts it appears you are a parent advising young relatives (nephews?) on college choice. I would advise you to stop obsessing over which university in the world is number 1 (in the opinion of random biased league tables which change every year. I bet league tables in China for example look somewhat different to any in the English-speaking world) and look for somewhere your relatives will be happy and is a good fit for them. If they get into number 1 university, and the following year that university is rated number 2, this will not ruin anyone’s life!</p>