Oxbridge rivalry

The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, collectively known as Oxbridge, are the two oldest universities in Britain. Both were founded more than 750 years ago, and between them have produced a large number of Britain's most prominent scientists, writers and politicians, as well as noted figures in many other fields. [See University of Cambridge#Notable Alumni and University of Oxford#Notable alumni and academics] The competition between Oxford and Cambridge also has a long history, dating back to the days when Cambridge was founded by dissident scholars from Oxford. [ [http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/history/records.html A Brief History: Early records] , Cambridge University, retrieved 17 August 2008.]

Oxbridge image and stereotypes

Oxford and Cambridge are very well-known inside the UK, and are generally familiar to people in other countriesFact|date=July 2008. Their fame stems from a variety of factors, including an association with a long line of distinguished historical figures, as well as knowledge of them spread through the influence of the British Empire and the worldwide prominence of the English languageFact|date=July 2008.

Oxford and Cambridge have been careful to preserve many parts of their historyFact|date=July 2008, retaining a number of traditions that can seem archaic and bizarre to outsiders, and even to insiders. Oxbridge students and academics have variously been stereotyped as very intelligent, resourceful, and ambitious, as well as pretentious, arrogant, and inward-looking. The institutions themselves are often seen as quaint and charming, but also slow to change. There are sometimes accusations in Britain that students from less affluent backgrounds are at a disadvantage when applying to Oxbridge, and that the two universities have kept their traditional reputation of being socially exclusive and elitist. This is strongly denied by both universitiesFact|date=July 2008.

One significant change Oxbridge has made in the last century to broaden its intake is the increase in the number of women studentsFact|date=July 2008. Until the late 19th century, only men were allowed to be students at the two universities and women were not allowed to attain degrees until the 20th centuryFact|date=July 2008. At the undergraduate level, the male:female ratio at both Oxford and Cambridge is now roughly equalFact|date=July 2008. Despite this, there are generally fewer women holding higher positions, although the current Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge, Alison Richard, is an exception.

For a number of years, Oxford and Cambridge have been a magnet for scholars from across the world under the Rhodes, Marshall and now Gates scholarship programmesFact|date=July 2008. 'Oxbridge' is often compared to the Ivy League of American universities, but this comparison can be misleading: for example, both Oxford and Cambridge are public universities where a significant proportion of undergraduate fees are funded by the government, whereas all of the Ivy League institutions are private (however, some of the colleges at Cornell University are state-supported statutory colleges)Fact|date=July 2008.

Similarities between Oxford and Cambridge

Institutions and facilities

Oxford and Cambridge have well-regarded printing houses (Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press), botanical gardens (University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Cambridge University Botanic Garden), museums (the Ashmolean and the Fitzwilliam), legal deposit libraries (the Bodleian and the Cambridge University Library), and debating societies (the Oxford Union and the Cambridge Union).

Collegiate structure

Oxford and Cambridge also share a common collegiate structure: each university is composed of more than 30 autonomous colleges (see Colleges of the University of Cambridge, Colleges of the University of Oxford), which provide the environments in which groups of students live, work and sleep. Applicants must choose a specific college when applying to Oxford or Cambridge, or allow the university to select one for them, as all undergraduate students must be a member of one of the university collegesFact|date=July 2008. All Oxbridge colleges are part of the greater university, and students reading (studying) the same subject are given lectures together, irrespective of which college they attend.

Colleges within each university regularly compete with each other in a variety of tournaments (e.g. rugby, rowing, athletics and chess), but will happily pool their talent to form university teams for competitions against the greater "enemy" (Oxford, or Cambridge as the case may be)Fact|date=July 2008. This attitude is reflected in the fact that both Oxford and Cambridge refer to each other as "the other place"Fact|date=July 2008. In both places students enjoy punting, although the punter stands at the opposite end of the boat in the two citiesFact|date=July 2008.

Several colleges at Oxford and Cambridge have the same name. These are: Corpus Christi College (Cambridge | Oxford); Jesus College (Cambridge | Oxford); Pembroke College (Cambridge | Oxford); St John's College (Cambridge | Oxford); Trinity College (Cambridge | Oxford); and Wolfson College (Cambridge | Oxford). Colleges with very similar names at Cambridge and Oxford include: Magdalene College, Cambridge and Magdalen College, Oxford; New Hall, Cambridge and New College, Oxford; Queens' College, Cambridge and The Queen's College, Oxford; St Catharine's College, Cambridge and St Catherine's College, Oxford; and St Edmund's College, Cambridge and St Edmund Hall, Oxford.

Teaching method

The principal method of teaching at Oxbridge colleges is the 'supervision' or 'tutorial' (terms used at Cambridge and Oxford respectively, though the meaning is the same). These are typically weekly hour-long sessions in which small groups of students - usually between one and three - meet with a member of the university's teaching staff or a doctoral student. Students are normally required to complete an essay or assignment in advance of the supervision/tutorial, which they will discuss with the supervisor/tutor during the session, along with any concerns or difficulties they have had with the material presented in that week's lectures. Lectures at Oxbridge are often described as being almost a mere 'bolt-on' to these supervisions/tutorialsWho|date=May 2008. Students typically receive two or three supervisions per week. [ [http://www.quns.cam.ac.uk/imagedisplay.asp?I_ID=54 Supervision] , Queens College, Cambridge]

Although this method of teaching is not unique to Oxbridge, few other universities have the resources to support such a system on this scale, and so typically teach larger groups of students (often termed 'tutorials' or 'seminars') and rely more heavily on lectures as an important method of teachingFact|date=July 2008.

However, at Oxford, there have been recent attempts to reduce the number of tutorials offered to students; cuts to the number of tutorials given to students of English Literature began in the 2005-06 academic yearcite web|url=http://www.oxfordstudent.com/ht2005wk6/news/two_english_tutes_a_term_to_be_cut_for_classes|author=Baker, A|year=2005|title=Two English tutes a term to be cut for classes] . No such cuts have been planned at CambridgeFact|date=July 2008.

The surrounding cities

The cities of Oxford and Cambridge contain campuses of other large universities: Oxford Brookes University and Anglia Ruskin University respectively. There are also a number of English language schools for non-native speakers based in the two citiesFact|date=July 2008. These institutions are generally popular with students, who, for honest reasons and otherwise, like to claim that they have studied at either Oxford or CambridgeWho|date=May 2008.

Differences between Oxford and Cambridge

The city of Oxford is slightly larger, busier and more industrial than CambridgeFact|date=July 2008. Oxford is associated with the motor industry (BMW currently produce the Mini in Oxford), whereas the area surrounding Cambridge is known as Silicon Fen and has more high technology manufacturersFact|date=July 2008.

Oxford is more often featured in the cinemaFact|date=July 2008; recent films with scenes shot in Oxford include the "Harry Potter" movies, Radcliffe Square was also used in the filming of "". The architecture of the city has made it a popular location with film-makers and touristsWho|date=May 2008, and the "His Dark Materials" trilogy was partly set in Oxford. Cambridge also has a number of major tourist attractions, including the King's College Chapel.

There are differences in the terminology used at the two universities. For example, the undergraduate student body is referred to as the "JCR" in both universities, but in Oxford this stands for "Junior Common Room", whereas in Cambridge it is "Junior Combination Room"Fact|date=July 2008. At Oxford, the three terms of the academic year are called Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity, [ [http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/university_year/dates_of_term.html Dates of Term] , University of Oxford] whereas at Cambridge they are Michaelmas, Lent and Easter. [ [http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/termdates.html Term dates] , University of Cambridge] The large enclosed squares of grass found in most colleges are referred to as "courts" in Cambridge and "quadrangles" (or "quads") in Oxford. College cleaners in the two Universities go by different names: in Oxford they are 'scouts' and in Cambridge they are 'bedders'. [Frank Stubbings, "Bedders, Bulldogs and Bedells: a Cambridge Glossary," ISBN 0-521-47978-9]

There are more colleges at Oxford (39 colleges and seven permanent private halls) whereas Cambridge has 31 colleges.Choice of college at Oxford is more important than at Cambridge, since few Oxford colleges admit students in all the subjects available at the university (hence choice of college might be limited depending on which subject applicants wish to study), whereas most Cambridge colleges do give their students the option to study any subject offered by the universityFact|date=July 2008. Although both universities interview applicants in early or mid-December (or occasionally November), the admissions process is slightly different, with Oxford generally interviewing applicants at more than one college, and asking them to stay in the city for longer during interviews; the decision-making process is quicker, with applicants generally being notified of their acceptance/rejection before ChristmasFact|date=July 2008. Cambridge tends to have shorter interviews, normally only calling candidates back for interview at a second college if they have been rejected by their first-choice college; applicants are notified of their success or failure at the end of December or beginning of JanuaryFact|date=July 2008.

Cambridge students generally sit examinations at the end of every year, with each set of examinations being called a 'part' of the triposFact|date=July 2008. Oxford students generally only sit two sets of examinations, 'mods' or 'prelims' at some point in the first two years, and 'finals' at the end of their final yearFact|date=July 2008.

Both universities feature a 'Bridge of Sighs'. Cambridge's, which was built in 1831, is situated over the River CamFact|date=July 2008. Oxford's, which was built in 1913/1914, is situated over New College LaneFact|date=July 2008.

Traditions also vary between the two universities. For example, it is still compulsory at Oxford to wear formal academic dress (sub fusc) to all university examinations, although this is not the case at CambridgeFact|date=July 2008. (The students of Oxford voted 81% in favour of keeping formal academic dress – sub fusc – in Hilary term 2006.Fact|date=July 2008) Cambridge has a rule called "keeping Term": all undergraduates must reside a certain number of nights each term within four miles (6 km) of the University Church in the city centre unless they are granted special permission to do otherwise (this is given to students on exchange programmes or studying overseas as part of their degree)Fact|date=July 2008. Oxford's version of this requirement has no set traditional name, but is occasionally referred to as the "Six Mile Rule", under which undergraduates must reside within six miles (10 km) of the Carfax Tower unless they have received special dispensationFact|date=July 2008. In practice, these residency requirements are no longer strictly enforced at Oxford or CambridgeFact|date=July 2008. Traditions and the seriousness with which they are taken tend to vary widely amongst the different colleges in each university, more so than between the two universities as a wholeFact|date=July 2008.

Indirect competition between the two universities

There has been much direct and indirect competition between the two universities for a number of years. Indirect competition can perhaps be measured by the success of the alumni of each universityDubious|date=May 2008. Oxford has a greater political heritage: all but three of the British Prime Ministers since Winston Churchill's second term have been Oxford graduates (the exceptions are James Callaghan and John Major, neither of whom received university educations, and Gordon Brown, who graduated from the University of Edinburgh). Oxford has a high profile in the United States for its Rhodes Scholars program, which has included influential US figures such as Bill ClintonFact|date=July 2008. Oxford is also famous for its dictionary, which is generally regarded as the definitive record of the English languageWho|date=May 2008.

Cambridge's reputation is more impressive in the sciences and technology: it has been associated with the majority of Britain's most famous scientists, including Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking (though Hawking also studied at Oxford) and James Clerk MaxwellFact|date=July 2008. Science-related Nobel Prizes make up the bulk of Cambridge's 81 (as of 2005) officially recognized list of Nobels won by affliates — more than any other university in the world and ~70% more than OxfordFact|date=July 2008. Cambridge alumni have been involved with developing some of the most important scientific ideas of the last few hundred years, including the theory of gravity, the theory of evolution and the structure of DNA, as well as technological innovations, including the construction of the EDSAC (one of the world's first computers), and Frank Whittle's jet engine. It is sometimes claimed that Cambridge has a slightly higher profile in Asia, partly due to the perception that it is the stronger science & technology universityFact|date=July 2008. In 2000, the Gates Cambridge Scholarships were founded, partly inspired by the Rhodes ScholarshipsFact|date=July 2008. Although its dictionaries are less famous than Oxford's, Cambridge is better known internationally for its EFL qualifications and for its examinations subsidiary, Cambridge AssessmentFact|date=July 2008.

It is easy to stereotype the two institutions as having different strengths, and specifically associate (for example) Oxford with politics and Cambridge with science. However, Cambridge has also produced distinguished politicians including Prime Ministers Walpole, Baldwin and William Pitt, and Oxford graduates include noted scientists such as Edmond Halley, Robert Hooke and Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (and more recently Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web).

Direct competition between the two universities

Many annual competitions are held between Oxford and Cambridge, including the annual Boat Race. First contested in 1829, the race pits Cambridge University Boat Club against their Oxford counterparts over a four-mile (6 km) stretch of the River ThamesFact|date=July 2008. The first Boat Race was won by Oxford, but Cambridge lead the overall series with 79 wins to Oxford's 73, with one dead heat in 1877Fact|date=July 2008. Recent races have been closely fought, with Oxford winning by the shortest ever margin of convert|1|ft|m|sing=on in 2003 and Cambridge winning in 2004 despite Oxford claims of a foulFact|date=July 2008. In 2007, fielding the heaviest boat in the history of the race, Cambridge achieved their first victory in three yearsFact|date=July 2008.

The other major Oxbridge competition is The Varsity Match, a rugby union game played annually at Twickenham stadium. Cambridge currently has 59 wins (including the most recent win in December 2006), Oxford has 52, and 14 games have ended in drawsFact|date=July 2008. The Rugby Football Union chose to advertise the 2006 match with a campaign promoting inter-university rivalry: their advertising agency Lowe London produced posters showing the number of Prime Ministers produced by the universities, with the tagline "It's time to get even"Fact|date=July 2008. The Boat Race and the Varsity Match are notable in the UK in that they are the only university sports events that have any public profile outside the universities themselves. Both events are widely covered in the national media.

All other significant sports have their own varsity match at some point during the year; some of these, such as the Ice Hockey Varsity Match have attracted significant attention in the pastFact|date=July 2008. The results of all the varsity matches in The Varsity Games are aggregated and each year one university wins the Varsity Games title. Recently however, 'The Varsity Games' has had problems raising necessary fundsFact|date=July 2008. Sportsmen who have competed at a Varsity Match in the prestigious Full Blue sports are eligible for an Oxford Blue or Cambridge Blue respectively.

League tables

Over the last few years, British universities have been subjected to the increasing popularity of national university league tables, which rank universities based on the inspected quality of their research, as well as other criteria, such as spending on facilities and drop-out ratesFact|date=July 2008. Oxford and Cambridge have been a constant presence at the top end of the tables, never appearing outside the overall top five and rarely not holding the first and second places, but their dominance in individual subjects is often challenged by other institutionsFact|date=July 2008.

Cambridge topped more league tables than Oxford when they were first published in the early 1990s, and continues to pip Oxford to poll position in the widely respected Sunday Times University Guide league table, having ranked 1st for ten consecutive years, although Oxford has nudged Cambridge into second place in the league tables of "The Times" newspaper, where it has been first for the last four yearsFact|date=July 2008. The accuracy and reliability of many of these tables is disputed, however: some rely on research assessments that are several years old; others have rankings which fluctuate because of differences in the way they are calculated each yearFact|date=July 2008. Other assessments, however, place Cambridge number one for the previous three yearsFact|date=July 2008. Cambridge tends to benefit from its greater emphasis on science, whilst Oxford tends to benefit from its more centralised funding systemDubious|date=May 2008.

International league tables of universities have also favoured Oxbridge. There are two such publicised surveys - Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2005 ranked Cambridge as 2nd in the world, and Oxford as 10th Cite web|url=http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2005/ARWU2005_Top100.htm|title=Academic Ranking of World Universities, 2005|year=2005|publisher=Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University] ; while in 2006, the "THES - QS World University Rankings" ranked Oxford 3rd and Cambridge 2nd overall in the worldFact|date=July 2008. The year before, Oxford had been 5th and Cambridge 6thFact|date=July 2008.

Oxbridge cooperation

Despite the impassioned rivalry between the two universities, there is also much cooperation when the need arises. Most Oxford colleges have a sister college in Cambridge (but because Oxford has more colleges than Cambridge, not all Oxford colleges have a "sister"). Some Oxford and Cambridge colleges with the same name are 'sisters': for example, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. However, namesakes are not always paired up: for example, Trinity College, Oxford is the sister college of Churchill College, Cambridge, while Trinity College, Cambridge is the sister college of Christ Church, Oxford.

An old Oxbridge myth about the individual colleges' wealth has it that it was once possible to walk from Oxford to Cambridge without leaving land owned by either Trinity College, Oxford or Trinity College, Cambridge (some versions of the myth use the two St John's colleges)Fact|date=July 2008. Both versions are certainly untrueFact|date=July 2008.

Concerns are often raised that Oxford and Cambridge admit a disproportionate number of students from wealthy backgrounds, usually on the basis of the relative numbers of state-school and private-school students at the universitiesWho|date=May 2008. The two universities have made combined efforts in recent years to project a socially-inclusive image to potential applicants, with the aim of increasing the number of state school applicantsFact|date=July 2008.

References

See also

*School rivalry
*Russell Group

External links

* [http://www.cam.ac.uk/ University of Cambridge]
* [http://www.ox.ac.uk/ University of Oxford]
* [http://www.theboatrace.org/ The Boat Race]
* [http://www.curufc.com/fixturesandresults_thevarsitymatch.php The Varsity Match]
* [http://www.regionalconferences.org.uk Oxbridge Student Conferences]