A few months ago, I wrote a post that was all the reasons that the typical high-flying American college applicant should consider Oxford or Cambridge. Don’t get me wrong, for many of you out there, they are great choices.
However, Oxbridge isn’t for everyone. No one university is going to be everything for everyone, and the two oldest universities in the English-speaking world are no exceptions. What follows are a few of the reasons that you should avoid Oxford or Cambridge in making your college list.
If you’re a senior this year, don’t worry, the application has already passed, so you have nothing to worry about!
Flexibility
Let’s start with one that can be hit or miss, and that’s flexibility. One of the first things you’ll notice about Oxford and Cambridge is how relatively short their terms are. However, don’t let that fool you. You’ll have plenty to keep you busy during the terms, and more than enough to occupy your time outside of formal on-campus periods.
But it’s not just with regards to the calendar that Oxbridge can be oppressive. You will be expected to know what you want to study, and be very gifted in it, before you step foot on campus. In many ways, especially at Oxford, you’re locked in.
Cambridge can be a bit trickier. Due to their Tripos system, you can technically change fields. While there are some instances where it is expected (linguistics and management), it is frowned upon at times. That might make you think that you can ‘change majors.’
Not so much.
Imagine deciding that you wanted to go from an English major to a chemistry major, but being told that you can take General Chemistry I and II, as well as Organic Chemistry I and II and Biochemistry, on your own so that you’re ready for advanced coursework when you get back. That’s what changing your Tripos is like. It’s great if you’re going from something related, like Math (technically Natural Science for the first year) to Economics or Anglo-Saxon and Celtic Studies to History, but it’s still far from just filing some paperwork and taking a few prereqs.
Practicality
Take a look at the courses offered at Cambridge and Oxford, and it immediately becomes clear that these are academic in nature. Both universities offer management as a combined option, Oxford with Economics and Cambridge as a one year Part II Tripos, but that’s about it as far as business goes. Computer science and some engineering courses are offered (as are law and medicine), but other than that, it’s a lot of history, natural sciences, and the like.
To get this, take a step back and take a look at the role these universities like to imagine themselves playing in UK society. They are there to educate the elite, and to do so, they want to train them out to think. The most sought after qualification in the UK for many is Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford, because it teaches how to think across so many different fields.
If you’re planning on going straight to graduate school or can make a connection to one of these fields and something else (or if you’ve read and taken to heart my previous posts on the importance of the liberal arts), then that won’t matter to you. However, if you’re wanting to be an accountant (and not just say you’re an accountant, TikTok), a teacher, or something with a clear professional path, it’s worth a second look.
Deep-Seated Tradition
Oxford and Cambridge are hundreds of years old. In the US, we only have eight or so colleges that existed before the Revolutionary War, and a number of them are stuffy. Now imagine how bad Oxbridge must be.
How bad? You can’t even walk on the grass at Oxford.
Only professors are entitled to walk over all that pristine grass at most colleges, while a handful let PhD students.
Beyond that, formal hall sounds like it’s right out of Harry Potter, but it requires academic dress and will not permit entry if you’re late. There is no concept of referring to a tutor or professor by their first names, and you are at the bottom of the ladder as an undergrad.
Also, and most notably, class exists. As an American, you may not immediately notice it, but class exists in a big way in the UK, and nowhere is it more apparent than at Oxbridge. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen in the US; secret societies are a thing at a lot of those pre-Revolutionary War colleges for a reason. However, class at Oxbridge is a thing.
Americans can run parallel to it, in a lot of ways. After all, a chunk of class is money, and if you’ve got the money to study abroad for three years, it will be assumed that you’re upper crust at home. However, even as an American, you’ll never be all the way ‘in’ with the political class; the future Boris Johnson’s and David Cameron’s spent a lot of time doing what can only be described as frat boy antics at Oxbridge (actually, as a former fraternity guy, I found a lot of what they did to be way too far), and even Sir Keir Starmer did a BCL at Oxford.
Hand-holding
Let me be clear, if you get in at Oxford or Cambridge, you deserve to be there. However, that means that they will expect you to act like it every day that you’re a student. Pastoral care at these places is very thorough, and one of the reasons that you’ll pay significantly higher than other UK universities. But that pastoral care is focused on getting you through, not making excuses.
Here’s a pretty solid example: tutorials are a bedrock of the Oxbridge system. For those unfamiliar, you and two or three other students write a paper (or do a problem set), then meet with an instructor (who would be titled a professor anywhere else) and go through them all, picking them apart. This is in addition to lectures, by the way.
So let’s say that you don’t get your paper done. In many cases, tutors will refuse to admit you to that week’s tutorial, which means that you don’t learn any of the material. After all, these are discussions, not lectures, so taking notes is much more difficult.
Just as bad, let’s say that you do a shoddy job on your paper. In that case, don’t expect for your tutor to pull any punches in letting you know that your work was not satisfactory.
Non-Academic Application
Let me say it again so the people in the back can hear it: Oxford and Cambridge do not care about your extracurriculars unless they relate immediately to your desired field of study. Single-handedly win a soccer championship for your school? Cool story bro, you might mention it offhand in an interview and hope that the interviewer doesn’t prefer rugby or cricket or anything else.
The flipside of that is that places like Oxbridge, where students are expected to be so consumed with their studies, will expect that you have done something to further your interests. Want to study PPE? Then you better have Boys/Girls State or Student Government. Better yet, spend time interning on a political campaign. What about chemistry? Then they want to know what lab you’ve been assisting in.
Cost
Finally, the cost of going to Oxford or Cambridge is nearly $40,000 higher for an American over the course of a three year undergraduate degree. This is thanks to the College system, which is the establishment in which you take a number of courses, socialize, and often live. Every Oxbridge student must be a member of a College as well, and the cost and prestige of these can vary widely.
Even if you choose the cheapest option, bear in mind that College Fees do not work towards your room and board; these are independent fees. Instead, they go to subsidize the tutorials you receive in your College, as well as other pastoral care. For the few weeks that you’ll be on campus each year, you are taken care of.
For each of these, there are still many great options abroad; for flexibility, check out Irish schools (which are also considerably cheaper), while places like SOAS actively rebel against the ideas of tradition and class, and it’s hard to get more practical than Imperial or LSE. For the right student, Oxford or Cambridge are incredible opportunities, but simply put, they are not for everyone.