‘Dur’ham
We are the best. Officially. Yet another ranking system has affirmed Oxford’s position as the number one university. The small print may say we are only top dog in the UK, and the survey may be based on tedious criteria like research assessments and employability, but nonetheless, to ourselves, we know that we are unrivalled in the world. Harvard may have lots of money, but we are older, and English, and therefore presumably have better chat.
Cambridge may have slightly cleverer students but they also assume that ‘Gonville and Caius’ is a plausible name for a college. Given this widespread affirmation of our pre-eminent status we are greatly amused by the news that filters down from the North of England. Students at Durham are complaining about their own colleges being judged by someone purporting to be an Oxford student.
Given that the ubiquitous question in Durham’s Fresher’s Week is not what A-levels you did, but which Oxford college you applied to, then perhaps they should be a bit more appreciative of outside offers of help.
4th May 2006