Is Oxbridge really the best university education you can get in the UK?

With 26 British prime ministers, 58 Nobel prize winners, over 150 Olympic medals and a “notable alumni” list that reads like a historical hall of fame, the institutions of Oxford and Cambridge – collectively known as Oxbridge – are seen, by many, as the ultimate alma mater.

However, as admission season dawns, and the dreaded October 15 deadline for Oxbridge inches ever closer, many students may wonder what makes the UK’s top two institutions so special. Why does Oxbridge symbolise the academic dream for so many? Do the universities deserve the esteemed reputation they hold in the minds of so many teenagers, parents and academics?

There is no doubt that both Oxford and Cambridge have a long standing history of academia and can boast achievements such as educating Charles Babbage, who created the computer, and Issac Newton. Yet, what is often overlooked is the strong reputation of countless other universities in the UK.

A simple click on Google can tell students that the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, for example, has over 18 Nobel prize winners and 50 world leaders. University College London attracts students from 150 countries and has exchange and research links with nearly 300 overseas universities. Manchester University has the largest student union of all UK universities and boasts alumni such as Niels Bohr and James Chadwick.

I suddenly realised the Oxbridge effect when I was out in London with friends. I met some new people and was surprised by their reaction when I told them I was going to study at Cambridge. One person even got down on one knee and kissed my hand.

From then on, I told people I was going on a gap year. Although I knew that Oxbridge provides a good education, I had never expected to get such extreme reactions. It was this that made me start to feel uncomfortable about the way that Oxbridge is viewed.

Why does Oxbridge create a sense of hysteria and hype amongst students? The answer, I think, lies in the fact that we are told, time and time again, that Oxford and Cambridge are the best. Perhaps we hear so much glorification of the institutions that we no longer question their position at the top.

The Cambridge Tab, the university’s student newspaper, has argued that what makes Cambridge special is the fact that the students are told that they are unique and a cut above the rest, so they believe it. Ron Weasley never took the felix felicis potion that Harry Potter pretended to give him – all he had to do to win the Quidditch match was believe he was great.

The Oxbridge fanaticism may be down to the fact that many people believe that they are the best. For over 800 years, Oxbridge has presented itself as the pinnacle of academia, the Holy Grail of education and for centuries people have believed it.

For students applying now, yes, you will receive a world class education at Oxbridge, but you will find the same at numerous other universities throughout the country. Every time you hear about the brilliance of Oxbridge, consider that just because many believe, it does not have to be so.

So, if you’re in the sixth-form now and wondering where to go, pretend there is a little liquid luck in your cereal and set out in search of your own Holy Grail of education.