Why is the British academia so snob?

[tinkerbell]

Well, if you ask me, the last thing we need strolling through the hallow'd cloisters of Oxbridge are a bunch of oiks with a BA in Scribbling from some trumped-up market town "university"; or Johnny Foreigners with "revolutionary" ideas, claiming to be the best thing since Jean-Paul Sartre's last bunk-up. Or fry-up. (I prefer the latter).

Good day to you, sir.

ME-OW!

 

[runvardh]

It's not a question about history. Oldest institutions aren't necessarily the best: Take for instance the Sorbonne, founded in 1253.
Yes, the courses are taught in illustrious buildings, some are even genuine Gothic halls. But the quality is not that great, only average.

Anyway, the best universities in the world have been founded during the 19th century, and most of them are American, not British.
If I could have the choice to join either Cambridge, Oxford or the MIT, I would choose the MIT: it's a no-brainer for me.

While I won't argue with you on quality of programs, but there's an attitude and an image that comes with being around for so long. I personally would rather the places that wanted to be included since they'd put more effort into it and be a more reliable partner in the long run. MIT sounds neat, but there's enough in my own country for me to choose from.

 

[Blackmail!]

Gloria Allelujah!

Hosannah Hosannah!

The University College of London seems to have answered positively!

It seems that they would have lost our first e-mail somewhere inside the limbo of the world wide web, but when we contacted one of our esteemed colleague on the phone, this one looked positively interested, even if he has to check with his institution and dean if they could afford to accomodate a few Japanese and Korean PhD candidates, since they have their own rival exchange programs with India.

We shall see. At least it seems we have managed to create some attention!


God bless the Queen!

 

[tinkerbell]

I rest my case... UCL is good but not legendary, significantly easier to get them on board.

 

[Blackmail!]

I rest my case... UCL is good but not legendary, significantly easier to get them on board.

I don't care. Just obtaining a single positive answer is enough to make Blackmail happy!



And as a matter of fact, our British colleague in the UCL also gives lectures in Cambridge. But nonetheless he considers his UCL laboratory to be far better, considering our common field of knowledge (landscape & urbanism). And I trust his opinion.


---

Plus the UCL has more or less the same political culture than us: despite its elitism, it's a secular institution which is not obsessed with social classes or ethnic background.

 

[Sniffles]

Gloria Allelujah!

Hosannah Hosannah!

Well you got Blackmail! to finally sing praises to the almighty. That's certainly an accomplishment. Go Britain!

 

[tinkerbell]

I don't care. Just obtaining a single positive answer is enough to make Blackmail happy!



And as a matter of fact, our British colleague in the UCL also gives lectures in Cambridge. But nonetheless he considers his UCL laboratory to be far better, considering our common field of knowledge (landscape & urbanism). And I trust his opinion.


---

Plus the UCL has more or less the same political culture than us: despite its elitism, it's a secular institution which is not obsessed with social classes or ethnic background.

Youre daft, almost any of the non-top 3 or 4 Uni's would bite your hand off. Still you got there in the end.

 

[lowtech redneck]

Well you got Blackmail! to finally sing praises to the almighty. That's certainly an accomplishment. Go Britain!

Goddamn praise the Lord! (I've always loved that line).

 

[Sniffles]

Goddamn praise the Lord! (I've always loved that line).

LOL where is that from?

 

[lowtech redneck]

LOL where is that from?

Tremors. I've always taken a childish delight in the tongue-and-cheek profanity of that movie.

 

[runvardh]

Eh, it tends to be easier to talk a brother/cousin/friend into helping build a shed than it is to argue grandpa into putting his damn hearing aid in before you can even bother asking.