Which is better: Harvard, Oxford, or Cambridge?

Question

All these prestigious institutions have somehow earned the honor to be called only by their name and have outranked each other many times.
As of now, according to US News and World Report, Harvard is ranked second among the best colleges in the United States; and Cambridge is ranked as the top university in the United Kingdom (Guardian Unlimited) with Oxford in second place although Oxford was once acclaimed to be the best college in the world.

Answer 1

I think all three are equally good. I live in Oxford and it's a good city to study in.

Answer 2

You're putting WAY too much emphasis on name brand and superficial rankings. If you want to be a top electrical engineer all three universities wouldn't crack the top 50. If you want a PhD in English Lit then Oxford or Cambridge is your bet - if you want a US Law degree it'd be pretty stupid to go anywhere but Harvard.

US News and World Report looks at a lot of factors, most of which could matter less to an incoming student. Which university has the most alumni dollars, the most dollars per faculity member, etc. That matters for certain grad students, not for undergrads.

It's like asking which pair of jeans are the most comfortable, the $400 or the $450 dollar pair, when in reality the best fit might be the $20 pair at Walmart. There's very little difference in grad school educations between the top 25 universitites, and with undergrad it's even more unimportant. It's far more telling what kind of GPA you maintain.

Answer 3

Harvard Or Cambridge

Answer 4

I am going to say Oxford, but i am guessing a lot of people will say Harvard because they don't know about universities in the United Kingdom.

Answer 5

Hi Nauman,

It really depends on your major and your preference of teaching styles. Don't read too much into the rankings -- very often subjective features like "quality of student life" enter into the determinations. I did my undergraduate work at Harvard (in government) because the Kennedy School had a faculty whose research interests were very much akin to mine, and I wanted to learn from them. It was somewhat disappointing because I discovered that senior members of faculty do practically no teaching. The reason the faculty are famous is because they publish influential works. And because they concentrate so much effort on publishing they do very little teaching. Consequently, classroom activites are handled by the "second-stringers" who often teach very large classes. Don't get me wrong, the education was thorough and demanding -- just not what I was expecting.

I took my graduate education at Cambridge because their Economics faculty was extraordinary. The British system does not place as great an emphasis on "Publish or Perish" as the American system; consequently, I was able to interact on a one-to-one basis with some of the finest minds in the field at Cambridge, and found this tutorial method infinitely more satisfying.

Choose the school that has a faculty whose works you admire, and one where the pedagogical style is more in harmony with your method of learning. Don't worry about rankings.

Hope this answer helps. Cheers, mate.

Answer 6

I think it's a tossup btw Harvard and Oxford.

You can't base anything on just one year. Plus, I'm counting EVERYTHING about a university, including location, school life, etc in addition to academic rep.

US News ranks Princeton above Harvard, but Princeton's an undergrad school. That alone is enough for me to tank it's ranking when you talk about universities in general, even tho it's still a great school.

Answer 7

Well with the differences in US degrees and UK degrees it'd be pretty hard to have a true idea of which is better. I would think that realistically they are likely all on similar footing.

To be honest though, I don't place much emphasis on the importance of these high prestigous universities. The ability to put to practice what you learnt during your degree is much more important than where you got it. It's what you learned, not where you learnt it.

Answer 8

Go to the best place for your particular subject; don't worry about the general university. Cambridge is a great place to live, with loads of local events and a great atmosphere.

Answer 9

Harvard.

Answer 10

MIT for science or Pennsylvania State/Wharton for business.