Oxbridge
Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest and most prestigious universities in Britain. Known together as “Oxbridge” (the word was invented by Lewis Carroll, the author of “Alice in Wonderland” and a lecturer in mathematics at Oxford), they have been chosen as national icons.
History
O
f
the two universities Oxford is the oldest. Nobody knows for sure
when it was founded but teaching was already going on there by the
early 12th
century. Life was hard at Oxford at that time because there was
constant trouble, even fighting, between the townspeople and the
students. Then one day a student accidentally killed a man of the
town. The Mayor arrested three other students who were innocent, and
by order of King John they were hanged. In protest, many students
and teachers left Oxford and settled in another little town, and so
the University of Cambridge was born.
Since then there has been constant friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge.
Amazing facts
In the early centuries, Oxford and Cambridge were the only universities in the country – if you wanted a university education, that’s where you went. But in those days student life was very different from what it is now. Students were not allowed to play games, to sing or to dance and all the lessons were in Latin.
Until the late 19th century, only men were allowed to be students at the two universities.
Both Oxford and Cambridge students refer to each other as ‘the other place’. Oxonians sometimes call Cambridge ‘a pale imitation of the real thing’. (Cambridge’s colours are light blue). Cantabrigians (people of Cambridge) refer to Oxford as ‘the dark side’. (Oxford’s colours are dark blue).
Lots and lots of colleges
I
t
might seem strange to you but there isn’t really any university at
Oxford or Cambridge. Oxbridge is made up of independent colleges.
The ‘University’ is just an administrative body that organises
lectures, arranges exams, gives degrees, etc.
Today, there are 70 colleges at Oxbridge, and each college has its name, its coat of arms and its own buildings, including a chapel, a library, a dining hall and rooms for students to live in. Each college has its own character and its own traditions.
As well as the college libraries, there are two university libraries. They have the right to have a free copy of every book published in Britain.
Teaching system
Each Oxbridge college has its own staff, known as ‘Fellows’. The Fellows teach the college students either one-to-one or in very small groups (known as ‘tutorials’ in Oxford and ‘supervisions’ in Cambridge). This system of teaching is one of the ways in which Oxford and Cambridge differ from other universities.
Students also go to lectures that are arranged by the University and are open to all students.
The normal length of the degree course is three years, after which the students take the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Some courses, such as medicine or languages, may be one or two years longer. The students may work for other degrees as well.