7 Reasons Why Oxford is Better Than Cambridge

While Oxford may be two places lower than Cambridge in the QS World University Rankings, Oxford is the number one university in the world for four different subjects, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017. If you want to study anatomy & physiology, archaeology, English language & literature or geography, it would be pointless to consider any other universities. Even if those subjects don't interest you, Oxford still has a much stronger academic record than Cambridge, which only manages to be the best in the world for one subject.

One of the highlights of my Oxford experience has been attending a party with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the Oxford graduate and professor who invented the World Wide Web and shaped the world we live in today. He's arguably the most important person of the 20th century, and I got to have lunch with him in one of the colleges. Attending Oxford offers so many opportunities like this to rub shoulders with living legends, experiences you'll be desperate to tell friends and family about. Just remember, boasting should be done in moderation.

If you read any of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books when you were younger, you probably dreamed of studying at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, being sorted into Gryffindor and playing Quidditch. That dream might never happen, but the closest thing you'll get to it is attending Oxford, as many of the Hogwarts scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed there. Which means that, technically, if you choose Oxford, you are literally going to Hogwarts.

One of the main reasons why I chose Oxford over Cambridge is because I would be getting a Master’s degree that's been certified by GCHQ, a high-profile British Intelligence Agency which works closely with MI5 and MI6 on matters of national and international importance. In other words, they're the real deal. The Cambridge equivalent of my degree doesn't give you such a prestigious accreditation just yet.

If you fancy tackling global politics and leading the country at some point (or just enjoy having powerful and famous friends), Oxford is the place to be as it's educated more UK Prime Ministers than any other university. The current PM Theresa May is one of 27 to have attended Oxford for university and it's extremely cool to walk in their footsteps. Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, David Cameron and plenty of others can be traced back to one of Oxford's colleges, and some of them even still come back for college alumni parties and other events.

Felix Rante is a Software Engineer and a part-time MSc professional student in the Faculty of Software Engineering and Systems Security at the University of Oxford. He likes travelling, photography and coffee.

Image credits: Oxford (Richard: Flickr), Tim Berners-Lee and Tony Blair (both Wikimedia)