Oxbridge Elite Or Intelligent

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NATURAL ANKLING
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Oxbridge Elite Or Intelligent

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
We all knew that but the stats tell the truth.-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-46470838

"Oxford and Cambridge are being accused of being so socially exclusive that they recruit more students from eight top schools than almost 3,000 other English state schools put together."

Edited for my very bad spelling :)
I could blame it on my thumbs or age / wearing glasses.
But my English has always been poor, so I will leave it at that.
Last edited by NATURAL ANKLING on 5 Feb 2019, 6:29pm, edited 2 times in total.
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reohn2
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by reohn2 »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:........"Oxford and Cambridge are being accused of being so socially exclusive that they recruit more students from eight top schools than almost 3,000 other English state schools put together."

And FWICS at the bottom of it for the most part is privelidge bought by rich parents,it was ever thus.
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Mick F
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by Mick F »

It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor, what get's the blame
All the rich men get the pleasure
Ain't it all a blooming shame.
Mick F. Cornwall
Ben@Forest
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by Ben@Forest »

Mick F wrote:It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor, what get's the blame
All the rich men get the pleasure
Ain't it all a blooming shame.


Though l expect the stats are pretty accurate what they don't do is distinguish how many of the private schools entrants to Oxbridge are from (relatively) poor means - i.e. those who got scholarships or bursaries because of exceptional talent.

There was a story about a lad from Poplar or Bermondsey who got a scholarship to Eton recently - if he goes onto Oxbridge is he privileged elite or local boy done good? Private schools use scholarships and the like to improve their standings in terms of intellectual achievements - so a disproportionate number going on to good universities is likely.

And can the OP please spell intelligent properly. Otherwise the question is answered before we even start.
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Cugel
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by Cugel »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
We all knew that but the stats tell the truth.-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-46470838

"Oxford and Cambridge are being accused of being so socially exclusive that they recruit more students from eight top schools than almost 3,000 other English state schools put together."


Here's a couple of Guardian opinion pieces relating to this matter. You may or may not find them enlightening. They do require more attention than a Daily Express article. :-)

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... es-britain

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/o ... ey-deserve

I'll mention that my father-in-law was a PPE graduate of Oxford (a double first). But he was also the son of a turner & fitter in the Teeside industrial complex who got there via a scholarship (i.e. academic merit of an exceptional kind). He returned to Teeside and spent a working life as a public servant (Chief Exec of Cleveland CC) for little pay and lots of hard work. He was something of a hero to me, as even then true public service of the incorruptible kind was not common.

Perhaps the difference was that he was educated at Darlington Grammar School rather than Eton and returned to live in Middlesborough and Stockton rather than go careering down that London with the Hooray Henries (who he detested)?

Cugel
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Mick F
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by Mick F »

Ben@Forest wrote:And can the OP please spell intelligent properly. Otherwise the question is answered before we even start.
Spelling correctly is not a indicator of intelligence. I was invited to join Mensa some years ago, but my spelling and grammar, let alone numeracy aren't good at all.
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Ben@Forest
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by Ben@Forest »

Mick F wrote:Spelling correctly is not a indicator of intelligence. I was invited to join Mensa some years ago, but my spelling and grammar, let alone numeracy aren't good at all.


No, but given the topic and the tone of his post spelling any word correctly would be a bonus.

I'm still learning German and every correction is a boon, not trying to improve is real ignorance.
roubaixtuesday
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by roubaixtuesday »

Mick F wrote:
Ben@Forest wrote:And can the OP please spell intelligent properly. Otherwise the question is answered before we even start.
Spelling correctly is not a indicator of intelligence. I was invited to join Mensa some years ago, but my spelling and grammar, let alone numeracy aren't good at all.


Mensa membership isn't an indicator of intelligence either.

[Intended as a comment on Mensa, not on your good self]
Oldjohnw
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by Oldjohnw »

My wife, who does not have a privileged background (father: RAF electrician; mother: nurse; grandfathers: publican/council labourer) was at Oxford in the late 1970s where she obtained a double first in French and German and taught languages all of her career in ordinary schools. My daughter works there now. My father was a painter and decorator and my mother a shop assistant in the Co-op. My wife and I both went to state grammar schools because that was what there was.
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by Ray »

Intelligence is over-rated: the world has moved on. The Pet Shop Boys have it about right:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDP9 ... 9jEuHbB0GQ
Ray
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Stradageek
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by Stradageek »

I got into Oxford via the entrance exam despite a very impoverished background - still not quite sure how

The work was hard but the social contrast was even harder to cope with - seen from within it is a truly elitist establishment. I survived, got my degree, and it certainly kick started my career, however I rarely tell anyone I went to Oxford because it causes so many people to rapidly back off - which probably says it all

I'd happily see Oxford it forced to quota children from every school in the country.

Inequality is one of societies greatest evils, if in doubt read "The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone"
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Ben@Forest wrote:
And can the OP please spell intelligent properly. Otherwise the question is answered before we even start.

Its a well unwritten rule that we don't pick posters up on spelling.
So I have corrected that for you.
My vocabulary is poor so you will simply have to forgive me.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
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Mick F
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by Mick F »

Ben@Forest wrote:And can the OP please spell intelligent properly. Otherwise the question is answered before we even start.

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Its a well unwritten rule that we don't pick posters up on spelling.
So I have corrected that for you.
My vocabulary is poor so you will simply have to forgive me.
Exactly!
roubaixtuesday wrote:Mensa membership isn't an indicator of intelligence either.
[Intended as a comment on Mensa, not on your good self]
Exactly as well!
Mick F. Cornwall
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Inteligent

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Mick F wrote:
Ben@Forest wrote:And can the OP please spell intelligent properly. Otherwise the question is answered before we even start.
Spelling correctly is not a indicator of intelligence. I was invited to join Mensa some years ago, but my spelling and grammar, let alone numeracy aren't good at all.

Thanks Mick :)
I did not realise you got there first.
Us dummies stick together.

A very good question is how do you measure True intelligence.

P.S. I just noticed that my keyboard is dropping letters, that might be why I got it wrong to start, batteries failing probably, well that's my excuse :)

We are not saying that there across the board elitism but the stats speak for themselves.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
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al_yrpal
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Re: Oxbridge Elite Or Intelligent

Post by al_yrpal »

Throughout my life I have observed that there are people around who I would term as intelligent idiots. Our neighbour was a member of Mensa but had no common sense whatsoever.

Al
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