I am glad to see that someone is campaigning to alter the ridiculous rules of entry for University Challenge. Frank Coffield, an emeritus professor of education, wants to limit Oxford and Cambridge to one team each.
You have to ask yourself why the two best universities in the country need and get multiple attempts to win this competition? After all I don’t know anyone who says that “Young Tarquin has got into Wolfson” or “Tabitha is delighted to have got into Balliol.” Do you?
The competition’s rules even stretch credibility, Durham has a collegiate system but is only allowed one entry. Oxford and Cambridge are also only the 29th and 38th largest universities in the country, but get numerous attempts to not only get in the competition but to win.
We often have to watch the farce of Oxford or Cambridge colleges fighting each other for a place in the next round. While two entire universities, some like the Open University with 100,000’s more pupils than Oxbridge, have to fight each other to progress.
While we are at it we can also get rid of the scam that Oxbridge graduates get an MA for nothing, or is it a crisp fiver I can’t recall? This is a fraud and an insult to those who have actually worked hard for and earned their MA.
Just don’t get me on private school entry levels to these hallowed institutions.
These universities are world beating, attract the very best, select them with a system that has been gamed by the private schools for centuries, they hand out unearned degrees and they get 20-30 chances to win a rigged competition.
If they are that good they should be able to win it every time with just one team. I wonder what they are scared of?
PS I went to a university that has only ever won University challenge once and last time I looked had dismantled the prize and forgotten how to put it back together.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
By Jonty Bloom Media
Not quite true as London University has split itself as gets multiple entries? Obviously Oxford should always win lol
See also: “The” Boat Race, televised nationwide annually but features no other competitors.