Oxbridge is a word made from the names Oxford and Cambridge and is used to refer informally to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge together, especially when they are being distinguished from other universities.
Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest universities in Britain. They are generally also thought to be the best universities to get a place at. An Oxbridge degree makes a good impression with many employers, and graduates of these universities may have an advantage when applying for jobs. Although efforts are being made to attract more students from state schools, many of the undergraduates at each university have been educated at independent schools . The upper class have traditionally sent their children to Oxbridge, and many prime ministers and politicians went there. To many people, Oxford and Cambridge seem very remote places where only the very privileged can go.
Students at Oxford and Cambridge must be accepted at one of the 30 semi-independent colleges . Students are chosen after an interview in the college they want to go to. Each college has its own teaching and research staff, called fellows , and its own buildings, including hall (= a dining hall), a library, a chapel, and rooms for students to live in during the term. The buildings are often arranged round a quad (= square). Until the 1970s colleges were single-sex, but now almost all are mixed. The universities provide other facilities centrally, including laboratories, lecture rooms and libraries.
The teaching system is different from that at most other universities. Students have tutorials , called supervisions at Cambridge, at which they read their essays to their tutor , a fellow who is a specialist in what they are studying. There are usually no more than one or two students at a tutorial. Students also go to lectures that are arranged by the university and open to all students. Terms are short and intense, and students are expected to prepare for them in the vacations. Final examinations at Oxford are called schools , and at Cambridge the tripos . Undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge study for a BA degree, but after a period of time graduates can convert their BA to an MA (Oxon) or an MA (Cantab) without doing any further study. Oxon is short for Oxoniensis , and Cantab for Cantabrigiensis , Latin for ‘of Oxford’ and ‘of Cambridge’.
At Oxford students sometimes have to wear gowns , at dinner or when they go to see the college principal. When they sit examinations or go to a degree ceremony they have to wear academic dress . This consists of subfusc , a black suit or skirt, black shoes and socks or tights, a white shirt or blouse and a black tie. Women also have to wear a tie or ribbon. On top they wear their gown and a mortar board (= a black hat with a flat, square top) and, when they graduate, a hood that shows their status. At Cambridge students only have to wear gowns when they matriculate (= become members of the university) and at graduation .
The two universities are academic rivals, and rivals also in debating and sport. The Boat Race , held each year around Easter, attracts national attention. Rugby and cricket teams play against each other in varsity matches, as well as against professional sides.