Is Oxford or Cambridge more well-known to Americans?

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sharpshooter999@reddit

All i know about Cambridge is that is where Jagex is

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Bright_Ices@reddit

It’s like Harvard and Yale. There are differences, but not in how much they’re “lauded” or respected, or even thought about much at all.

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KraigthrKraken@reddit

Definitely Oxford.

I forget Cambridge is a school, instead its the place where Harvard and MIT are located

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MortimerDongle@reddit

Probably not a huge difference between them but I'd go with Oxford

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Oenonaut@reddit

Between the shirt, the shoe, the comma and the unabridged dictionary, I’d say Oxford UK is probably more familiar.

Cambridge, an American is likely to think refers to the one in Massachusetts.

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

I’m supporting you. Though I’ll leave this for you

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Oenonaut@reddit

I’m familiar!

We invited JFK, Stalin and the strippers.

It ain’t hard to rewrite to avoid ambiguity.

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

Yeah and there’s ways the Oxford comma can be ambiguous too.

I still use it only because law school makes you believe it’s like instant disbarment if you don’t

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octopodes1@reddit

Especially given that Cambridge MA also has two pretty well known academic institutions

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twelfthfantasy@reddit

They were certainly an institution (or maybe belonged in one), but I wouldn't call them academic

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

Lesley University and Episcopal Divinity School?

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revengeappendage@reddit

Bro, I don’t know you, but I absolutely need to be your friend lol

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DO_its@reddit

I don’t think there is a huge difference between them either, but I’m gonna go with Cambridge.

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Dapper-Presence4975@reddit

Really? I think most Americans would think of Cambridge, MA, especially since it’s home to Harvard.

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FiteTonite@reddit

I guess I never looked or completely forgot, but I don’t think I knew that there was a Cambridge, MA or that Harvard was there.

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Drew707@reddit

I went to college in Boston. Well, not in Boston, but nearby. No, not Tufts.

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I went to college in Boston, Northeastern to be exact, and if I had a nickel for every person who heard me say "Northeastern" and assume I said "Northwestern," I could have a pretty fancy dinner. Even though Northeastern's much larger, it's like nobody outside the local area has ever heard of it. Sheeesh.

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CurrencyCapital8882@reddit

BC?

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tmclaughlin81@reddit

Lol, Twofer.

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Drew707@reddit

You get a black guy and a Harvard guy.

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tmclaughlin81@reddit

Elaine actually threw some shade at Tufts in an episode of Seinfeld. She went there (majored in French Literature) but said it was her “safety school.” That always stood out to me because I’m local lol, but also because it’s also a highly regarded institution. Probably less so, or a “safety school” for someone who aspired to the likes of Harvard, though.

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Drew707@reddit

In my memories I have Seinfeld money.

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creatyvechaos@reddit

Is it still US defaultism when it is on the American subreddit? This is so funny to me tbh like for real I would mever ever on my LIFE think of Cambridge in the US. Where Harvard is at isn't something most people keep on their pocket book of knowledge

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NIN10DOXD@reddit

I do think it’s probably true if someone is from New England, but less so elsewhere in the country.

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tmclaughlin81@reddit

Lol, Cambridge Mass. is probably the most famous suburb in the U.S. (it’s also home to MIT) but indeed I know a lot of people just think Harvard is in Boston.

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Donner_Party_Animal@reddit

Also MIT.

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YOLTLO@reddit

This is really embarrassing but until this post I thought that Cambridge, UK was the location of Oxford the same way that Cambridge, MA is the location of Harvard. I thought all references to Cambridge as a fancy school metonymously alluded to either Harvard or Oxford. I am feeling so stupid right now lol.

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diplomystique@reddit

My sibling in Christ, you used “metonymously” correctly in a sentence. You’re not stupid.

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Imaginary_Ladder_917@reddit

To those who live in the northeast, maybe. Not necessarily to those who don’t live near there. If I hear the word Cambridge, I’m absolutely thinking the university in the UK over a city in Massachusetts. I’m aware of it, but my mind goes to the UK first. Between Oxford and Cambridge, though, I would say I probably heard about Oxford earlier in life than Cambridge so to me it feels like it’s better known.

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DO_its@reddit

I’ve never heard of it. This is a town?

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kwerdop@reddit

That’s cause you’re from Massachusetts. Nobody outside your state is really thinking that lol

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tara_tara_tara@reddit

I’m from Massachusetts and grew up in Boston. When I hear Cambridge by itself, I think of the place where Harvard is. When I hear Oxford and Cambridge, obviously they’re talking about England.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

Why do you think so?

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DO_its@reddit

Just to be o’nery

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

To be a contrarian lol

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husky_whisperer@reddit

Oxford!!

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DO_its@reddit

Monkstrap!!

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CaptainPunisher@reddit

SERIAL!!!

Sorry. I thought this was about commas.

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Inside-Try-394@reddit

Don’t the English call them oxfam?

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allorache@reddit

No, Oxbridge. Oxfam is an anti-hunger charity.

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DrugChemistry@reddit

I think many Americans would probably use Oxford and Cambridge interchangeably in most conversations unconsciously unless they’re very familiar with the topic of discussion.

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eugenesbluegenes@reddit

In a similar way to Harvard and Yale.

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wbishopfbi@reddit

Bing’s Bollege, Bambridge will always come to mind for me.

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Evening_Falcon_9003@reddit

I would go with Oxford. They invented the Oxford comma.

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Splugarth@reddit

We always think of them together as a pair. I can’t think of any reason an American would know one without the other unless it was for a very specific reason (like a tv show, for example).

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Cerulean_IsFancyBlue@reddit

Oxford comma. OED. Rhodes scholars.

I think of myself as a snooty Anglophile, but that’s three for Oxford and I can’t name one association with Cambridge that isn’t also an Oxford thing. Rowing! Oxbridge! Dons!

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RandomPaw@reddit

I know a few things about Cambridge that aren't also Oxford things. Christopher Marlowe went to Cambridge. So did Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. The last three were pals when they were there together. They were all involved in Cambridge Footlights, which is pretty famous.

But I think Oxford is much better known. Yes, because of the OED and the libraries, but also Oscar Wilde, Brideshead Revisited, A Yank at Oxford, Dorothy L. Sayers and her sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey and the book Gaudy Night, The History Boys, Tom Stoppard's The Invention of Love, the Inspector Morse books and TV series, Saltburn...

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Cerulean_IsFancyBlue@reddit

Cambridge has its own amazing history and identity. I’m just saying that those don’t hit the mainstream American consciousness the way the things I listed for Oxford do.

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glowybutterfly@reddit

Oxford was mentioned a lot in the Golden Compass.

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Drew707@reddit

Mulder when to Oxford.

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Lovebeingadad54321@reddit

I would say Oxford is the best known to Americans.

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WellWellWellthennow@reddit

Both but Oxford is better known because of Rhodes scholars. Cambridge gets confused w the town Harvard is in.

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DJFisticuffs@reddit

I'm American and I'd put them on par with eachother, largely because of the term "Oxbridge." I would think anyone familiar with the Rhodes Scholarship would also be familiar with that term.

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Healthy_Blueberry_59@reddit

I agree. I thought Rhodes scholars could also study at Cambridge, though?

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tropdhuile@reddit

Always thought they were the same thing, aren't they just called Oxbridge?

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Electronic-Day5907@reddit

If you know them, you may say Oxbridge, combining them as a signifier of a particular type of upper class education or class-marker.

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FloridianMichigander@reddit

Grew up in a town with an Oxford Street and a Cambridge Street, 1 block away from each other.

I feel like whoever named streets in that part of town was probably a bit of an anglophile, as there's also a Devonshire, Stratford, and Avon, all nearby. (Stratford and Avon actually intersect, however the street sign installer messed up - the sign for Avon is on top of the sign for Stratford)

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pinniped90@reddit

Oxford and Cambridge are equally well known since they are the cities that are home to America's two great universities, Harvard and Ole Miss.

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Minute-Of-Angle@reddit

Probably Oxford, but both are very well known.

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Hey-Bud-Lets-Party@reddit

Oxford. Anyone who says otherwise is being a Reddit contrarian.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

Why do you say that?

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Xylophelia@reddit

I just refer to both of them as Oxbridge but I’m a professor and my husband is British so I’m not really sure how I experienced them decades ago.

I guess Cambridge if I have to pick because of Hawking and Keynes but then you could argue Oxford because of Tolkien and Dawkins. I’m still going with Cambridge because I don’t know how many Americans know where Dawkins and Tolkien are/were academics (or even if they know Tolkien was a professor).

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

Why do you think everyone here says Oxford?

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CompanyOther2608@reddit

Oxford just a touch more, but only slightly. Like Harvard vs Yale.

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GeauxCup@reddit

To me, Oxford is a college. Cambridge is a town in Massachusettes.

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SnooPineapples280@reddit

Oxford

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TraitorGuard19@reddit

For Americans that go to college (and even among students that take studies at least semi-seriously), I would say Oxford is more well known because it much more common to get assigned a book/textbook published by Oxford University Press than Cambridge University Press

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Odd-Percentage-4084@reddit

Oxford, but only by a hair. Oxford is to Harvard as Cambridge is to Yale.

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I_Am_Mandark_Hahaha@reddit

I would put Stanford over Yale.

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eugenesbluegenes@reddit

There's about a dozen people outside California who might agree with you.

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Conscious-Okra-7340@reddit

And then there’s my son-in-law, who would say that Cal-Berkeley is better than Stanford OR Yale!

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cactuscoleslaw@reddit

There's this whole thing where Berkeley students think they've got this huge rivalry with Stanford in both athletics and academics, and Stanford students.... Do not care lmao

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eugenesbluegenes@reddit

You know what Cal and Stanford students have in common? They both got into Cal.

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eugenesbluegenes@reddit

With all due respect, your son in law is a moron. Sincerely, a Cal-Berkeley alum.

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tmclaughlin81@reddit

I’d say that’s a pretty apt comparison in terms of a clear #1, #2, but if so, Harvard is more famous than Yale in the U.S. than just by a hair. Everyone in the most rural sticks knows about Harvard. Somehow I don’t think Yale has quite close to that level of recognition.

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Adventurous-Time5287@reddit

yale is that famous. i have a feeling you’re not from somewhere that rural lol.

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Cerulean_IsFancyBlue@reddit

I don’t think it’s a hair. I think it’s a thumb width or something. Maybe an index finger.

Harvard is much more well-known than Yale. Yale has a long illustrious rivalry with Harvard, that a lot of people have never heard about. :)

Oxford is much more well-known than Cambridge (in the USA). I think the gap might be a little smaller just because it’s going to be a smaller subset of people for both colleges. But again, Oxford has an iconic quality. Even people that also know Cambridge are likely to name Oxford first.

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Cerulean_IsFancyBlue@reddit

I think that’s a really good comparison, but I disagree about the gap. I think there’s an awful lot of people who know of Harvard that couldn’t come up with Yale or maybe any other Ivy League school. If you mention them, they would be familiar but, Harvard is iconic. It’s the Einstein, the Napoleon. There are people that know that Harvard is a “big deal college” who couldn’t even tell you what city it’s in.

To Americans, Oxford is exactly that but for England. It is the iconic UK University, perhaps even the iconic foreign university. You would find a significant number of people who could name Oxford, but not Cambridge. You would find very few people who could name Cambridge and not Oxford.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

Good analogy

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DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit

They are considered as an Ivy League equivalent. I dont think one is more lauded than the other, both are equally respected.

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Docnevyn@reddit

I know Cambridge better because I was able to visit it and not Oxford when I traveled to England.

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S5Cook@reddit

I believe Thomas Lawrence a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia attended Oxford. As did JRR Tolkien

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sabatoa@reddit

Pretty much the same to me

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InvestigatorJaded261@reddit

Anecdotally, I’d say Oxford is more famous here. It has the shirt and the comma, just to start with.

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Silkies4life@reddit

Oxford, because of their comma. And the dictionary.

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stringstringing@reddit

Also when I hear Caimbridge I don’t just think of the university but also Caimbridge, Massachusetts. Oxford is only Oxford in my mind.

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CurrencyCapital8882@reddit

Oxfords not brogues.

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NIN10DOXD@reddit

There are a lot of Oxfords, but the only one with a University in the US that I can think of is in Mississippi whereas Cambridge, Massachusetts is home to Harvard so it makes sense that the name is associated with a particular city in the US.

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CockroachNo2540@reddit

Oxford, Ohio has a university, too.

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NIN10DOXD@reddit

I knew I forgot one. lol

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Xylophelia@reddit

Another: Oxford college of Emory university is a liberal arts college outside Atlanta https://oxford.emory.edu

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tmclaughlin81@reddit

*Cambridge I wonder how many Americans might confuse that University with Harvard, as Harvard is in Cambridge, Mass. I would go with Oxford overall as being more well-known in the States, though.

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10thousndreflections@reddit

MIT is in Cambridge too. That's actually the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear Cambridge.

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Delta1225@reddit

When i hear Oxford i think of Oxford, Mississippi, home of The University of Mississippi.

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blay12@reddit

Though I feel like that association tends to be a bit more limited to people from the area, people who went to school there, and college sports fans.

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Temporary-Boot-2247@reddit

My Uncle is from Oxford, NJ so now you’ve got two on your mind forever

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MonkMajor5224@reddit

Who gives a fuck about an oxford comma?

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WarrenMulaney@reddit

And the shitty Rob Lowe movie (for Gen Xers)

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We_R_the_Penguins@reddit

Which film?

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StickaFORKinMyEye@reddit

Oxford Blues (1984)

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We_R_the_Penguins@reddit

Aahhhh, okay. I was thinking “Rob Lowe wasn’t in Soul Man…”

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WarrenMulaney@reddit

“Oxford Blues”

Terrible movie

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Hey-Bud-Lets-Party@reddit

For movie people there are a couple minor classics from the 1930s: Laurel & Hardy’s *A Chump at Oxford* and *A Yank at Oxford*

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WarrenMulaney@reddit

Was Rob Lowe in those?

No

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Hey-Bud-Lets-Party@reddit

Dammit

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tmclaughlin81@reddit

Who gives a f—- about that first one? lol.

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AskAnAmerican-ModTeam@reddit

Your comment was removed as it violates Rule 9 which is “Treat the person you are replying to with respect and civility.” It means that your comment either contained an insult aimed at another user or it showed signs of causing incivility in the comments.

Please consider this a warning as repeated violations will result in a ban.

If you have questions regarding your submission removal - please contact the moderator team via modmail.

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footballwr82@reddit

Probably someone who wants to thank their parents, God and Carrot Top.

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Drew707@reddit

lmao

I thought JFK and Stalin were strippers.

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reichrunner@reddit

People interested in grammar, school teachers, and people who write correctly.

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tmclaughlin81@reddit

I also generally use it in writing as well. It was a reference to a lyric in a Vampire Weekend song from 2008. The song was popular at the time, but the reference evidently flew over the heads of some folks in this thread.

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reichrunner@reddit

Ahh yeah, can't say Im familiar with the song

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fasterthanfood@reddit

I’m pretty sure they were referencing the Vampire Weekend song “who gives a fuck about the Oxford comma”

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reichrunner@reddit

Not familiar with the song, but I just wanted an excuse to use the Oxford comma here lol

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itmightbehere@reddit

I love that song!! (Or at least that's ehat I assume you're referencing)

For those unaware - linkie

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tmclaughlin81@reddit

Indeed, thank you!

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Coidzor@reddit

Oxford likely has a slight edge due to the number of people who have heard about the Oxford Dictionary at least in passing.

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pikkdogs@reddit

Oxford by a nose.

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GetOffMyLawn1729@reddit

Oxford for the arts, Cambridge for science and math (maths?)

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RidesThe7@reddit

Oxford, hands down.

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

I think of them both interchangeably sucking at crew because I beat both of them! USA USA USA.

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ChessieChesapeake@reddit

Oxford and Cambridge are small towns in Maryland’s eastern shore. I know them well, and drive through Cambridge all the time on my way to the beach.

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CurrencyCapital8882@reddit

Oxford. Cambridge is confusing because our our oldest, best known, and arguably one of the best universities in the U.S. is Harvard, which is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts (as is MIT).

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ActionFamily@reddit

I thought they were the same thing’s

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Piper-Bob@reddit

My guess is if you asked random Americans to name a university in the UK, Oxford would probably get 95% of the first mentions.

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SabresBills69@reddit

both equally known

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ChanFry@reddit

I would say Oxford is more well-known, but I honestly don't know much about either.

The majority of the time I use either of those two words, I'm talking about a comma (Oxford) or a dictionary (Cambridge).

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

The Oxford dictionary is a lot more famous than the Cambridge dictionary actually so that’s cool to hear

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ChanFry@reddit

True! But I refer to the Oxford comma more often than the dictionary, 😂.

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Proud_Grapefruit63@reddit

They are almost equally well known, but Oxford seems to come up slightly more in conversation.

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cats-n-cafe@reddit

I’d say Oxford is the first one that comes to mind. Maybe because I grew up using the Oxford dictionary.

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machagogo@reddit

probably Oxford, but they are damned close.

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gleaming-the-cubicle@reddit

Damn, that's tough. I think Oxford takes it by a hair

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Redbubble89@reddit

Most would actually confuse the two. I know one is midlands and the other is in the west country. That's about it.

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JohnHenryMillerTime@reddit

In America they are functionally used interchangeably. Oxford is immediately recognizable as English, since Harvard is in Cambridge and there is no equivalent high tier university of Oxford. So there is local chauvinism.

Working in the sciences in America, if I am talking about "Cambridge" I am talking about Harvard spin-offs. "Oxford" is unambiguously British.

Also, Brexit happened, so GB is no longer part of Europe. It's a weird awkward island isolated to itself.

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Xylophelia@reddit

Being an EU member isn’t required to be part of Europe. Surely you think Norway is European?

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JohnHenryMillerTime@reddit

Norway chose to not join the EU. Brexit is a really dumb self-inflicted wound and also means Britain opted out of Europe.

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SonuvaGunderson@reddit

Sorbonne erasure.

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AdamOnFirst@reddit

To people who have heard of both, we understand both are viewed nearly identically. However, I’d say Oxford is better recognized by a higher percentage of the population. People who don’t know the first thing about the UK will often recognize Oxford and mostly won’t know Cambridge.

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diffidentblockhead@reddit

They’re most often mentioned in the same breath.

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Ill-Ad-3603@reddit

You think Americans care about college? Majority of grown adults can't read above a 6th grade level.

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Somethingisshadysir@reddit

Oxford for sure. Many of us, at least here in New England, think of Harvard when we hear Cambridge and university in the same sentence.

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Batgirl_III@reddit

In my experience, most Americans have heard of both schools. Although they tend not to know much about either one of them other than they are very old^1, very famous, and very British. Still if you drop the name of either school, they’ll probably know vaguely that you’re talking about a famous university.

I happen to know quite a bit about both, and far more about Cambridge than I do Oxford. But that’s to be expected considering I attended King’s College Cambridge for my undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate. I don’t think I’ve never in set foot Oxfordshire, let alone the campus of Oxford…

Most Americans have no idea what The Boat Race is, why it’s so important to me, and why I pronounce it with a capital “The.”

Heck, most Britons don’t understand.

^(1. They do tend to be surprised when they learn how old.)

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GorgeousBog@reddit

I say Oxford because it appears more often in media and whatnot, but I’ve never met anyone who didn’t know what Cambridge was.

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Signal_Choice@reddit

imo oxford above Cambridge

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CaptainAwesome06@reddit

Oxford. They invented the dictionary.

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cdeussen@reddit

I think both are very well known, but Oxford comes to mind first due to the prestige associated with being a Rhode Scholar.

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redditreader_aitafan@reddit

Both are pretty equal, but Oxford probably edges out Cambridge.

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Robotpoop@reddit

It's definitely Oxford. Literally everybody here knows of Oxford, but I've met plenty of folks who had no clue about Cambridge.

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emnuff@reddit

Both are well known, with Oxford winning a little. In terms of prestige they're both viewed as equal to the best in the U.S.

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Ryiujin@reddit

Been to oxford and cambridge.

Oxford ohio and Cambridge mass.

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RealMoleRodel@reddit

Oxford, MD and Cambridge, MD are about 40 minutes apart.

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10thousndreflections@reddit

Nothing more exciting than the Eastern Shore!

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coldrunn@reddit

Oxford, MA and Cambridge, MA are about 45 minutes apart without traffic.

Or 3 hours apart on a Friday afternoon in the summer

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Ryiujin@reddit

The walmart in oxford is better than cambridge.

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NIN10DOXD@reddit

I grew up near Oxford, NC. lol

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Ryiujin@reddit

A lerned redditor

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Fossilhund@reddit

Congratulations!

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Antitenant@reddit

Both are known, but I'm going to say Oxford is more well-known or thought of as more prestigious

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saint_of_thieves@reddit

Most US Americans will have heard of both and know that they're very tough schools. To an equal degree. If there is any sort of British stereotype that goes along with either of them, that would be lost on the Americans.

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Cerulean_IsFancyBlue@reddit

That’s a good point. I think that Oxford is more famous among Americans, but I don’t think that any specific connotation or flavor survives the trip across the pond, unless somebody has really specific knowledge or experience. I have stereotypes for all the Ivy League schools in the USA, but what I know about famous schools in the UK is almost entirely their name. I also admit that at times I will mix up names of colleges within a university, with independent universities.

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Gabriel_Collins@reddit

I live near Cambridge, Massachusetts and I have been to Cambridge, Ohio. I did go to Oxford on a school trip to The UK a long time ago.

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AmberWavesofFlame@reddit

Oxford, easily.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

Why easily?

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AmberWavesofFlame@reddit

I’ve heard of Oxford University well before Cambridge and also more often, but more importantly, Oxford comes up on its own merits and I never see Cambridge mentioned except with Oxford.

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Not_Rude_Cauliflower@reddit

Oxford. Cambridge means Harvard in the US.

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Morgenacht@reddit

Oxford dictionary or Webster?

Stanford isn’t even in the running for dictionaries in the US.

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KatrynaTheElf@reddit

Oxford

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BenDubz@reddit

Most people would know Oxford, I’d say 40% or less would know Cambridge.

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MisterHEPennypacker@reddit

Isn’t Cambridge really just a collective term for all the colleges in the city?

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scumbagstaceysEx@reddit

There are lots of cities in the USA named Oxford and lots named Cambridge. I think they are both about equally well known. I live near Cambridge, NY and went to uni in Oxford, OH.

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malinagurek@reddit

I’ve heard of Oxford. I’ve also heard of Oxford and Cambridge. Before this question was asked, I’m not sure I was aware that they are separate universities. I might have guessed that they are sister schools or that “Oxford and Cambridge” is the formal name of one institution.

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Brief-Hat-8140@reddit

Oxford... For the comma and the dictionary..

Probably about the same really..

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sneezhousing@reddit

In my mind equal. Like I know they aren't the same but they kind of are the same in my mind. One isn't better or over the other and almost like the same school

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CommandAlternative10@reddit

I’ve actually been to both towns and they are still the same place.

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tuberlord@reddit

I've met a handful of people who went to Oxford. I've never met anyone who went to Cambridge.

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psylentrob@reddit

Oxford, because it's a wonder in civilization 6. That and because where I live, Cambridge means Harvard and MIT.

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Gilded-Mongoose@reddit

Oxford. It just stands out to me in a more iconic way. It's like the Harvard of England to me.

Cambridge is known but comes off more like a lesser known Ivy League equivalent. Like Columbia or Brown.

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BroCanWeGetLROTNOG@reddit

Oxford without a doubt

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

Why without a doubt?

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BroCanWeGetLROTNOG@reddit

It's just more ingrained in culture and society

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Fair-Neighborhood106@reddit

I consider them to be comparable with possibly Oxford being slightly more prestigious.

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CosyBeluga@reddit

…ngl I didn’t know they were different schools

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LongRodVaughnDong@reddit

Cambridge I think? Could go either way honestly

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

You’re the only one to have said that so far. Why do you think so?

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LongRodVaughnDong@reddit

I think I hear about it more. Isn’t it one of the oldest universities?

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

Oxford was founded in 1096. Cambridge was founded in 1209.

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xRVAx@reddit

Honestly I only know that Cambridge is where you go "punting on the Cam" ... And that there are scholars in oxford.

Otherwise they're both just famous English universities and I couldn't tell you anyone who went to either

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Practical-Ordinary-6@reddit

I would say Oxford is more well known by name even by people who don't know anything about it.

In other words, in a survey based on "Have you ever heard of X?", without being required to know anything about it, I think Oxford would come out on top.

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GrayEagle825@reddit

Equally well known.

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Khpatton@reddit

I would say they’re equally esteemed, but Oxford is slightly better known. There are more things named for Oxford (Oxford comma, Oxford shoes, the OED) than for Cambridge, which one reason I’d give it the edge. Many Americans are also familiar with the Rhodes Scholarship, so the university itself probably has a big more exposure.

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Crying_in_99Ranch@reddit

Oxford, especially if they are Harry Potter fans

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GiraffeWithATophat@reddit

About the same I'd say.

I'm actually surprised you said "after Harvard" because my first assumption would be the British schools would be more well known globally. Cause, you know, y'all were a little silly during the Age of Sail.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

Well I’m from Central Europe and lived in South Asia and MENA and Harvard is the most well-known university in the world. Oxford is next from my experience.

It depends though. About 40% of the world population lives under a former part of the British Empire in some capacity. Add Europe’s population and you probably have about 50% of the world being more familiar with Oxford and the other 50% of the world being more familiar with Harvard.

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GiraffeWithATophat@reddit

Interesting!

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Decent_Cow@reddit

Anecdotally, I seem to hear about Oxford more often.

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Grindar1986@reddit

We know of them. I wouldnt say they are lauded.

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_daddy69_@reddit

Blatantly not true, they are objectively on the same level as the ivy’s.

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geaddaddy@reddit

They are better than at least most of the Ivies. Maybe Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are comparable, but Dartmouth?

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

I think only Harvard is as/slightly more prestigious globally.

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geaddaddy@reddit

Yeah, I mean I would tend to agree, but it is debatable.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

There’s no objective way to measure but most data and forums seem to lean in Harvard’s favour

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Grindar1986@reddit

The ivy's have been losing some steps lately too.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

Why not lauded?

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Grindar1986@reddit

Because they're generally inconsequential. I know people that have Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. How many Americans go to Cambridge per year?

Thry're certainly regarded as good schools. But except for UK ex-pats, nobody really cares beyond that.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

What if someone attends both Harvard and one of Oxbridge? Would it be cooler to go to both Harvard and Oxford or Harvard and Cambridge?

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Grindar1986@reddit

Literally could not matter less.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

If you had to choose.

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Khpatton@reddit

They’re absolutely lauded by anyone who values higher education. They’re highly-esteemed universities.

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ThisIsDogePleaseHodl@reddit

I believe that they are widely lauded in general

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GoodFriday10@reddit

I think Oxford may be better known. We use Oxford a lot to describe stuff. Oxford shoes, an Oxford shirt, the beloved Oxford comma.

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Minimalistmacrophage@reddit

Oxford is the most well known English, possibly European university.

"Cambridge" is just as well known but to Americans as a city in MA and as the home of Harvard and MIT.

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KilD3vil@reddit

Oxford.

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Smart_Engine_3331@reddit

Both are pretty well known to Americans as top tier universities.

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papabear556@reddit

Oxford and Cambridge are two of ENGLAND’s most famous universities. I don’t about all of Europe. Seems a bit arrogant.

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ayebrade69@reddit

They got any quarterbacks in the transfer portal

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RHS1959@reddit

I think Oxford is more well known and is a popular tourist destination even though when you are there you really can’t experience any of the academic buildings. I would say Oxford:Cambridge :: Harvard:Yale. Both are prestigious, but only one can be #1.

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LoreKeeper2001@reddit

The are usually mentioned as a pair. Oxbridge. Americans might be slightly more famiar with Oxford because we have a big scholarship that sends star students. The Rhodes or the Fullbright. Maybe both.

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pepomint@reddit

Why didn’t William go to one of those schools

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digawina@reddit

He didn't want to. Easily googleable

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No-Lobster9104@reddit

OP, you should ask A2C, you’ll get better answers. I think they’re pretty similar in terms of prestige. We call them Oxbridge for college applications

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rcranin018@reddit

Oxford because of the Bodleian Library.

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Less-Load-8856@reddit

A great many Americans are well aware those two are famous Universities.

How much else they know varies greatly.

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AdEastern9303@reddit

Oxford because of the Rob Lowe movie.

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cavalier78@reddit

I kinda thought they were the same thing.

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shelwood46@reddit

Probably Oxford because of the Rhodes Scholarship, but I watch a lot of UK tv and tend to just lump them all into "Oxbridge". Morse is in Oxford, Ludwig is in Cambridge. Anyway, I tend to think of them like Harvard and Yale, which from my pov are about equal.

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Thelonius16@reddit

The Cambridge comma is never discussed.

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Maurice_Foot@reddit

Can’t really say myself; have heard of both since I was a kid in the ‘70s. Sorta conflated the two as I grew up, kinda how Harvard and MIT exist in my head. Wasn’t until my 20s I realized they were different college collections in different cities.

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malachite_13@reddit

Bout the same.

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digawina@reddit

Showing my age, but Oxford because of the movie Oxford Blues

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Able_Celery_8878@reddit

Oxford squeaks ahead because:

1) their dictionary 2) I hear "Cambridge" and my immediate first thought is the city Harvard is in. I think University of Cambridge second

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linkopi@reddit

It's definitely Oxford because even if you mention both of them Oxford always goes in front.

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Known-Reception6905@reddit

What about LSE? No?! Okay, I’ll show myself out.

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EnoughEstate7483@reddit

I knew Oxford was a University but thought Cambridge was just a town.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

A town where

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EnoughEstate7483@reddit

In England. We've got one here in Massachusetts as well.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

That’s cool

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Acceptable_Peen@reddit

If you know of one, you probably know of the other, but as most people have said, Oxford probably gets the slight edge

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MediumKoala8823@reddit

I know of Oxford University. I don’t think I would think of Cambridge if asked to list top institutions outside the US. I’m under the impression that ICL and Edinburgh Are the top spots in the area.

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TheBeautyDemon@reddit

I hold them both to the same very high standard. I would be extremely impressed if someone told me they went to either of them.

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theEWDSDS@reddit

I'd say Harvard, because it's so culturally well known that it's generally become a stand-in for high end schools (i.e. a kid saying "I want to go to Harvard!" Instead of "I want to go to Yale!")

Whereas Oxford is more known for the dictionary than the school itself

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

My question doesn’t ask about Harvard mate

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theEWDSDS@reddit

I misread, I thought you were asking if Harvard or Oxford/Cambridge were more well known

That said, I feel like Yale, MIT or Stanford might be more prevalent. Really depends on what you're talking about.

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InternationalAge3034@reddit (OP)

Wait I was just asking about Oxford or Cambridge 😭

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Prestigious-Dog-2150@reddit

Both are well known: Oxford slightly more than Cambridge.

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forever-salty22@reddit

Oxford and Cambridge are 2 towns in my state. As for the universities, they are the only 2 I know of in the UK

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First-Increase-641@reddit

Equally well known, I think. Maybe a slight edge to Oxford.

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Appropriate-Food1757@reddit

Both are universally known. Maybe Oxford has an edge

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Traditional_Trust418@reddit

Both are well known, but Oxford is probably more known

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RealMoleRodel@reddit

Oxford is more famous, I didn't even see Cambridge hats for sale at the airports (Heathrow, Stansted, and Gatwick).

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TexelDestiny@reddit

I think they're both fairly well known. Probably coastal Americans would be more familiar since there are more Europeans in the larger cities. Oxford probably more than Cambridge.

Oxbridge is not an completely unknown term, though likely only Americans who have some interest in or exposure to England would be familiar.

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DubbelFunktion@reddit

Well, we know that Frasier went to one, and Niles went to the other.

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faerydust88@reddit

Oxford because Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Plus Harry Potter book inspiration (Christ Church dining hall) and filming at the Bodleian Library.

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Soggy-Attempt@reddit

I’ll go with Oxford

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Dapper-Presence4975@reddit

Oxford.

I would think many Americans associate the word “Cambridge” with the place in Massachusetts that’s home to Harvard.

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TiFist@reddit

Both are very well-known.

The premier universities in Europe that are not top-of-mind for Americans include ETH Zurich and the Sorbonne. There's a definite English-language-bias.

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husky_whisperer@reddit

Yes

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Jsmith2127@reddit

I'd say they are both widely known

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Outrageous-Pin-4664@reddit

Even, I'd say. I think Oxford has the edge in prestige, kinda like Harvard vs Yale.

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ChilindriPizza@reddit

Oxford- by a very narrow margin.

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ApprehensiveWin3020@reddit

Oxford, exclusively because of the dictionary.

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GhostWatcher007@reddit

Both

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RedRedBettie@reddit

Oxford

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IAmBoring_AMA@reddit

Equally known, but the portmanteau of "Oxbridge" is not known at all.

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MonsieurRuffles@reddit

Oxbridge is familiar to some of us.

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New-Sheepherder2239@reddit

Oxford slightly

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ThisIsDogePleaseHodl@reddit

When it comes to what’s common or well known or not to Americans, it almost always depends on a lot of things because there are so many of us. This is a huge country with a lot of variations regionally

I personally I’m very familiar with both Cambridge and Oxford. I would say most people I know who are very local to where I live also are very familiar with it but outside of that I can’t say if it’s well known to Americans in general or not, I don’t think anyone can.

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CollenOHallahan@reddit

Oxford. You've never heard of Cambridge shoes, have you?

There's your answer.

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tenehemia@reddit

Probably Oxford, but only because it tends to get mentioned in movies more often. I'd suspect that nearly everyone who actually knows anything about Oxford and not just the name because it was mentioned in something they watched is also familiar with Cambridge.

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