I disagree…its just increased the number of levels - employers still rate 'traditional universtities/rebricks over those with newly granted status, offering in many cases course that give false hopes… degrees that are unnecessary - where the entry routes to certain careers have always been more about getting in at the bottom. NOw it may beinteresting to do a degree on the music business or inTheatre managemnet, but they rarely offer routes into those career paths… That to me does these kids a diservice, especially given the debt burden that results.
Knowing the Oxbridge system first hand (via being married to a former Oxford college adminsions secretary) there is a LOT of bullshit writeten and believed. There is NO let up on the academic standard irrespective of which school you went to or how much your father may have donated to a college fund… the governance structure does not allow it. Specific entrance exams are no longer part of most admision systems which go by A level/IB and interview only.
Yes there is still a majority of kids that have been privatelyu educated and all thsi proves is that the quality of education they have been privalaged to get makes a difference - that difference is opportunity to have small classes and more attention for those bright enough to stand a chance.
The biggest difference seen at interview stage tends to be confidence - private schools kids tend to have more of its a focal point of their education… and that confidence lends its self well to an interview system.
I will ask the question again, what is wrong with having universities that are the best in the world say? That attract the biggest investment for research and as such generate innovation and cutting edge solutions that drive our industry? That will always mean the brightest go… To me what is more important is the opportunity to go there shoudl be open to all - that means quality of education and motivation to be educated needs to be available to all.
Yes there are countless exampls of bright kids who dont get in., or sruggle dto fit in… but I can give you loads of examples of kids from working class backgrounds who did and were very successful. There are arseholes everywhere, not just at Oxbridge.
Others such as Durham, St Andrews etc also have a good proprtion of privately educated kids… but again have high academic standards that are the only admission criteria…
I just think we should be doing all we can to get a) better access to betetr and more consistent standards in education (driven by resources in most cases) so that any remianing access barriers to the best universities are finally driven out. Whilst folkskeep believing some of the BS, we are just perpetuating the myths and the reverse snobbery.
Unserprizingly, the head of European Consuting at the firm I work for went to University College, Oxford between 87-91. He went to a secondary modern in Cardiff and was the first in his family to go to university, is not a tory, or a pratt, just a decent honest bloke… albeit Welsh… That is the way barriers are broken down, not by getting more working class kids to do media studies, IMHO.