I always worry about attacks on the so-called elitism of our top universities. It strikes me that academic excellence must always be the “sine qua non” of access to the best institutions in the country.
It must be in the interests of those institutions to open their doors to the widest possible pool of talent. And of course Oxford, Cambridge and other institutions must look for potential in students from state school backgrounds as well as taking the ready-made products of the public school system.
But this is not as simple as it sounds. Friends of mine involved in the admissions process tell me in is very difficult to make these judgements — how can you tell if a student who has relatively lower grades from a state school will turn out to be a better student than one with a string of As from the independent sector?
The Commons
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in