In message , Acrosticus
writes

Ah! But apparently he's at York, who turned down a mate of mine who'd also put
Oxford on his UCAS form. When my mate rang up to ask the admissions tutor why
he'd been rejected the reply was "I don't think anyone who's put Oxford on
their form would feel happy at York" (he was later accepted by Magdalen, by the
way). I find it hard to frame a more eloquent and anodyne equivalent to York's
admissions tutor's "Look, this place is an academic sink, if you've got half a
brain you wouldn't come near the place" look-alike statement (which is what it
really is when you strip the sophistry away).

Have you looked at the position of York in the league tables? They are
one of the top universities in the country and have been for many years
in a lot of subjects. They frequently give tougher offers than Oxbridge.

--
Paul Terry