Editing Rhodes Scholarship (section)

=== Quality of post-graduate education at Oxford ===
In 2007, an [[op-ed]] in ''[[The Harvard Crimson]]'' by two American Rhodes Scholars caused an "international row over Oxford's status as a top university" when they criticised the university's post-graduate education as "outdated" and "frustrating" in comparison to their education in the United States, specifically pointing to the perceived low quality of instruction and an insufficient scholarship stipend for living expenses.<ref>{{cite web |title=Uninspired scholars attack university |url=http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/1234879.Uninspired_scholars_attack_university/ |website=The Oxford Times|date=6 March 2007 }}</ref><ref name="DellMylavarapBlues">{{cite news |last1=Dell |first1=Melissa |last2=Mylavarap |first2=Swati |date=25 February 2007 |title=Oxford Blues |work=[[The Harvard Crimson]] |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2007/2/25/oxford-blues-to-all-juniors-out/ |access-date=7 June 2019}}</ref> They also criticised the Rhodes application process itself, arguing that potential applicants should not apply unless they are "ready to study and live in Oxford."<ref name="DellMylavarapBlues"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2007/3/16/the-rhodes-and-harvard-opportunity-not/|title=The Rhodes and Harvard: Opportunity, Not Obligation - Opinion - The Harvard Crimson|website=www.thecrimson.com}}</ref>

The original op-ed spurred responses on both sides of the Atlantic.<ref>{{cite magazine | first=Elizabeth | last=Green | title=Harvard Rhodes Winners are Whiners, say Yale kids | magazine=U.S. News & World Report  | date=9 April 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | first=Elizabeth | last=Green | title=Rhodes Scholars Say Oxford's Overrated | magazine=U.S. News & World Report  | date=28 February 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first=Christine | last=Finn | title=Rhodes scholars give Oxford D-minus | newspaper=The Sunday Times  | date=4 March 2007}}</ref><ref name="DellMylavarapBlues" /> Other students criticised the authors for their tone of "ingratitude and entitlement," while ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' noted that it fueled the rivalry between the [[University of Cambridge]], [[Harvard University]], and the [[University of Oxford]] and existing concerns about the quality of British graduate education. In response, the Rhodes Trust released two statements, one to ''The Sunday Times'' saying that "the criticisms…are unrepresentative of the vast majority of Americans" studying at Oxford, and another as a reply to the original op-ed arguing that "false expectations", particularly for those uncertain about their degree choice, and going to Oxford for the "wrong reasons", could contribute to dissatisfaction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2007/3/2/oxford-is-about-transitions-and-not/|title=Oxford Is About Transitions And Not For Everyone - Opinion |website=The Harvard Crimson |date=March 2, 2007 |first1=Elliot F. |last1=Gerson }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gerson |first=Elliot |date=11 March 2007 |title=Oxford Popularity - Letter |newspaper=The Sunday Times}}</ref>