What can we learn from the Norrington Table?

Head of the river and top of the Norrington โ€“ Oriel really have it all this year.

But there is something else remarkable about Orielโ€™s accession, besides that it gives the proprietors of Oxfordโ€™s most famous statue yet more reason to gloat: it marks the first time in fifteen years โ€“ since Balliol took the crown in 2001 โ€“ that the college at the top of the Norrington Table is not one of Oxfordโ€™s five richest undergraduate colleges.

After all, what is it that the Norrington Table really measures? Cherwell runs you through the trends and factoids in this yearโ€™s academic rankings.

Where the fun goes to die

Poor Merton โ€“ if only one more finalist had earned a 1st instead of a 2.1, they would be back on top, having dropped down nearly to the bottom of last yearโ€™s rankings. Still, that would have placed them nowhere near their record score of 77.7% back in 2007/8. Rounding out the top five are Magdalen, University, and Trinity.

Better luck next time

Pembroke dons must be breathing a sigh of relief. After last yearโ€™s humiliation of losing by 3.1 percentage points โ€“ the same amount separating 12th-place Oriel and 29th-place St Edmund Hall โ€“ย they are replaced by Queen’s at the foot of the Norrington. Mansfield and a few of the โ€˜Stโ€™s โ€“ย Anneโ€™s, Hildaโ€™s, and Peterโ€™s โ€“ย will be providing company at the bottom of the Table.

I knew I shouldโ€™ve read mathsโ€ฆ

No, the maths students assure you, horror in their eyes, you do not wish you were reading maths. But is there truth to the claim that itโ€™s easier to get a first in the sciences than humanities? The statistics from 2015’sย Gazetteย would certainly seem to suggest so: 38% of mathematical, physical and life scientists graduating last year managed a first, whilst only 30% of humanities students, 29% of medical scientists, and 26% of social scientists managed the same. Moral of the story? Yet another reason not to read PPE, whose 22% first rate wasย easily the lowest of any of Oxfordโ€™s popular courses.

The tyranny of wealth? Of popularity?

Actually, not so much. Of Oxfordโ€™s ten richest undergraduate colleges, only three (Merton, Magdalen, and Univ) break the top ten Norrington performers โ€“ whilst two (Christ Church and and Queenโ€™s) can be found in the bottom third of the Table. On the other hand, six of Oxfordโ€™s poorest undergraduate colleges can be found in the bottom ten, so the data cuts both ways.

Equally murky is the debate over whether oversubscribed colleges tend to outperform: six of Oxfordโ€™s ten colleges with the lowest percentage of direct applicants accepted made the Norrington top ten โ€“ย which almost has you wondering about the four that didnโ€™t: are their tutors sure theyโ€™re accepting the right applicants?

With age, wisdom

The old adage: Wisdom before beauty. Except Oxfordโ€™s oldest colleges also tend to be its most beautiful. They are also its best academic performers. Wealth might not be a determining factor, but how about date of foundation? Six of Oxfordโ€™s oldest colleges โ€“ all founded before 1500 โ€“ย made the top third of the Norrington. Meanwhile, eight of Oxfordโ€™s nine latest additions (St Catherineโ€™s aside) โ€“ none older than a spry 140 years โ€“ย  placed in the bottom half of the Table.

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