I was applying for internships the other day, and I found myself wondering what on earth I would actually say at an interview if I was asked how going to the University of Cambridge has benefited me. The only reply I could think of was ‘I write essays! Essays! Lots and lots of essays!’ I don’t think I’d get the job. Surely I could think of something better to say about attending Cambridge.

After all, Oxbridge graduates still continue to dominate top job sectors. Despite Oxford and Cambridge educating less than one per cent of the population, nearly three quarters of top judiciary, over half of the cabinet, and just under half the newspaper columnists attended Oxbridge. Of course, an anecdote of what I’d say in an interview says less about the desirability of Cambridge graduates, and more about my dreadful bullshitting skills, but it did lead me to think about what skills actually make Oxbridge graduates supposedly so desirable. I couldn’t think of many.

"High academic achievement does very little to reflect the graduates’ ability to succeed outside of this very unique environment of academia"

Oxbridge graduates excel in academia. To get an offer in the first place requires an excellent academic track record – most of my friends have a collection of straight A*s. Not only is the input of students highly academic, the output perhaps is even more so. With veins that are 90 per cent caffeine, I’ve learnt how to bash out an essay the night before the deadline, which is certainly an impressive skill, but how important is it in the world of work? Unless you are going into the field of academia, it’s not a very useful talent.

High academic achievement does very little to reflect the graduates’ ability to succeed outside of this very unique environment of academia. In most jobs, if I were to hand in a 2000 word essay on a problem rather than discuss it, I’d likely get the sack. Perhaps the supervision system offers more transferable skills, but the discussions are about academic problems, not the practical ones that would be encountered in the world of work.

We are taught how to excel in the ‘bubble’, but this doesn’t necessarily translate to excelling in a work environment. If you are applying for a specialised role which requires specialised knowledge specific to what has been studied on your degree, then it stands to reason that recruiters would want someone who shows greater knowledge and arguably Oxbridge graduates are then well-placed. Yet, when over 90 per cent of employers seek a non-specific degree, why should Oxbridge graduates be given an advantage?

During my university years, I’ve met a lot of Oxbridge students who, at best, could be described as underwhelming

I’ve mentioned this to friends in my college, who tell me that the pressures of Cambridge have given them better time-management and efficiency, and have taught them to work well under a level of stress that isn’t as high at other universities. Undoubtedly, these skills would be very important in a work environment, but people at other universities can also face time pressures to a similar extent.

I have friends at other universities who spend just as much time working, but their time is split between a part-time job and a degree. The time pressure inherent at Oxbridge isn’t unique, and nor is it necessarily an advantage. Part-time jobs or a greater extracurricular workload can also allow students to develop skills such as teamwork or public speaking, which are more directly useful in the world of work.

In contrast, at Cambridge, our time is so filled with academia that we aren’t even allowed part-time jobs during term time. We are trained to excel in our subjects and, due to time demands, often to the detriment of other skills that are extracurricular and that might more directly benefit a working environment. For example, I have friends who wish to enter the creative industry who have set up award-winning fashion blogs, run successful radio shows, written books and other achievements that are more directly related to the creative fields they want to work in. To get into the field of journalism, it would be valuable for me if I had more time to write in a journalistic style, rather than academic essays answering niche questions like ‘What is the similarity of goodness and yellow?’ which would not be something that would be commissioned by most newspapers.

Corporate careers: for love nor money

Another issue when favouring Oxbridge graduates is the lack of diversity at the two universities. If employers are looking to fish from a diverse pool, they really shouldn’t be prioritising Oxbridge graduates. The proportion of students with private school backgrounds is just under 40 per cent, but only 7 per cent of the country is privately educated. While state school access is higher than it has been in years, I’ve met very few people from comprehensives while I’ve been at Cambridge, with most state-educated pupils attending excellent grammar schools.

At the school where I took my GCSEs, not one person at the time had ever gone to Oxbridge (though many were intelligent enough to) – a far cry from the state school I attended during sixth form where I was one of six others. Both come under the same statistic as ‘state educated’, so Oxbridge is even less diverse than the statistics allow it to appear.

The lack of diversity from different academic and socioeconomic backgrounds is problematic. During my school years I’ve met a lot of bright people from poor socioeconomic or schooling backgrounds. During my university years, I’ve met a lot of Oxbridge students who, at best, could be described as underwhelming. Oxbridge doesn’t select the brightest kids, but the brightest rich kids. The interview process inherently favours Etonians brimming with confidence, not comp kids who have probably never debated their subject with an adult in their life, let alone with a forty year old academic genius.

What really sets Oxbridge graduates apart from others? Employer laziness. It’s an easy benchmark, a quick filter in the job-search process. Before we get too cocky and think that we are special snowflakes of the job market, we should think again