Singing the Praises of a University I'm not Going to

Since the introduction of fees for university and the massive spike in the number of students being admitted to university there's always the thought at the back of one's mind at extravagant open days that universities have interests besides the advancement of the next generation. Of course whatever the motive the education is likely to be first-rate - what better advertisement for Cambridge's £21,000 course than the prestige afforded its alumni? However, having accepted my offer for Birmingham fairly secure that that institution values paper over linen I feel the need to publish praise for another institution which very clearly honestly believes in the enrichment of its alumni.

This morning I received a letter from Queen Mary, University of London, congratulating me and formally offering me a place. It would have been a nice touch if that's all it was, just the thought of sending a physical letter beside the automatic email from UCAS. QMUL went a step further however, which fully cements in my mind the idea they are wholly committed to the betterment of human intellect, society and culture.


For one thing, the letter included a book of their own recommendation - a Penguin Little Black Classic, which sell for just 80p, still a nice touch. But why? Why give every successful applicant a free book? Because, as they say themselves, whether or not you decide to join them in September they want to help prepare you for the degree you'll be taking. The world of literature is a huge swirling vortex of ideas and culture, and biting into that, stepping you toe in at any one point can be quite intimidating. You never know if dipping in over here means you'll miss something even better over there.

To this end, QMUL give a web address with suggestions on how to prepare for the endeavour of studying English and Drama at undergraduate level, with beginner-reading-lists for both subjects, irrespective of whether you go to Queen Mary - a helping hand to studying the subject, not just to studying the subject at x university. For all that universities espouse on how league tables aren't important (while standing in front of a powerpoint slide saying in which league tables the university is number 1), and what matters is the feeling you get from the university, things would feel a lot less disingenuous if universities would take a leaf out of QMUL's book and show an unconditional love for studiers of the subject.