Basic Trope: Fictional characters have a much easier time getting into Oxbridge, Ivy League, or similarly prestigious universities than real people.
- Straight: Despite not being portrayed as exceptionally intelligent or hard-working up until this point, Grant gets into the University of Oxford with little effort.
- Exaggerated:
- Grant was expelled from school for frequent truancy, failed half his exams, and used dreadful spelling and punctuation on his application, but he still gets into the University of Oxford.
- Everyone in the cast is a lazy ditz. Somehow they all made it into Oxford.
- Downplayed:
- While Grant is an above-average student, his application still isn't impressive enough to get him into Oxford, yet somehow he does.
- While Grant got into Oxford, he only, by his own admission, got in because he wrote in his application essay that he will use his degree to make the world a better place and his grades are barely above a D+.
- Justified:
- Despite a seemingly casual demeanor (plus an unhelpful, comical Simpleton Voice), Grant is still a very bright, exceptionally proficient student with an impressive résumé and is rightfully accepted into Oxford on those merits.
- Many of the characters in a show about high-tier law firms went to Harvard or Yale because they host prestigious and excellent law schools.
- Grant's chances of landing a dream job (or certain ambition of some kind) increase dramatically if he attends Oxford or a similarly prestigious school.
- Grant is a legacy student whose rich parents donated eighty million dollars to Harvard. There’s a building on campus named after his parents.
- It's After the End; Oxford can't afford to be picky.
- Inverted: Grant has perfect grades, speaks three languages fluently and is learning a fourth, is a saxophone prodigy, volunteers at the homeless shelter every Tuesday and Thursday, was voted class president, graduated valedictorian, has already written a novel and two scientific papers, and plays rugby at a national level. Despite all these achievements, he struggles to get into any universities and must attend community college or his local state school.
- Subverted:
- Everyone is convinced that Grant, an unimpressive student, will get into Oxford. His application is rejected.
- Grant is initially portrayed as a good-but-not-fantastic student who somehow got into Oxford. It's later revealed that he's exceptionally talented at programming.
- It's revealed that the fictional version of Oxford is far less prestigious than its real-life counterpart.
- Grant believes he's been accepted into Oxford, but it's just a fake letter from a scammer trying to trick Grant into paying "tuition fees".
- Grant says he went to Oxford. He actually got his degree from a diploma mill named "Harvard Institute University of Oxford".
- Mediocre student Grant still gets accepted ... but then decides not to attend for some reason.
- Grant is a recent high/secondary school finisher who is going to Oxford, but as part of the support staff because he is neither academic nor rich enough to be a student.
- Double Subverted:
- However, it turns out that Cambridge accepted him.
- His programming skills are irrelevant — he's studying philosophy.
- The negative stories about Oxford all came from people who went to Cambridge or just had bad experiences at Oxford that soured them on the place.
- But then later, Grant receives a real letter of acceptance from Oxford.
- It's based on the grounds of Oxford and/or Harvard and features at least some stimulating classes.
- But then he has a dilemma when all other colleges reject him.
- He's studying hard in his spare time and eventually works up the courage to apply. This arouses the sympathy of enough people on the committee that they decide to let him attend as a student.
- Parodied:
- All the students at Oxford are underperforming slackers, and the professors are all rich snobs. The university openly admits that it has no standards anymore.
- "Zero extracurriculars? No recommendation letters or references? IQ of seven? One-point-zero GPA? Zero on the SAT? Frequently truant? Did time in prison for a serious crime? Rude and generally unpleasant? ... Hot damn, this guy's a shoo-in!"
- Zig-Zagged: Grant is rejected from Oxford due to his low academic achievement, but is then accepted into Harvard. His acceptance is due to a clerical error, but they let him go anyway.
- Averted:
- Grant goes to a university whose prestige corresponds to his academic achievement.
- Grant doesn't pursue any kind of post-secondary education at all.
- Enforced:
- The writers are portraying Grant as a stereotypical British character. The executives demand that he go to Oxford because they think that's the only British university the American audience knows of.
- Grant is a character in a biopic of somebody who earned their place at Oxford, and they went on record with their low opinion of the students who got in because of who they knew rather than what they knew.
- Lampshaded: "Good news, everybody: I got into Oxford!" "How? I mean, wow!"
- Invoked: Grant pays off the admissions team to be accepted even though he's underqualified.
- Exploited:
- Defied:
- Despite not working exceptionally hard, Grant assumes he'll be able to get into the University of Oxford with mediocre test scores and no particular interest in the course he's applying for. The admissions team turn him down.
- Grant assumes he'll be able to get into the University of Oxford with little effort because his parents are Oxford academics. Again, the admissions team turn him down.
- Grant decides he doesn't need to go to Oxford to get a worthwhile education. There's a university closer to where he lives that will do just fine.
- Discussed: "I'll apply for Oxford! I'm sure they'll accept me!" "Go ahead and try if you insist, but don't be too disappointed if they reject you."
- Conversed: "How can half of these characters be underperforming slackers? They're supposed to be Oxford students!"
- Implied:
- Grant is a minor character who's never seen doing anything that would justify his being accepted into Oxford. Nevertheless, he joins Alice and Bob, who did earn their acceptance, when they go there.
- Grant mentions that he's been thrown out of Oxford. Mary and Spencer want to know how he even got there, but that's a Noodle Incident that'll forever remain a Riddle for the Ages.
- Deconstructed:
- Grant later drops out after realizing that the acceptance criteria is usually so high for a reason: the workload is a lot heavier and challenging than most other universities.
- Going to a prestigious university doesn't come cheap. Grant's expenses and lack of financial planning skills cause him to accumulate a sizable debt.
- While the admissions department is well aware Grant isn't the type they'd usually accept (academically speaking), Oxford admissions are holistic and GPA has never been the sole factor in their decision-making, contrary to popular belief. So, Grant becomes one of those relatively rare applicants who do get in despite a seemingly poor record.
- Reconstructed:
- Grant almost drops out after realizing he's in over his head, but instead decides to rise to the challenge.
- Grant gets lucky in another field, finding his niche in society at a job at his skill level that nevertheless stimulates and challenges him.
- Grant does surprisingly well in school and lands a high-paying job that lets him repay the debt relatively quickly.
- Played for Laughs:
- Grant gets accepted into Oxford. His attempt at studying there is an Epic Fail.
- Grant turns Oxford into a hotbed of Wacky Fratboy Hijinx before too long, or his attempt to do so is an Epic Fail.
- Played for Drama:
- Grant's parents want him to go to Oxford, while he'd rather be a carpenter. He decides to apply — figuring out that they'll probably reject him — to try to get them off his back. Then the university decides to accept his application.
- The more intellectually engaged students who fit the traditional profile of Oxford students ostracize Grant.
- Played for Horror: Grant has been in jail for violent crimes, but is accepted into Oxford anyway. Now he's free to terrorize his fellow students...
Back to Ivy League for Everyone.
