30 NOVEMBER 2002, Page 44

From Mr Brian Jenner Sir: It is ridiculous to say

that most Oxbridge students can expect to earn £45,000 two years after graduation, as you suggest in your leading article. It com pounds the middle-class myth that getting into those universities will make you rich. For the vast majority it isn't true. To say so helps to fuel a lot of the destructive envy of these institutions.

I left ten years ago and only a few of my friends are earning that sort of money even now. Besides, I thought Oxford and Cambridge were places that championed contemplation and disdain for material wealth. They were never supposed to be finishing schools for accountants, lawyers and management consultants.

Brian Jenner

London W2