by Thomas Hornall

There is a latent anxiety among students about how they are perceived alongside others in their group and this is augmented when comparing universities as a whole.

Harvard and Yale. Cambridge and Oxford. Glasgow and Edinburgh.

This emotion is teased out vividly at debates, sporting events, at parties, in print, and on student radio, often with good humour.

I am from Strathclyde, and have friends at both Glasgow Caley (GCU) and Glasgow, and this rivalry takes place in a small way between us too.

It was touched upon by Mr Kierran Allardice, who recently wrote a blog post on this site, titled: CU posh Glasgow, Strathclyde students? I'm from GCU and proud.

Leaving aside the idea that going to Glasgow and Strathclyde axiomatically makes you "posh," the complaints before the house are as follows: Some offensive posts on anonymous messaging app Yik-Yak belittled Caley and there is a more general sense that Caley is unfairly treated as inferior to the others and is commonly described with nasty tropes like "GCwho?"

In Glasgow there certainly is an inter-university rivalry complete with commonly received stereotypes, which Mr Allardice outlines: Glasgow University for:"posher folk, those with more intellectual ability." Strathclyde, in the middle and full of engineers: "engineers everywhere." Caley: " not as good as the others but better than University of West of Scotland."

"Well isn't that great, aside from UWS we're bottom of the pile," he moans, taking this as received wisdom and happy to place himself above another, while complaining about people doing the same to him.

I get the 'you must be an engineer' chat all the time. I'm sure this blanket-labeling even appears on anonymous message boards, which as we should all know by now carry no responsibility or cost and thus bring out the worst in people so aren't worth the self pity, offense-taking and outrage.

Now, this impassioned defence of one's own university would be fine, admirable even, if Mr Allardice did not then go on to denigrate Caley's fashion course, which, he says, "sticks out like a sore thumb," to other students.

He scapegoats the fashion course and implies that explains Caley's perceived inferiority, looking on it as a gangrenous limb or ridiculous ornament, pouring scorn and contempt over blossoming Karl Lagerfelds and Vivienne Westwoods.

Laura Bunyan, a fashion student at GCU, commented she found his remarks "embarrassing," and went on: "In case you don't know almost all fashion courses available at GCU are actually business degrees and worth no less than your journalism degree."

But Mr Allardice would not agree with this, because his journalism course: "happens to be the best in the country! So there, have that probable Glasgow/Strathclyde student."

The journalism course at Caley is reputable, to be sure, but asserting, emphatically, that it is the best in the country! So there, have that… with all the glee of a child who is sure his 'dad can batter your dad', is solipsistic and unserious.

I will be graduating in June from Strathclyde with a degree in Politics and Journalism. I must say, the university is only really there to give you a bit of guidance and to provide the exam papers and ratify the degree, there's not a huge qualitative gulf, in my view, though some do specialise in certain subjects.

If you spend four years studying a subject then the guarantor of the quality of your education is ultimately you.

Not the lecturers, not the equipment, not your classmates, not any vague social hierarchy and not the campus.

Mr Allardice signs off: "I'm a GCU student and proud of it." (Just not that frivolous fashion course, ignore that...)

Read CU posh Glasgow, Strathclyde students? I'm from GCU and proud