Sydney students are sharing their experiences with tertiary snobbery, a phenomenon where students from certain schools or backgrounds are belittled by their peers from more prestigious institutions.

Andrew Cohen of Glebe recalls that even as far back as 1973, students from schools like Fort Street, North Sydney, and Moore Park would refer to their rivals from Sydney University as 'Kenso Tech' (C8). This nickname was likely a play on the abbreviation for the Sydney Technical High School.

Tony Everett of Wareemba's maths and physics teacher was studying chemistry at the University of NSW during the same period: 'He referred to 'the other place' as 'Camperdown High', to where I landed.'

For an international take, Chris Fenn of Moruya recalls certain adversaries referring to Eton as 'Slough Comprehensive'.

The use of derogatory nicknames was not limited to Sydney University. Max Redmayne of Drummoyne admits to preferring the Classic Comic version of Wuthering Heights over the book during his Leaving Certificate exams. 'I wrote the exam essay on the basis of the comic and got an A, job done.'

Fiona Spicer of Greenwich shares a personal anecdote, recalling a time when she accidentally broke her family's Airfix model of a Lancaster bomber. 'The father of the family had been the wireless operator of 'G for George', based at Binbrook, Lincolnshire. Over the years I was constantly reminded of the incident.'

In a related context, Lance Rainey of Grafton weighs in on the current sporting debate about the proper name for the sport of Association Football: 'By transposition, the abbreviation of Association Football ASOC became SOCA and then soccer – so soccer is a legitimate name for the sport.'

Peter Rose of Caves Beach comments on the unexpected intersection of Labor MP Josh Wilson's soccer career and alleged altercation with an opponent, with the incident being discussed during a press conference called to discuss battery storage.

The stories of these students offer a glimpse into the long history of elitism within Australia's higher education system. Genevieve Frederiksen of Roseville speaks to this point, recalling the difficulties of deciphering prescriptions as a pharmacist in the '80s. 'Then I ended up marrying one of the culprits, and we only found out recently that our son had no problem forging his father's signature, which enabled him to avoid 'boring' school activities.'

A closer look at these stories reveals a culture of exclusivity and elitism that permeates Australia's higher education system.

'By transposition, the abbreviation of Association Football ASOC became SOCA and then soccer – so soccer is a legitimate name for the sport.'

  • Lance Rainey of Grafton

Key Facts

  • Sydney students have used derogatory nicknames to refer to their rivals from more prestigious institutions as early as 1973.
  • The use of such nicknames was not limited to Sydney University but was also used to refer to other schools and institutions.
  • The stories of these students offer a glimpse into the long history of elitism within Australia's higher education system.
  • Genevieve Frederiksen of Roseville speaks to this point, recalling the difficulties of deciphering prescriptions as a pharmacist in the '80s.
  • The intersection of the Australian sports debate and the incident involving Labor MP Josh Wilson's soccer career and alleged altercation with an opponent is a unique and unexpected aspect of these stories.