[keiferski]

I think the number of purely mental fields is fairly small, especially in technology.

More than that, though, are how amenities affect future applicants. If I was a prospective student choosing between Oxford and say, Princeton, the quality of the campus and amount of resources available would affect my decision. My impression was that Oxbridge is very much about maintaining and continuing the traditions of the UK more than anything else.

[Symbiote]

As a tourist in Oxford or Princeton, how can you tell what resources are available?

[keiferski]

Of course, a lot of things are not accessible to tourists. But it’s fairly easy to see inside most buildings and generally just tell that e.g. the library is smaller or that the department of X is in a 8-story modern building vs. a 2-story old one. That doesn’t always correlate to “resources available” but as another commenter put it, American universities are practically small city-states.