After a tumultuous start, life here is beginning to settle down. The frantic jockeying for position in the first few weeks is over, and it's no longer acceptable to introduce yourself to random people or shamelessly ask for names. Socially, the beginning of the year was a slow burn for me – I ended up meeting one potentially good friend a day, until I was able to enter the dining hall on my own and always find someone I wanted to sit with. By then the time for meeting new people had suddenly and mysteriously drawn to a close. Everyone is now pretty much stuck with whatever friends they've made, and I'm left with several moderately good mates and countless acquaintances whose names I can't quite remember. Such is life. The first weeks of university would be a fascinating social experiment if I weren't in the middle of it.

Professor Roger Brown, the former vice-chancellor of Southampton Solent University, is one of the few big thinkers about higher education. He says what he thinks and what he thinks does not chime with prevailing orthodoxy, certainly when it comes to university funding. But his latest thoughts on maintaining standards are worth examining, partly because Brown used to run the now-defunct Higher Education Quality Council and partly because he really knows what goes on in a higher education institution.

Until now, the London School of Economics has been noted for its eggheads rather than its buildings. But that is changing. Earlier this month, the Queen opened a jaw-dropping £71m structure, complete with four lecture theatres, 16 seminar rooms, a street café and a rooftop pavilion with dramatic views across the capital.

In May this year, Oxford appealed to graduates and supporters for £1.25bn. The graduates are being targeted partly for their money, of course – although only a tiny number can afford to give large amounts – but also for their support. The aim is to raise the number of Oxford alumni who make donations to their alma mater towards levels in the USA, where graduates give billions of dollars to their universities.

Oxbridge interviews are renowned for off-the-wall questions challenging the obvious, so here's one from a student: "Why do all your undergraduate degree courses start in October?"