In these days of marketing and competition for students, it is inevitable that Britain's universities will produce glossy material and state-of-the-art websites in the attempt to steal a march on their competitors. However, I would just like to point out that one particular adjective is used ad nauseam: vibrant. Here are just a few examples accessed in ten spare minutes from university websites:

- We are a vibrant, innovative University dedicated to pursuing excellence ... (University of Teesside).

- Heriot-Watt is a vibrant, forward-looking University ... (Heriot-Watt University)

- The city of Bristol is not only one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in Britain ... (University of Bristol)

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- Plymouth: a vibrant city ... (University of Plymouth)

- 16,000 students make up the University's vibrant cultural mix ... (Staffordshire University)

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And of course it would be possible to quote examples ad infinitum. Perhaps Universities UK or the British Government should issue a press release explaining that all the nation's universities - and the towns and cities where they are located - are "vibrant". That way the universities themselves would no longer need to go to the trouble of pointing it out.

Brian Poole, Singapore.