 Headington comments that a musical conservatoire such as the Royal College of Music would have suited Pears better than the Oxford course, but at the time it was seen as a natural progression for an English public school boy to continue his education at Oxford or Cambridge.In the event Pears did not take to Oxford's academic regime, which required him to study a range of subjects before specialising in music.He failed the first-year examinations (Moderations) and though he was entitled to resit them he decided against doing so, and went down from Oxford.