Not everyone manages to visit a real old castle. But there are lucky ones who live and study in this atmosphere all their student years. The STAR Academy agency talks about universities that are located in castles.
Durham University will appeal not only to Harry Potter fans, but also to all lovers of old buildings and traditional British atmosphere. Indeed, in his possession is Durham Castle - the only castle in the UK, which in its thousand-year history has never been destroyed.
It was founded in the 11th century by order of William the Conqueror to protect the English borders in the north of the country. And he did an excellent job. In the middle of the 19th century, the castle became Durham University College. And it still remains the epicenter of student life and home to thousands of students.
Tourists can also wander through the gloomy galleries of Durham Castle and appreciate the Norman style in architecture. Group tours are held here, where the guides are the students themselves.
Located in the geographical and cultural center of Scotland, the University of Stirling is in the top 100 of the best young universities in the world. Its campus is located on the territory of a former estate with a long and interesting history. In the center of the campus is the Airthrey Castle building. The 18th century castle was expanded and remodeled in late Victorian times and today houses the Faculty of Law.
The first mention of Airthrey Castle dates back to the 12th century. Over the past nine centuries, it has changed many owners, survived bloody battles, enemy attacks and numerous reconstructions.
In the 20th century, it was transferred to the Secretary of State, then there was a maternity hospital in it. More than one generation of Scots was born here. Finally, with the founding of the University of Stirling in 1969, the castle turned into an educational building and became part of student peaceful life.
The Belgian University of Leuven was founded in the 14th century and is considered the oldest Catholic university in the world. In the 20s of the last century, Arenberg Castle, donated to the university by its owner, the Duke of Arenberg, joined the territory of the educational institution.
The first castle buildings were erected in the spirit of the Renaissance, and several centuries later they were rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style. After that, the castle acquired its modern look. It is now occupied by students from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Leuven and serves as the central campus site for the science club.
The Royal Holloway campus, University of London is one of the most atmospheric and impressive campuses in all of Britain. In 1886, it was opened by Queen Victoria herself, who, seeing such beauty, allowed the use of the word "royal" in her name in the name of the university.
This is perhaps one of those cases when the castle was built specifically for the university, and not transferred or sold years later. Its founder, entrepreneur and philanthropist Thomas Holloway, at the end of the 19th century, laid the foundation for the future college for women in honor of his wife Jane. It was a bold and far-sighted step: at that time, women's education was ambiguous.
The result of the efforts of Thomas Holloway was the erection of a stunning main building in the French Renaissance style. Now you can find an art gallery, a chapel, a dining room, a library and a hostel for 500 people in it.
A bit surprising, but America has its own castles. So, the private university Arcadia University owns Gray Towers Castle and offers students really luxurious conditions. Freshmen live in pretty single or multi-person rooms on the third floor of the castle.
One floor below is the Mirror Room, or ballroom, with renaissance architectural elements. A pair of sliding doors lead to the adjacent Rose Room and Music Room. These rooms now host lectures, book readings, presentations and annual events.
The chronicle of Gray Towers Castle began in 1881, when William Harrison, a young co-owner of the Franklin sugar refinery, bought the estate and decided to rebuild it to his own liking. According to rumors, the architect was inspired by the residence of the Dukes of Northumberland in England. The castle is considered a national monument, and at the same time "one of the most vivid memories of student time at Arcadia University."
The material was prepared for the mel.fm blog.
Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov became the best university in Eastern Europe according to the international ranking QS EECA (Emergin Europe and Central Asia), leaving behind the University of Warsaw, St. Petersburg State University, the Estonian University of Tartu and others.
And what universities do the offspring of the richest people in the world dream of studying at?
5th - Oxford University
Oxford University is the oldest English-speaking university in the world. Today it is one of the most advanced universities. Its representatives argue that the level of wealth does not affect access to Oxford education. But, despite this, mostly children from wealthy families study here. At one time, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Felix Yusupov and many others were trained within the walls of Oxford. The average cost of an academic year at the university is $31,000.
4th - Brown University
Brown University is located in the city of Providence, Rhode Island and has long been loved by creative and creative youth, as the university creates ideal conditions for student self-expression. Everyone can independently choose an academic discipline and apply their abilities as accurately as possible. The university also provides ample opportunities for social activities, theater arts and sports. There are many fraternities, sisterhoods and student interest organizations here. Brown University is in the Ivy League. A year of study here costs $44,000. Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Allegra Versace graduated from it.
3rd - Yale University
Yale University is also in the Ivy League. The university is located in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale is one of the most popular places for representatives of the “golden youth”, since 69% of students are children of wealthy parents with an annual income of at least $120,000. A year of study here will cost about $47,000. Among its famous graduates are Gerald Ford, William Clinton, Edward Norton, Meryl Streep, Hillary Clinton, David Duchovny and others.
2nd - Columbia University
Columbia University is located in New York City in Manhattan and is part of the Ivy League. Tuition is $64,000. Every year, only 11% of all applicants pass a rigorous selection process and enter the university. He graduated from Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Barack Obama, Jerome Salinger and others.
1st place - Harvard University
Harvard is located in Cambridge, is part of the Ivy League and is the most prestigious university in the world. A year of study in it costs about $ 50,000. A Harvard diploma is a pass to the High Society in any field. 45% of students of the University grew up in wealthy families with an income of at least $200,000 per year. Eight American presidents graduated from the university, including John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush and others. Mark Zuckerberg also studied there, but he never received a diploma.
Each of the 784 universities participating in the ranking (of which 70 are Russian universities) was evaluated by the professional academic community. These are the world's leading scientists and teachers, selected from the leading periodicals in the world - Web of Science Cote Collection. Each of the respondents could choose up to 15 universities, which he (the respondent) considers the best in the field of teaching quality and 15 in terms of research quality. The data on the number of votes cast for universities are taken as the arithmetic average for the last five years.
TOP 10 leading university brands in the world:
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. Stanford University
4. UC Berkeley
5. Cambridge University
6. Oxford University
7. UCLA
8. Yale University
10. University of Michigan
The most prestigious universities in Russia
The undisputed leader of the reputation ranking, Lomonosov Moscow State University, ranked 50th in the world, thus entering the top 50 world's leading brands in the field of education. In second place is another well-known classical university - St. Petersburg State University, which took 105th place. The top three is closed by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, which ranked 109th in the world ranking.
List of TOP-10 universities in Russia:
45. Lomonosov Moscow State University;
105. St. Petersburg State University;
109. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology;
150. Novosibirsk University;
212. Tomsk State University;
261. St. Petersburg Polytechnic University of Peter the Great;
291. National Research Technological University "MiSIS";
335. Nizhny Novgorod State University named after Lobachevsky.
Round University Ranking (RUR) is an international university ranking published by the RUR Ranking Agency in cooperation with Clarivate Analytics. The rating evaluates the activities of 1030 leading universities from 85 countries of the world for nine years (2010-2018) according to 20 indicators that measure four areas of university activity: the quality of teaching, the quality of research, the level of internationalization and the level of financial stability. Such a wide coverage, both geographically and temporally, makes the RUR ranking a unique tool for choosing universities for study and work, comparing and contrasting higher education institutions on a global scale. In addition to the overall ranking, the RUR ranking includes 30 rankings in six subject areas: humanities, life sciences, medical sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, technical sciences.
