Where is cambridge university in which city. University of Cambridge: a great start to life

The University of Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the world and one of the largest in the UK. The academic achievements of Cambridge are known all over the world and are a testament to the intellectual potential of its students and teaching staff. The university was founded in 1209 and the first college with its own independent system in 1284. Currently, the university has 28 coeducational colleges and 3 women's colleges. The university has an internationally recognized reputation for outstanding academic achievements and the highest level of scientific research in various fields of knowledge, a clear confirmation of which is the award of more than 80 Nobel Prizes to its scientists. The university has its own constitution and is a self-governing entity with its own legislature (Regent House), which includes 3 thousand teachers and administrative workers. The administrative body of Cambridge is the Council, and the General Board of Faculties coordinates the educational policy of the university, which includes more than 100 departments, faculties and schools. Today, 18,000 students study here, about 17% of which are foreigners. More than half of the students prefer the humanities.

The University of Cambridge is one of the most prestigious, but at the same time ancient and conservative institutions of higher education in the world. We have already mentioned some of them in our telegram channel.

The University of Cambridge is located 90 km north of London and 50 km from Stansted Airport.

In this article, you will learn about:

a gang of criminals from Oxford who became the founders of Cambridge;
bears in the hostel;
Borate and a wooden spoon of epic proportions.

And you will also learn how to enter and study at such a prestigious university as the University of Cambridge.

University of Cambridge: history

The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 by students and teachers who fled Oxford because of a serious conflict with the townspeople.

The history of the incident is covered with the dust of centuries, it is unlikely that it will be possible to “get to the bottom” of the matter. But there is a version that one of the Oxford students was allegedly involved in the murder of a local resident, and other students and professors, in order to avoid conflict with the locals, quickly retreated from the settlement.

Whatever it really was, the inhabitants of Oxford staged a riot, from which, in fact, the future founders of Cambridge fled. Now Oxford and Cambridge form the Oxbridge University Union, but this does not prevent their students from being principal rivals in everything: science, sports, culture, politics, etc.

Despite the fact that the first classes were held as early as 1209, serious teaching of disciplines was organized only in 1284, when the first Cambridge college, Peterhouse, opened.

The university was officially recognized in 1318, when Pope John XXII issued a corresponding edict. To be honest, the students and teachers of Cambridge ignored this document: the educational process there went well even without papal approval.

Interestingly, in those days, a student could not just leave Cambridge: after completing his studies, he worked out the “distribution” - he taught younger students for 2 years.

Cambridge remained an exclusively male university for a very long time, until the first women's college, Girton, was founded in 1869. Despite this, for almost a decade, Cambridge students were given "inferior" diplomas.

Now both girls and boys study at Girton, but at the other three (Lucy Cavendish College, Newnham College, Murray Edwards College) - exclusively girls. It's funny that there are no all-male colleges in Cambridge now.

By the way! For our readers there is now a 10% discount on

University of Cambridge: Today

Currently, the university is an amalgamation of the central department and 31 colleges, the most prestigious of which is considered Trinity College .

Colleges at the University of Cambridge are separate educational institutions with their own student assessment system, a set of faculties, a building and all the necessary activities for leisure and full student life.

In total, there are more than a hundred well-equipped in Cambridge:

faculties,
schools,
branches,
research centers,
laboratories, etc.

All this diversity is coordinated by the general board and the administrative council of Cambridge.

Faculties at the University of Cambridge are divided into 6 big directions or "schools" :

Arts and Humanities (humanities);
Humanities and Social Sciences (social sciences);
Biological Sciences (biology);
Physical Sciences (natural sciences);
Clinical Medicine (medicine);
Technology (technology).

Each faculty has its own academic buildings, campuses, libraries and laboratories. In addition, each student can use all the facilities of the general departments of the university, for example, the Cavendish Laboratory or the Cambridge Observatory.

There are currently about 18,000 students studying at Cambridge, 17.3% of whom are from other countries.

More than 50% of university students chose humanitarian specialties.

University of Cambridge: how to apply

For admission to Cambridge, an applicant will need:

certificate of the A-level training program - two-year preparatory courses corresponding to the British educational standard (the program can be replaced with 1-2 years of study at a domestic university);
a certificate confirming a high level of knowledge of the English language (GCSE - C; IELTS - 7.5, with a score of at least 7 in all components of the exam; TOEFL 600/250);
the highest scores in subjects related to the specialty that he is going to study;
Successful completion of the 90-minute logic test;
two successful interviews with Cambridge academics;
good .

In addition, the applicant must have good financial resources: a year of study at Cambridge costs 14-30 thousand dollars (plus 6-7 thousand deductions to help the university). You will also need a certain amount for food and accommodation - about 10 thousand dollars a year. Of course, there are various covering costs to some extent. But they are provided mainly to graduate students.

University of Cambridge: interesting facts

Scientists, one way or another connected with the university, have received about 130 Nobel Prizes. This is the best indicator among all universities in the world.
At different times, Cambridge graduated from: Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Jordan Gordon Byron, Bertrand Russell, Vladimir Nabokov, Prince Henry, Prince Charles and ... Sacha Baron Cohen (better known as Ali G, Borat and Bruno).
When Byron was at Cambridge University, students were forbidden to keep dogs in their rooms. Then the great poet got himself a bear cub, a fox, a badger, a crocodile, an eagle, a crane and a heron - there was no ban on their content in the charter.
13 British prime ministers have studied at Cambridge.
The famous physicist Stephen Hawking taught mathematics at Cambridge until 2009.
Until 1909, the student with the lowest grades was awarded a wooden spoon each year. Its last owner was K. Holthouse, who was presented with a spoon the size of a boat oar.

If you intend to become a student of Cambridge, then it is better to write all term papers, abstracts and theses on your own. But if this is too difficult a task for you to cope with, contact

; not-for-vi-si-may sa-mo-manager-lyae-may cor-po-ra-tion, consisting of a number of uch-re-g-de-ny (av-to-nom colleges, own-st-ven-but uni-ver-si-tet and n.-i. centers), not getting better from right-vi -tel-st-va.

Founded in Cambridge in 1209. Until the end of the 19th century, only young men were admitted to the University of Cambridge; the prerequisite was the Anglican religion, celibacy (abolished in the 1860s). Initially, it existed in the form of groups of houses - "colleges" for students who from time to time attended lectures by scientists. Gradually, the lectures began to take on an increasingly organized character. The basic course, in the form of lectures and debates, included the seven liberal arts. By 1226, the students united in communities led by a guild of teachers (Regent masters) and a chancellor appointed by the bishop. Subsequently, colleges were formed from these communities [the first - Peterhouse (founded in 1284 by Bishop Ili H. de Bolsem), Michaelhouse (1313-1546)].

Some of the colleges were opened at the monasteries in their charters retained some "traces" of the monastic way of life. By the XIII century, traditional faculties were formed: humanitarian, legal, theological and medical. Since the end of the 13th century, music has been taught at the university, now the music department of the university is one of the world's musical training centers. The Royal College of Cambridge University (founded by Henry IV in 1441) is one of the best choir training centers in Europe. The university status of the University of Cambridge in 1233 was confirmed by a bull of Pope Gregory IX, in 1318 - by a bull of Pope John XXII. At the end of the 14th century, the first areas for building were acquired, which today is known as Senate-House Hill (the Hill of the Senate). The construction of the first own premises is unfolding. Now they retain the name "Old Schools".

Among the faculty, staff and alumni of the University of Cambridge are 82 Nobel Prize winners, including; philosopher B. Russell, statesman J. O. Chamberlain; physicists P. Dirac, J. J. and J. P. Thomson, J. Rayleigh, E. Rutherford, N. Bohr, C. Barkla, M. Born, J. Chadwick, W. G. and W. L. Bragg , F. Aston, P. L. Kapitza, J. Cockcroft, A. Cormac; chemists A. Todd, A. Martin, J. Porter, R. Sing, R. Norrish; biochemists W. Gilbert, D. Crowfoot-Hodgkin, J. Walker, A. Kornberg, P. Mitchell, J. Kendrew, A. Klug, M. Perutz, E. Chain, F. Sanger, J. D. Watson; biophysicist and geneticist F. Crick; physiologists A. Huxley, A. Hill, F. Hopkins, pathologist H. Flory; biologists M. Evans, S. Brenner; economists R. Stone, J. Mirlis, J. Mead, A. Sen, J. Stiglitz.

As part of the University of Cambridge (2008) - 31 colleges (among them - 3 women's); over 100 departments, research units, faculties and schools, including the Astronomical Institute, which unites the Observatory (1823), the Solar Physics Observatory (1912) and the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (1967); R. Scott Polar Institute (1920; includes the museum and memorial library of the British explorer Lord E. Shackleton); I. Newton Institute of Mathematical Sciences (1992).

Museums: zoological (1814), Fitzwilliam (1816; artistic masterpieces of Western European painting of the XII-XX centuries, an antique collection, a collection of samples of ceramics, glass, coins and medals), archeology and anthropology (1884), earth sciences named after A. Sedgwick (1904), History of Science (1944).

University Library (over 7 million items), which includes the library fund of the British and International Bible Society (1804), which includes the largest collection of Bible and New Testament editions (over 39 thousand volumes in more than 250 languages); College Libraries, Balfour and Newton Library (1883).

Cambridge University Press (1534; oldest and largest academic press in the world). Its creation reinforced the right of the University of Cambridge to monopoly publishing of the Bible, which it had previously shared with the University of Oxford. Botanical Garden (1846). More than 16 thousand students study.

Illustration:

King's College and Cathedral of Cambridge University. BRE archive.

The University of Cambridge is the second oldest British university after Oxford, was founded by people from the latter as a result of a conflict with local residents. And as a result, it turned into the most popular and prestigious educational institution of the world level.

This is evidenced, firstly, by its places in international rankings:

THE, QS and CWUR - 4th,
ARWU - 5th,
US News - 6th,
RUR - 9th.

more Nobel laureates studied and worked than in other universities of the world - 130;
15 future prime ministers of Great Britain and 25 leaders of other states were trained;
a whole bunch of celebrities were educated - philosophers Francis Bacon and Bertrand Russell, poets William Shakespeare and George Gordon Byron, scientists Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin, writers Alan Milne ("Papa" Winnie the Pooh) and Vladimir Nabokov, even comedian Sacha Baron Cohen , and many, many others.

The academic achievements of the university are also undeniable - for example, in it:

thanks to the work of Niels Bohr, Ernst Rutherford and Robert Oppenheimer, a whole scientific discipline appeared - nuclear physics;
discovered the genes for pain and obesity, which gave a powerful impetus to the development of anesthesiology and nutrition;
achieved the ability to immerse a person in a state of immunity to pain with a clear mind - which can make a real revolution in the work of doctors, as well as the military, firefighters, rescuers and representatives of other professions associated with increased risk.

Features and infrastructure

Here ancient customs are sacredly observed. For example, the rites of matriculation (initiation) and graduation of students are very solemn. For several centuries, until 1909, the most backward student was "rewarded" with a large wooden spoon. And without an official uniform (mantle and a rectangular hat with a tassel), you will not even be allowed into other canteens.

But, of course, this educational institution is strong not only with traditions and teaching staff, but also with a solid infrastructure, which includes:

114 libraries, the main one of which contains about 8 million books and periodicals in all world languages (and almost all of them can be taken home);
8 museums - art, zoology, anthropology and archeology, classical archeology, history of science, geology, polar exploration and a magnificent botanical garden;
equipped with the most modern equipment lecture halls, laboratories, conference rooms, classrooms, etc.

Moreover, all these high technologies feel great in ancient buildings of medieval architecture (which the educational institution is also proud of).

Organization

The University Of Cambridge offers traditional degree options:

bachelor
master's

Its structure is rather complicated - on the one hand, it is divided into 6 schools:

technological
biology,
arts and humanities,
clinical medicine,
humanitarian and social disciplines,
physical sciences

each of which consists of more than 20 faculties (of which there are only 150) - and on the other hand, the university is formed from the 31st college. And these 2 principles of separation can be said to be parallel to each other - that is, students of one school can belong to different colleges, and students of one college can study in different schools. How are they different?

The main thing is that the school determines who and how you will study (ie, what diploma you will receive, programs, plans, methods, etc.). And college - where you will live, what uniform to wear and what traditions to observe. In other words, your choice of school determines your academic performance at Cambridge, while your choice of college determines your community. Which we will talk about now.

Social life

Perhaps, here anyone will find a hobby and a community of interests, no matter how unusual his hobby would be. In their free time, students are engaged in the study of ancient artifacts and the work of J. R. Tolkien, go hiking, make films, sing, play music, play preference, etc.

The same can be said about sports - there is no such kind of it that could not be practiced in Cambridge. And the annual competition between him and Oxford (the quintessence of which, of course, is the rowing regatta) becomes a sporting event not only for the university, but for the whole life of the United Kingdom in general.

There are numerous student communities here, including very active Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakh ones. They constantly hold their own events, including balls, meetings with national celebrities and politicians, native language and culture evenings. For believers, an Orthodox church is always available. But adherents of other faiths can also perform worship according to their rites - in a mosque, synagogue, church or King's College Cathedral, which is recognized as an architectural masterpiece and one of the Cambridge symbols.

Student career and scholarships

Although the diploma of the University of Cambridge in itself is a serious trump card in your favor in the eyes of any employer, the Student Career Support Center nevertheless operates here. He helps future specialists in every possible way both in subsequent employment (market monitoring, base and job fairs), and in preparation for it (trainings on passing interviews, writing resumes, etc.).

Plus, according to certain criteria (excellent studies, promising research activities, etc.), grants can be awarded here, which can significantly reduce training costs. According to statistics, 40% of foreign university students receive such assistance. True, there are no special incentives for students from the CIS countries, as in many other educational institutions in the UK, except for scholarships for graduate students, which were established by BP.

University of Cambridge, Cambridge University, one of the oldest and largest universities in the UK; an independent self-governing corporation consisting of a number of institutions (autonomous colleges, the university itself and research centers) that does not receive subsidies from the government. Founded in Cambridge in 1209. Until the end of the 19th century, only young men were admitted to the University of Cambridge; the prerequisite was the Anglican religion, celibacy (abolished in the 1860s). Initially, it existed in the form of groups of houses - "colleges" for students who from time to time attended lectures by scientists. Gradually, the lectures began to take on an increasingly organized character. The basic course, in the form of lectures and debates, included the seven liberal arts. By 1226, the students united in communities led by a guild of teachers (Regent masters) and a chancellor appointed by the bishop. Subsequently, colleges were formed from these communities [the first - Peterhouse (founded in 1284 by Bishop Iliysky H. de Bolsem), Michaelhouse (1313-1546)]. Some of the colleges were opened at monasteries and in their statutes they retained some "traces" of the monastic way of life. By the 13th century, traditional faculties were formed: humanitarian, legal, theological and medical. Since the end of the 13th century, music has been taught at the university, now the music department of the university is one of the world's musical training centers. The Royal College of Cambridge University (founded by Henry IV in 1441) is one of the best choir training centers in Europe. The university status of the University of Cambridge in 1233 was confirmed by a bull of Pope Gregory IX, in 1318 by a bull of Pope John XXII. At the end of the 14th century, the first building areas were acquired, which today is known as Senate-House Hill (the hill of the Senate). The construction of the first own premises is unfolding. Now they retain the name "Old Schools".

In the 16th century, the role of colleges in university life increased dramatically, and the right to elect directors passed to them. The heads of colleges are increasingly becoming chancellors and vice-chancellors, senior lecturers (masters) are beginning to form the highest deliberative body of the university - the senate. One of the outstanding university figures of that time was Bishop J. Fisher, Master of Michaelhouse College, Vice-Chancellor, Chancellor (1509-35) of the University, who attracted Erasmus of Rotterdam to teaching at Cambridge University. During the years of the Reformation, the University of Cambridge came under the jurisdiction of the Church of England, King Henry VIII in 1536 banned the teaching of scholasticism at the university, encouraging the study of the Bible, the study of Greek and Latin classics, and mathematics. In 1546 he founded Trinity College at Cambridge University and introduced the teaching of ancient Greek, physics, and civil law. In 1856, new Regulations of the University of Cambridge were adopted, which formed the structure of the university, with some changes preserved until the beginning of the 21st century. In 1869, the first women's college, Girton, was opened.

By the middle of the 17th century, the University of Cambridge had become one of the most prestigious European universities. In 1625-32, J. Milton studied there, the department of mathematics was headed (1669-1701) by I. Newton, and in 1675, a university graduate, J. Flamsteed, was appointed astronomer royal. In 1837 Charles Darwin received a master's degree from the university. An outstanding role in the scientific revolution in the field of physics was played by the University's Cavendish Laboratory, founded in 1871 by J. Maxwell.

At various times, the following people studied or worked at Cambridge University: the poet J. Byron; philosophers F. Bacon, B. Russell, L. Wittgenstein, J. Moore; economists A. Marshall, J. Keynes; Soviet intelligence officer K. Philby; physicists O. Frisch, N. Mott, M. Rees, P. Blackett; ethnologist J. Fraser; psychologists D. Broadbent, F. Bartlett; British Prime Ministers G. Palmerston, W. Pitt the Younger and others. Honorary degrees at the University of Cambridge were received by Russian scientists: biologist and pathologist I. I. Mechnikov, physiologist I. P. Pavlov, naturalist K. A. Timiryazev, historian A. S. Lappo-Danilevsky, statesmen P. B. Struve, P. N. Milyukov and others.