Study Abroad in Cambridge...
The beautiful city of Cambridge is famous for the world-class university that shares its name, the peaceful River Cam, and its stunning architecture that spans the centuries. Students who study in Cambridge will have many opportunities to explore sites of historical and cultural interest.
Located 50 miles north of London, the University of Cambridge boasts 31 colleges and over 13,000 students. The various schools offer a wide range of courses in the arts, humanities, social, biological and physical sciences, clinical medicine and technology. Cambridge is ranked among the world's top five universities according to many measures, and has produced more than 80 Nobel Laureates.
Soon to celebrate its 800th anniversary, the second oldest university in the English-speaking world owes its establishment in large part to the "town and gown" troubles at Oxford University. Scholars and masters began arriving in Cambridge in 1209, following a dispute with the townspeople of Oxford. By 1226, the scholars had appointed a Chancellor and were offering regular courses. In 1231, Henry III gave the scholars a great boost when he decreed that students must study under a recognized master in order to remain at Cambridge.
The modern city of Cambridge is part of a larger technology center known as "Silicon Fen," one of the most major business centers and venture capital markets in Europe. The Cambridge Science Park, founded by Trinity College in 1970, was the first such concentration of technology and innovation-related businesses in the United Kingdom. Students interested in studying science and technology will find that many of these businesses, especially those in the fields of electronics, software and biotechnology, have strong links with the University of Cambridge.
The oldest college at Cambridge is Peterhouse, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham. Other colleges soon followed, with many established after Henry VIII disbanded monasteries and confiscated their property in the 16th century. Emmanuel College, for example, is on the site of the former Dominican friary. This shift from a religious to a secular focus was highlighted when Henry VIII forbade the study of Canon Law and introduced professorships in Greek, Hebrew, physics, civil law and divinity.
The further expansion of the university brought with it the building of the imposing neoclassical Fitzwilliam Museum, which was constructed in 1848 to house the art collection of Viscount Fitzwilliam. Arts and humanities students in particular will appreciate the permanent collection, which includes masterpieces of painting from the fourteenth century to the present day, illuminated manuscripts, and antiquities from Egypt, the Ancient Near East, Greece, Rome and Cyprus.
Of particular interest to students of botany and related fields is the world-renowned University Botanical Garden. Established in 1846, it houses alpine plants from the mountains of every continent, a rainforest zone, and other plant collections. The Cambridge University Museum of Zoology, with an extensive exhibit of life forms from simple organisms to birds and mammals, is also an active research facility.
Cambridge boasts many more superb museums, such as the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Scott Polar Research Institute, and the Whipple Museum of the History of Science.
Cambridge also has a strong musical tradition, and each college maintains its own chapel choir and regular program of events. The Kettle Yard House and Gallery, a modern art center founded as a "refuge of peace and order" for visitors, regularly hosts free contemporary classical music recitals, chamber music performances and jazz sessions.
Sport and recreation play an important role in student life at Cambridge. The annual "Boat Race" against rival Oxford is likely the most famous, but other matches include rugby, cricket, chess and tiddlywinks. For those students who are more drawn to the limelight, there's debating, the dramatic club, and "Footlights" comedy troupe, whose alumni include John Cleese, Eric Idle, Emma Thompson and Sasha Byron Cohen to name just a few. No study abroad experience would be complete without punting, or boating, along the River Cam.
With its extraordinary history, high educational standards and stimulating environment, Cambridge is an excellent place to study abroad!
ONLINE RESOURCES
IIEPassport.org:
www.IIEPassport.org
IIEPassport Study Abroad Funding:
www.StudyAbroadFunding.org
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program:
www.iie.org/gilman
University of Cambridge:
www.cam.ac.uk
Cambridge Travel Guide:
www.britainexpress.com
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