Iain McClintonSome colleges and universities seem to get all the attention in any discussion of higher education: the Ivy League, the flagship public universities, the prestigious private research institutions, and the elite liberal arts colleges. Unfortunately, the popularity of these institutes tends to crowd out many, many colleges and universities around the world that are highly innovative, experimental, challenging, or just great at keeping up with their students’ needs in a changing world.
Oftentimes, it’s the smaller, less prominent institutes or the ones geographically situated in less obvious commercial hubs that are working harder at being creative, designing programs and initiatives that are groundbreaking and worthy of our attention. Those are the schools and programs that this series of blogs endeavors to highlight. Students and parents, when discussing higher education options, should keep an open mind and explore these unique centers of learning. They may just find a hidden gem that is perfect for them.
Let’s start with a list of the top-ranking universities in a country slightly farther from those popular and obvious commercial and academic hubs; Scotland. Here is a list of universities that you may know of, but perhaps have never really taken the time to consider.
- University of St Andrews
Scotland’s oldest university, the University of St Andrews is located in the town of the same name. It invariably tops the rankings of Scottish and UK universities and is renowned for its academic rigor and excellent research. Currently, the Guardian ranks this place higher than both Oxford and Cambridge! Considering that Times Higher Education ranks Oxford as #1 in the world, perhaps we should be taking a closer look at what is going on in St Andrews.
- University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is the youngest of Scotland’s top-performing universities, established in 1967. Its mission is to “transform lives locally and globally through the creation, sharing and application of knowledge”. The city of Dundee has a rich history of scientific innovation that is reflected in the university’s consistently strong performance in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects.
- University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen is one of the leading universities in the UK for graduate employment. It is a UK Top 20 and World Top 200 University with outstanding levels of student satisfaction. Its campuses are a fascinating mix of old and new reflecting the classical and modern subject departments they contain.
- University of Glasgow
As one of the top research universities in the UK, Glasgow produces a vast quantity of internationally recognized papers. Seven Nobel prizewinners and three prime ministers have studied at Glasgow. Glasgow’s lively cultural scene and creative vibe owe some debt to the presence of the University of Glasgow.
- University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh is generally seen as Scotland’s most prestigious institution. It is ranked as one of the best universities in the world for arts and humanities, but also for law and psychology. Students at the University of Edinburgh have the privilege of studying in some of the oldest and most enchanting buildings in the city.
On December 5th, we will be back with another in our series of “Hidden Gems - Colleges You Might Not Know About”.