Like many years ago, education at Harvard and Cambridge opens professional doors that would open much more slowly for graduates from other universities. University education has become a commodity, and Harvard and Cambridge topped the rankings in the US and UK, which have made education their national brand. In 2019, Harvard came in third, Cambridge seventh in the QS ranking, and in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai ranking), first and third, respectively. These 2 universities are leading due to the high level of selectivity, the quality of international research, teaching, and the highest degree of graduate education.
Cambridge
Cambridge is the second of the 2 oldest universities in the UK and has been at the top of the world rankings for most of the decade. Cambridge is located in a small English town: it has everything that a big city has to offer, plus a friendly atmosphere, compactness and traditional architecture. The choice of Cambridge courses is very wide: students choose the modules of interest, they themselves form the program. Young people find themselves in a place where famous discoveries were made, and teachers conduct world-class research - being among bright, motivated people can be daunting, but very motivating. The college system is ideal: the student becomes part of a strong academic community made up of people who really love what they do.
Reputation
Cambridge became the beginning of a career for many famous people: today's students walk through the halls where famous alumni - politicians, writers, physicists, geologists, members of the royal family - used to be. If Cambridge was good enough for people like A.A. Milne, Charles Darwin, George Gordon Byron, Isaac Newton, Prince Charles, that speaks for itself.
Selectivity
High marks in the final state exams demonstrate that Cambridge selects the strongest students: the university requires high scores on admission, conducts additional interviews, interviews and tests to select the strongest. Despite the continuing tradition of wearing white ties and candlelit dinners, today it bears little resemblance to Evelyn Waugh's Return to Brideshead - selectivity is focused on the intellectual potential of the applicant, and not on social status.
Educational intensity
Conditions for competitive admission, 3 eight-week semesters instead of 10 weeks allocated by other universities, weekly essays are the reasons for the difficulty of studying at the University of Cambridge. Applicants who are concerned that they do not have enough time for sports training or other extracurricular activities should be aware that they will have an intense study schedule. Example: Cambridge Science students take 40 hours a week. A similar course at another university takes significantly less academic hours, but the quality of education justifies the effort.
Intellectual horizons
The University of Cambridge provides many opportunities for organized, intelligent, and ambitious young people interested in politics, journalism or drama. Talented students are able to forge connections with those who will help them succeed. For the intellectually curious, sincerely passionate about their subject, the educational advantages of these educational institutions are obvious: the one-to-one learning system that distinguishes both universities allows students to regularly interact with the world's leading experts from the chosen industry. Choosing the right college means educators are at the cutting edge of the science they study.
Graduate satisfaction and employment
Cambridge students are one of the most employed graduates in the UK : 88.6% find a job within 6 months, are satisfied with the educational standards and the chosen course.
Harvard
The main reason for the prestige of leading US universities is the reputation and influence of the country itself. America provides hundreds of thousands of high-tech jobs with the right wages and prospects.
Breadth of academic courses
Harvard offers a wide range of academic and extracurricular opportunities: the best professors will offer academic programs in any field, even exotic ones. Choosing a narrow specialization after the first 2 years of study is difficult, but the university offers hundreds of interesting options.
Harvard offers a variety of clubs and extracurricular activities. Some of them allow you to deepen your knowledge in the field of study (journalism, political science), some are created for entertainment, for example, the Arnold Schwarzenegger Fan Club. Students can create their own club, and Harvard will sponsor it.
Financial help
Harvard offers a generous financial aid program: education here can be cheaper than attending college or university in your state. This makes a big difference for American students: they can get an education without credit, and it also makes the student body truly diverse, allowing the university to select the most talented students regardless of their budget.
Teachers
Harvard has 2,400 professors and associate professors: according to the international Scopus database, they publish more than 20,000 articles annually. These are the results of serious scientific research, and the reason for such super-high productivity is in the specific structure of the university: in addition to the professors themselves, Harvard employs more than 10 thousand employees of the medical school, affiliated hospitals and 15 thousand masters, doctoral students (PhD) who perform the function of research assistants, assistants, that is, the actual number of scientists is 28,000.
Resources
Harvard has a colossal amount of resources: The Harvard Library System is the largest private library system with 17 million volumes and 55 miles of shelving. In addition to libraries, Harvard has funds to help students with research or study abroad: about 70% of Harvard students gain significant international experience (study abroad, internship in another country). The career development service helps you find temporary work or employment for the summer.
Endowment
Harvard has the largest endowment in the world, a university-owned investment bank that pays for the institution's operating expenses. The Endowment Fund has 2 sources of funding: alumni donations and asset management income. Endowment funds are distributed over hundreds, thousands of assets: from traditional stocks, bonds to land, real estate, etc. The Harvard Endowment totals 37.1 billion $.
Traditions
Harvard University is America's oldest college, founded in 1636. The campus was originally one block, but over the years, many interesting traditions, stories and an extensive alumni network have accumulated. Harvard does not end with graduates after graduation - they become part of the Harvard family forever, like Bill Gates and Elle Woods.
Location
Harvard is a beautiful college town located on the outskirts of Boston, there is always something going on here, but if you want to get out into town, you can be on Boston Common in 15 minutes. Boston's climate is moderately warm: autumn is amazing, spring is unstable, it snows in January and February, and it is warm and rainfall in summer.
Most analysts believe that the strength of these 2 brands - Harvard and Cambridge - rests on the high quality of education, tradition and the social network of alumni. This is what keeps universities at the top of the rankings for the second century.
