Harvard University is the oldest educational institution in America, founded in 1636. It was founded on September 6, 1636, as a religious school. The first college in New England was named after its benefactor, the young Harvard minister John, who bequeathed his library and half his property to the institution. The John Harvard monument stands in the courtyard of Harvard University and is the most famous local landmark.
From year to year, Harvard University has consistently ranked among the top rankings of most world educational institutions. University professors have an unusually high reputation in the world of science and art, and their research is published in the most advanced scientific journals. Harvard alumni include 48 Nobel Prize winners (Theodore Richards, Albert Gore and others), 32 Heads of State (including John Kennedy and Barack Obama), 48 Pulitzer Prize winners (composer Eliot Carter is one of them).
Amusing facts about Harvard University
- Films such as "Spartan", "Social Network", "Angels and Demons" were shot at the University. Many works of art take place at the university.
- American universities have a student tradition of swallowing goldfish. The first fish was swallowed for a joke in 1938 by a Harvard student, after which it was picked up and took root in universities.
- Among the students there is a belief that if you rub the sock of a statue of sitting John Harvard, you can easily pass the exams. That's why the sock of the protruding shoe is polished to shine.
- The bells of Harvard University bells were previously in the Russian St. Daniel's Monastery and were sold by the Soviet government for the price of bronze in 1930s. In 2007, the bells were returned to the monastery in exchange for exact copies cast in Voronezh.
- An asteroid (736) Harvard, discovered in 1912, is named after Harvard University.
- In the early years after the opening of Harvard College, it was surrounded by a frequency bell to protect against wild animals and Indians.
- Ig Nobel Prizes were established at Harvard. The prize is awarded for curious achievements. For example, the study of black holes, which may have hell.
- Johnston Gate - the main work of the university is almost always closed. Harvard is full of other gates, open 24 hours a day (anyone can enter the territory on working days). But Johnston Gate, the main gate of the campus, is closed most of the year. This is because Harvard students only have to pass through it twice. The first time is when freshmen come to the campus, and the second, as is easy to guess, when they leave Harvard as graduates. It is considered a bad example if students pass through the gate more than twice.
- Harvard Stadium. The "U-shaped" soccer stadium was built in 1903, making it the oldest stadium in the United States.
- Harvard has the largest budget among universities in the U.S. Equity of Harvard University: 37.1 billion dollars. This makes it the largest university in the world.
Harvard University is rightly among the best universities in the world, but studying here is very expensive and many students receive scholarships that cover part or all of their tuition costs. You can read about writing your scholarship essay and other fellowship rules on the university's website. The second feature of the university is the complexity of entrance examinations, according to statistics only 5% of those who want to become students at Harvard. However, don't despair, you can always try your luck at taking the exam.