A College older than Mine: Aberdeen University

The College of Charleston is the oldest municipal college in the United States having been founded in 1770, a full six years prior to my country becoming a country. I graduated from The College and have never wished once that I had gone somewhere else. I love the campus, the brick pathways, the cistern. I've gone back to take graduate classes and would probably collect degrees like other people collect... I don't know, stamps? Its history makes me feel foundationally connected to an esteemed institution that has stood the test of time. Of course travelling has made me realize that all the history that "belongs to me" is considerably shorted than other places in the world. This happened the first time I went to Paris and walked across Le Pont-Neuf which was constructed in 1578. Standing on that bridge, watching the Seine flow underneath, made the mere 239 years of American history less impressive.

But now I'm in Scotland and dates regularly only have three digits. The University of Aberdeen has roots stretching back to 1157 and the Episcopalian diocese. James IV declared the early establishment unfit and the King's College was founded in 1495 to better educate the "heathens" of the north. Having read just a bit of the relationship between England and Scotland, this reeks of a political/religious move. The King's College Chapel is a fierce architectural center point. Where one would expect a steeple, there is instead an imperial crown. The current crown is a recreation after a storm took down the original in 1693. The interior woodwork of the chapel is medieval, giving the impression of delicate lace. Walking through the campus feels as if you've stepped back in time. The stonework of the buildings sparkle in the sunlight due there being quartz in their makeup. The very best pictures or video cannot portray the the effect. There is ivy growing up the sides of these ancient walls, trimmed to frame doorways and windows. It's brilliant red tint in the fall blazes in contrast to the still lush green grass of the manicured lawns. Everywhere is hushed to the point that wind through the trees, mixed with call of seagulls and ravens, creates an extreme contrast. They seem so loud. Walking along, I see the normal range of studies listed on office doors of buildings that date back beyond anything I know. Art History, Religious Studies, various sciences, appear just like most mundane universities I've visited. But, the feel is different. There is a legacy that stretches so much longer than the average institution of higher learning. Ghosts of academic brilliance waft between the stone walls luring students to higher achievements. Belonging to this stretch of history gives an air of immortality. I'll always love the College of Charleston but, I must admit, my head has been turned.