1 Did you know…?

That unlike at most other universities, students at the University of Edinburgh don’t wear mortar board hats to doff to the Chancellor at the graduation ceremony? Instead, we are tapped on the head with the ‘Geneva Bonnet’ and wear hooded robes with linings that match our degree subject and level. The ‘Geneva Bonnet’ is a velvet and silk ceremonial hat that’s more than 150 years old and said to be originally made from the breeches of John Knox.
Fiction? Probably. Will you be tapped on your head by it on your graduation day? 100% 😉

2 Did you know…?

That the Main Library building is a bookcase? Well, not in a literal sense of course, but it was designed to look like one on the outside by its architect, Sir Basil Spence. When it was opened in 1967, it was the biggest university library in the United Kingdom. It has 8 floors, a café, and even an exhibition space on the ground floor with temporary exhibitions on a variety of fascinating topics as well as permanent artefacts on display.
How many hours have you already spent in this building? 🙂

3 Did you know…?

That there were a lot of famous people who attended the University of Edinburgh? Probably you’ve heard about the theory of evolution? Because Charles Darwin spent a couple of years studying medicine here. Have you read Treasure Island or The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Robert Louis Stevenson was a student of Edinburgh University as well. Of course, by now you must have heard about David Hume, right? Or does Alexander Graham Bell ring a bell? Or would you guess another gentleman by using the power of deduction, if I said, Sherlock Holmes? (Of course, I’m talking about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 🙂 ) Did you know that J. K. Rowling completed a teaching training course at Moray House and was also awarded an honorary degree by the university in 2004?
Of course, the list goes on with a lot of great people graduating every single year…. Yes, that includes you, as well! 😉

+ 1 Did you know…?

That there is a myth that if you pass the gates of Edinburgh Castle while you are studying at the university, then you will fail your final exams? Not planning to visit during my Masters (you know, “just in case”). Plus, I did play it safe while I completed my undergrad course here as well.
I passed all my exams. Coincidence?  I’ll let you decide 😉