University of Stirling (UK)
Right in the heart of Scotland is where you'll find the University of Stirling, one of the top sporting universities in the UK.
Known to train an Olympic athlete or a few (to date, 24 Olympians and seven Paralympians to be exact), the university is also home to the National Tennis Academy and the National Swimming Academy.
It's where stars like tennis great Andy Murray first trained and Britain's most successful swimmer, Duncan Scott, studied and trained.
With an American-style campus just 15 minutes by bus to the Stirling city centre, the university has everything a student could need within close reach.
Here are some of the highlights from my trip to campus in February 2023!
Campus
One of the first things you'll notice when arriving on campus is Loch Airthrey, the manmade lake created in the late 18th century, around which the rest of the campus is now centered.
Although students are not permitted to swim in it due to the local wildlife, the loch is still a wonderful backdrop to a peaceful walk around the grounds.
There are so many trails nearby, and it's also a short walk to one of the other defining features of campus, the William Wallace monument that looms in the distance.
This monument is one of my favorite sites to visit in all of Scotland.
Don't know who William Wallace is?
Hint: Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart.
In fact, Stirling's cinema was actually where this Hollywood film premiered!
Whilst the campus loch has been around for centuries, it does predate the university, which was founded much later in 1967.
Since then, it has grown to around 17,000 students, 400 of whom are from the U.S. and 20% of whom are international students in general.
Most notable is the fact that 4,000 of its students play sports, and this is evident walking around campus, as almost everyone was wearing some sort of athletic apparel.
In 2020, Stirling was even named the Good University Guide 'Sports University of the Year,' and its facilities are outstanding.
Stirling has eight performance sports: tennis, golf, men's and women's football, swimming, triathlon, rugby and curling.
Women's football in particular actually competes professionally in the Scottish Women's Premier League.
Currently, there are 151 students competing in these performance sports on scholarship, and they have the added benefit of access to their own training suite.
One thing all University of Stirling students benefit from though is the plentitude of on-campus housing.
Whilst other UK cities are experiencing a housing crisis, Stirling has enough housing for everyone, including dorm rooms that are fully accessible.
There is an on-site campus doctor as well right next to the dorms.
Apart from the loch, my favorite part of campus was the brand new Campus Central, which opened in 2021 as a result of a £23 million infrastructure investment.
It truly is the main hub of the campus and is where you'll find the library, the student union, cafes, the cinema, the university store and a grocery store, to name a few.
And when it comes to campus food, Stirling students have voted for the university to become 100% plant-based by 2025, which was incredibly impressive and progressive.
Academics
Although Stirling is a sporting university, all athletes are considered students first, and academics are the main priority.
It's no surprise, however, that some of Stirling's strongest programs are also sport-related, such as Sport Business Management and the new Sport Psychology degree.
Psychology in general is also a popular subject, as Stirling has the largest health psychology team in Scotland as well as one of the largest in the UK.
Their strength is in developmental psychology, and they have the only in-house kindergarten that studies children's development in Scotland.
Coincidentally, one of their professors, Paul Dudchenko, is originally from Ohio (like me!).
Stirling also ranks highly in student satisfaction for biology and heritage studies, and it has one of the largest aquatic science groups.
The city of Stirling
The major defining element of the city of Stirling is indeed Stirling Castle, which definitely gives the Edinburgh Castle a run for its money in terms of being one of the most aesthetically appealing and impressive castles in Scotland.
The castle dates back to 1381, with the Royal Palace being built for Mary, the mother of Mary Queen of Scots.
Stirling is home to 100,000 residents, which means it's not too large and not too small.
After first year, many students choose to live in the city and take the bus to campus, which runs every 10 minutes.
And it's close enough to Glasgow (40 minutes) that if students do want a night out in a larger city to attend a gig or event, it's easily done.
I found Stirling to be incredibly charming with loads of cute pubs, restaurants and coffee shops.
University of Stirling: Summary
The University of Stirling is one of Scotland's modern universities and is located right in the heart of the country.
Although it's known for both its athletic prowess as well as its programs related to the sport industry, there are lots of different majors students can choose from.
All students are automatically considered for a scholarship, and admissions is test-optional, too.
No housing crisis here; there are plenty of options where students can live either on-campus, in the nearby Bridge of Allan town or in the Stirling city centre itself.
And speaking of Stirling city centre, what's not to love about a place rich in history that even has its own castle?
Truly, looking out the window and seeing that every day is almost like any American's dream...
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