“Life in London” – Exclusive by Abhishek Gupta

My U.K. trip was super awesome. But from where should I start? Was I more excited because I was going to the U.K. for the first time in my life or was I more excited because my son was invited to the University of Oxford for a debate competition? All in all, I was just super excited to go to the U.K. As a counselor, the thing which excited me the most was the list of universities I wanted to visit during this trip, which included University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and many more renowned universities.

University of Cambridge was the first university in my list. Founded in 1209, Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's third-oldest surviving university. Cambridge is home to one of the largest libraries in the world, with more than 100 libraries holding more than seven million books. An amazing fact I got to know during my University Library tour was that Cambridge is entitled to claim a copy of every book published in the U.K. Like seriously! Also, Nobel prizes are reflection of persistent efforts in one’s dedicated field. As an institution, Cambridge alumni has received the greatest number of Nobel Prizes in the world.

I am a proud father that I was invited to University of Oxford to attend the debate competition of my son, Shivansh Gupta. University of Oxford needs no introduction.

Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. It ranks first in the world for the Arts and Humanities courses. The Blackwells Bookshop started in Oxford in 1879, and it has 3 miles of shelving and 150,000 books. The flagship store of Blackwells Bookshop still stands there. Being a coffee lover myself, I was surprised to know that the first ever cups of coffee in England were served in The Grand Café in Oxford. The beauty of Oxford beats anything else in this world. The spacious gardens where students sit and engage in intellectual conversation or simply enjoy the sunshine during the summertime.

University of Newcastle is known for its research excellence and is home to around 42,000 students around the world. It has campuses: in the UK, Singapore, and Malaysia. Newcastle is always beaming with life and bursting with libraries and literary societies.

In 2019, Newcastle was voted the friendliest city in the UK and now I know why. From students greeting with hello and ready to give a tour to amazing live music to enjoy- Newcastle has so much to fall in love with.

I absolutely fell in love with the UCL the moment I went there. UCL with its red building boasts of being filmed in major movies like Gladiator, Inception, Batman Begins to name a few. University College London, founded in 1826, is one of the leading research universities in the world and has its main campus in the Bloomsbury area of central London. In 1878, UCL became the first university in England to admit women students on equal terms with men.

My London trip was a dream come true. The beauty, the liveliness, blooming environment at the University campus makes it worth a visit. Now I know why they are dream universities of so many students around the world. Dream more. Achieve more.

Abhishek Gupta

Founder and CEO

HSM & INACE