Robert College

History

In 1863, Robert College was founded in Bebek by Christopher Robert, a wealthy American and a philanthropist, and Cyrus Hamlin, a missionary devoted to education. Six years after its foundation, with the permission (Ottoman Turkish: irade‎) of the Ottoman Sultan, the first campus (at present, it is the South Campus of Boğaziçi University) was built in Bebek at the ridge of Rumelia Fortress, very close to a Bektashi tekke, whose leaders maintained an excellent relationship with the Congregational and Presbyterian founders of Robert College, according to Dr Friedrich Schrader, a German lecturer at Robert College during the 1890s. The first building of the school was named "Hamlin Hall" in memory of Cyrus Hamlin. A few years after the foundation of Robert College, in 1878, Christopher Robert died. According to the article, A Millionaire's Will, published in New York Times (November 27, 1878), Robert left a great portion of his wealth to the College.

A College Catalog was compiled in 1878–1879, giving general information and an outline of the courses of study. Defining the aims of the College the catalog stated: "The object of the College is to give to its students, without distinction of race or religion, a thorough educational equal in all respects to that obtained at a first-class American college and based upon the same general principles."

After Hamlin, Robert College was administrated by George Washburn (1877–1903) and Caleb F. Gates (1903–1932). Though founded at the time of the Ottoman Empire as an institution of higher learning serving the Christian minorities of the Empire as well as foreigners living in Istanbul, the school adopted a strictly secular educational model in accordance with the republican principles of Turkey in 1923. Robert College, in the past had junior high school, high school, and university sections under the names Robert Academy, Robert Yüksek and American College for Girls. Since 1971, the school has functioned only as a "high school" (more comparable to the French lycée in academic rigor) on its Arnavutköy campus (formerly the campus of American College for Girls), yet it retains the title of College. The Bebek campus and academic staff were turned over to the Republic of Turkey for use as Boğaziçi University, the renamed continuation of Robert College's university section, as a public university.

Major events

"Robert College stands as a token of the close cooperation between Turkey and the USA. It is an institution which has made important contributions to the cultural life of this country and will continue to play a valuable part in the promotion of culture and education."

List of presidents and heads

"I have come to express America's solidarity with the Turkish people at a time of national tragedy, and to reaffirm our partnership for a common future. We have been friends for a very long time. In 1863, the first American college outside the United States, Robert College, opened its doors to the youth of Turkey. It was the only foreign institution allowed along the Bosphorus, precisely because America had never encroached upon Turkish sovereignty. I'm very proud that Prime Minister Ecevit is an alumnus of Robert College."

Students

Robert College accepts 180 to 220 students each year, who have scored within the top 0.2 percentile in a nationwide examination, which every Turkish student must take in order to study in a high school (secondary education) after they complete their primary education. The school has around 1000 students each academic year.

Faculty

The faculty have an average of 20 years of teaching experience and the majority have either Turkish or United States citizenship. The school currently has a faculty who are 50% Turkish, and 48% English native speakers (including faculty from English speaking countries other than the United States). Sixty percent of the full-time faculty hold master's degrees or higher.

Curriculum

Robert College is a five-year high school, with the first year (Prep) being the English immersion year that prepares students for rigorous curriculum, which is mostly in English. English is the language of instruction used in Science, Mathematics, Literature, Physical Education, Art and Music courses. Turkish is the required language of instruction in social sciences and Turkish language/literature.

Main courses typically have 4 or 5 hours of instruction per week, while there are also additional mandatory courses like Religion & Ethics, Philosophy, Traffic & First Aid, P.E., which are only taught 1 or 2 hours per week. To graduate from the school, students have to complete a program averaging 6 main courses per semester, which is designed to prepare them both for matriculation in an American college or university and for study at Turkey’s top universities.

Starting in the fall of 2013, the school adopted a two-week block schedule with four 80-minute blocks (along with a 60-minute lunch) that alternate every day for two weeks. The first block of the day lasts for 90 minutes, with 10 minutes dedicated to the reading of morning announcements. Here is a table showing a sample schedule of a senior in Robert College:

General graduation requirements for students include (excluding the Prep year):

Advanced Placement electives

Higher education

Robert College graduates traditionally continue their education in the United States or Turkey, though in recent years the number of students studying in Canada and United Kingdom increased. Every year approximately 35-40% percent of the graduating class choose to study in the United States, whereas the ones wishing to study in Turkey get placed in a university based on their score on the National Entrance Examination (ÖSS). In 2006, Robert College ranked first in all three sections of ÖSS among the private high schools in Turkey, with 76 out of 132 students taking the exam scoring in the top 0.3% (top 5000). Out of 104 students who chose to study in Turkey, 29 were admitted to Boğaziçi University, which is an overall highest ranking school in Turkey. 56 students chose to continue their education abroad and 36% of these students are attending Ivy League colleges. In 2011, Robert placed 123 graduates in Turkish universities, 21 (40%) of them in Bosphorus University. Another 53 planned to study abroad, 8 (15%) in the Ivy League. Of the 79 students who had applied abroad, 75 were offered admission.

Co-curricular activities

Robert College has a rich history of co-curricular activities and sports, with about 100 student activity clubs as of 2015. Robert College introduced basketball to the Ottoman Empire in 1907. The first Student Council in Ottoman Empire was also formed in 1908 in Robert College.

Student Council

Student Council is formed of a group of annually elected student governors and a faculty advisor. The elected body is proportional with class size. As well as class representatives, the president, the vice president, the secretary and the treasurer are elected after a period of campaigning. Student Council is responsible for facilitating communications between students, faculty and administration, as well as organizing social activities and fundraising for clubs. Student Council also organizes the largest and oldest high school festival, Fine Arts Festival, in Turkey. The President of the Student Council, representing the student body, makes a speech during the opening, closing, and graduation ceremonies.

English

Turkish

Athletics

Music clubs

Robert College Orchestra is one of the largest clubs in school. Orchestra concerts, modern and classical, take place throughout the year and during the Homecoming. Though it has several sections in itself, the music groups below also exist independently:

Fine Arts Festival (FAF)

Fine Arts Festival is the largest secondary school festival in Turkey. It has been held annually since 1982 by the Robert College Student Council. Each year, more than 2,000 people attend the festival, which is traditionally held in May. Fine Arts Festival is a big event in which many student groups can perform on stage. There are various art exhibitions and dance shows that take place in the festival. Student Council members visit other high schools in Istanbul and advertise for this festive event. People from students come together in this festival to praise art. At the end of the festival, traditionally a very famous musical band or artist performs on stage. An example to this would be Athena who performed several years ago. The invitation of such accomplished artists is completely realized by the efforts the Student Council. Most of the revenues used to fund this event are raised through food and ticket sales. Food sellers are usually picked by Student Council members and consist of people who have restaurants close to Robert College like "kumpir" sellers in Ortakoy, or Askana etc. This promotes the tight-knit Robert College community spirit.

International Istanbul Youth Forum (IYF)

The International Istanbul Youth Forum is an annually held conference at Robert College. It is the first conference in Turkey that is recognized as a Regional EYP (European Youth Parliament) session. It is being organized every year since 2006 with participants from numerous European countries. Each year, more than 150 participants from all over Europe gather at the RC campus. The conference is organized by the Robert College European Youth Club.

Ethics Forum

The Ethics Forum is the first to be established at high school level in Turkey. Robert College Ethical Values Club organizes an ethics case study contest at national level among high school students, following their forum. The results are announced at the Ethics Conference near the end of the year. Both events attract more than twenty public and private schools from around Turkey.

Robert College International Model United Nations (RCIMUN) is an annual THIMUN-affiliated Model United Nations conference. The conference includes the Security Council of UN and ECOSOC as well as a simulation of the International Criminal Court and a Historical Committee. Approximately 750 students, of which about 42% was from international schools attended the 2012 conference.

Istanbul Gençlik Forumu (IGF)

Istanbul Gençlik Forumu is a national conference where representatives from over 30 high schools from different regions come together to discuss issues regarding the future of Turkey. In 2008, the 5th IGF welcomed over 250 participants. Discussions about international affairs are held in Turkish and each committee is responsible for writing a resolution. Then, at the General Assembly, each resolution is discussed and voted on. It is also the National Selection Conference of EYP Turkey, which is also recognized by the international office of European Youth Parliament. The conference is held annually and is organized by the Robert College European Youth Club.

Turkish Theater Festival (TIFES)

Organized by the Robert College Theater Club, TIFES is one of the major theatrical events at high school level in Turkey. The festival takes place in Robert College campus during the first week of June. Numerous plays are put on stage during the week in Suna Kıraç Hall and famous actors, actresses and playwrights give talks on topics related to theatrical arts.

Junior Achievement Robert College Conference (JARC)

Robert College Junior Achievement Club is hosting this event. About 300 Junior Achievement students from all over Turkey meet each other and share their experiences with others and famous entrepreneurs and artists related to the topics like Risk (2010), Alternative Careers (2009), Creating a Brand (2008). The entertaining workshop about these topics is a didacting icebreaking activity to strengthen the relationship between Junior Achievement students. The nearest conference is in April 2011.

Robert College Decision Analysis and Risk Management Conference 2015 (RCDARM)

The conference took place at 13th-14th-15 November. Keynote Speaker was Chris Spetzler of Decision Education Foundation. The conference was noted to be highly successful and future collaborations with the Decision Education Foundation were decided.

Campus

The 65-acre (260,000 m²) wooded campus overlooking Bosphorus on the European side of Istanbul is home to historic buildings as well as modern ones, centennial trees and a rich fauna, among which Bosphorus Beetle, an endemic species to this campus, could be counted.

Major buildings

İbrahim Bodur Library

When founded in 1863, Robert College had four students. A sum of $2,120 had been allocated to the library, and Harvard University had donated 200 volumes for the opening of the library. During the 50's and 60's, the college had one of the largest collections in Turkey. (In 1957: 111,598 books and 214 periodicals; the American College for Girls Library 27,163 books and 108 periodicals, according to the Turkiye Kutuphaneleri Rehberi (Guide to Libraries in Turkey) published by the Turkish National Library in that year.) After the foundation of Boğaziçi University, the college donated the majority of its collections to the newly founded university. Today, Robert College has the largest library collection among secondary schools in Turkey. The library houses more than 47,300 books, 190 periodical publications, and two web-based databases. It occupies an area of 700 square meters with a seating capacity of 90, and serves a total of 927 students, as well as all the employees and alumni of the school on second and third floors of Gould Hall.

Other buildings and facilities

This section only includes the buildings on today's Robert College campus (formerly the campus of American College for Girls); the ones on the former boys campus of Robert College could be found in the Boğaziçi University article.

Tuition and financial aid

Robert College tuition fees for Prep grades in the 2016-2017 academic year are:

The tuition fees are adjusted each year according to the inflation rates in a limited range set by the Ministry of Education. Robert College has been the most expensive private school in Turkey over the years. It is still the most expensive educational institution surpassing the private universities. According to school data, 25% of the students received financial aid for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Notable alumni

Since the time of the Ottoman Empire, Robert College alumni have played a leading role in numerous fields — from the arts to government administration.

In 1990, three alumni, Nejat Eczacıbaşı, Suna Kıraç and Feyyaz Berker have donated the necessary funds for the construction of the new buildings that are mentioned in the Buildings section. As the costs of the school cannot be met by the tuition fees alone, the Alumni Association organizes an annual giving campaign to cover the costs of the school. Bizimtepe, a cultural and recreational center next to the campus, is an affiliate of the Alumni Association and was founded to raise funds for the school. The Alumni Association publishes RC Quarterly, which reaches 8,000 Robert College alumni around the world by mail.

Notable faculty (former and current)