J. K. Rowling is likely the most successful author of the 21st Century. It’s easy to wonder about the path that led to her writing “Harry Potter” and whether or not it included a college degree.
Rowling attended the University of Exeter, in England, in the mid-1980s. She graduated in 1986 as a Bachelor of Arts in French with Classics, preferring to read the works of Tolkien and Dickens over excelling in college work. She studied abroad for a year, in Paris, before graduating. She has also garnered a number of honorary degrees.
For more on J. K. Rowling’s years in college and a look at some of her honorary degrees, read on.
Education
Rowling was raised in Gloucestershire in rural England, living in the villages of Winterbourne and Tutshill.
In childhood, she attended St Michael’s Primary School, in Winterbourne. The headmaster of the school, Alfred Dunn, has long been theorized as having inspired the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, in the Harry Potter novels.
She moved on to secondary school nearby at Wyedean School and College, where her mother also worked. One of her secondary school teachers has said she was “not exceptional” but “bright, and quite good at English”.
She focused on English, French, and German, receiving good grades and also serving as the school’s head girl. She has said that she based the initial character of Hermione Granger on herself as an 11-year-old.
Rowling took entry exams for Oxford University in 1982 but was unsuccessful, and instead studied at the University of Exeter, where she read French, with additional studies in Classics.
One of her French professors spoke about her as being “quietly competent”, “with a denim jacket and dark hair” and “gave the appearance of doing what was necessary” in her academic work.
By her own admission, Rowling preferred reading Dickens and Tolkien to focusing on her college work. She studied abroad for a year in Paris and, despite her apparent lack of focus, graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1986.
A couple of years later, in 1988, she wrote an essay about her time at university called “What was the Name of that Nymph Again? or Greek and Roman Studies Recalled”, which was published in “Pegasus”, the University of Exeter’s journal.
After graduating, Rowling worked as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International. She later moved to Manchester to work in the Chamber of Commerce.
During a train trip in 1990, she formed the basic concept of the Harry Potter novels and started writing the first book as soon as she got home. The following years saw Rowling struggling personally and professionally, however, the publication of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in 1997 would transform her life forever.
Honorary Degrees
In addition to her degree from the University of Exeter, Rowling has been recognized with a number of honorary degrees.
Among these are degrees from St Andrews University, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, and the University of Aberdeen, all based in Scotland, where Rowling has spent many years of her adult life.
She also received an honorary degree from her alma mater, the University of Exeter, fourteen years after receiving her BA in French.
Stateside, Rowling also received an honorary degree from Harvard University, speaking at the college’s 2008 commencement ceremony.
Her other awards are numerous, including being made a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur (Legion of Honour) in France, becoming an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, where she has lived since 2002, and being made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
For somebody who originally went to college to study French, J. K. Rowling is one of the most influential English writers in history. Her books have inspired countless people to embrace reading and writing and Harry Potter’s impact on 21st Century literature can’t be overstated.
ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo63NrK6eqqNjsLC5jp2mnqtdn3qsedGorqWhnpx6qa3VnmSaZZSatLOxxGg%3D