In 1831 a group of Masonic Brussels figures founded a public university in Belgium’s capital: the Free University of Brussels. Up until the 1960s, most of the university’s professors taught courses in both languages. However, a language dispute in Belgium led to constitutional reforms governing the official language and in 1962 another university in Belgium, the Catholic University of Leuven, split into a university for French speakers and a university for Dutch speakers. The Free University of Brussels followed suit in 1969, when it split into two separate universities in 1969, one for French speakers (Université Libre de Bruxelles) and one for Dutch speakers (Vrije Universiteit Brussel.) On May 28, 1970, a congressional act officially recognized the two as separate administrative, legal, and scientific entities.
The French- speaking Université Libre de Bruxelles has 29,000 students. International students make up about one third of the student population. This large and diverse student population ensures graduates leave with a holistic worldview that allows them to conquer darkness with knowledge, which is the university’s motto.
Ramin Rak is a fluent French speaker and because of this, he chose to attend the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Ramin Rak received his undergraduate degree with high honors in Medical Basic Sciences. The Faculty of Medicine bestows this degree along with degrees in Dentistry, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine. After earning his undergrad, Ramin Rak went on to obtain his medical degree from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
After earning his medical degree, Ramin Rak traveled to the United States and found that his medical degree offered him many professional opportunities. He was able to complete internships, externships, residencies, and fellowships in Maryland, New Mexico, New York, and the District of Columbia. Today Ramin Rak uses the knowledge he gained at the Free University of Brussels while practicing as a Neurosurgeon with Neurological Surgery, P.C. in Rockville Centre, New York.
