Bester College

Bester College is the twenty-second founded college of the University of Aldergate.

The competitiveness of Bestrians is legendary. While Aldergatians of all stripes have a tendency to consider themselves the cream of their respective crops, the scholars of Bester College are especially likely to crave not only excellence, but demonstrable superiority. This is less obnoxious than it might be, because it's typically accompanied by almost maniacal good-sportsmanship. Henry Horne, who was briefly in residence at Bester before running off to smash up the Hindenberg line, is apocryphally reported as having offered the Kaiser a rematch.

Notable current Bester scholars include Lorenzo Rey, an upstart geneticist and captain of the College's promising rugby squad.

History
(Main article: The Far Four Colleges)

Bester College was the third of the Far Four colleges.

The Bester College charter grants the single largest tract of any college in Aldergate. Regent House's unusual generosity in this regard reflected the fact that the Bester grant includes Hock's Mire, a patch of marshy land that has swallowed a number of historical attempts to build on it. As a result, Bester became the only college with dedicated playing fields, although in damper seasons the Mire becomes too treacherous for competitive play.

Architecture
Having taken over most of the crumbling Warehouse District, Bester put up a few expansive Neoclassical college buildings and a single large residence hall (the "Bester Barn," a red brick Georgian monstrosity that houses all resident Bester scholars).

The sole survivor of the Warehouse District is The Eggles Company, a coffee importer that was considered too essential to University welfare to be cleared out. Eggles continues to supply the ravenous Aldergate market to this day, and in the late 1800's its longstanding partnership with the School of Food Sciences gave birth to the now-famous Bester College Roastery.

The picture is of Massachusetts Hall at Harvard University. Not a bad likeness of the Barn, if a great deal smaller.