<p>I am a civil engineering major about to enter my senior year of college, and I'm considering my options after graduating. I studied abroad summer before junior year in London and absolutely loved it. I have been contemplating ways I could return to London to live for at least a year or more, and it seems that a school year abroad would be my only option. I don't have many connections over there job-wise, and I heard it is rather difficult to attain a working visa. </p>
<p>What do you guys think? I'm not exactly sure how I could make it work, but I would try to take a fifth year abroad as an undergraduate. I'm guessing graduate schools are competitive to get into in London. Frankly, my number one priority would be enjoying my time in London and most importantly traveling the U.K. and the rest of Europe. Therefore, I feel like a fifth year as an undergraduate would fit my goals best.</p>
<p>Also, I would definetely need to find some huge help financially because not only would I have to pay tuition, but I already know first hand how expensive London is. I want to reiterate that although I do want to learn more in school, my main priority would be to travel and enjoy the city of London. Any advice helps thanks!</p>
<p>I cant think of anything that would allow you to spend a year abroad as a fifth year undergraduate, frankly that sounds stupid and lazy to me. If you want a year bumming it around Europe try and get a job here.</p>
<p>Well like I just stated and you most obviously missed it is rather difficult to attain a working visa in the U.K. Did you bother to read that part? Obviously not and I have done my research to back me up. You are also unaware that many college students like to travel after college because as they say it is better to travel the world while you are young. You’re advice was absolutely useless and and I am not sure why you bothered to respond.</p>
<p>I’m not sure that you will have many options open to you, especially as you’ve indicated that money is an issue.</p>
<p>London is emphatically not a budget destination, unless you’re willing to crash on other people’s couches and salvage food that they throw out in the trash (I do know someone who has done this before, so it’s not impossible).</p>
<p>Also, as enticing as the UK can be on a summer vacation, the novelty wears off pretty quickly if you’re living there full-time. London and most of northern Europe gets pretty dreary in the winter especially.</p>
<p>Ask around at your school to see if there are any funded study opportunities abroad. Otherwise I’d recommend coming to visit Europe for a month or two after you graduate, and just have fun being a tourist (it’s much less stressful that way). If you’re really set on studying here, University College London has a one-year Master’s degree in Civil Eng that’s supposed to be quite good:</p>
<p>[UCL:</a> Graduate Prospectus 2010/11: Civil Environmental & Geomatic Engineering: Prospective Students](<a href=“http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prosp-students/gradprospectus/engineering-sciences/cege/taught/index.shtml]UCL:”>http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prosp-students/gradprospectus/engineering-sciences/cege/taught/index.shtml)</p>
<p>Annual tuition is £18,245 for foreign students (about $27,000 at today’s exchange rate), and that doesn’t even begin to cover accommodation and other living costs, which would easily add another $15,000+ to the bill.</p>
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<p>Please drop the attitude; I’ve no time for rude people. Yes I did read your post, you neglected to say what your nationality was but I assume you’re American. Yes it will be difficult to get a work visa, but by no means impossible. So, I will repeat myself; if you want a year bumming it around Europe, get a job here. If you had done your research you would know what you’re asking for doesn’t exist.</p>
<p>I know someone who is going to Spain for his 5th year and getting financial aid to do it. He’ll mostly be doing research for his honors thesis and future PhD, but will be taking classes for credit towards his minor as well. </p>
<p>Not sure why you think UK graduate programs are difficult to get into, unless you have a really low GPA or something. Many of them only require 2 letters of recommendation and no GRE or other tests. Yes, some programs are more difficult to get into than others, especially at some schools, but maybe you can take this time to study a masters in a subject that is semi-related to your engineering degree, but not exactly an engineering masters (for instance, if you’re studying computer science/engineering, maybe a business related degree would be beneficial). Perhaps you could do it a school that isn’t necessarily in the top 5-10, such as Kingston University or some other university outside London. </p>
<p>For other options, try searching for some expat/Americans working abroad forums. Not all of the advice is geared towards “legitimate” work, I once found some tips on how to get under the table jobs in UK pubs. Or try to teach English somewhere. That’s what many people do when they just want to bum around Europe for a year.</p>
<p>Thanks for the recommendations, anybody suggest some decent engineering graduate schools in London? Oh and about the teaching English abroad, isn’t that a competitive program to get into?</p>
<p>I’m also going into my senior year and planning to spend a year abroad. I’ve already spent a semester in Italy and am currently in Kenya for the summer, so I have some travel experience under my belt.</p>
<p>My plan is to apply to a fairly non-competitive Fulbright country in Europe for an English Teaching Assistantship (Malta or Cyprus are my current top picks, but I can only apply to one). Stats on each country’s competitiveness for research and ETA grants are available on the Fulbright website. I go to a college that nominates students for the Watson “travel-the-world” fellowship, so I’ll try to get that, but it’s insanely competitive so I’m not putting all my eggs in that basket.</p>
<p>Opportunities in the UK are either expensive (including grad school) or very competitive (grad school fellowships, jobs for Americans). You won’t find English-teaching jobs there. Think about why you want to go abroad and consider looking into other options, like teaching English in South Korea or working for an American company abroad. Going to another country isn’t an easy way out of facing real life: You will probably have to be a lot more independent than you were the first time you went abroad under the wing of an American program. And you might have to learn another language.</p>
<p>Your school’s career/study abroad office may have more information on postgraduate opportunities abroad.</p>
<p>I appreciate the advice, but I definetely do not want to go to some random country. My two top picks would be either the U.K. or Spain. I’m not traveling abroad to “bum around Europe” or to I’m not trying find “an easy way out of facing real life.” Quite the contrary, I already stated I want to find a part time or full time job in London, but I do not have any connections there so I would not know where to start. thatgirltoo says it is possible to study abroad a fifth year, so I would go for a year or a semester in London to try and find a job.</p>
<p>I like your thinking which is actually what im thinking about doing haha, anyways you should go to try to grad school there or around the area</p>
<p>If you google BUNAC they are a company which provides short term work (inc visas) for college-aged people in the UK. I have used them the other way round, to get a camp counsellor job in the US.</p>
<p>Use the alumni network to see if anyone knows someone in London. Talk to the people in the career services!!</p>
<p>It’s just cheaper to get out there on your own and set up your own accommodations. Graduate school will only add cost and put you in further debt. It’s much easier to find some work when you’re actually there because face-to-face works. You can give yourself a few months and see what you can do. If you can’t come up with a job to keep you going, then just come back to the US and know that A) you’ve tried and B) You had a great time in Europe and did what you wanted to do.</p>
<p>I do agree about the novelty wearing off. You need to be on guard for that. I have traveled to Israel quite a few times for extensive stays and the novelty has worn off quite a bit. Now, whenever I’m in Israel, I just go about doing my own routine because I got so settled with its culture and momentum.</p>