Advise me on where to spend my year abroad in the U.S.

College Search & Selection
21

@PurpleTitan: Oklahoma and Kansas were part of the Dust Bowl and St. Louis (near Mizzou) is arguably rust belt, but i’ll concede the others do not really offer good locations for those topics :slight_smile:

@SpiritManager: I am not at an “elite” university but it’s in the Top 20 universities in the UK (out of 120). I would say it has above average academics but it’s not Oxbridge or anything. I want my year abroad to be different and I do not want to get too hung up on reputation. As long as the university is average minimum I am good to go! I will definitely prioritise environment over academics for this year abroad. Also, I am aware of the financial situation and all I pay is room and board fees. I pay 15% of tuition fees to my home university :slight_smile:

@happymomof1: Indeed! Weirdly enough, the University of Utah had the most foreign policy-related courses on their history programme but I do not want to go to Utah for the year.

@MidwestDad3: Thanks! I am interested in the civil rights movement too and that is another topic to consider for my dissertation. I would avoid Richmond as I have heard it’s very preppy, cliquey, and is too small for the experience I want.

@exacademic: Diversity is fine as long as white students are not the minority (which I doubt is an issue at U.S. colleges apart from historically black universities?)

22

New Mexico. I know it’s not on your short list, but it is essentially the only city in a state the size of the UK with the rest of Ireland thrown in for good measure.

It’s a puzzling city rich and poor, a mixture of defense and tech, with Navajo, Hopi, and old Spanish land grant cultures mixing in with a collision of Californians, people from the Rio Grande valley, and the eastern US.

“Nearby” towns were settled by the time Coronado visited in 1598, and cliff dwellings date much earlier of course.
The terrain is mountainous, with a combination of lifting, volcanic plugs, and the occasional caldera dominating the landscape - all of which you can see. Visibility typically exceeds 100 miles.

Within 100 miles are the old Spanish towns of Santa Fe as well as Trinity Site - which used to be open one day per year, some time in April, IIRC.

It will get down to 0F every once in a while, but typically warms up during the day. You literally can ski in the morning (a tram runs from town to the ski area) and golf in the afternoon, and cycle year round.

You won’t find many places on earth where you can go to lunch and watch nuclear physicists eat next to a rancher and/or native American.
The history runs real deep, and the constant swirl of cultures would make for a fascinating experience, as would the climate.

23

I was thinking more of whether you’d be okay with a very white perspective on America.

24

What a fun task this is!

Like others, I’d add UNC-Chapel Hill and UGA-Athens…two great college towns. Also, I’d put in a word for the university of the south in Sewanee.

I haven’t been there but i understand that Oxford, Miss is beautiful!

25

I second the UNC-Chapel Hill suggestion . . . North Carolina is an interesting state in many respects. (disclosure - my home state but I haven’t lived there in 30+ years). One of the original 13 colonies (hello Britain) and yet progressive with a southern flavor. In North Carolina you have beautiful mountains to the west and the Atlantic to the east. There is a big airport in Charlotte (and also Raleigh?).

Not sure if this one is on your list but what about Indiana University, Bloomington? If you look up bucolic college town in the midwest you would see a picture of IU. :slight_smile: Midwestern people are very nice too.

Best wishes and I hope you have a wonderful experience.

26

What about the University of Wisconsin. They have excellent political science and a great archive of foreign policy documents. Madison is a great town too

27

OP, at the risk of casting aspersions on certain parts of our lovely country, some of your biggest “do not wants” will be issues at the schools on your short list, or at least in the areas where they are located. If you are atheist, I would NOT go to any of those states. They are deeply religious, specifically Christian (often Baptist!), and the kind where many people are not very open-minded, re: atheists or diverging religious viewpoints. You might feel slightly uncomfortable in some of those areas, though it’s possible the schools themselves don’t reflect those regional “flavors.” I also know several of the ones on your list will have very dominant Greek/sports culture, and may also be party schools, which you don’t want. Most are likely to have a strong Republican base on campus. That said, I’ve heard good things about Mizzou, so it’s possible/likely it defies the demographics of where it is based. Of your top choices, I’d rank Mizzou highest.

That said, others have already recommended it, but you must consider CU Boulder. It checks every single box you have, and has a very good academic reputation, as well. I would also consider University of Minnesota, which also has an excellent academic reputation and checks many of your boxes. Ditto UNC, from which you’d get the slice of Southern life but in a part of NC that is notoriously left-leaning/more centrist than the rest of the state. Plus amazing academics/culture. I’ll throw out a slightly off-the-beaten-path rec of considering University of Hawaii. If you’d like to get a look into a unique aspect of American culture with a ripe political history, Hawaii is it. We did some… interesting things there. (I <3 America but sometimes we make interesting choices! XD)

28

So there’s this tension between what the OP says they dislike and wanting to be in a quintessentially American place.
Because the quintessential American in the heartland or the South (especially outside big cities) owns guns, probably hunts, likes college football and ranges from moderately Christian to extremely Christian.
The flagships of those states will have a ton of frats and sororities and college football (or basketball in IN) will be almost a religion there.

29

BTW, I wouldn’t say that the East Coast has more historical significance. You can study plenty of issues that affected the whole country outside the East Coast.

30

One stereotype sandwich to go please, with extra bias, if it’s no bother.

“all generalizations are false, including this one.”

I still say New Mexico would be a stunning experience overall. but totally get Kansas too.

31

I would recommend the east coast – because it actually has public transportation, unlike the rest of the country. If you live in Washington DC, you can take a bus/train to NYC, Philadelphia, Boston. Much easier to explore without having a car.

As a former Californian, I can’t NOT recommend UC Berkeley: everything you’re looking for and a fabulous location.

New Mexico is an interesting recommendation: a truly unique mix of Native American/Mexican/Spanish culture, fabulous scenery, and unique (and delicious!) local cuisine. My concern is that it’s a bit isolated.

Finally, someone here recommended University of Colorado, Boulder. Wonderful lefty college town set in the foothills of the Rocky Mts – all true – but it’s a party and very sorority/fraternity-friendly campus. There ARE people who don’t like the vibe.

32

If you hate frats, stay away from UIUC (University of Illinois). 25 percent of the students are in frats/sororities. In fact, many southern schools are this way as well. On top of that, Urbana/Champaign is not the most “happening” town, pretty much everyone is going to be drinking for fun, and most likely at frat parties. I have lived in both Arizona and Colorado and I would Highly suggest CU Boulder or ASU. U of A is better academically, but Tuscon is not as nice as Tempe, which is where ASU is located and where I lived for 7 years.

CU is in Boulder, which is consistently ranked as one of America’s best towns. It is very outdoorsy and is in a beautiful area. Ask anyone who has been to Boulder and I can almost guarantee they will have loved it. It’s also a great school itself, I would love to go there if it didn’t cost so much for an OOS student. You wouldn’t have any problem as an atheist here, for it is in a liberal area and it is a secular school. The only problem I could see is the whole Hippie/bohemian style you described. Not all students there are that way, but A LOT of people associate Boulder with hippies.

ASU and U of A are both probably on the average side, with U of A edging ASU a little. Neither are college towns, but instead cities. ASU is in Phoenix, which is the 6th biggest city in the US, while Tucson is markedly smaller. Arizona as a whole is an awesome state, and the weather is nice year round save for Summer. If you like skiing, go to Flagstaff. If you like hiking, there are plenty of mountains in and around Phoenix (such as South Mountain and Camelback). And, of course, the Grand Canyon. As an atheist, you should be good at both schools, but the city of Tempe is probably all around a more diverse and accepting place than Tucson.

With your preferences, I would probably stay away from the Deep South for sure. You seem to be kind similar to me, and I absolutely dread the Deep South. I went there once on a visit, and will not return. One of the biggest reasons is how religion permeates through the atmosphere.

However, if you like college towns, the University of Kansas and Mizzou (Missouri) are a good pick. Don’t expect to do much adventuring in those states, though. Even Americans find them pretty boring. But, like you said that is not too important to you, so you would likely be fine.

33

This is an interesting mix of misconceptions, preconceptions and romanticism.

Boulder and Urbana are (imo, of course) the best mix of what the OP says s/he wants, balanced with the things that s/he doesn’t know that s/he doesn’t want. Of the 4 on the short list, Missouri is the only one that doesn’t violate most of the things on the ‘no’ list.

OP, you might want to take a second look at where Norman and Lawrence are before you say that you will just ‘travel locally’. Especially if you won’t have a car. You might also take a look at the size of the campuses- some of them are very spread out.

One more thing: you are coming from a relatively homogenous environment, have ruled out a lot of environments as being potentially too different, and have short-listed some rather homogenous* universities (*by US standards). At best you will ‘get to grips’ with a very very narrow strip of ‘American Culture’. Obviously, the US has so many cultures that nobody (including Americans) can get to grip with all of them, but it does seem that you making it unnecessarily narrow.

Also (and don’t beat up on me Ole Miss supporters), but your ideas about cliquey-ness are wildly out of place. I would say that UMiss is way up there and Reed the least so of all the unis on your list.

34

Everyone is recommending Boulder and it’s a wonderful place (I’m a grad) but it’s expensive. I don’t know how your payments are made, but even living expenses in Boulder will be high. Food, entertainment, and just living will cost more in Boulder. You could consider Colorado State, about an hour north in Fort Collins. Cheaper living. A ‘typical’ college town.

I would suggest U of Wyoming. You said you didn’t want to go to Utah, but not why. Wyoming is different too, but it has the Cheney school of International Studies and it’s really nice. Cost of living is low in Laramie. There are many churches and more than a few republicans, but it is a college campus and all college campuses in the US are going to be a little more liberal than the communities they are in (except BYU and Liberty).

I think at any of the big schools you listed - Mizzou, Oklahoma, Ole Miss - you are going to find that the undergrads at the campus seem to be all about football, frats, drinking and sports. Above, someone mentioned that Boulder is controlled by the frats. Not exactly true as the frats aren’t even recognized by the school as student groups. Only 10% belongs to a Greek house, but they do a lot, so it SEEMS like they are everywhere and everyone belongs. At the more remote schools, it seems even more so. At Ole Miss, Greek life is a big deal. It will be the first thing you see, but if you look a little harder, you’ll find the groups you want to hang with.

35

I’ll shut up about this, I promise … UNM is within 5 miles from both a large airport and a passenger rail station.
Amtrak to Chicago or LA over one of the breaks would be pretty cool (I used to live in ABQ, and have taken the train to Chicago over the New Year break). Also has daily service to Santa Fe, which is an, um, interesting town.

The town is cycle-able, the cost of living isn’t extraordinary nor is the price of the university.

Back to your regularly scheduled favorites. I do apologize for the intrusion.

36

Richmond is too small, but you want to live in a college town? I find that to be confusing. I grew up in Richmond, attended college in Athens, Ga., lived in Atlanta and now live in California. The Richmond of today is not the Richmond that I grew up in. I think you are making a big mistake by writing the city off – especially as a U.S. history major. Richmond is also centrally located, so you can visit D.C., Charlottesville, Williamsburg, etc. very easily. I would do some more research before taking U of R out of consideration.

37

Taking your major of history to heart the two universities that would serve you best are University of Richmond and University of Massachusetts Amherst. Your list may make sense if core American history study is in fact a secondary or tertiary criteria for you. My sense is that even if that’s the case for an international student your list is counter intuitive and contrarian. I strongly recommend that you reconsider.

38

Not all of American history is in New England or even on the eastern seaboard. I like John Copley’s portraits; I like Frederic Remington’s better, for example.
It may be as presumptuous to think that someone from the UK would only be interested in colonial history as it would be to presume that an American visiting Asia would ignore India in order to study Viet Nam. He/She might, but it isn’t a given.

39

You all make some great points and I do think I need to reconsider as @fogcity said… It seems what I am looking for does not really align with my own personal values. Although I do find the idea of Middle America interesting in an anthropological way, I do not feel I would necessarily fit in. Let me reply to you individually.

@50N40W: Albuquerque looks a lovely town and I am not too concerned of its isolation. As you say in a later post, there is an Amtrak station there which can take me to other cities (even if the journey time is long). I have considered writing my dissertation of US-Mexico foreign relations, so ABQ may be a good choice if I go down that route. However, I do not think it is for me. Thanks

@exacademic: I would be fine with a very white perspective on America. It would be nice to get some diversity but it’s not a make-or-break criterion.

@SouthernHope: UNC is the only university my home uni is partnered with but thanks for the suggestions.

@SouthFloridaMom9: So many people are suggesting UNC that I am going to research it far more. You make a good case! Thanks for your response

@proudterrier: Your post was of great value and definitely helped me reconsider! However, Hawaii does not interest me at all (except for holidays ;))

@PurpleTitan: Thanks for your responses! There is a lot of tension between what I want and what I dislike politically and in terms of religion.

@katliamom: Thanks! Great points. Transportation seems like it will swing my decision to a more Eastern locale.

@thisdudehere: Thank you for your reply. It was very enlightening. May I ask why you disliked the South? I have never visited but I have always had a rose tinted view of it based on literature and the whole concept of the South being the friendliest region, etc. I will definitely avoid southern schools like Ole Miss for your reasoning

@collegemom3717: Thanks. I am aware there are Amtrak stations in both Lawrence and Norman, but never considered transport around the town itself. I am underestimating the size of these college towns.

@twoinanddone: Thanks! Wyoming isn’t a partner unfortunately

@gradygrad: I meant the university is too small (under 3,000) not the town :slight_smile: I will reconsider but I am worried liberal arts colleges will be too cliquey when I arrive and I will find it hard to make friends.

@fogcity: Your post made me reconsider my priorities. I seem to be getting caught up in the whole romanticism of American colleges stemming from movies, etc. which is shallow. I should focus on what is best for me academically and financially opposed to socially.

In light of this reconsideration:

  • I am now looking at schools in the East Coast. Will schools like George Mason still be as obsessed with frats and sport as you say Midwestern/Southern colleges are?
  • Are liberal arts colleges any more cliquey than state schools? I went to a sixth form college in the UK that had 2,000 students and had a horrible experience as everyone was in a clique and didn't want to mix. I want to make new friends on my year abroad so avoiding cliques is a shallow but necessary criterion.
  • Despite what I have just said, I do like the look of LACs (apart from the alleged cliques). If I applied to some on the East Coast, could you tell me what you know about GOUCHER COLLEGE, ROANOKE COLLEGE and UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND. All seem to be in great historical locations and Roanoke is having an Amtrak service built by the time I arrive so that won't be as isolated as it currently looks.

I truly appreciate all of your responses and have really made some changes in my approach since my opening post. It’s great to have this forum as a resource to learn more about the universities in the U.S. as I currently have very shallow, stereotypical views of certain regions and schools. So thank you!

40

From an Americana perspective, here is how I’d rank them and why:

  1. U Minnesota. This is an urban campus in a mid-sized , liberal city, very racially and culturally diverse, and the center of agriculture (shipping, milling, etc) in the upper midwest in the 19th and 20th centuries. The area was settled mostly be Scandinavians and Germans. Very cold in the winter, a festival city in the summer. Now it is a technology and cultural hub with lots of large firms and a thriving entrepreneurial community. It was the gateway for settlement in the upper plains. Reasonably priced. Get a car and you are close to the internal frontier w mining , Indians, and spectacular scenery -the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana etc..
  2. Tulane. Very old, with a unique french inspired culture, colonial architecture, excellent academics. Slave trading city, lots of civil war history, very corrupt, full of larger than life characters. By far the most interesting place outside of the east coast for an historian. Really amazing food in NO.
  3. LSU - A more typical college campus, but close to Cajun country. This area has a great mix of southern and cajun influences. You really need to experience SEC football to see what obsesses Americans every fall.
  4. UC Boulder - Go here for fun. Seriously, that is what the campus is all about. The people are the most active in the USA, swarming like ants in the canyons, skiing and snowboarding in the winter. OK academics.
  5. UC Berkeley- Your friends are correct. California is like 3 states, the northern coast, the southern coast, and the interior. San Francisco, across the bay from Berkeley and accessible by train is the most interesting city once called the Paris of the west.

There really aren’t any ‘conservative’ colleges on your list. That always comes when students grow up, and have kids and jobs.