Asking for advice please

Applying to College
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I was all set on a very well-respected liberal arts school which boasts a strong alumni network. I don’t love the location, which is very remote. the people seem nice, the program will allow me to explore a few of my interests. They graduate a lot of finance & consulting people, lawyers, premeds. They do engineering as well, but the numbers are small. They also do computer science. They place engineering / tech graduates well, but I get the feeling it must be a struggle. It’s not very diverse, and alumni are even less diverse. The STEM / tech majors seem less diverse than other majors, I cannot figure out why. It’s a private school, and the alumni network helps people get jobs.

Because of the location, it was not my top choice when I applied.

I have just been offered a place at a very technical school in another country. I absolutely love the location, I think I’ll enjoy the program, which will be very limited to one area I’m interested in. They are more hands off with learning (recorded lectures, but labs in person) but I don’t mind that. I’ve never seen anything about an alumni network or recruiting. The main focus is academics, but it’s a very well-respected course.

I guess I’m torn between the program here (which will definitely lead to more career opportunities despite the remoteness) or the one abroad (which seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity to live in a fun city, and maybe travel)

Pros of the US college:
I can change my major / have more than one major
getting jobs and internships would be easier
family is about 5 hours away by car but in the same country
more name-recognition in the US

Pros of the other college:
really cool location, can travel
I love the modern, urban location
very focused program, I’d get a masters in 4 years
very diverse student body and city
more name-recognition in europe / Asia (but I don’t think I’ll be working there)
I have some friends in the city, but no family in that country

They both cost about the same for me.

I’m looking for advice please - WWYD?
since many people here are parents - what would you advise your kids to do?

thanks!

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The American LAC we can sort of guess what type of school it is, even though we cannot guess which one. There are quite a large number of them. Knowing which one would help, but at least to me does not seem to be entirely necessary to give relevant advice.

However, universities abroad vary quite a bit. There is a lot of “abroad” in the world. I think that it would be very helpful for us, if we want to give accurate advice, to know which university.

I have a daughter who just graduated “semi-abroad”, from a small university in Canada. Generally it was a very positive experience. She got a great education and had very good research opportunities (COVID did not help, but would have been just as much of a factor in the US). Compared to universities in the US, she got more courses in her major and fewer outside her major. I think that living outside the US for four years gives her a broader perspective on the world.

One issue with studying abroad for a full four years is that when you graduate your friends are all abroad. If you are going to get a job, you end up with a choice between working abroad, or leaving your friends behind. The two downsides of getting a job abroad is that there are in many fields more jobs available in the US, and if you do live abroad as an American you still need to file US tax returns. This is particularly unfortunate in that saving for retirement or purchasing a home while living abroad can run into serious US tax consequences. The US is the only major country in the world that does this to its citizens who live abroad.

In spite of all of this, I do think that going abroad for four years is a great opportunity and will help to open up your perspective on the world. I have certainly enjoyed getting to know many people from many countries in many parts of the world over my career, and this will be a start on that process.

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Thank you for responding. That is good advice. I agree, there are more fields and opportunities in the US. I can already see that from International students looking for jobs after the course there. they don’t find many in London, and many go back to their home countries.

Would getting a degree abroad make it much harder to work in the US? So many people come here from overseas to work, wouldn’t there be ways for me to come back?

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The third is that (depending on the country ofc) it is likely to be hard to get a work visa

Your feeling ≠ fact.

b/c that’s not a (direct) thing internationally. Contacts, yes, but few international unis do alumni networking in any formal sense.

Read the program carefully. You will probably find a semester -by- semester list of your classes online. Almost certainly you will have few/no class options in Y1, and those in Y2 & Y3 will be from a short list. Most of your assessments will be in the form of final exams (as in, your entire grade may be based on the final, even though there are labs, etc). That is not to say don’t go- that system suited our collegekid1 beautifully! It’s just be clear what you are getting into.

From your posts, I can pretty much guess your uni. They have some great study abroad options. Consider that it’s not either/or.

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I would attend the Ivy/top LAC and spend Junior year abroad + even short terms if you wish.

However, questions:

  • are both sensibly the same cost?
  • has Imperial granted you student housing (“halls”) or are you on you own to find housing? Can you afford the very high cost of housing, food, and transportation (housing is likely 1h from where classes take place)?
    -how confortable are you with cooking for yourself?
  • have you ever been abroad ?
  • did you easily get 5s on your STEM APs? Find it easy to get organized
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thank you for replying.

UK: I don’t mind the exams, I’m used to that. i think I prefer that to the complex system of online hw, paper hw, attendance, midterms, projects etc… lots of busy work I’d get here. I don’t know what I would prefer for a fact either way, but this is my guess.

I’ve worked out the cost. No, I don’t have halls or food sorted yet, but I’ve checked prices and added estimates and it’s still cheaper there than here per year. If I estimate 5 years here and 4 there, it’s much cheaper there. I’m estimating a higher number to err on the side of ordering in food often more than cooking. I have not added in flights or extra travel - that might be a little more then.

No I haven’t lived abroad, but loads of other students are coming in from all over the world. they’re 60% international. I can’t see any other Americans on there so far. So yes, I know it’s an unusual thing to do from here.

The only downsides I can see are job opportunities, internships, alumni network. That is what I am trying to understand. So many technically qualified people come in to the US from all over the world and get jobs here - would it be a barrier for a US citizen to do the same?

I don’t think most people here have heard of Imperial, many people in my family had not. But science / technical people should have, I think? People come to the US and work here with degrees from India and China, people who hire them must know about Imperial as well.

On the other thread somebody said that faculty can help give you leads - that is a big plus for the US school. I don’t think that will happen so easily in the UK specially for firms in the US. So this may be a barrier I’d be trying to overcome from overseas.

I just think I’d be happier in that environment. It feels like a happier experience than being a minority in a tiny northeastern town. The contrast is just so stark.

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Couple of things that you have added from your original post that stand out to me:

  1. The uni is Imperial- a top drawer uni, and imo stronger in your field than your US uni.
  2. Imperial is in the UK- the options to stay after graduation are pretty decent.
  3. Imperial will have a good rep in your field in the US.
  4. The biggest challenge if you choose to come back to the US after graduation is experience: your US peers will mostly have good internship experiences under their belt when they graduate. You can’t take that for granted in the UK- it can happen, but you will have to make more of an effort
  5. Don’t underestimate the amount of prejudice that you will find in the UK, but imo yes, London >>> NH in terms of every kind of diversity and range of people amongst whom to find a cohort.
  6. If you go, be super disciplined about your work until you have completed a full exam cycle. It IS really different, and it does take adjusting. Don’t underestimate how much work just adjusting to your new life will take. Also, many many students will try to make it look as though they aren’t doing any work and will say yes to all the socializing- but then stay up all night working. Until you build up those muscles, remember that they have been practicing this sort of studying for years.
  7. If you go, do NOT make the mistake of thinking that you can hold your liquor with the locals for at least the first month. They have building up to this for years. You will pay in all kinds of ways (£ & pain) if you try and keep up with the big kids. Build up to it.
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It really sounds as if you feel quite negatively about your US school, and only decided to go there because it was “the best one [you] got into.”

While it’s definitely a more rural setting, it’s not that remote. The bus to the nearest major city runs frequently and is very efficient (I have family along the route and have taken it multiple times). If you look at the Engineering website, there are multiple international exchange programs, that are engineering-specific. I’m not clear on what the comment about people getting in based on “sob stories” means, but between that and your characterization of the social scene as less “mature” than Imperial, it sounds as if you’re thinking less-than-highly about your cohort there. You’re also doubting the career prospects based solely on geography, when STEM students all over the US get jobs that are far from their colleges with regularity. Taken as a whole, it reads to me as if you just don’t have a good gut feeling about the school, and you are forming all of your other opinions in that light. The thing is, it truly is okay to go with your gut. You may be 100% right that it just isn’t a fit for you. It’s just better to be self-aware that following your gut is what you are doing, rather than convincing yourself that the reservations you are listing are the result of objective research and analysis, adding up to an objective conclusion.

You clearly prefer to go to Imperial. My gut says that if you don’t, you’ll spend your time at *** ruminating about how Imperial would have been better. This is not a desirable outcome, for you or for the people around you.

The biggest downside is giving up flexibility re: majors. You haven’t said which major you’d be committing to, but be sure that you’re prepared to stay the course.

Other than that, it’s abundantly clear what you want to do… and objectively speaking it is a fine choice, providing you are ready to handle the challenges. What do your parents think? Do they think you are ready for the level of independence Imperial will require, an ocean away from your family, and with fewer wraparound supports than students are used to in the US?

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Very hard to offer advice without knowing the US school in question.

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Removed

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removed

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Thank you. That would have been my guess, but I wanted to know if OP was comfortable sharing this information as some regular posters have been admonished for “outing schools” in threads like this.

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I went ahead and deleted just in case OP wasn’t comfortable.

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Same - I didn’t name the school, but did point out why it’s obvious, and I guess there’s no need to do that analysis for anyone who doesn’t already see it.

Anyway, the particular school and its actual attributes matter less at this point than how OP feels about it, which is obviously ambivalent at best.

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It sounds like you want to try Imperial.
If so, you must figure out the logistics. London is not a city you just “move to and figure it out”.

Before you commit though, make absolutely certain to sort out the housing situation: find roommates and find a place to live that’s near a Waitrose/Aldi/Sainsbury’s and several “chippies” or “take away”/“curry” places, on a tube line to where your classes will be located. It’s not easy but Imperial should be able to help you. You have comparatively little time, since you need that arranged before your US college starts.

Check out the Student Room website, ask all the questions you may have.

Review your Y1 courses carefully since they’re likely all mandatory and will all expect math above Calc BC (although Calc BC is the basic minimum, almost all your classmates will have taken A’Level Maths AND “Further Maths”. Look at the Further Maths curriculum, for instance: AS and A Level - Further Mathematics A - H235, H245 (from 2017) - OCR
Go over the material you may not have studied or review what wasn’t studied much in-depth.
Physics C will be sufficient background for anything involving Physics.

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Pretty sure Imperial guarantees housing to first years, and that housing offers don’t go out until Sept- but you do have to apply for it.

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Don’t forget to look into obtaining your visa. It’s not cheap and not as quick as it was pre-Covid. Also be aware that the school year goes longer than in the US which may affect internship opportunities in the states.

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It may have been mentioned upthread (but I missed) that Imperial has reciprocal study aboard/exchange programs with MIT, ETH Zurich, and a few other places. Imperial itself is top notch in STEM, significantly better than the Ivy (it’s fairly easy to guess which one it is based on your descriptions) you were admitted to, IMO. If you intend to major in one of the fields in STEM, in which country you get your degree isn’t as important.

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thank you everyone, this has been really useful and given me a lot to think about.

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Sort out London. Visa, housing, etc. Don’t give up your place at your US school just yet.

If you manage to get London sorted and still feel raring to go, it’s your place to be. You sound very mature.

If sorting out London turns out to be overwhelming, you weren’t quite ready yet to be adulting with the Europeans and Asians. Spend two years growing while sorting out your junior year abroad.

I think you got this, though.

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