<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I have been heavily considering applying to and attending a British university, specifically the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), and I have been wondering if getting my Undergraduate degree overseas is a smart choice. I wish to get a dual degree in Political Science & History, or Political Science and Arabic.</p>
<p>My motive is to become a true international student and citizen, and after gaining that experience I would return to the US for my graduate degree. And for my career, I would hope to get a job in the US government as a political analyst or working for an embassy. though it seems to be more logical to stay here, I am still considering going. So does anyone have any advice?
Should I just stay in the US since we have the top Universities, or go to Edinburgh (assuming I get an offer)? Does anyone know anyone who has gone overseas for their undergrad? Is their anyone affiliated with Edinburgh that could tell me more about the school?</p>
<p>By the way Edinburgh is one of the top schools, so it is accredited and has a international reputation.</p>
<p>I have a great friend who is graduating from Edinburgh this year and has had a magnificent experience. However, there are some huge logistical complications that you really should consider before going. The different calendar, expense of travel, expense of having to buy a lot of stuff over there, difficulty with some of the student visa issues that can be very challenging in the UK (which kills you on privacy if you’re there on student visa, btw), the different style of education, etc etc.</p>
<p>In my opinion, it makes more sense to go to a top university here and study abroad for a year, or even two if you really wanted. If you want to be a truly international citizen, you should really gain fluency in a language other than English (like Arabic) and study in an Arabic speaking country for a semester or year. That language skill is huge, and having the a cultural experience more distant from your own may be more valuable as well. </p>
<p>My friend’s main motivation for going to Edinburgh was because he left a great private school his sophomore year of high school for a terrible public school where he ended up doing less well because he was bored and… well disgruntled. He had a better shot at top schools in the UK than he did in the US. He’s had a phenomenal time and is just brilliant and the Scottish system with far more independent reading and less instruction/face time worked a lot better for him and the way he learns and he’s really flourished. That’s definitely not for everyone, however.</p>
<p>Good luck, whatever you decide.</p>
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<p>I wouldn’t call the University of Edinburgh a “top school” in the UK. The [Times Good University Guide](<a href=“The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines”>The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines) ranks it only 14th (out of 114) in the country, which I would consider “second tier”.</p>
<p>If you want a truly wonderful college experiences, go to Ivies, Stanford, MIT, Duke, etc. You will be interning on Wall Street one summer, studying sea lions on an island off of the coast of Washington another summer, and doing whatever internship you like.
If you are rich enough to not qualify for financial aid and have stingy parents, go to Oxbridge or other top UK school and cram all courses related to your focus into a three year college program. It’s unlikely that you can get decent exposure to any subject outside of your focus (etc. no learning about the Pleiades, spending a term studying in the Bahamas, etc. if you are majoring in government).</p>