<p>so it's already december, and i thought i had my final list down, which includes all the colleges with great IR (what i intend to study) programs like Georgetown, GWU, JHU, Tufts, American and several others. but for some reason, i've been looking into colleges in the UK lately, specifically ones in Scotland like edinburgh and st. andrews (is it really that overrated?), cuz even tho they're so much cheaper, they've still got great reputation and academic prestige.
i have 9 US colleges on my list.. should i add one more from scotland? (i'm an international student btw)<br>
i know they have a later deadline, but it would be nice if i could make a decision earlier.
and can someone tell me more about the schools there, the application process, and the environment and people there? i've never been there, heard it's really pretty but the weather's crap.
any feedback would be appreciated!</p>
<p>if i were you i'd also apply to the university of edinburgh. its not as difficult to get into as georgetown and tufts, but has an absolutely excellent school of social and political science and since you are interested in international relations, i would highly recommend you apply there. in terms of living there, i personally would not enjoy myself. the weather is generally depressing (cloudy all the time, rainy, etc.). Hopefully this will help you with your choices</p>
<p>
[quote]
and can someone tell me more about the schools there, the application process, and the environment and people there?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's amazingly easy to apply to colleges in the UK, but one big difference between US and UK colleges is that with the UK schools you have to apply to a specific major, or course, as they call it, which you will study at the university. Make sure you know what you want to study, because I don't think it's easy to change your course once you're there.</p>
<p>Start at UCAS.com, which is an organization that oversees almost all UK colleges' application systems; register there and you can select up to, I believe, five colleges. Then you write a personal statement (basically an essay telling the colleges who you are and why you want to study the course you do), input your standardized test scores (all scores are self-reported, I believe), get a teacher to write a recommendation for you, and fill out some other information. The application deadlines for Oxford and Cambridge as well as some courses in medicine have already passed, but for all other colleges the deadline isn't until January 15, 2009.</p>
<p>
[quote]
specifically ones in Scotland like edinburgh and st. andrews (is it really that overrated?)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>St Andrews' student body is now about 20% American, but I don't really know what that says about the school (<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/607442-u-s-students-flock-get-their-undergraduate-degrees-abroad.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/607442-u-s-students-flock-get-their-undergraduate-degrees-abroad.html</a>); St Andrews is the alma mater of Prince William. Take a look at the league tables (League</a> tables of British universities - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) if you want to see how they're ranked against each other.</p>
<p>hey thanks so much for the info!
i just have a minor question tho, is studying abroad common in uk universities?
cuz most american universities tend to emphasize on studying abroad in sophmore or junior year</p>
<p>I've been to the University of Saint Andrew's and stayed there overnight. It's ahhhhh-mazing. If I was interested in overseas schools, that's the first one I'd apply to. The weather is cool and often rainy, and very chilly in the winter, as I'm sure you know, but the campus is stunning and the quality of education is obviously outstanding. The surrounding town is very welcoming and there is much to do and see. Furthermore, the landscape is beautiful.
Good luck!!</p>