Colleges in US vs. UK vs. Canada

Student Lounge International Students
1

Hello, I’m an international student from India. I’ve applied to around 15 colleges in the US, and it was my primary destination throughout the test-taking and admissions process. But it seems that the international acceptance rate in the US is very very low. And given that I am on the lower income side and seeking a lot of financial aid, it almost seems like a gamble at all these need-aware colleges.

So I went ahead and applied to 5 universities in the UK (UCL, LSE, Warwick, Edinburgh, and Exeter) and 4 in Canada (U of Toronto, UBC, Queen’s, and McGill). I also applied to Bocconi University in Italy. My intended major is Economics, and I plan on going to grad school.

While researching these universities, I did quite like their vibe. Although I was considering them only as a backup option to US unis, I’m wondering how they compare and if I’ll have better/similar opportunities at lower costs elsewhere. Since I’ve already gotten into some pretty good options here in India, I’m wondering if any of the other universities are even worth the migration. I know they’re all high on QS rankings, but that’s not what I will base my decision on.

If anyone has any idea about how UK and Canada and Europe compare to the US in terms of internships, study abroad, research, extracurriculars, name recognition, quality of teaching, and opportunities in the job/graduate school market after graduation, please help me out.

Whoa, that was pretty long. Btw if it helps, my stats are 1540 SAT, 800 SAT Math 2, 740 SAT Lit, 750 SAT French, 9.7/10 GPA UW (we don’t have weighted GPA in our curriculum). Thank you!

2

You aren’t going to get aid at these UK universities. If you can’t afford to be full pay ($40K-$50K per year) then you won’t be able to attend.

I don’t think Canada and Italy will be any different In terms of aid although tuition fees in Italy might be lower.

3

I can pay of maximum of around 30k dollars per year :confused: A few from my high school who went to the UK say that it was a cheaper option for them than the US, but I really haven’t researched into the costs and I’m not very aware of their financial situation either.

4

I have applied to safety schools in the US, but I’m not very enthusiastic about attending them. So I wanted to know if maybe Canada or Uk or Europe (given that I am able to afford them) will better than US safety schools (like Smith College, UMass Amherst, UW Madison, St. Olaf College)

Also could you let me know how top unis Canada and UK would compare to places like Colgate University, Wellesley College, and Tufts University?

5

“I can pay of maximum of around 30k dollars per year”

The schools that you applied to in Canada are very good universities. Because of your excellent stats you are very likely to get accepted to some of them, if not all. However, I think that your chances for financial aid are not very good. You should check their total cost of attendance on-line and see whether they are likely to be affordable.

Some of your alleged “safety” schools in the US also might not be safeties since a school is only a “safety” if you know that you will be able to afford it. I am pretty sure that U.Mass Amherst and U.Wisconsin are over $30k for an international student unless you get a good merit scholarship. Both are very good.

There are some other universities in Canada which would cost less for an international student. Simon Fraser for example is strong for economics and is likely to cost less (although you should check the cost on their web site). I am confused whether they are still accepting applications, since their web page seems a bit inconsistent right now. You might need to ask them. Dalhousie (at almost the opposite side of Canada) is also likely to cost less and is still accepting applications. There are quite a few other good schools in Canada some of which would be less than $30k in US dollars for an international student. The best known schools can in most cases charge more for international students.

6

Based on your budget, India may be your best option.

With respect to your question about Colgate University, Wellesley College, and Tufts University, they are all outstanding schools.

7

For your intended major, schools from your list such as UCL, LSE, UW–Madison and UBC all perform well on an international level. For their undergraduate focus and excellence in economics, Wellesley and Colgate belong near the top of your list as well. Smith would allow you to consider interesting economics courses at neighboring colleges such as Amherst and Mt. Holyoke (https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html). If you get into and can afford any of these colleges, you have done well. With respect to options in Italy, you may want to consider U Bologna.

8

You applied to all sorts of types of schools. Have you researched the difference between research universities vs. LACs (some like Tufts or Dartmouth are in between)? What about the differences in education and assessment and ease/ability to take classes outside your major/course between American colleges/unis and unis in England (with Canada and Scotland in between; Canada more like the US and Scotland more like England)? All that information is online.

A lot of the information you’ve asked about is also online. How much research have you done?

BTW, unis in Germany (and some other places in Europe) are tuition-free.