<p>For all those who have that annoying stereotype image...please erase. I don't even know why so many internationals are clawing at British soil when its littered ,wet and filthy-- Sorry, this post isn't to trash England but yeah I had a crap experience.</p>
<p>Harry Potter, television and movies only show the "nice" part of England and its capital London.</p>
<p>The rest is ....well depressing. It rained and was pretty cold throughout the summer...and summer came a month early and lasted only 2 weeks. Even then it wasn't consistent; Im from Cali so u know how annoyed I was. Plus highschool ends at the end of July...so only 1 month of vacay. :(</p>
<p>England ppl get free healthcare and etc yet complain ENDLESSLY plus most ppl r ....poor and it really shows. They are untidy and unkept and Cali is pretty clean exept for LA...so overall ugly environment.</p>
<p>The schools are run down...private schools are exceptional but who wants to pay double the amount of Stanford for HS?</p>
<p>The teaching is BORING, they teach from the books due to curic. Nothing is learned in detail because you have to take 10 or so classes until 11th grade.
So prepare to be dumber than your american counterparts.</p>
<p>THERE ARE NO SPORTS except for soccor. Nothing is organised like track etc...and when it is its not very big.</p>
<p>There is absolutely No "britishness", I stayed in London for a bit and nothing there is english. I love multiculturalism but whats the point if the only british food in the supermarkets is the sausages and milk? Plus all the kids try to act like 50 cent and sucking your thumb is actually okay in public.</p>
<p>Everything is just second best. The education is crap in public schools, the teachers aren't the least lively, no school spirit, rallies...nothing. Its just BORING. </p>
<p>So about my app to Oxford? </p>
<p>Im going back to America because I don't want to miss out on being a college freshman....plus I hate re-runs.</p>
<p>I don’t know about England, but my husband grew up in Sweden. They had no school sports teams at all. If you played a sport, it was because your parents paid for you to do so. His family , including the kids who are the same age as ours do not understand the way we value higher education, or even all of the activities that typical American kids do . None of them have ever done any volunteer work and are amazed that kids here do.</p>
<p>Free health care is not all it is cracked up to be , so I am not surprised to hear that they complain constantly. We hear it too, from my husband’s relatives.
I have been to England and found the food to be not very good.
I found the countryside to be lovely , and London too.</p>
<p>It is unfortunate that your experience was not a good one for you.</p>
<p>Sorry for your sad experience. Being British and an Oxford graduate, I beg to differ with you on your conclusion of the British education system. My daughter who will be graduating this spring is considering studying over there for one year at some point during her college years. Maybe you just had an unpleasant set of circumstances. Sports is definitely an American past time, definitely not British and if you are looking for School Spirit, you do not need to be in one of the British schools. Sorry you were disappointed with your experience but I know a lot of students whose experience was otherwise.</p>
<p>Harry Potter is a fantasy novel for children. If you cannot tell the difference between such things and real life you are going to have a lifetime of disappointment.</p>
<p>Americans in particular are completely obsessed with stereotypes of everyone foreign. Of course these are not true!</p>
<p>It is hardly a secret that the UK is colder and wetter than California. </p>
<p>Obviously the difference between movie world and real life are hard to take.
I’m sorry you have had a bad time, but it’s the 21st centruy in the UK and every other country in the world too. Real people with real lives are out there. The world is not a Harry Potter theme park set up for your enjoyment.</p>
<p>the point of study abroad is to experience a new country. i don’t understand why you would want all the things you get in the States in the UK. defeats the whole purpose of going abroad.</p>
<p>no…I don’t want the things in the US but I just don’t like how the UK is. If you ever visited then you would understand…but then again a visit is different from living.</p>
<p>I went to Switzerland and it was wonderful, it was nothing like the US and the weather was crazy but because people were friendly and took pride in their history and culture it was worthwhile.</p>
<p>and I can’t believe people are acting like I don’t know the difference between HarryP and real life…I’ve been traveling to and from Europe for almost a decade now…</p>
<p>There are kids who have traveled to Europe since they were young, and now they’re somewhat jaded, because they’ve already experienced the excitement of a new country by the time they are in college. I have never been to Europe and neither has my H, and we’re planning to go for the first time, and I’m sure that it will be an amazing experience. Since we haven’t been spoiled at a young age, we’ll be able to thoroughly appreciate it.</p>
<p>nyumom, you will definately have a great time on your trip, but might I suggest packing a few snacks from home to save money…maybe it is just me being frugal, but it will most likely cost you $ 6 to $ 8 for a simple cup of coffee or a beer..not suggesting that you bring a six pack with you or anythind, but the dollar being so low can be quite costly for little things like that.
Where are you going ?</p>
<p>As much as you blame Americans for generalizing, it seems that you are doing the same thing…that said, England is not for everyone, just like California is not for everyone.</p>
<p>I was just in London over the weekend, and yes, it was cold, windy, and generally miserable weather, but there were sun breaks and I wore a warm coat so I still had a great time. Can definitely say that we are blessed with wonderful year-round weather in CA though. Last summer was one of the wettest and worst summers in the UK in ages, but everyone I talked to said it warmed up by September and turned out to be a lovely fall. </p>
<p>No “Britishness” in London? Hmmm. I guess the high tea we had at Fortnum & Mason doesn’t count. Yes, London is multicultural, but so is California! Just like we would say pizza and spaghetti are typical American foods, people in England would be likely to say kebab and curry are typical British foods. After a history of colonialism and immigration/emigration, this makes sense, no? </p>
<p>But you are right, it does pay to research the countries in which one wishes to study.</p>
<p>Waw! I think that even it can be a good thing even if you don’t live with a family. Yeah it will be nice to stay in a home because you will get closer to the every day culture but if you don’t have this option, i don’t think that it will be a waste. I studied abroad for two years and stayed in a dormitory. That wasn’t a waste at all.</p>
<p>Good god. Obviously you did not do any research. You’re just a HS senior, I’m not surprised that you have all these generalizations. And that you’re overly disappointed by your UK experience. I personally have never been to UK but hope to visit a good friend there next summer (2009). But I did stop in London for a layover to Berlin. Even though I only spent a total of 4 hours at Heathrow, it only gave me a snapshot of what I could find outside of Heathrow. </p>
<p>I’m going to give you a hint of what’s to come- I’m a history major who loves British literature.</p>
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<p>Some people don’t have a choice except to go to UK (or Australia) if they didn’t have any foreign language training in college or have the desire to learn a new language. UK appeals to people for a variety of reasons- we grew up reading British literature, watching soccer, eating fish ‘n’ chips on Fridays, etc. Because of the UK’s long history and major influences, people are so drawn to his 1,000+ years of history- the Monarchy, Shakespeare, Stonehedge, war battles, etc. UK is part of Europe and to experience Europe is incredible for those just starting out. As my brother puts it when he was in Italy at 15, “Europe is SO OLD!!!” It’s a surreal feeling to see buildings and cultures that are over 250 years old. America is still so young. I’ve only been to Spain, Czech Republic, and Germany. As modern Madrid and Berlin were, the architecture transported me way back in time at the height of their Golden Ages.</p>
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<p>Are you really that naive to know that Hollywood only selects the very best landscapes for their movies on beautiful days? Everyone knows that when it rains, things appear pretty miserable.</p>
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<p>You could’ve researched this. Congrats on having one month to relax before college. It also seems to me that Californians are pretty sensitive to weather changes because others pointed out, you’re used to beautiful, stable weather year-round. I have yet to meet a Californian who truly enjoyed our New England weathers. Let alone Midwest.</p>
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<p>I lived in Israel- free healthcare there also. It’s part of the system and it’s the reason why doctors don’t want the US to make healthcare public. Doctors get enough gripe from their own patients. Doctors who are part of national healthcare plans are there because they love helping people, not because of the money. So therefore, there are less doctors out there who are willing to sacrifice for the love of helping others. Figure out the logic. Poverty is everywhere- haven’t you been in parts of San Francisco where there are over 500 people lining up for food on Sundays?</p>
<p>Well, the UK was the first to start the Industrial Revolution in early 19th century, before any other country and they certainly got pretty dirty! Think of how much pollution London’s accumulated by being ahead of others.</p>
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The schools are run down…private schools are exceptional but who wants to pay double the amount of Stanford for HS?</p>
<p>The teaching is BORING, they teach from the books due to curic. Nothing is learned in detail because you have to take 10 or so classes until 11th grade.
So prepare to be dumber than your american counterparts.
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<p>Again, the effects of a socialized state like Britain who has to spread its pounds everywhere, partly because of the national healthcare. What would you rather have? A good, healthy life and have the skills of a 4th grader or be sick and die young and have a college education?</p>
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<p>Why do you think the US usually has the biggest representation in the Olympics? Even in Israel, I had to contend with the lack of sports talk except for soccer. Yes, it was annoying, especially that I don’t watch soccer or care for it (football and hockey are my games). Generally, it forces me to find out what the people actually care about and are into (music, outdoors).</p>
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<p>London has always been the hub of multiculturalism. Remember how the British Empire spread ALL over the world (except for South America). Because of its tremedous colonial influence, foreigners come to the “Mother Country” for education and employment… and they stay put. You might not think there’s anything “British” about the people but in fact, you might have adopted some of their manners! Like your spelling :)</p>
<p>Apparently, I would judge from your post that you didn’t learn enough British history and literature to appreciate the UK, even at its worst.</p>
<p>^^ Hey ticklemepink (not Elmo, wink) I hope you have a blast on your trip - you seem to have a great attitude and I think you will enjoy the museums, etc. We lived there for 2 1/2 years and <em>loved</em> it. PM me if I can help in any way :)</p>
Yes, London is multicultural, but so is California! Just like we would say pizza and spaghetti are typical American foods, people in England would be likely to say kebab and curry are typical British foods. After a history of colonialism and immigration/emigration, this makes sense, no? </p>