I am a High School student looking at possibilities. I love the idea of learning in England but I can not find much good information on it giving direct answers. Let us say I have a good shot at a school like Lehigh and want to go for a degree in chemistry. What kind of university could I get into? I realize it is not a 1:1 comparison but an idea would be helpful. What kind of financial assistance could I get going overseas? Would I be incapable of going to even a cheaper school because of lack of aid? And if I am will I be putting myself at a disadvantage with going for a degree there and going back to the US?
Thank you to anyone who can give me insight into these issues.
And sorry if this is in the wrong section.
This is the right place. My daughter is a first year chemistry student at St. Andrews.
The coat for most UK universities is around the same. There is little to no aid.
What can your family afford?
Many UK universities are FAFSA eligible, but that only gets you $5-7K/pa. Otherwise, as @VickiSoCal says there is effectively no financial aid.
As for what level of university you could shoot for, it mostly depends on your standardized tests (APs, SAT/ SAT subject tests). @VickiSoCal has just gone through this & can give you lots of current chem info, but in general to apply to study chemistry at a strong university in the UK you will need an APs / subject tests in chemistry, math and preferably another science. Exact scores will depend on the level of uni, but something at Lehigh level is likely to want 4 / 650.
Go look at the course descriptions on some university websites to get an idea of what you actually study- the courses are much more structured than in the US.
If I can afford it, what is the risk? Is it possible that I could come back over and have a degree no employer likes?
And I’m going on loans either way. My family is looking at schools around 30k
I think the highest I could go is like 35k
That will be challenging but not impossible, and obviously you won’t be going home much. You can pretty much rule out anything in London- cost of living is incredibly high. There are some relatively inexpensive English unis- but they are all ones that genuinely nobody in the US will have heard of (eg, U of Bedforshire, Royal Ag U, U of Cumbria, Glydwyr, etc, all of which have international tuition rates of about $13K/pa (plus room & board & living expenses) and most degrees are 3 year courses. You can do a 3 year degree in Management at the University of Nottingham for ~$20K/pa in tuition + ~$8000 in room and board. Add school expenses (books, materials, printing costs, etc) and living expenses (phone, socializing, activities) and travel on top of that. All that info is available on the college websites- go do some homework.
35k USD per year is probably right there in terms of tuition and board if you avoid London. If you stick to England then it is 3 years which is an added advantage. To keep it simple look for those university cities with direct flights from the US, Manchester , Birmingham, Belfast are all top notch, also don’t discount Ireland, UCD and TCD are both excellent. As others have said you will need 3 good science AP"s with a 5 in chemistry. Entry requirements for North American candidates will be posted on the universities websites Good luck.
Are you aware that you go in with a major and you have to stick to it? It is sometimes possible to change a major if you have some overlapping classes, but often, changing majors means starting again at the beginning. Bottom line, be very certain of what you want to study.
Okay so It is possible to go there and go to a good school. And yes I am set on chemistry. are there any glaring negatives about going abroad I should know?
If you have a 5 in AP Chem and in AP Calc (BC preferred) I would look at Durham, York, Bath. If 4’s you may need to step down a bit.
Be sure to check the # of years by subject & uni. TCD is always 4 years & UCD is 4 years for chem.
In general the system is less flexible and expects you to figure things out for yourself more. In general there is less emphasis on continuing assessment and more on exams. Good self-discipline is required.
If you are thinking possible grad school, a bolted on Masters is typical (depending on the school you can apply directly to BSc or MChem and go straight through, then apply for PhD. In the US chem grad programs are more typically Masters + PhD. You might want to think through that part a little bit.
It May be silly to ask but could I get my masters in England and come back to the US for a PhD?
Not silly, and yes you can- but it would be smart to do some homework on the systems ahead of time. A joint Masters/PhD program in the US is typically funded; Masters in the UK typically are not, PhDs are- but not always for the whole time. Some US PhD programs have easier on-ramps for students who already have their masters than others. US PhD applications tend to be more formalized- GREs/GRE subject tests; PhDs in both places are looking for your research background and the alignment between your research interests and theirs. On the one hand, paid summer research is available in the UK, but getting those positions has gotten more difficult as the UK tightens rules on internationals; on the other one of the big summer paid research options in the US are REUs, and they tend to start before UK unis finish.
All of this is surmountable, but doing some investigating on the paths that might apply to you ahead of time could save pain and heartache later.
I’d be going to college on loans here. My family has been looking at colleges with a 30,000-35,000 tuition. Is it feasible to go overseas?
I’d be going to college on loans here. My family has been looking at colleges with a 30,000-35,000 tuition. Is it feasible to go overseas?
You cannot borrow more than $5,500 for freshman year - would the 30-35k be paid by your parents from income and savings, or were you thinking those would also be loans?
Those were very delayed responses to earlier in the conversation. But since they are there, it would be a mix of loans and savings.
@VickiSoCal gave some very good suggestions. Durham particularly is a great school, no idea about chemistry though. All of those towns would be lovely places to live, though Bath will probably have slightly better weather and be more expensive. Also probably the town with the most to do.
I should add that I agree with the others about your budget. London will not work, as it’s very expensive. The other choices should be affordable, though do some research into Bath if you consider it. Trains are VERY expensive, so keep that in mind if you plan to see the country.