<p>The selection procedure at top UK colleges (like Oxford and Cambridge) is much more fair than that of HYP where they don't even interview their candidates. On the other hand, top UK colleges interview all of their realistic applicants. (HYP seems to randomly select students.)</p>
<p>Moreover, admission tests for UK colleges are way harder than the SATs.</p>
<p>UK colleges are also considerably cheaper. Hence, you should definitely prefer a UK education over a US education.</p>
<p>This logic is seriously flawed. I agree with some of your statements, but the conclusion you are making (“Hence, you should definitely prefer a UK education over a US education”) does not follow from these statements at all!</p>
<p>It is true that the selection process is more fair and straightforward in UK. But
<p>While there are reasons to consider UK education, it is certainly not a fact that everyone should prefer a UK education over a US education.</p>
<p>Oh, and I forgot another important thing - you have to apply to a specific program in the UK, and it is extremely difficult to switch once you start. There is no liberal art education in UK, and the degree is granted in 3 years in most cases. So you study your major from day 1. It is not worse, and not better than in US - it is a different approach. I think that teaching is more in depth in UK, but US gives more breadth. Not everyone is ready to pick their major after high school, and not everyone will like this approach.</p>
<p>Apparently the acceptance rate at Oxford is between 25% and 32%. Gee wiz!</p>
<p>Yes, that is high compared to US top schools, but the applicant pool is much more self-selective and you need very high grades to be even allowed to apply.</p>
<p>lol I agree UK has Oxford and Cambridge which are one of the top 10 universities in the world. But don’t forget to compare which system works better -US or UK? the thing I like the most about US system is a student can do whatever he feels like to achieve his goals: change major, switch school, internship for few years and come back to finish …
look at the richest billionaires in the world, where do most of them STUDY from?</p>
<p>the best thing about uk schools is no core cirriculum, honestly i don’t wanna study chemistry if i’m not gonna ever even think about it again after these courses, but an increasing number of private colleges are starting to realize that so thats good</p>
<p>It’s a matter of personal opinion. I prefer the British model to the American version as I want to focus in-depth on one particular subject; however, had I wanted to dabble in a bit of everything, that would prove quite difficult in the UK. Also, I fail to see what the admissions process has to do with educational quality.</p>
<p>Too bad USA > UK in just about everything, including colleges and basically life.</p>
<p>There is no question the admission criteria is different. In the UK, it is clear to all if they have a good chance or not, so just trying for the heck of it is not the option it is at top US schools where you never know.</p>
<p>“Too bad USA > UK in just about everything, including colleges and basically life.”</p>
<p>How ignorant. It’s comments like these that create animosity towards Americans.</p>
<p>Likewise for the 5 bajillion times it is applied in the reverse by Eurosnobs.</p>
<p>The method of teaching undergrads at Oxford and Cambridge is way different than in American universities. They meet a few hours per week with some tutor and discuss stuff and get reading and writing assignments (all within their chosen field). This breeds a much more independent student, but also a much more narrowly educated student. As elite and beautiful as these universities are, they’re only good if you’re mature enough to handle the independence, and are really certain of which field you want to study.</p>
<p>I sometimes wonder if it isn’t that they don’t have as much money, don’t charge for it and can’t spend it on the education of the students. My son is still in school in the U.S. will finish in 4 years and went in with the same IB diploma and top marks as compared to his mates who finished in 3 years in the UK. </p>
<p>I have heard stories from my British friends here who sent their children to the U.K. and they met with instructors once a week. They complained about spending money for not much. I have also heard wonderful tales of students who loved their education. Most of our students go to the U.K. and many to Scotland where the education is the cheapest. It is all about money and closeness to home.</p>
<p>"I sometimes wonder if it isn’t that they don’t have as much money, don’t charge for it and can’t spend it on the education of the students. "</p>
<p>This is a rather americocentric view of the world. As if we would obviously want to do things the way Americans do things if only we had the money, but as we don’t we’ll have to cobble together something second best instead! Well I’m afraid that’s not how we see it.</p>
<p>Certainly in an Oxford tutorial situation you will only meet each tutor once a week. But instead of sitting in a lecture hall while the professor goes through the textbook you are going through a series of books and articles sifting and weighing the evidence and the different opinions so you can then engage with your tutor in and informed and intelligent way. I have heard it described as being educated, rather than being taught. If I wanted to be snarky I could say that this is why we Brits don’t talk about higher education as “being at school”.</p>