<p>To be honest, platitudes such as “to learn how to learn” only look good on paper.
Personally the reason why I want to pursue my higher education in the USA is not to learn how to learn, but to have the chance to interpret what I learn in my own manner. To expand my perspective and not be constrained by the limiting knowledge of a text book. In the UK, you don’t get to do that, except maybe at places like Oxford or Cambridge. At a majority of places, what you learn and are expected to know for good grades is out of the text book. Have different views on global warming or evolution? Doesn’t matter, coz what the text book says is the right answer. They don’t leave much to interpretation. I speak from firsthand experience.
The person you know is a teacher and probably one of the very few who teach you “how to learn”.
BTW what do you exactly mean by “learning how to learn”? The way I look at it, it’s not about learning, because anyone can “learn” anything. You really don’t need much to learn a bunch of facts and information. It’s more about taking it a step further and really dissecting what you learn to really get what it fundamentally is.</p>
<p>I speak from high school experience and from what I hear, universities aren’t much different. The courses are very skill intensive which makes them shorter. Most Bachelors degrees are 3 years because humanities isn’t a huge part of the course, which in my opinion is a downfall.</p>
<p>this is the case in much of the world, EA, and why people send their promising young people here. I wonder how much longer we will continue to provide education such as that which attracts you to the US. It’s expensive and time-consuming. Online courses can make this much harder to provide. The focus in STEM is not much help. The goal of education for an examined life is in retreat.</p>
<p>
When colleges look to admit you, then don’t just look at the grades for x subject that’s important to your prospective major, they look at everything: grades (all grades), test scores, if you challenged yourself, extracurriculars, etc. Getting an A- in math analysis and being the top 10 highest in your class for your grade won’t guarantee you anything, to be blunt.</p>
<p>I’m also slightly confused about your “learning” vs. “how to learn” stance.</p>
<p>“…learning how to learn, like what they have at British universities…”</p>
<p>Regarding learning, the British way, you might want to consider the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University in Athens. THIS IS NOT an honors program, it is a college within the university, AND it models itself on the Oxford and Cambridge tutorial method. For example, you meet with your professor personally (or in a small group of four or five at most) at least once per week for an hour. Other advantages include getting waivers for major requirements and prerequisites, plus priority registration for courses. This is one of the best kept secrets in American college education. See more below:</p>
<p><a href=“Honors at OHIO | Ohio University”>http://www.ohio.edu/honors/</a></p>
<p>Sewanee-University of The South also models itself on the British… or should I say that I understand that many professors there actually teach while wearing their “gowns” and students too can wear them, under certain conditions. This is not done for irony nor playfulness. See this:</p>
<p><a href=“Sewanee”>Sewanee; and this: <a href=“http://www.sewanee.edu/”>Sewanee;
<p>I know you mentioned that you want to avoid religiously affiliated colleges, but I think you should make an exception for Sewanee. First, it gives Davidson a run for the money as perhaps the best small college in the south, so is a very worthy college. Second, the religious affiliation at Sewanee is the Episcopal Church which is definitely among the most liberal and tolerant churches around.</p>
<p>Finally, forget about the odds (or “chances”)… apply to whatever colleges you want to. Apply to at least one “dream” school. You will be glad you did.</p>