@snowflakelove15, the reason why UK universities are only three years instead of four is that the students entering them are a year ahead of US students when they graduate from high school (or whatever they call it there). They have something called A levels, which goes through what we would consider grade 13.
Some US students – those with lots and lots of AP or IB credits – are ready to enter British universities because they’ve basically completed the equivalent of grade 13. But that isn’t true for everyone.
“I already asked those questions when I talked to them. They do find the internships for you, and they are paid internships.”
I am not sure that the Unis actually “find” internships for the kids during their “sandwich” work experience year. From personal experience, the kids need to find their own jobs, although the companies do post adverts on the school’s career website and the Careers office can be helpful. Check out BathU and LeedsU which seem to have popular sandwich degree programs.
Also, not all degree programs offer the 4 year sandwich program, so make sure it is both available and more importantly that many kids use it. You don’t want to come back from your year working to find that all of your friends have graduated in the meantime!!
You need to check the visa/work permit requirements. Last time I checked, a US citizen would find it very hard to be allowed to work for pay in the UK (but perhaps you have UK citizenship?)
@snowflakelove15, you’re confident, but you don’t seem to know much. For instance, if you’ve done even a tiny amount of research, you would have realized that it would be virtually impossible to major in international business and still meet American pre-med requirements at any UK uni.
OP, you are talking about possibly being premed. I don’t believe you can study international business and also be premed at a UK school. You would end up having to pay for a year, possibly 2 years of post-bac premed classes. You really need to do more research. Also, students don’t just go take the MCAT, LSAT, and GMAT and decide on the basis of these test scores what they want to do with the rest of their life. Generally the decision precedes the exams, and at least in the case of medicine, the prep and associated EC’s to be a competitive applicant takes years.
Also, you seem to be fixated on the idea of the internships. Plenty of US students do internships.
I think many here are parents and we hear what you want…but we can also think of things you haven’t thought of.
Like did you know that the style of college classes is very different in the UK? instead of classes 3 times a week with homework/quizzes/tests, they have much more independent study.
And you graduate in 3 years because you just focus on the major and not other general courses that make you a more well rounded person.
So “listening” to what you are saying…it seems like you think your mother is overbearing and you wish to get farther away from her…you are interested in international relations…and maybe pre-med too.
I would suggest applying to various of the UC colleges…not just UCSD but some a bit farther away…and maybe other reasonably priced colleges…for example the SUNY colleges are about $35,000 for out of state…and maybe you could apply to others that give you scholarships.
Plan on a semester abroad perhaps.
Also right now you are the most mature you have ever been. So you know more than you ever have. But many of us have more experience and are trying to share it with you. See if there is a common thread amongst the replies.
Are you just completing your freshman year of high school? If so, I would strongly suggest taking a deep breath and focusing on your studies and life as a high school student for at least another year before you start trying to plot out college. Having ideas about what you would like to do is great, but quite frankly you don’t have enough data to know what type of applicant you will be or where your strengths/interests will lie when you are ready to go to college.
OP, before you commit yourself to applying for a British program, you should see if you can’t find what you are looking for in the USA. For example, the Northwestern Coop programme could get you the international internships that you crave!
You need to keep your options open. Go ahead and look into a British uni, but also get your application ready for U.S. universities. Remember, studying abroad might provide you exactly with what you want. The application systems emphasize different things. Do you have the option to pursue an IB diploma? It may be easier to go overseas with that even though the British standard is A-levels. For overseas unis, focus on test scores. For U.S. unis, be sure to have a life outside school. Apply to both and see how things work out.
I came to say a lot of things people already said - UK universities and college culture are different; the 3-year curriculum doesn’t allow for the things you want or any exploration (and can be a liability when considering graduate school), the culture shock is bigger than you think. I also did some poking and your average year at a UK university for a non-EU student seems to cost around $40-50K, which is not that much cheaper than a U.S. private college and is more expensive than a full-pay year at a UC or Cal State (and that’s not even taking American financial aid into account).
Why not explore some international dual-BA programs that allow you to spend some time abroad - perhaps more than the standard semester-to-year? One example is Columbia’s dual BA program with Sciences Po, in which you spend two years at Sciences Po in France and then two years at Columbia in New York. https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/program-overview
UC-Berkeley has a similar dual BA program with Sciences Po, which may be very cost-effective for you: http://sciencespo.berkeley.edu/