Study Abroad Student from England

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I'm transferring from Keele University straight into the second year of University of Reading this October and I am going to be studying a Bachelors degree in Philosophy.</p>

<p>Reading have said that I can study abroad in America for the first semester of my third and final year at:</p>

<p>Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
University of Georgia at Athens (UGA)
University of Kansas (KU)
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
University of Rhode Island (URI)</p>

<p>If anybody has any suggestions on which University has the best lecturers/teachers, reputation (for Philosophy and the overall reputation) and what the students are like at each of the universities that would be great.</p>

<p>I'm also transferring from Keele to Reading because there wasn't much student life, and there wasn't much going on. So it would be great if there was a lot of societies and other things to do at the university. It would also be good if the university was in/near a safe and lively town.</p>

<p>Cheers for reading all this :)</p>

2

<p>Hello –</p>

<p>I will try to answer some of your questions, with a couple of caveats: I have no personal knowledge of any of the schools that you list, although I do have some second-hand knowledge from friends and children of friends who have attended; nor do I have any personal knowledge of the philosophy programs at these schools, either. With that, then, here are some thoughts/observations:</p>

<p>(1) There is a website that has an article on graduate/undergraduate programs in philosophy, and here is the link: <a href=“http://philosophy.about.com/od/Philosophy-Now/a/Best-Philosophy-Graduate-Programs.htm”>http://philosophy.about.com/od/Philosophy-Now/a/Best-Philosophy-Graduate-Programs.htm&lt;/a&gt; . Here is a quote from that article: </p>

<p>“So, which are the hottest departments? This is a million dollar questions. On the score of what we said above, much depends on the interests and preferences of the applicant. Having said this, it is relatively safe to assert that some departments have had a greater impact than others in disseminating philosophical ideas, influencing citizens in other academic and non-academic institutions. In no particular order, we shall recall Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of Pittsburgh, M.I.T., University of Pennsylvania, U.C.L.A., Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Brown University, University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University, Cornell University, Yale University, University of Maryland, University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Notre Dame, Duke University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Ohio State University, University of Rochester, U.C. Irvine, University of Southern California, Syracuse University, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Rice University, Rutgers University, New York University, City University of New York.”</p>

<p>You may note that of the schools you ask about, Rutgers is the only one listed. There are a couple of links in the about.com article which also mention Rutgers (or Rutgers faculty). So, in terms of reputation, Rutgers would seem to stand out among the group that you are asking about.</p>

<p>(2) Setting aside the quality of the academics, if you are looking at the total college experience, you might want to consider the University of Mississippi (or Ole Miss, as it’s known around here). It is located in Oxford, Mississippi, and has a pretty nice atmosphere; if you are going to be in the U.S. during the autumn, then you will find college football in full swing; and Ole Miss would be a good place to experience that. Ole Miss (and Georgia) both are dominated socially by Greek organizations (fraternities/sororities), so there is that as well. Again, I can’t really speak to the social aspects of any of the other schools. </p>

<p>(3) If you wish to get some statistical information on the schools that you list, here is a website that might help: <a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Good luck with everything.</p>

3

<p>Cheers for the reply. Everything you’ve said has been very useful :)</p>

<p>Do you know what New Brunswick (where Rutgers is) is like as a town? I’ve heard mixed views about the town.</p>

4

<p>New Brunswick is an extremely diverse location with a lot of European immigrants. The diversity has created lots of trendy spots around the neighborhood. Also, more than 1/2 the people in New Brunswick are under 24, so you wil hve no problem making friends.</p>

5

<p>Cheers for the reply :)</p>

<p>Do you know how safe the area is and what the restaurants/shops are like there?</p>

6

<p>Anybody?</p>

7

<p>Rutgers is known as stand out for philosophy. NB is a college town, rather nice even if it’s not picture-perfect. Most importantly, for an international student, it’s near many great cities along the eastern seaboard AND those are easy to access due to readily available public transportation (NOT to be taken for granted in the US). NYC for instance is a given.
Due to the prevalence of Greek organizations to organize “social life”, I wouldn’t think either UGA or Ole Miss would be good if you’re choosing based on party access, since a one-semester-exchange student wouldn’t be part of these organizations. Both, however, are in lovely and “classical” college towns. And football (US football, not American football called “soccer” here) is revered as are the players.
URI would be my next pick because of its location, but it’s suffered tremendously from budget cuts. In fact, Kansas would be equally interesting, because it’s in a cool college town, students are friendly and the mores are generally laid back, with the heartland being a great contrast to British culture. The main downside is that you’d need a friend with a car to go anywhere else (or be able to take a plane ride somewhere).
BTW, how old will you be? As you may know, alcohol consumption is illegal for people under age 21, which means that you’re “carded” at the entrance of restaurants and bars. Undergraduates thus resort to underground access, often via fraternities but not only.
Most of the universities above will have literally hundreds of clubs and activities offered.
I would also email the head of department at each, explaining you’re a philosophy major at Reading who’s choosing a university to study abroad as an exchange student for Fall 2015. You’re quite interested in coming to University … but would they let you take one graduate seminar in philosophy in addition to one undergraduate philosophy course? Would American Studies* classes be available and how do exchange student register, do they have priority registration or do they register after everyone else, getting the last classes available?</p>

<ul>
<li>If you go to the US, it’d be a real shame if you didn’t take one class in American studies or American History or something related to the US.</li>
</ul>

8

<p>^ Good things for the OP to consider.</p>

9

<p>I don’t know a lot about those schools, but my initial choice would be Rutgers based on geography. While New Brunswick may not be the most exciting place, the location in NJ would give you great proximity to NYC as well as the opportunity to explore a number of attractions and cities up and down the East Coast.</p>

10

<p>I will chime in on behalf of Rutgers, as a proud (New) Jerseyan. The other colleges might have specific appeal, but Rutgers will probably have the most to offer overall. URI has a top-notch oceanography program, if you’re interested in that, but the New England coast is pretty chilly most of the months you’d probably be attending. If you want a warmer climate, Ole Miss is the best option, and Oxford, MS, is a scholarly oasis, but Mississippi might be too much culture shock (it would be for me). New Brunswick is a lively city - economically and culturally diverse - and Rutgers has a full array of Division I athletics and Greek-letter fraternities. You can jump on a train to NYC or Philadelphia very easily. </p>

11

<p>Cheers again for all the replies. I’ll be 21 by the time I study abroad.</p>

<p>I’ll definitely consider taking classes in American history as it sounds pretty interesting :)</p>

<p>Rutgers sounds like it would be a great choice from all your comments, and I think I’m going to pick Rutgers as my first choice.</p>

<p>Do I have a greater chance of being accepted into a Philosophy masters degree programme at Rutgers if I studied abroad as part of my bachelors degree, or is that not taken into consideration?</p>

<p>I would really like to do a masters in Philosophy in America and in particular somewhere near NYC.</p>

12

<p>I can’t say whether time as an undergraduate exchange student would have an impact on graduate admissions, but it couldn’t hurt - especially if you had a chance to meet some department members during your stay. Rutgers (like the other public universities on your list) is enormous, and so most classes will be large lectures. I think professors would be very impressed by any student who seeks them out individually. As for NYC-area Philosophy programs: Columbia is the most prestigious in the city; Princeton and Yale the most in adjacent states, but don’t rule out Fordham. It’s a Jesuit university, and so it has a very strong faculty for Classics, Philosophy, Theology, etc. I don’t know much about NYU’s Philosophy department, but it’s probably pretty good.</p>

13

<p>If you ask about taking an advanced seminar in Philosophy (upper-level or Graduate) and they say okay, then you’d be in a small class with a professor and have a chance to impress him/her to get a recommendation for a grad program. Most non-introductory classes will be rather small in any case, which is why it’s important for you know whether Rutgers will let you take upper-level and .graduate classes.
You want to look for classes where the last three numbers are 300s or 400s (370, 413…)
Here’s the schedule of classes - you’d likely take 3-4 Philosophy classes and 1-2 others.
<a href=“Schedule of Classes - Rutgers University”>http://sis.rutgers.edu/soc/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

14

<p>Cheers for the replies again :)</p>

<p>I’m getting the impression that NYU, Rutgers, Harvard and Princeton have the best Philosophy departments :)</p>

<p>Would I get the chance to pick my accommodation, or do international students not have a choice?</p>

<p>If I do get the opportunity which accommodation at Rutgers would be the best suit for me?</p>

15

<p>Well, Princeton and Harvard aren’t in the same category as NYU, and NYU isn’t quite at the same level as Rutgers, overall, but yes they have great philosophy departments.
Wrt accomodations, you may want to see if you could live in the Honors Dorm or in UpperClass Housing. DO live on campus for that semester, since it’ll immerse you into the full experience.</p>

16

<p>Cheers for all the replies again. I can choose three universities in a given order of preference.</p>

<p>I know their are only five choice but what would be your top three choices out of the universities listed above?</p>

17

<p>Rutgers,
URI(for location)
then either UGA or Ole Miss</p>

18

<p>Cheers for the reply.</p>

<p>One of my friends is sharing a room and he hasn’t had a great experience (he’s studying abroad in San Diego)</p>

<p>Do you know if you can get an apartment, instead of sharing a room at Rutgers? Also is there a website for Rutgers students who want to share a house?</p>

<p>I don’t really want to share a room.</p>

19

<p>You could ask for a single but I think you’d have to pay a little extra.
Email Admissions at each university, specifying you’d be an exchange student from … U, England, and hesitate between a single in a residence hall, and trying to find a flatshare off campus.
They should respond quickly whether it’s possible or not.</p>

20

As part of my application I need to write a general personal statement outlining why I want to study abroad in 500 words, that would be used for all of the three partner universities I’m applying to.

Does anybody have a sample of a study abroad statement? If not, is there anything you would include if you were writing the statement?

Also do you think it would be better to mention the partner universities I’m applying to in my statement,and explain for each one why I want to attend there, or just briefly mention the partner universities I’m applying to?

My study abroad co-ordinator suggested briefly mentioning the partner universities but was unsure whether I should go into further detail.