I am a US citizen currently studying and living in India, is it beneficial to study in the UK for undergrad over the US. many colleges in the UK primarily weigh academics during the application process…
what are the advantages and disadvantages of going to the UK than the US?
thanks a lot guys…you guys are awesome 
Differences, which may be seen as either advantages or disadvantages, include:
The UK is generally cheaper than most US colleges, but won’t usually offer any FA. You’ll need to apply for a student visa and prove your funds are sufficient, which as a US citizen you wouldn’t have to do in the US.
You will study only your chosen subject, no gen ed requirements; little to no opportunity to change track if you have second thoughts.
It may not be possible to get a working visa to stay in the UK afterwards, so will you get the same name recognition for your college/degree in the country you plan to work in? What are your long term goals?
The social culture differs in various ways - alcohol is much more prevalent in the UK, for instance; sports are far less significant; etc.
A lot depends on the specific colleges you’re looking at in each country.
Actually the two university systems are radically different.
The US model is broadly based around the “liberal arts”. That is to say, most US universities require you to take a range of courses both within and beyond your major course of study. So even at a specialized university like MIT or Caltech, a mathematics major (or any other) will take 8 classes in the humanities, arts and social sciences (roughly one per semester). At some schools, like Chicago, the core is even more wide ranging and predetermined. Whereas if you are a maths major in a UK university, you are unlikely to take a single subject outside of the mathematics department. To cover the extra breadth, a US bachelors degree is usually 4 years, whereas the equivalent UK degree is 3 years.
The other key difference is that in the UK you get admitted to a specific course of study. If you decide that you do not like it, changing majors is often extremely difficult, if not impossible, and students usually need to withdraw and apply to their newly preferred choice. That can be tricky with majors that you did not really study in secondary school (e.g. Sociology, Archaeology, most engineering subjects, meteorology, etc.) where you are trying to guess whether you will really like it for three years before you experience it. Even if you have a rough idea of what you want to do, you need to be quite specific. So you will have to decide before you apply whether you really want to study (for example) Chemistry or Chemical Engineering, and then you are held to that decision. Whereas in many US universities, it is expected that you may change your major as you find out more.
A last key difference is in certain professions. Certain professions are not studied in the US at undergraduate level. In particular Law and Medicine are both graduate studies only. To get into a US Law school, you first need to have an undergraduate degree in something else, then you apply to do graduate studies in a Law school. Whereas in the UK you can study Law or Medicine as an undergraduate.
To my mind, if you have a very clear idea of exactly what you want to study, then the UK system may well be better for you. If you do not, then the US system may be better for you.
Mikalye is absolutely correct about the differences between liberal arts in the US and the UK system of starting with a course picked. It is like you start with a major in the UK at sophomore level - if that is right for you, it is great and economical at 3 years. The US is better if you want to explore more generally.
I would add that “overseas” students (i.e. not EU residents) are charged higher rates in the UK, depending on the course. Check out the student room, it has great info on UK unis.
@Mikalye thanks a lot man appreciate it
bump!!!
The UK is generally more respectful towards the sciences. If you’re interested in the core sciences and you’re good at what you do then the UK is a better option. But you must be clear about what you want to do from Day 1. A lot of potential to progress in your chosen field.
In the US, as you probably already know, they stress a lot on a liberal arts education. You might spend a lot of time taking courses you dont want to take. Although, some state schools have a large number of resources in the sciences with a lot of research and internship opportunities.
Each system has its pros and cons. If you’re sure about what you want to do, you should consider the UK.