UK university questions for US students

International Students
1

<p>[Not Oxbridge]</p>

<p>I’ve viewed several websites, and it’s difficult to get a read on a couple questions, so I appreciate your thoughts:</p>

<p>Prospective student would be majoring in English Lit/Drama, and would be competitive to attend most of the unis other than Oxbridge.</p>

<li> Could you recommend good English Lit/Drama depts?</li>
<li> Do people take a wide variety of courses, or focus solely on the major? In the US, typically one takes about 1.5 years across the spectrum, and then a concentration in a “major” and one or more “minor” areas of studies.<br></li>
<li> What is the social scene like? It seems that many schools (e.g., St Andrews) are more integrated into the town and not set apart. Also, there seems to be little mention of extracurriculars like orchestra, choir, sports teams, etc.</li>
<li> Does everyone take “honours” courses, or is there some qualifier? In the US, there is typically a screening process through which most students would be barred from an Honors designation.</li>
</ol>

<p>Appreciate your thoughts.</p>

2

<p>When you apply to the UK through UCAS you select a program, which could be English Literature and Drama (they have a lot of joint-honours programs). Usually in the first year the program is a little general, but still in that area (e.g. if you're doing International Relations you won't get any math), and then in the second and third years you are free to choose a specialisation and choose your subjects accordingly, which is also probably the one you'll talk about in your dissertation (at the end of your third year you are required to submit a 15.000 word dissertation). In Scottish universities, since the programs are 4 years-long, the "general" part of the program is two years-long.</p>

3

<p>Try Edinburgh, UCL, Kings, Warwick, St Andrews, Bath, Durham.</p>

4

<p><a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,13410,00.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,13410,00.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

5

<p>Thanks, Raza999.</p>

<p>A question: do the non-Oxbridge schools follow the same grading pattern (no grades until final examinations at the end?) The websites seem to suggest some "continuous assessment" method...</p>

6

<p>Hey MSUDad,</p>

<p>first off you can get acquainted with rankings at the following website:
<a href="http://www.thegooduniversityguide.org.uk%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.thegooduniversityguide.org.uk&lt;/a>
its an extremely useful resource operated by the times and gives you subject specific rankings.
As far as prestige etc. go Oxbridge nd the University of London top that list. But keep in mind that there are some fabulous alternatives like bristol nd warwick which are also very well rounded universities. However, seeing your subject choice in english lit nd drama i would say the traditional nd older universities will always be a safe bet. UCL is extremely well reputed in the arts.
The UK education system is extremely focussed as most local students finish their A-levels and then head on to college. Therefore, they are quite certain of what they want to pursue. The introductory year that allows you to explore and experiment isnt really there as they go straight into the major. However there is a little bit of flexibility.
Also, admissions to the UK is major based rather than applying to the school in general. So an application through UCAS requires you to apply to a specific course in each school you select. The application is reviewed by a department specific admissions tutor and the admissions office handles mostly clerical work. Therefore, the application really needs to be focussed on your major, why you would like to do it etc. because the department tries to identify your potential in that particular field. Also there is little emphasis placed on extra curriculars. There reasonsing is that 7 hours of track or community service wont make you a better drama student which in isolation sounds fairly reasonable.
As for the social scene, it varies from college to college. Most of the London schools such as UCL, LSE and Imperial have a very different social life that is integrated into living in London. Some students prefer this environment but many would rather go to a campus university like bristol, york or warwick which resembles the states a bit more. </p>

<p>PS: Out of curiousity, if you dont mind answering, is there any particular academic or non academic reason that you have chosen the UK over the US. I too am making a similar decision and was hoping to hear your thoughts.</p>

7

<p>^^^ Great post, thanks.</p>

<p>A few reasons come to mind to study in the UK rather than the states (it's actually for my D):
1. She wants to study BritLit/Drama and wants to go there
2. She'd like to go to a school that isn't small.
3. I'm a product of two big state universities and teach at a third, and think the undergrad academic experience is poor (TA's, content-free general educ requirements). There are only a handful of mid-sized US universities
4. I want her to get some international experience for the new economy
5. I want her to really be an expert and engaged in her subject matter. Too often students here are simply taking classes - never doing extra reading (not rewarded for it), not learning anything more than discrete coursework, and collecting a degree. The UK system seems to treat students more like budding scholars in their major field.
6. I prefer the 3-year degree and the fact that most people (at Durham it's 96%) finish in that time; astonishing by US standards.</p>

8

<p>Go to a big city uni like Manchester, going to a big Uni also practically garantees a great social life at Uni. The course are also a lot more centred on your chosen major. The joint honours course will have an equal emphasis on both lit and drama. It really depends on what she wants to do. Also keep in mind that in the UK, don't know about the US, courses that have similar titles and give same qualification sometimes may be structured very differently-as well as the University itself. For example, Manchester is a really big city university, something similar to what you may find in the US. But Durham(can't rmb size wize) has a 'college' system-like Oxbridge. These colleges are the equivalent of the hall of residence, but are not where you just live, but also most likely where you study and will have most of your EC's around. Hope I helped.</p>

9

<p>
[QUOTE]

  1. Could you recommend good English Lit/Drama depts?

[/QUOTE]
Times rankings are good, although i'm sure you know not to take these rankings too seriously. Something that is really important to consider for english is the course structure and how it is examined. Some courses will have no exams, al coursework, others it is the opposite. Some have exams at the end of 3 years, some exams every year. I think english is a subject where assessment varies hugely between universities so presnal preference is important here.

[QUOTE]
2. Do people take a wide variety of courses, or focus solely on the major? In the US, typically one takes about 1.5 years across the spectrum, and then a concentration in a "major" and one or more "minor" areas of studies.

[/QUOTE]
You pretty much just study your subject, unles of course you choose a cominbined course (such as english and drama). Having said this, most courses do allow some options, especially in the foreign language departments (i have a friend who did one module of italian in his maths degree), but it's important to look into this when choosig courses

[QUOTE]
3. What is the social scene like? It seems that many schools (e.g., St Andrews) are more integrated into the town and not set apart. Also, there seems to be little mention of extracurriculars like orchestra, choir, sports teams, etc.

[/QUOTE]
Extracurriculars are definitely arround, maybe e-mail the coleges to see if they could link you to a page dedicated to them. I know you said not oxbridge, but just to show you what I mean, here is the page for cambridge <a href="http://www.societies.cam.ac.uk/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.societies.cam.ac.uk/&lt;/a>

[QUOTE]
4. Does everyone take "honours" courses, or is there some qualifier? In the US, there is typically a screening process through which most students would be barred from an Honors designation.

[/QUOTE]
all degrees have a hons at the end of it, unless you graduate with an ordinary degree. Its a bit complicated to explain, but degrees are classified as 1st, 2.1 (upper second), 2.2 (lower second), 3rd and then an ordinary degree.1st and 2.1 are what most get (60% ish, again varies a lot) and is what is required for most graduate jobs.</p>

10

<p>I would strongly recommend Bristol and Warwick. They are both quite different but have good reputations in the UK and rank 50ish and 70ish respectively internationally. They are both pretty close knit student communities and so should be pretty easy to integrate into. London might be overwhelming for an international student because as said before the student community isn't so strong.</p>

11

<p>Bristol is a very popular uni inengland, I think because it has a good atmosphere and popular courses. i would recommend it too.</p>

12

<p>Hey MSUDad,
If we take each of your criterion in isolation, your D's dedication and love for British Lit/Drama does not necessarily require education in England. Within the US, there are several liberal arts colleges that are excellent for teaching in such fields. Each have a strong community feel to them and give the individual creative freedom. But if she is keen on studying in England, that would be a fine decision too. I'm guessing her main reasons would be living in an environment and being part of a community that is closely linked with her major. Almost every school in the UK will be able to fulfill her in this respect, however each will have a different approach. A school like UCL will have maximum exposure to current writers, directors etc. due to its location. I more isolated campus university on the other hand may be more suited to her. Since you haven't really mentioned cost as a consideration, I wouldn't address that but London is one of the worlds most expensive cities.
UK universities may be perfect for your daughter and your preferences since the overall university has a large student body with small classes in each department. This is due to the application process, where each course has limited seats available. Warwick for example has a decent number of students in total, but some classes can have between 8-12 students. I agree with your view on state schools.
It is important to have cross-cultural experiences for an integrated global economy. However, the education that she may recieve in the United States will have a global perspective as well and she will meet foreign students. The UK, on the other hand, would have one clear benefit that she herself is an international and that changes the entire equation. Apart from that, both equip you for a global economy.
The UK does treat you like scholars in your field and gives you academic freedom to research and study your field. The expectation of undergraduates for certain courses is extremely high and the student-prof interaction is great. One is greatly encouraged to do extra reading outside class and bring new perspectives to the table. In that respect, the UK helps students to mature in their work ethics and writing style. The main difference, in my perspective is that colleges in the US require a lot more written work to be submitted, whereas the UK colleges assess you on several intangible criteria. I maybe wrong but thats my sense.</p>

13

<p>I know that there are US schools that teach BritLit, etc., but I'm looking for a different kind of education, not just a different emphasis or slightly different outlook. I have to fully consider the British sole focus on the major a bit more - I think some breadth is good - but I am NOT enamoured of the US model at this point (as both a graduate of, and an employer from, the US system).</p>

14

<p>i study at University of Warwick and the reputation here for economics is one of the best in the UK and is up there with oxbridge, ucl and lse if u have any question about warwick just message me</p>