I was fortunate enough to be admitted into both Uchicago and King’s College, Cambridge, and although I was initially 100 percent set on going to Cambridge many people have been telling me that U Chicago would be a better choice for me in terms of internship opportunities and student life. To even out the playing field a bit, and because currently I’m leaning towards Cambridge, what are the pros and cons of attending each university considering that I’m a history major and want to eventually do law? Finance is not a problem although I would of course like to save money and Cambridge seems to be the cheaper option, but is U chicago worth the extra fees? I do prefer USA as a place to live in general, however, I’m not too bothered about the differences in location. Any help is appreciated, thank you!
Note: In Cambridge, there’s a chance that I can switch to law in my second year of undergrad, and if not the plan is to go to US anyway for post graduate/law school.
FWIW, when I had a research fellowship many years ago, one of my colleagues was a Cambridge-educated Brit who marveled at how much better-educated the Americans were (in our shared area of interest – law) than he was. We’d read more, had more experience in seminars, worked with more faculty, and had more familiarity with related disciplines. We all agreed that his HS education was clearly superior to ours (and he was certainly as smart as we were), but our college educations were broader and grad school educations deeper. Does any of this matter professionally if you’re going to be a lawyer? Probably not. But the British system seems very different both in terms of early specialization and format (lecture/tutors). And, within the US, UChicago may be one of the colleges where the differences are most pronounced (very cohort-oriented, less/later specialization).
@exacademic I see, so you’re saying that the specialisation isn’t as relevant in the long run considering I want to go to law school. So what else should I base my decision on? I’m still very confused as to which is the right decision.
Social scene (Is it fun there? How are you connected to other students? Is there a party scene? etc.)
Housing/food (you'll be there for four years. You have to eat and sleep...)
Academic fit:
Do you want the traditional broad American-style college education, or the narrower British version? Read, in depth, on exactly what each education entails.
I can tell you that at UChicago, you will take some core courses that everyone takes. That gives everyone at UChicago a common thread, a common knowledge base. Apart from the core courses and some other elective courses, you will have the courses in your major. So at Chicago, your course load entirely comprises core, elective (your choice), and major courses (all under the heading of your chosen major: Economics, Biology, Chemistry, whatever is your chosen major).
A typical US bachelor’s degree will include elective classes in the following, regardless of the student’s chosen major:
English, Literature or Classics
Mathematics or Statistics
Economics
Sociology or Psychology
Biology, Chemistry or Physics
History or Anthropology
Foreign Languages
Linguistics or Communications
You see how a typical Anerican education is broad: you learn a little bit about a lot of things. You drill down much deeper in your major.
I am not sure exactly how the curriculum is structured at Cambridge. My only understanding is that pretty much all of the courses you take are within your major, or what you are “reading”. I do not know if you are allowed to take courses in other areas (to provide breadth, a more rounded education).
I’d look at cost, where you think you’ll want to live (and where you’re likely to be employed) long-term, as well as what kind of education you want.
If you know you want to be a lawyer, you could emerge with networks and credentials in two systems (British and US) if you went the Cambridge undergrad/US law school route. If you go to UChicago, you’ll take courses across the curriculum (as well as in your major), it sounds like you’ll emerge as a US lawyer with a broad liberal arts background (and lots of debt). If you end up an historian, you could certainly do your PhD in the US after having done your undergrad work at Cambridge. I guess I’m not seeing why Chicago is in the running. Internships aren’t a big deal for either law or history and if you’re looking for student life in the US, UChicago is arguably a somewhat perverse choice.
@exacademic thank youu, I think i needed to hear that! @prezbucky thanks for the insight, I presume it’s academically very rigorous to handle so many subjects?
Well most of the electives you take are going to be at relatively introductory levels, though some are harder than others. People generally, I think, choose their electives based on what they think they will enjoy, what will be easiest, and/or what they are required to take (often, electives fill graduation requirements).
At UChicago, I’m not sure there is such a thing as an easy class: Chicago is known for providing one of the most rigorous – which to many people means “best”; to others, “hardest” – undergraduate educations in the United States. It’s right up there with Swarthmore and Reed, both of which are small liberal arts colleges.
The students at UChicago are well aware of the rigor. These kids are generally there because they are true intellectuals who love learning for its own sake. If you fancy yourself an intellectual, and if you really enjoy learning, and if you want a very good rounded education, UChicago could be the place for you.
I earned my BA from the University of Wisconsin. My major was Journalism. Among my electives were:
History: The Age of Jefferson and Jackson
Literature: The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Botany: Plants and Man (I brewed beer in that class; that was awesome!)
Math: Calculus
Chemistry: Intro to Chemistry
Psychology: Intro to...
Psychology: Abnormal Psychology
Sociology: Intro to...
Sociology: Population Problems (a Demography class)
History: Asian-American History
History: Medieval European History
Linguistics: Intro to...
Marketing: Intro to...
Economics: Intro to Microeconomics
Anyway, you’d likely have access to similar classes at UChicago. Hopefully you understand how broad your education would be in the US (generally) and at UChicago (specifically).
Your Cambridge law degree won’t put you in a position to practice law in the U.S. In order to qualify for bar membership in the U.S., you would probably have to go to an American law school for a full three years, or take the additional one-year prep course as either a barrister or solicitor in the U.S., do an apprenticeship there, and then come to the U.S. and take a one-year LLD program at a U.S. law school. That’s really a lot of years of studying law academically. You would almost certainly enjoy things more (and be a better-educated person) if you took a regular U.S. undergraduate degree in something other than law, then went to law school.
On the other hand, if you want to practice (practise?) law in the U.K., going to a U.S. university will put you significantly behind, timewise, since law is exclusively a graduate degree here, and you would have to start at the beginning with a qualifying university degree. (Some colleges, actually including Chicago, have some sort of interdisciplinary major about law available to students, but it’s nothing like professional legal training, and is not likely to count anywhere as relevant preparation.)
So, if you want to be a lawyer, WHERE you want to be a lawyer is probably pretty important to which college you choose.
Some of my son’s friends are studying Math and Physics in Cambridge, and they all complain about studying one subject is very boring especially when the course is so intense. At UChicago, the course is still vigorous but you can take a break from a specific subject.
I know this discussion is a little old but I feel I am having a similar dilemma (or will shortly in the future). I am about to finish my application to King’s College (HSPS) but I am having last minute doubts on whether it is worth all the trouble and whether I should just stick to American universities.
May I ask @myself111 which route you ended up taking? Congratulations on getting into both colleges also, they are both my dreams.
Congratulations on getting into both colleges also, they are both my dreams.