What American university should I study at for my year abroad?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hope this is the right place for this thread - I'm new here, so please forgive me if it's not.</p>

<p>In September 2014 I will be starting my year abroad in the USA and I have 42 universities to choose from. However, I want to be in a city (ideally) or at least a large town and I would prefer if it had a rapid transit system. I have condensed the list to some universities I am VERY interested in and I have put them in order of preference. Could you help me and advise me what one would meet my criteria?</p>

<p>Options:
George Washington University (Washington, DC)
Georgetown University (Washington, DC)
University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL)
University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA)
Washington University (St Louis, MO)
University of Washington (Seattle, WA)</p>

<p>Criteria:
- Good for a history student (I am studying a BA in American Studies and History).
- Rapid transit system.
- Outgoing student body (I'd like to make a lot of American friends - I am in the AS school at my home university).
- Good academics/reputation (not essential because the university I get my degree from back home is more important and is 31st or so in national rankings which means it "ain't Oxbridge" but it isn't London Metropolitan (the worst in the country) and is part of the Russell Group which is arguably comparable to the Ivy League).</p>

<p>Thanks for your help!</p>

2

<p>I would recommend UPenn if you can secure a place there. If not, then it depends if you are into sports or not. WashU in St Louis has a very beautiful campus with friendly student body and nice campus food. However, it competes in Division 3, so sports isn’t a big thing there. If you are into sports, I suggest you try U of Washington or Georgetown. Good luck! :)</p>

3

<p>My choices would be UPenn (Ivy League in Philadephia) or Georgetown U (in Washington DC). Third choice would be George Washington (in DC).</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the quick replies!</p>

<p>UPenn does look very nice. I have to pick 3. I really like the look of GWU. It’s in the heart of GWU and has a metro stop so I can visit the archives, etc. I am a complete US history nerd so this would be ideal. I love Chicago (visited when I was younger). What is Roosevelt like? I had never heard of it before - is it well respected?</p>

5

<p>I live outside DC and can recommend Georgetown or GW as great options. I have never heard of Roosevelt in Chicago.</p>

6

<p>Not a good sign! Chicago appeals to me, but I’d still like a good university.</p>

<p>GWU is my top choice. Georgetown is 2nd. Philly is 3rd.</p>

<p>Can you tell me more about GWU?</p>

<p>Specifically:</p>

<p>What are the students like? I’d like to meet new people - are the reserved or outgoing (generally).</p>

<p>What is the DC metro like?</p>

<p>How good is the history department?</p>

<p>What is it like to live in DC (e.g. people, cost, entertainment)?</p>

<p>Thanks all1</p>

7

<p>I would put Georgetown ahead of GWU.
For history, I’d say Philadelphia (birthplace of the Independence) gives DC a run for its money :slight_smile: and it’s easy to get to DC and NYC (both are about 1h30 by train).
If you hope to continue in the US, University of Pennsylvania should be placed first due to reputation,<br>
All three cities have good public transportation systems that can take you easily along the coast.</p>

8

<p>Good point :slight_smile: I’d like to move to the USA when I graduate, however, I’d imagine it’s rather hard. Would you say having a year under my belt at UPenn (so I can put it on my CV) will look good and enable me to get a job Stateside? I am interested in law/journalism/PR/marketing.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>-mo</p>

9

<p>University of Washington is in a beautiful setting, in the city but surrounded by mountains and water. Seattle has no rapid transit, however. (Well, from the airport to downtown, but that is it so far.) UW is a short bus ride from downtown, and I don’t imagine you’d have a lot of need/desire to got out to the suburbs.</p>

10

<p>I have heard that Seattle isn’t a very nice city. It’s supposed to rain a lot (like here!) - I’d like somewhere different. Thanks for the suggestion :)</p>

11

<p>Roosevelt in Chicago is a university contained In a small skyscraper. I think it is around 30-40 floors. There are dorms, classrooms, and cafeterias all in the same building. They may have some other buildings but I am unaware. I decided at once that I would hate it. Great view of Lake Michigan though.</p>

12

<p>Roosevelt has an unbeatable location on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. If you like Chicago, it would be a great choice.</p>

<p>You don’t need to worry about the rankings of any of these places - they have already been fully vetted by your home university. Spend some time reading through each university’s course catalogue, and find out what classes are likely to be available during the time you would be here. And do ask at your home university whether there are any restrictions on your choices of courses and if could you still get into any particular classes even if you are missing a specified pre-requisite because of your visiting student status. If you can get in touch with students who have recently competed exchanges at any of the places on your list, that would be good too.</p>

<p>[National</a> and Local Weather Forecast, Hurricane, Radar and Report](<a href=“http://www.weather.com%5DNational”>http://www.weather.com) is your friend. Use that website to learn more about what you might expect in different parts of the country.</p>

<p>If you are serious about wanting to work in the US eventually, your best bet is to get a job with a company in the UK or the EU that also has offices in the US, and then to eventually seek an in-company transfer to one of the US offices.</p>

13

<p>Despite being vetted, Roosevelt isn’t that well-respected. I love Chicago, however, I’d rather go to a good university in a nice city.</p>

<p>What is Philly like?</p>

<p>And DC?</p>

14

<ol>
<li>Penn 2. GU 3. GW. Penn is best in American history and history in general. GU has a better location than GW. GW also has virtually no campus. You can get around most of DC by bike. Save the metro for a rainy day.</li>
</ol>

<p>Philly especially West Philly is not as nice as DC. Penn has the best facilities.</p>

<p>BTW, If it “ain’t Oxbridge”, it’s not comparable with the Ivy League.</p>

15

<p>I would have UPenn, Georgetown tied for first (depending on if you’d rather be in Phila. or DC) followed by GW. These three are all excellent options though.</p>

16

<p>The metro and bus system in DC is excellent–modern and extensive. But Georgetown is not near a metro stop (lots of buses, though), which makes it a bit less convenient for getting around. Georgetown has a true campus, while GW has a small patch of grass and buildings that are intermingled with other city buildings. Looking at campus maps online will give you a better sense of this.</p>

<p>It’s something of an over generalization, but I think you’ll find that a very friendly student body and an urban campus are not necessarily compatible concepts. When students have a big city to rely upon for entertainment and activities, they are less tied to their school and classmates, and young people who attracted to big city living tend to be more independent by nature.</p>

<p>Your list of schools is a bit of an odd assortment academically. (For example, the typical Roosevelt student wouldn’t have a chance at acceptance at UPenn or Washington/St. Louis.) Are you certain to get your choice, or is there an application process? Are you committed to the very challenging classes and high level of competition that are the hallmarks of Penn, Georgetown, and Washington/St. Louis, or would you prefer a less intense atmosphere at one of the the other schools?</p>

17

<p>I am a very hard worker and near the top of most of my classes with my results.</p>

<p>That’s what worries me about going abroad. I want to make new friends because hardly anyone I know is doing a year abroad - so I’m going in at the “deep end”. My other choices are (inc. ones mentioned):</p>

<p>1 University of Alaska at Fairbanks
2 Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia
3 Washington University in Seattle
4 Reed College, Portland, Oregon
5 Oregon State University, Corvallis
6 University of Colorado, Boulder
7 University of California at Davis
8 University of California at Berkeley
9 University of California at Santa Cruz
10 University of California at Santa Barbara
11 University of California at Los Angeles
12 University of California at Irvine
13 University of California at San Diego
14 University of Texas, Austin
15 Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
16 Tulane University, New Orleans
17 University of Miami, Coral Gables
18 Georgia Tech., Atlanta
19 Spelman College, Atlanta
20 University of Georgia, Athens
21 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
22 George Washington University, Washington DC
23 Georgetown University, Washington DC
24 Pennsylvania State University, University Park
25 State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, New Brunswick
26 State University of New York, Stony Brook
27 Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley
28 University of Massachusetts, Amherst
29 University of Vermont, Burlington
30 Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy
31 University of Rochester
32 University of Toronto
33 University of Pittsburgh
34 University of Waterloo, Ontario
35 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
36 Purdue University, West Lafayette
37 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
38 Occidental College, Los Angeles<br>
39 Washington University, St Louis
40 Arizona State University, Tempe
41 University of British Columbia, Vancouver
42 Roosevelt University, Chicago</p>

<p>If there’s any there that match my criteria be sure to tell me :)</p>

<p>Would you class Georgetown as one of those “less-friendly urban universities”?</p>

18

<p>Have you thought about one of the liberal arts colleges? They exist only in the US. If you are trying to get a uniquely American educational experience, they’ll provide such. They would be easier places socially for just one year.</p>

<p>I’m not certain that Georgetown is a “true campus” by most standards, but compared to GW it is.</p>

19

<p>What colleges in that list are LACs? :)</p>

20

<p>If you want a close-knit community with a high academic level, I’d pick either Mount Holyoke (are you a woman though?) or Reed (if you can handle the workload and rain). Both are high-caliber LACs.
However, neither is in a good “rapid transit” place. Reed is in Portland, a majorly cool city with lots of buses, but to travel to other cities you’ll have to drive or fly. Mount Holyoke is part of a college consortium and is located in a quintessentially American college town with easy access (shuttle, I think) to metropolitan areas.</p>

<p>To be honest, the only places on your list with good public transportation, not only in the city but outside of it, would be NYC, DC, and Philadelphia. Compared to Europe, the trains are terrible in the US. :s</p>