I’m looking to join a prestigous UK universitiy next fall ( narrowed it down to two!) and for the most part, I’m greatly looking forward to it. However I am slightly concerned about the change in the type of education and the culture of a UK university when compared to the typical American uni. To what extent would I need to adjust when I do go there? Do I need to speak proper British English to be understoood there? Thanks!
No, you don’t need “proper British English” to be understood.
Yes, you will have to adjust a lot when you a) go to any university and b) go to a university in another country.
There are many cultural differences (related to being in university), but imo the biggest one is that in the UK you are expected there is much, much less hand-holding than in the US. You are expected to figure out things for yourself. Also, alcohol, which is legal at 18 in the UK. And, although there are collegiate sports, there is nothing on the scale of Big 10 sports, and there is no Greek system.
One of the biggest educational differences is that you apply to study one subject, and that is all you study. There is little or no choice in first year, and fairly limited choices in years 2-3; in engineering year 4 is typically project based (you can read very detailed descriptions of each course online). Most humanities subjects (except those with languages) are 3 years; most sciences are 4. Although there is some variation between courses and universities, typically continuing assessment is a much smaller part of your final marks than in the US.
Another big difference is specific to Oxbridge*- the tutorial/supervisions system, in which students meet with their tutors (professors) weekly. From Wikipedia:
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People write books about these things, so those are just top-level comments. Come on back when you have developed your thinking further.
*by the way, you can only apply to one or the other, so if those are the two you have narrowed it down to, you have to narrow again and pick one.
Hello, nice to meet you! Thanks for the well thought out response. I still can’t decide between those universities for an engineering degree. I admit I made my last thread thinking that Oxford and Cambridge were 2 halves of the same university, and was embarassed to find out otherwise. CC didn’t approve my responses in that thread though so I couldn’t ask more questions.
Have to say I’m greatly liking the sound of the tutorial system! It would avoid distractions common in a classroom environment. I’m fairly certain I’d be doing engineering or one of the sciences when I’m done with high school and I’m determined to do it in the UK. Even if it means I wouldn’t be able to switch later. About the British English thing, I asked because it seems British people use different words for many things. I had a London friend over recently and he couldn’t understand what I meant by ‘eraser’ (apparently they call it rubber? lol), why we kept referring to ‘petrol’ as gas and what a train station meant (apparently it’s called railway station there).
It’s not just the difference in spelling I’m worried about you see. Would you say the students at Oxbridge are smarter than the average English and can undestand good ol’ American English perfectly? I’m not too active in sports being a female and all that but I’ll miss watching football, that’s for sure. I guess I’ll do some reading of the courses at Oxbridge and figure out which other university I could put on my shortlist before I return for more questions 
Most British people understand most American usages - we do get US movies and TV over here. And you’ll soon work out any vocabulary issues (btw your friend was having you on by “not understanding” any of the specific American usages you mention - those are all perfectly understandable to any British person even if they’re not the words we would use).
Tell your British friend to stop being a prat
Go to the Student Room website. There are hugely detailed discussions, sometimes with oxbridge tutors, about admissions and requirements.
You are looking to start at a British university “next fall” to quote the original post? You are very late in the game and the deadline for Oxbridge applications is long gone. You probably need to apply by 15th January 2016 for most non-oxbridge competitive courses (you can apply later but admissions are rolling in most instances, so many courses will be fun).
Not sure it is realistic for you to contemplate moving to another country for 3-4 years in only about 9 months time if you haven’t done any research so far (other than let some friend wind you up). With the best will in the world, you do not sound prepared to be on your own in a foreign country (where you believed until reading this thread that you couldn’t speak the language…).
It might be more achievable for you to
- Enrol in a US college and do study abroad in the UK.
- Enrol in a US college for a year and then enrol in a UK university (NOT transfer. You would have to start again from the first year), which makes admission a little easier because a US high school education is not highly regarded.
- Take a year out in which you can apply to UK unis.
I highly recommend you use Google to find UCAS (the application form if you don’t already have it) and determine the entry requirements for the unis/courses you are considering (which will be on the websites of said universities, under the international student section). Are you aware there is almost no meaningful financial aid for international undergraduates?
Good luck with your application
-Cupcake
Hello…Firstly I’m glad to note that the restriction on my account seems to have been removed and I can now post without getting through approval first. With regards to the usage of British English, I concur that my friend could have been fooling around when he pretended not to understand those words back then (those were lighthearted exchanges and he does have a reputation for being jokey around us). After some in-depth discussion with people from TheStudentRoom, the consensus was that while almost eveyone could understand American English, I should not use it in any written submission at tge uni of Oxbridge. Either way, looks like I have some learning to do
@cupcake Hello! Glad to see you joining the discussion. Yes I do intend to join the uni of Oxbridge and am quite dismayed to miss the deadline. With regards to the foreign country thing, yeah I agree I haven’t done much research and my friend was indeed fooling around but that doesn’t mean I don’t have the will to do whatever it takes to get there and survive on my own terms. After some discussion on a rival forum I have now learnt a great deal from various people about life in the UK. And if shit hits the fan, I can always count on my friend in London (a very helpful and trustworthy individual btw, although he jokes around a lot).
I’ll have to think about those options you gave, might decide to just enroll at a good US college with ties to Oxbridge so that I could do a year there but I don’t think that’s likely. I guess option 3 is the best for now. A gap year is a gap year. I’ll enrich my knowledge on the UK and apply next year for a spot there. Already looked up UCAS btw, but thanks! And yeah I realize there’s no aid but I’m willing to pay full price. That’s just how determined I am to study at Oxbridge!
Kind regards
-oxbridge4life
There is NO university of Oxbridge! Really think you need to do some very basic research on this topic.
@cupcake Hello! Yes, I’m well aware of that. I was referring to both Oxford and Cambridge when I mentioned ‘university of Oxbridge’, if that wasn’t clear enough. I also know I can only select one of the two in UCAS. I’m still considering what the other options are going to be.
Kind regards
-oxbridge4life
You need to learn to use plurals correctly then.
Hello! I agree the phrasing may have sounded off but I actually said ‘uni of Oxbridge’ in my original reply to you which could technically mean ‘universities’ too. I was incorrect in stating ‘university of Oxbridge’ in my second reply to you.
Kind regards
-oxbridge4life