Why study undergraduate in the US rather than the UK?

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I'm assuming that most international students here have chosen/intended to come to USA for their undergraduate studies. As for me, I'm still deciding between the US and the UK. So I was wondering if you guys can provide me with some facts and opinions. Can't really find much info on this in the net.</p>

<p>What are the pros and cons/differences between studying in the US & UK? What are the reasons that most attracted you to the US?</p>

<p>All replies appreciated! Thank you! :)</p>

<p>By the way, just got rejected from MIT. lol. sad.</p>

2

<p>Pro-US for me:</p>

<p>Financial aid.
Small classes. (This semester: 4-12 students/class)
On-campus housing for 4 years.
Very flexible major requirements.
More opportunities. (Summer programs, research, etc.)
Easier to get into US grad schools.</p>

3

<p>Pro UK:</p>

<p>definitely a lot cheaper than the US (if you’re EU citizen), dunno about internationals from other places.
More specialized (such as law degree etc.)-> can be a disadvantage too though.
More multicultural- you’ll find a heaps bigger diversity there than in the US.
Easier to get away and discover another country for a weekend.</p>

<p>b@rlum: I wouldn’t say it’s easier to get into US grad schools if you’ve studied in the US as an undergrad. It just depends on what you do with your time as an undergrad.</p>

4

<p>It was straightforward for me - I looked at UK, US and even Germany at one point (did German for four years, but I think I’ve totally, hopelessly, completely lost the use of the language). Since I’m planning to major in film, there wasn’t much of a contest - the strength of US film programs far exceeds that of any other country.</p>

<p>Besides that, there’s more flexibility in how you construct your degree program - you can major in completely unrelated fields, you can focus on one area and dabble in others, etc… there are a lot of ways to cover your key interests. I knew it was quite likely I’d want to double-major so I didn’t want too structured a program. But if you want to explore one field in depth, this may not be what you want (but this varies from school to school).</p>

<p>Oh, hi - you’re Singaporean too.</p>

5

<p>Two words: Jamba Juice.</p>

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<p>[This is a rewritten cross-post from the Oxford/Cambridge thread, but appeared directly on topic to the OP’s question].</p>

<p>They offer VERY, VERY different undergraduate experiences. In the UK, students specialise much earlier than they do in the US (an upper sixth former will rarely have more than 4 A-Level classes, and if you are scientifically minded they might be Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry - so there can be none of the traditional “humanities” after age 15 or so).</p>

<p>As such, when the student gets to university, they will usually know precisely what they want to do and they are unlikely to take much outside of their department. A physics major may end up taking no classes outside of physics.</p>

<p>Whereas most US institutions offer some version of the “liberal arts”, where physics majors are encouraged to take say a quarter of their classes outside of their department (or at some schools more), in an effort to make a more rounded individual. To make room for this, most US Bachelors degrees take place over 4 years as opposed to the 3 year British degree.</p>

<p>Therefore, the key question is how focused are you on what you wish to study? This is particularly important if you are choosing a field of study that was not offered at your secondary school (which can be Nanotechnology, Political Science, Archaeology, Architecture, Philosophy heck most courses of study are not realistically offered in Secondary School). And even if you do know that you have a passion for Chemistry, for example, then do you want to major in Chemistry or in Chemical engineering???</p>

<p>And that is key. If you are accepted at Oxford to read Philosophy and after a year you realise that philosophy is just not right for you, then you have to withdraw and apply again for the following year to study something else. Whereas at most US universities, you are accepted to the university rather than the department, so change is possible (again there are exceptions to this - often around engineering departments).</p>

<p>Really figure out what sort of an education that you are looking for, then worry about the rest of it.</p>

7

<p>@ ollo23 : If you’re an international, be prepared to pay 15,000-20,000 pounds annual.
Now compare that with a financial aid package in US! Its a lot cheaper there…</p>

<p>Apart from all that, I guess all the points have already been mentioned.</p>

8

<p>True. Non-EU citizens have a great disadvantage in fees. Plus there’s absolutely no kind of first-year aid. There are some ‘scholarships’ for sophomores etc, but they never exceed 2000 euros (don’t know about pounds, what’s the exchange rate?)</p>

9

<p>Honestly, if I even get the unconditional offer from a top-notch UK university, it would still take me sometime to completely convince my parents, and more importantly, myself to actually attend that institution. =/</p>

10

<p>I will just apply to the best schools in USA and UK and will choose the best offer :)</p>