Uni in the UK - practical issues?

[Anonymous]

DD was accepted to a UK university, and without debating the reputation & academics and all that, I'm kind of wondering how people with kids in the UK are finding the practical challenges of a kid overseas. Things like travel and dealing with the holidays / down periods (kids coming home to the US, or hanging with friends in the UK)? Have you had any times you've had to run over to help them with an emergency? I'm also wondering how the cultural differences are playing out socially at school. Anyone with some been there, done that experiences?

[Anonymous]

Which university?

[Anonymous]

separate the travel from the practical.

for us, London is closer than, say, Stanford or U Puget Sound. In an emergency, we can get there faster.

The practical is just a lot of stuff. Banking, phones, visas. Either youre good at that or youre not.

socially it really depends on the school. reach out to the Facebook pages directly

[Anonymous]

Have 2 that were/are in Scotland for 2 year stretches as part of a joint degree program.

Never had to go over for any emergencies but had to get one home quickly in March 2020. They had previously spent time in the UK so we’re familiar with some aspects of the culture.

Biggest difference is academic style. One or two graded assignments per module (course) usually papers. Mostly individual work, no group assignments. Grading structure is also different. At my kids school 0-20.

Kids stayed entire fall semester, no Thanksgiving break. Home for Christmas break about a month and summers. They traveled in Europe (relatively inexpensive) on fall and spring breaks.

Like US there is often a diversity of socio economic status among students, skewing toward the high end. Many kids from private schools. Any math related course will move faster and have higher expectations than at a US college.

Will need to get student visa and pay into the UK health system. Need to set up UK bank account to get UK phone, other than that just arranging travel and shipment of items over and back. Stored items over the summer.

[Anonymous]

At some UK universities (e.g., any university in London) there is no guarantee of student housing after 1st year. Housing on the commercial market is expensive anywhere in London, and in some other places. Oxbridge colleges do have student housing for all 3 years of ugrad.

University food at the refectory often is more affordable than elsewhere. Food in the UK often costs more than metro DC - both geoceries and restaurants. Fast food such as a fish & chips or a burger chain is more affordable, of course.

[Anonymous]

The UK overall is just not geographically huge. If one flies into London, Manchester, Glasgow, or Edinburgh then one can drive most places in a few hours - or take a train most places in slightly longer.

[Anonymous]

My kid just went, came home for Christmas, flew back and will be home for part of the summer.

No, I've never had to fly there for an emergency, but DH and/or I go once a year to visit.

[Anonymous]

UK universities are mostly on what the US calls a trimester system. The terms are shoter than a US semester, and usually are called Michaelmas, Christmas, and Easter.

Except at Oxbridge, UK universities are much more sink or swim than a US SLAC might be. It is up to the student to get academic help, to find the prof, and so on. Fine for a self-starter but maybe not so well suited for a kid who is used to a lot of hand holding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UK universities are mostly on what the US calls a trimester system. The terms are shoter than a US semester, and usually are called Michaelmas, Christmas, and Easter.

Except at Oxbridge, UK universities are much more sink or swim than a US SLAC might be. It is up to the student to get academic help, to find the prof, and so on. Fine for a self-starter but maybe not so well suited for a kid who is used to a lot of hand holding.

How is Oxbridge different? Are they just set up differently or is it more a difference in academic culture/tone etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:separate the travel from the practical.

for us, London is closer than, say, Stanford or U Puget Sound. In an emergency, we can get there faster.

The practical is just a lot of stuff. Banking, phones, visas. Either youre good at that or youre not.

socially it really depends on the school. reach out to the Facebook pages directly

Really just this. I have one in UK and one in CA (both on trimesters/quarter system) and nothing is really different. Honestly the new phone was the biggest issue in UK. It totally depends on kid for homesickness, friends, etc. neither one is really into high school friends any longer. Lots and lots of US kids in UK and UK kids in CA. Lots of parents groups on FB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The UK overall is just not geographically huge. If one flies into London, Manchester, Glasgow, or Edinburgh then one can drive most places in a few hours - or take a train most places in slightly longer.

Direct flights from US to Manchester were phased out a while ago. You can fly to Heathrow and then onto Manchester but no longer directly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UK universities are mostly on what the US calls a trimester system. The terms are shoter than a US semester, and usually are called Michaelmas, Christmas, and Easter.

Except at Oxbridge, UK universities are much more sink or swim than a US SLAC might be. It is up to the student to get academic help, to find the prof, and so on. Fine for a self-starter but maybe not so well suited for a kid who is used to a lot of hand holding.

How is Oxbridge different? Are they just set up differently or is it more a difference in academic culture/tone etc.

With Oxbridge, the setup is quite different. Students usually apply to a specific college and (if student is accepted) then that college provides both housing and meals. Different colleges will support different mixtures of degrees (e.g., history, english, math, physics, whatever). So one needs to verify that the specific Oxbridge college will support one’s chosen degree - verify before applying there. Each student has an assigned faculty member in his/her degree field. This person is called a “tutor”, but is more like a dedicated academic advisor. Student and tutor meet at least weekly, usually in the tutor’s office inside that college. So no student at Oxbridge is just a number. Each student gets some degree of supervision. It is not so much hand holding, but more supervision. If student gets into academic trouble, then the tutor should be consulted on how to get out of that hole. That said, students can anddo regularly fail out of Oxbridge, as with any other uni.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The UK overall is just not geographically huge. If one flies into London, Manchester, Glasgow, or Edinburgh then one can drive most places in a few hours - or take a train most places in slightly longer.

Direct flights from US to Manchester were phased out a while ago. You can fly to Heathrow and then onto Manchester but no longer directly.

This sometimes changes from year to year and season to season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At some UK universities (e.g., any university in London) there is no guarantee of student housing after 1st year. Housing on the commercial market is expensive anywhere in London, and in some other places. Oxbridge colleges do have student housing for all 3 years of ugrad.

University food at the refectory often is more affordable than elsewhere. Food in the UK often costs more than metro DC - both geoceries and restaurants. Fast food such as a fish & chips or a burger chain is more affordable, of course.

I’m British. The last few visits home I’ve been shocked at his much cheaper groceries are than in DC. Perhaps this doesn’t hold true in London but it certainly does outside of London. Also no tips at restaurants unless very high end and then only 10 percent so restaurant prices aren’t bad either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UK universities are mostly on what the US calls a trimester system. The terms are shoter than a US semester, and usually are called Michaelmas, Christmas, and Easter.

Except at Oxbridge, UK universities are much more sink or swim than a US SLAC might be. It is up to the student to get academic help, to find the prof, and so on. Fine for a self-starter but maybe not so well suited for a kid who is used to a lot of hand holding.

No one outside of possibly Oxbridge and maybe movies talks of michaelmas term. Or Christmas and Easter - though those are what the breaks are called. So much misinformation here from people who have a tiny experience of the UK and think it applies everywhere.