If you applied to colleges outside the US, why?

[Anonymous]

I'm curious what motivates most applicants. Are there advantages? Or do you typically have a family reason?

DD is a couple years out, but we are considering a within-US move for in-state residency purposes and wondering what else to consider.

[Anonymous]

Overseas admission is much more straightforward than US admission. This test score and this GPA gets you in and if you're not at that line, too bad.

[Anonymous]

You don’t have to worry about publishing research at age 16 or founding a non-profit or being team captain, yearbook editor and first chair violin. It is so much less stressful to just have to do what you really like outside of school and get good grades. We have made our teenagers overworked, anxious robots. This is a way out of the madness.

[Anonymous]

OP, only listen to people who actually have kids at college overseas.

My kid didn't find admissions at Oxbridge or a place like U Toronto all that straightforward. Not the same as in the US, but certainly not just a test score and GPA. Both had essays, asked about ECs, etc.

Yes, if for example at U Toronto, you had not already taken AP Calc BC by junior year and had not scored a 5, you basically couldn't apply for various STEM majors...however, there were still essays and LORs and all the other stuff required of the application.

Motivation for us was that some of these universities are tops in different fields, and you would save compared to OOS schools.

I don't know how tuition works if you say move to Ontario but aren't a Canadian citizen or move to the UK, but aren't a UK citizen.

[Anonymous]

We're French but I have a British connection. As French citizens, my kids would pay the Canadian tuition for Quebec universities, and for UK unis, most of them are 3 year courses of study, so even though we'd pay international tuition (similar to sticker price for US colleges), it would be one less year to pay.

DS got into McGill and St Andrews... and chose to stay here in the US. He got cold feet at the last minute Maybe I'll have better luck with my other kids!

[Anonymous]

^ McGill was SO EASY to apply to. Just scores and grades. They tell you on their website what academic level they expect in order to admit you, so you know whether it's worth it to apply - which takes the stress away.

[Anonymous]

Both my kids will be going to college in the UK next Fall. But yes, originally, we are from the UK and we will all be living there too. Having said that, our kids lived in the US ALL their lives and went to US public schools. We are US citizens.

There were a bunch of reasons we made this decision, but a big one was that neither of them wanted to spend 2 yrs in college doing a range of subjects like they had to do in school. Each was ready to take on a major from the start, and the UK universities ALL do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, only listen to people who actually have kids at college overseas.

My kid didn't find admissions at Oxbridge or a place like U Toronto all that straightforward. Not the same as in the US, but certainly not just a test score and GPA. Both had essays, asked about ECs, etc.

Yes, if for example at U Toronto, you had not already taken AP Calc BC by junior year and had not scored a 5, you basically couldn't apply for various STEM majors...however, there were still essays and LORs and all the other stuff required of the application.

Motivation for us was that some of these universities are tops in different fields, and you would save compared to OOS schools.

I don't know how tuition works if you say move to Ontario but aren't a Canadian citizen or move to the UK, but aren't a UK citizen.

I disagree about Oxbridge admission -- it is very straightforward, but not easy. They have clear standards, require standardized testing, and care only about aptitude for the particular field of study. "Hooks" are not considered at all.

While a few subjects accept a relatively higher percentage of applicants, the more popular subjects accept only about 5% of US-based applicants.

Tuition is based on residency for UK schools, like US state universities. Oxbridge is less expensive than US equivalents this year, but the exchange rate does vary.

[Anonymous]

Friends with kids in overseas schools I know are there because it's cheaper than US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friends with kids in overseas schools I know are there because it's cheaper than US.

Most are three year degrees, so you save 25% off the top.

[Anonymous]

My kid wants to experience living overseas. That is his primary motivation.

[Anonymous]

My DC got into schools in Canada, France and the UK and eventually decided to go to Cambridge. DC had a very fixed idea with regard to major and also was looking for an adventure.

We did not oppose it as we live in DC (so no in-state option) and all of DC's international options were either less expensive or as expensive as the US options.

[Anonymous]

It’s cheaper if full pay, and it’s not in the USA. Better education.

[Anonymous]

It's wild that you can have an undergrad and a taught masters in the total of four years in the UK compared to six years here. Ton of savings!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, only listen to people who actually have kids at college overseas.

My kid didn't find admissions at Oxbridge or a place like U Toronto all that straightforward. Not the same as in the US, but certainly not just a test score and GPA. Both had essays, asked about ECs, etc.

Yes, if for example at U Toronto, you had not already taken AP Calc BC by junior year and had not scored a 5, you basically couldn't apply for various STEM majors...however, there were still essays and LORs and all the other stuff required of the application.

Motivation for us was that some of these universities are tops in different fields, and you would save compared to OOS schools.

I don't know how tuition works if you say move to Ontario but aren't a Canadian citizen or move to the UK, but aren't a UK citizen.

I disagree about Oxbridge admission -- it is very straightforward, but not easy. They have clear standards, require standardized testing, and care only about aptitude for the particular field of study. "Hooks" are not considered at all.

While a few subjects accept a relatively higher percentage of applicants, the more popular subjects accept only about 5% of US-based applicants.

Tuition is based on residency for UK schools, like US state universities. Oxbridge is less expensive than US equivalents this year, but the exchange rate does vary.

Oxford has put up their international fees. They range from 33-78K sterling per year (tuition only). Cambridge has kept them lower in the 20k's for tuition