How to encourage DD to consider international schools

[Anonymous]

I think T15 is extreme, even more so considering it is not 1995. Back then, if you were a super hard working, intellectually curious, achievement-oriented person, you were going to one of those schools. Easily.

In 2026, you can be incredible by all counts and still get shut out by T25.

So I do think the premise here is pretty stupid. Also maybe I need to land the helicopter or whatever, but I would miss my kid so much if they were in a different country I couldn't stand it. But that's my issue. If your kid would love it (would they?) then that's great for you guys.

[Anonymous]

So you're so ignorant, so insecure, so afraid of judgement, so enamored of what you perceive to be a social status thing, that if your child cannot get into an American T15, you'd rather tell everyone that she's "in Europe"? Without any regard for which uni in Europe, because in your little mind it's all the same and the brand is "Europe"?

I'm French and I've lived in the UK, Germany and France. You are looking very dumb right now, OP.

[Anonymous]

I think OP is moronic especially since she sounds like she has all of two stamps on her passport but she’s willing to throw her kid across the pond if they only get into T25 school.

But. To answer your question OP. This is what St Andrews is for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not push something like this. It's the kind of thing you have to want and to be really interested in in order to thrive. College is enough of a transition I can't imagine pushing a student who is adamant against it to also have to adapt to a foreign country.

Oh please. From the DMV, several Canadian universities are closer than California ones. If your kid isn’t resilient enough to “adapt” to an anglophone university in Canada, they may struggle with college more generally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would like DD to consider European or Canadian universities if she is not admitted to a T15 in U.S.. I believe she has the stats and a strong chance of admission to some international schools. Studying abroad would be an amazing experience for her and could also offer a significantly more affordable education. She could then use the remaining funds for graduate school in the U.S., which is a path she is likely to pursue. However, she is adamant about staying in the U.S. How do I encourage her to seriously consider international schools?

Give her a reasonable budget - say, $160k for her bachelor's degree, and offer a free trip to Canada/UK to visit Canadian/UK unis. When she ends up weighing the affordable Alabama vs St. Andrews, the choice will become clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like DD to consider European or Canadian universities if she is not admitted to a T15 in U.S.. I believe she has the stats and a strong chance of admission to some international schools. Studying abroad would be an amazing experience for her and could also offer a significantly more affordable education. She could then use the remaining funds for graduate school in the U.S., which is a path she is likely to pursue. However, she is adamant about staying in the U.S. How do I encourage her to seriously consider international schools?

Give her a reasonable budget - say, $160k for her bachelor's degree, and offer a free trip to Canada/UK to visit Canadian/UK unis. When she ends up weighing the affordable Alabama vs St. Andrews, the choice will become clear.

And if she disagrees and takes a full ride to Clemson, you disown her?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like DD to consider European or Canadian universities if she is not admitted to a T15 in U.S.. I believe she has the stats and a strong chance of admission to some international schools. Studying abroad would be an amazing experience for her and could also offer a significantly more affordable education. She could then use the remaining funds for graduate school in the U.S., which is a path she is likely to pursue. However, she is adamant about staying in the U.S. How do I encourage her to seriously consider international schools?

Give her a reasonable budget - say, $160k for her bachelor's degree, and offer a free trip to Canada/UK to visit Canadian/UK unis. When she ends up weighing the affordable Alabama vs St. Andrews, the choice will become clear.

And if she disagrees and takes a full ride to Clemson, you disown her?

You might want to improve your reading comprehension. OP specifically wrote that they were encouraging their kid to look at international schools if they don't get into a T15 bc they're cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like DD to consider European or Canadian universities if she is not admitted to a T15 in U.S.. I believe she has the stats and a strong chance of admission to some international schools. Studying abroad would be an amazing experience for her and could also offer a significantly more affordable education. She could then use the remaining funds for graduate school in the U.S., which is a path she is likely to pursue. However, she is adamant about staying in the U.S. How do I encourage her to seriously consider international schools?

Give her a reasonable budget - say, $160k for her bachelor's degree, and offer a free trip to Canada/UK to visit Canadian/UK unis. When she ends up weighing the affordable Alabama vs St. Andrews, the choice will become clear.

And if she disagrees and takes a full ride to Clemson, you disown her?

You might want to improve your reading comprehension. OP specifically wrote that they were encouraging their kid to look at international schools if they don't get into a T15 bc they're cheaper.

How is being full pay at an international school cheaper than taking a full ride at an American school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like DD to consider European or Canadian universities if she is not admitted to a T15 in U.S.. I believe she has the stats and a strong chance of admission to some international schools. Studying abroad would be an amazing experience for her and could also offer a significantly more affordable education. She could then use the remaining funds for graduate school in the U.S., which is a path she is likely to pursue. However, she is adamant about staying in the U.S. How do I encourage her to seriously consider international schools?

Give her a reasonable budget - say, $160k for her bachelor's degree, and offer a free trip to Canada/UK to visit Canadian/UK unis. When she ends up weighing the affordable Alabama vs St. Andrews, the choice will become clear.

And if she disagrees and takes a full ride to Clemson, you disown her?

You might want to improve your reading comprehension. OP specifically wrote that they were encouraging their kid to look at international schools if they don't get into a T15 bc they're cheaper.

How is being full pay at an international school cheaper than taking a full ride at an American school?

That's the point. OP said they were looking into international schools because they're cheaper. OP didn't say they would refuse a free ride at an American school if available. Feel free to offer OP a scholarship if the idea of people seeking cheaper good options in other countries offends you so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would like DD to consider European or Canadian universities if she is not admitted to a T15 in U.S.. I believe she has the stats and a strong chance of admission to some international schools. Studying abroad would be an amazing experience for her and could also offer a significantly more affordable education. She could then use the remaining funds for graduate school in the U.S., which is a path she is likely to pursue. However, she is adamant about staying in the U.S. How do I encourage her to seriously consider international schools?

Take a trip this summer and visit some options. When we went to Montreal for a vacation, we stopped by McGill. Go to Vancouver and check out University of British Columbia. Plenty of choices.

[Anonymous]

There are a few movies about Americans going to British universities. They might break the ice for her.

Not huge culture shock or travel costs for mist Canadian universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like DD to consider European or Canadian universities if she is not admitted to a T15 in U.S.. I believe she has the stats and a strong chance of admission to some international schools. Studying abroad would be an amazing experience for her and could also offer a significantly more affordable education. She could then use the remaining funds for graduate school in the U.S., which is a path she is likely to pursue. However, she is adamant about staying in the U.S. How do I encourage her to seriously consider international schools?

Give her a reasonable budget - say, $160k for her bachelor's degree, and offer a free trip to Canada/UK to visit Canadian/UK unis. When she ends up weighing the affordable Alabama vs St. Andrews, the choice will become clear.

These days $160k won’t cover St. Andrews, McGill, or any of the other schools that are popular with American private school students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a few movies about Americans going to British universities. They might break the ice for her.

Not huge culture shock or travel costs for mist Canadian universities.

We have family members at Canadian universities. There are tons of American students there.

[Anonymous]

As someone who was an international student in college (all 4 years) I can tell you that it was EXTREMELY hard to be completely on my own in a country I knew very little about. Probably one of the hardest things I have ever done and I was completely on board with being here. Cheaper or not, do not do this if she is not in favor of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was an international student in college (all 4 years) I can tell you that it was EXTREMELY hard to be completely on my own in a country I knew very little about. Probably one of the hardest things I have ever done and I was completely on board with being here. Cheaper or not, do not do this if she is not in favor of it.

Being at university and on your own for the first time is hard for most kids. I have American relatives with kids at Canadian universities, and their kids are super happy to be there. Any college pangs of the first year were due to just being at college with a new set of people for the first time, not because it was Canadian.