Anyone considering universities abroad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:European and Canadian universities have different systems as previously noted.

In the UK, students specialize in their final years of what we could consider high school. They also attend for a year longer. A levels prepare students for their final exams, the scores of which determine the universities they can attend. (This is a bit of a simplification, but is essentially the essence of the process.)

As for writing, more time could be invested in instruction. I've known brilliant Cambridge graduates with lousy punctuation in part because much of their university education and assessment is oral.

That said, it is generally difficult for students educated in the U.S. to be able to pass the exams for Oxbridge undergrad. simply because the systems as well as the exams are so different. (Likewise, the SAT tends not to be easy for Brits unless they take prep. courses.) The British system is far more specialized and tends to go much deeper into subject. Exams are also fall less frequent and thus extremely consequential in determining one's fate. As noted, undergrad lasts for three year. The U.S. systems covers a broader range of topics at both the high school and university level with graduate school being the venue for greater specialization.

The exception is Scottish universities as they are also four-year programs. (St. Andrews, Edinborough, etc.)

European universities usually require IB for entrance.

McGill in Canada is also a good option to consider for a cheaper alternative.

When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA - its automatically built in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:European and Canadian universities have different systems as previously noted.

In the UK, students specialize in their final years of what we could consider high school. They also attend for a year longer. A levels prepare students for their final exams, the scores of which determine the universities they can attend. (This is a bit of a simplification, but is essentially the essence of the process.)

As for writing, more time could be invested in instruction. I've known brilliant Cambridge graduates with lousy punctuation in part because much of their university education and assessment is oral.

That said, it is generally difficult for students educated in the U.S. to be able to pass the exams for Oxbridge undergrad. simply because the systems as well as the exams are so different. (Likewise, the SAT tends not to be easy for Brits unless they take prep. courses.) The British system is far more specialized and tends to go much deeper into subject. Exams are also fall less frequent and thus extremely consequential in determining one's fate. As noted, undergrad lasts for three year. The U.S. systems covers a broader range of topics at both the high school and university level with graduate school being the venue for greater specialization.

The exception is Scottish universities as they are also four-year programs. (St. Andrews, Edinborough, etc.)

European universities usually require IB for entrance.

McGill in Canada is also a good option to consider for a cheaper alternative.

When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA - its automatically built in.

MA designation in Scotland does not translate to masters degree. It is an undergrad degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:German here. YOu can't get into a German university with a US high school diploma. You need the Abitur, or at least an IB and German language skills. Or to go to a private university there, which defeats the purpose.

That is false. There are alternative ways to satisfy the requirements, but it is true that you need German in most places, and you probably need some decent grades.

If there is a school of interest, look at their website. There are also yearlong programs for intermediate speakers of German that qualify the participants for admission (at least in Aachen).

[Anonymous]

Look at Waterloo - lots of Silicon Valley recruiting. Very entrepreneurial school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am suspecting that OP was not meaning college in England. There is still tuition there ... and room and board - I am not sure that with the travel costs, there is much savings. Germany has basically no tuition cost, just living cost, and it's more like shared flats, so

But the atmosphere is very different. In some ways good, in other ways perhaps not. Basically, kids in Europe know what they want to specialize in and I have heard the education as going deeper in the chosen subject ... not broadly into various subjects, as at a liberal arts college. So - if you want to be an engineer, it could be great - you won't have to take arts or history credits to graduate and can just focus on the science classes (more like a graduate school in the US). But a student who really doesn't know what they want to major in may not get a chance to get a general education before deciding ... including because another difference is that European universities expect students to guide their own studies. There are not layers of counselors/administrators who look out for the students in the same way as in the US. The students are expected to know the requirements, sign up for the right classes, and generally to figure things out on their own. Similarly, there are typically not school teams, school spirit rallies, fraternities, or even dorms. It really is more like grad school. You need to be prepared to find your own housing, make your own schedule, pay your own living bills, get your own meals, etc.

The good side of this, IMO as a parent, is that there is no school party culture. European college students don't have crazy parties during the school year (though they may go to Mallorca or such on breaks, kind of like Spring Break in the US). But they don't have keg parties, frat parties, or a heavy drinking/drug culture. They all can drink (from about age 16), but the context of drinking is more like going out for a few beers and listening to music or talking. And the prevalent culture around sex is that it is less taboo - so basically once Germans are university age, it's not something they are not familiar with. As a result, I would say that what does not happen in Germany is there are not a lot of students who suddenly feel free and overact as a result.

The downside as someone who once was not a parent -- there's no school culture. You will learn and work hard. You should probably be pretty fluent in German. You might have a hard time making friends. You won't get the US college experience of forever and always wearing Duke blue or what have you ...

Just a really different kind of experience. Probably only a very mature US high school student is capable of making this decision...

http://www.dw.com/en/10-things-to-know-before-studying-in-germany/a-18210563

https://redditblog.com/2016/02/16/is-germanys-free-college-education-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/

Ummmm..... this is probably different in different countries, but I went to college in Ireland and this is definitely NOT the case there. And, given the drinking age, every person I knew went clubbing nearly every Thursday night.

+1 - I did semester abroad in London and visited many college campuses during my time there - heavy drinking with pubs on campus - and the drinking age is 18 so... yeah. Don't send them to U.K. because you think its going to be less of a party - that's on the kid, not the college.

[Anonymous]

My son went to visit Cambridge University particular Kings college, trinity and trinity hall.
He is thinking to apply as a foreign student next year. The pros: Cheap compared to "any" us college considering that a BA take 3 years. Cons: weather, long distance travel, food, etc.
He is also applying to CAL, MIT, Harvard and Yale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:European and Canadian universities have different systems as previously noted.

In the UK, students specialize in their final years of what we could consider high school. They also attend for a year longer. A levels prepare students for their final exams, the scores of which determine the universities they can attend. (This is a bit of a simplification, but is essentially the essence of the process.)

As for writing, more time could be invested in instruction. I've known brilliant Cambridge graduates with lousy punctuation in part because much of their university education and assessment is oral.

That said, it is generally difficult for students educated in the U.S. to be able to pass the exams for Oxbridge undergrad. simply because the systems as well as the exams are so different. (Likewise, the SAT tends not to be easy for Brits unless they take prep. courses.) The British system is far more specialized and tends to go much deeper into subject. Exams are also fall less frequent and thus extremely consequential in determining one's fate. As noted, undergrad lasts for three year. The U.S. systems covers a broader range of topics at both the high school and university level with graduate school being the venue for greater specialization.

The exception is Scottish universities as they are also four-year programs. (St. Andrews, Edinborough, etc.)

European universities usually require IB for entrance.

McGill in Canada is also a good option to consider for a cheaper alternative.

When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA - its automatically built in.

MA designation in Scotland does not translate to masters degree. It is an undergrad degree.

Wrong. A Masters is a masters. End.of.story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:European and Canadian universities have different systems as previously noted.

In the UK, students specialize in their final years of what we could consider high school. They also attend for a year longer. A levels prepare students for their final exams, the scores of which determine the universities they can attend. (This is a bit of a simplification, but is essentially the essence of the process.)

As for writing, more time could be invested in instruction. I've known brilliant Cambridge graduates with lousy punctuation in part because much of their university education and assessment is oral.

That said, it is generally difficult for students educated in the U.S. to be able to pass the exams for Oxbridge undergrad. simply because the systems as well as the exams are so different. (Likewise, the SAT tends not to be easy for Brits unless they take prep. courses.) The British system is far more specialized and tends to go much deeper into subject. Exams are also fall less frequent and thus extremely consequential in determining one's fate. As noted, undergrad lasts for three year. The U.S. systems covers a broader range of topics at both the high school and university level with graduate school being the venue for greater specialization.

The exception is Scottish universities as they are also four-year programs. (St. Andrews, Edinborough, etc.)

European universities usually require IB for entrance.

McGill in Canada is also a good option to consider for a cheaper alternative.

When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA - its automatically built in.

MA designation in Scotland does not translate to masters degree. It is an undergrad degree.

Wrong. A Masters is a masters. End.of.story.

"Master of Arts (MA)
Most of our Master of Arts (MA) awards are undergraduate awards given to students who have completed an undergraduate programme in a humanities-related subject"

http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate/degree-guide/define-masters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many foreign schools are eligible. Here's a list that the federal Department of Education has deemed eligible:

http://www.savingforcollege.com/eligible_institutions/index.php?federal_school_code=&school=&state=FC&year=2017-2018&order_by=school&go=Submit&mode=search

DP.. thanks for that website.

we are thinking of having our kids go to the UK for college. The *only* downside I can see is that if they wanted to come back to the US to get a job right out of college, it would be harder because they don't have the alumni network or college job fairs they could use. Other than that, I think it makes a lot of sense both financially and academically since in the UK most degrees only take three years with no wasted time on GE courses plus a one year internship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:European and Canadian universities have different systems as previously noted.

In the UK, students specialize in their final years of what we could consider high school. They also attend for a year longer. A levels prepare students for their final exams, the scores of which determine the universities they can attend. (This is a bit of a simplification, but is essentially the essence of the process.)

As for writing, more time could be invested in instruction. I've known brilliant Cambridge graduates with lousy punctuation in part because much of their university education and assessment is oral.

That said, it is generally difficult for students educated in the U.S. to be able to pass the exams for Oxbridge undergrad. simply because the systems as well as the exams are so different. (Likewise, the SAT tends not to be easy for Brits unless they take prep. courses.) The British system is far more specialized and tends to go much deeper into subject. Exams are also fall less frequent and thus extremely consequential in determining one's fate. As noted, undergrad lasts for three year. The U.S. systems covers a broader range of topics at both the high school and university level with graduate school being the venue for greater specialization.

The exception is Scottish universities as they are also four-year programs. (St. Andrews, Edinborough, etc.)

European universities usually require IB for entrance.

McGill in Canada is also a good option to consider for a cheaper alternative.

When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA - its automatically built in.

MA designation in Scotland does not translate to masters degree. It is an undergrad degree.

Good enough for LinkedIn profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:European and Canadian universities have different systems as previously noted.

In the UK, students specialize in their final years of what we could consider high school. They also attend for a year longer. A levels prepare students for their final exams, the scores of which determine the universities they can attend. (This is a bit of a simplification, but is essentially the essence of the process.)

As for writing, more time could be invested in instruction. I've known brilliant Cambridge graduates with lousy punctuation in part because much of their university education and assessment is oral.

That said, it is generally difficult for students educated in the U.S. to be able to pass the exams for Oxbridge undergrad. simply because the systems as well as the exams are so different. (Likewise, the SAT tends not to be easy for Brits unless they take prep. courses.) The British system is far more specialized and tends to go much deeper into subject. Exams are also fall less frequent and thus extremely consequential in determining one's fate. As noted, undergrad lasts for three year. The U.S. systems covers a broader range of topics at both the high school and university level with graduate school being the venue for greater specialization.

The exception is Scottish universities as they are also four-year programs. (St. Andrews, Edinborough, etc.)

European universities usually require IB for entrance.

McGill in Canada is also a good option to consider for a cheaper alternative.

When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA - its automatically built in.

MA designation in Scotland does not translate to masters degree. It is an undergrad degree.

Good enough for LinkedIn profile.

Except then you look like a liar liar pants on fire as soon as any halfway intelligent employer or recruiter googles to understand what a Scottish MA means. Then you've blown it because if you've exaggerated your educational accomplishments, what else have you exaggerated?