University Choices in Europe/UK for Liberal Arts

[Anonymous]

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If you want a quality education at a reasonable price most kids are better off going to a UK university.

How much does it cost? When I looked at Cambridge, it seemed like the cost would be about $70k for US students, which isn't exactly a bargain. But it was confusing because you have to add it all up, hoping you're catching it all, and convert it to dollars.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international-students/international-fees-and-costs
Also, how do kids do study abroad at one of these institutions? My son has a friend who went to Cambridge over the summer.

Many US colleges have study abroad agreements with UK schools for a semester or year abroad.

As far as costs for UK schools to include tuition an accommodations with meals here are five:

imperial College - $66K
London School of Economics - $48K
University College London - $40K
University of Edinburgh - $50-60K depending on major
University of St Andrews - $46K

Keep in mind that UK schools might have more scholarships. They might look more expensive on paper than other options but could turn out to have a lower net cost.

That was certainly NOT our experience with Cambridge and Oxford. They want American dollars. That's why these programs exist!

But lower-ranked UK universities do have some merit aid. Maybe not as much as American schools would have, but a lot more than EU schools offer.

Please send links.
I do know the tuition for some of them is automatically lower. So York St. Johns might charge 9500 per year to UK residents and then only 12000-13000 pounds to overseas students, instead of the 19,000-33,000 charged at more competitive universities (higher cost is for medicine)

See, for example:

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/international/fees-and-funding/scholarships/undergraduate

https://leverageedu.com/blog/uk-universities-that-offer-guaranteed-scholarship/

I know someone who has a merit scholarship at a UK school. He has T25 stats and solid activities but didn’t actually get into a T25 school. He’s clearly a catch for the school that landed him but finds the classes at a good level, not too easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If you want a quality education at a reasonable price most kids are better off going to a UK university.

How much does it cost? When I looked at Cambridge, it seemed like the cost would be about $70k for US students, which isn't exactly a bargain. But it was confusing because you have to add it all up, hoping you're catching it all, and convert it to dollars.
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international-students/international-fees-and-costs
Also, how do kids do study abroad at one of these institutions? My son has a friend who went to Cambridge over the summer.

Many US colleges have study abroad agreements with UK schools for a semester or year abroad.

As far as costs for UK schools to include tuition an accommodations with meals here are five:

imperial College - $66K
London School of Economics - $48K
University College London - $40K
University of Edinburgh - $50-60K depending on major
University of St Andrews - $46K

Keep in mind that UK schools might have more scholarships. They might look more expensive on paper than other options but could turn out to have a lower net cost.

That was certainly NOT our experience with Cambridge and Oxford. They want American dollars. That's why these programs exist!

But lower-ranked UK universities do have some merit aid. Maybe not as much as American schools would have, but a lot more than EU schools offer.

Please send links.
I do know the tuition for some of them is automatically lower. So York St. Johns might charge 9500 per year to UK residents and then only 12000-13000 pounds to overseas students, instead of the 19,000-33,000 charged at more competitive universities (higher cost is for medicine)

See, for example:

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/international/fees-and-funding/scholarships/undergraduate

https://leverageedu.com/blog/uk-universities-that-offer-guaranteed-scholarship/

I know someone who has a merit scholarship at a UK school. He has T25 stats and solid activities but didn’t actually get into a T25 school. He’s clearly a catch for the school that landed him but finds the classes at a good level, not too easy.

I followed the link for Sheffield. It literally went around in circles - to graduate scholarships and via country choice, back to that same home page. Not helpful.

[Anonymous]

Make sure you understand the UCAS system as well as the personal statement plus letter of reference. VERY different from the broken US system and ConmanApp.

[Anonymous]

In addition to Oxbridge, I would look at these: UCL, Kings College London, Edinburgh, Durham, St Andrews. Which from this list is best fit will at least vary by which degree (academic major) DC wants.

DC will have to select a specific degree (i.e., which academic department) as part of the application and there is little or no chance to change to a different field.

English and Welsh universities are 3 years for a BS/BA, while Scottish universities are usually 4 years.
Housing in London is expensive and scarce. U of L colleges try to provide housing for the first year students, but after that students need to find housing,

[Anonymous]

NL has several very good universities, but government is moving to mandate more instruction in Dutch. Govt thinks too much instruction is only in English. So look into that aspect, as it is likely to change in the next few years.

[Anonymous]

I went to the University of Edinburgh for my master's degree and had the time of my life. Highly recommend! Edinburgh is just lovely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Help my daughter build her list. She's a 10th grader with a solid 4.1 weighted and AP/Honors classes. Wants to attend for Political Science but her dream career changes regularly. She wants to attend school in Germany or the UK.

I am German citizen and have degrees from major UK (BA) and US (MS) universities + I attended a German university for 1.5 years.

European universities don’t really offer “Liberal Arts” or general college education. You pick a subject/major and work towards your degree starting from semester 1.

Also, the German college experience is subpar. It’s mostly focused on education, zero school spirit, no campus life, etc. Some of the historical college towns might be appealing in the beginning (Heidelberg, Marburg, Tuebingen) but I would only recommend it to exchange students for the experience. Personally, I enjoyed my time in the UK but I feel much more connected to my US alma mater (big state school with bigtime athletics).

[Anonymous]

I hope things have improved at UK universities. I was a grad student at St.Andrews a while back, & the dorm food was pretty bad by US standards.

They apparently hadn’t gotten the memo on fruits and vegetables. The diet was heavy on meat, potatoes, & bread. I developed that malady for which one takes Preparation H. I went to a local doctor there, & she said that the university food caused that sort of unpleasantness in quite a few students (which explained why they didn’t have a rodeo team).

Also, I was my dorm’s representative to the residence hall oversight committee. During the winter the undergrad dorm representatives were pleading for the administration to allow heat in their dorms to be left on at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope things have improved at UK universities. I was a grad student at St.Andrews a while back, & the dorm food was pretty bad by US standards.

They apparently hadn’t gotten the memo on fruits and vegetables. The diet was heavy on meat, potatoes, & bread. I developed that malady for which one takes Preparation H. I went to a local doctor there, & she said that the university food caused that sort of unpleasantness in quite a few students (which explained why they didn’t have a rodeo team).

Also, I was my dorm’s representative to the residence hall oversight committee. During the winter the undergrad dorm representatives were pleading for the administration to allow heat in their dorms to be left on at night.

Things have definitely improved since the 1970s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope things have improved at UK universities. I was a grad student at St.Andrews a while back, & the dorm food was pretty bad by US standards.

They apparently hadn’t gotten the memo on fruits and vegetables. The diet was heavy on meat, potatoes, & bread. I developed that malady for which one takes Preparation H. I went to a local doctor there, & she said that the university food caused that sort of unpleasantness in quite a few students (which explained why they didn’t have a rodeo team).

Also, I was my dorm’s representative to the residence hall oversight committee. During the winter the undergrad dorm representatives were pleading for the administration to allow heat in their dorms to be left on at night.

Things have definitely improved since the 1970s.

Lived in St Andrews dorms recently. Food was fine, certainly got the job done, and it accommodated vegans, food allergies, and other dietary requirements. There were homemade entrees and side dishes, with meat and vegan options, and then an array of fresh fruit and veg, a salad bar, coffee and drink machines, at every meal. It's not an insane ultra-luxury US college dining hall, but that type of amenity is unnecessary and is part of why college is so expensive in the USA.

The dorms (or "halls" as they're called in the UK) were adequately heated, had nice finishes, and common areas regularly cleaned, room carpets vacuumed by the cleaning staff. A good number of private shower and toilet cubicles—no communal—and each dorm room had a sink for brushing teeth. Some halls at St Andrews have ensuite bathrooms.

No RAs, no frills really, but a small budget given to each hall's committee, an elected body which plans events for the hall. They used this for parties, events, and provision of snacks and alcohol on occasion. The halls at St Andrews have a great community spirit, and even though most students move out after first year, they'll feel a sense of loyalty and connection to their hall. Unfortunately, some of the more newly-built halls (DRA) are worse in the sense of community aspect—their design doesn't foster it in the way that older or better-designed halls do. I hope the University looks to the likes of St Sallies, St Regs, Uni Hall, etc. when looking for models to base further dorm construction projects off of.