Reply to How tough exactly are top universities in the UK and Canada relative to U.S. colleges?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I've heard Oxford, Cambridge, University of Toronto, Waterloo are tough academically...classes are large and there is no handholding. Exactly how tough are we talking about in relative terms to American colleges? Going through the college process now for the first time with eldest kid and have no basis for comparison, but we have heard recent graduates from our school who moved on to schools with "tough academics" reputation (U Chicago, Cornell, Princeton, Hopkins, Swarthmore, etc.) come back to say it's not that bad and that Yale, Brown, Wesleyan, etc. are easier than their junior/senior years at our high school. We're at a non-DMV private often ranked in top 40 in the country with our own tough academics reputation.

Asking because both DC (11th and 9th grade) expressed interest to go overseas and we wonder if we should take their wishes seriously, if they could be culture shocked by the lack of support. Before I get flamed, want to add DH and I are both from public schools/working class background and both DCs went to public schools from K through 7th/5th grade with large class sizes and did very well. Both are very independent and self-initiators (never had tutors, self-motivated to do well at school and joined ECs of their own choices, etc.). We are open to them going overseas and be challenged but don't want them to drown. [/quote]

You should spend more time understanding why they want to go to college overseas and ensuring the entire experience aligns.

Outside of Oxford and Cambridge and St. Andrews (which has specifically done tons to attract international students, in particular Americans), many international schools have very significant commuter populations.  This is particularly true for Canadian universities...even Toronto, McGill and Waterloo.  The Canadian schools also don't consider providing room and board as really their issue, though they do provide ala carte options for freshmen.  Most kids live off-campus starting as Sophomores, which again, may be the experience your kids want.

College isn't considered some tremendous "experience", but is more practical and transactional.  Maybe that's what your kids are after...but maybe not.[/quote]

True, but there are a lot of Unis in the UK that do not have the commuter feel. The 3 you mentioned are the obvious ones, but also Durham, Exeter, Warwick, Bath. Obviously the London/Manchester/Birmingham unis will all have their large share of commuters…[b]just like a place like NYU would[/b]. But outside the big centers it is a pretty normal college life.[/quote]

NYU doesn't have many commuters at all.  They may be from the NYC area, but they don't live at home and take the subway or Metro North to school everyday, and then return back to their family home.  They live in dorms or their own apartments.

NYU also has a massive percentage of international students.  I think the highest of any US college.[/quote]

This is true at the London-based universities too. Would caution against using the term “commuter school” which implies kids living at home.[/quote]

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