Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I also do not understand the uncertainty. He is getting a specialized degree without obligatory basketweaving courses in 3 years for a reasonable sum of money. Congratulations!

FWIW, once you pay for everything, it's not a lot cheaper than a US private. But 3 years instead of 4 is a big plus.

Just saying bcs a lot of people look at tuition dollars and that doesn't tell the whole story.

but there are hiring concerns back here in the states. Because the course of study is so precise in UK schools, the question then becomes can what they "read" for at Oxbridge actually translate to a job back in the USA?

I wouldn't worry about that. There are far more people in the world who don't know "Santa Clara" or "Haverford" or, heck, "Williams" and they live to tell the tale. HR knows Oxford.

I know a few recent grads who do quite well working for American companies in London and then arbitrage that experience with a higher role in the US in same company. It's easier to be an American who has a visa to get a job working at Goldman or Microsoft than it is for their American sibling to get that same job at that same company here in US

I would. British universities are only 3 years and it is "reading" only one topic. It's very different from the US system and US employers know this.

You don’t have to put reading in quotes.

Employers aren’t favoring grads who have the widest possible education.

They want engineers with a lot of engineering. Chemists with a lot of chemistry. This so why co-ops are favored now if you want a job. There’s a reason Waterloo grads are the most recruited in SV

Yes, they do because most people reading here have no idea what the british system is like. You "read" in a particular subject. If you pick obscure middle-kingdom Mandarin, then yes you will have problems getting a job out. You read only in that subject. If, similarly, you read in "English", what are you going to do with three years of that back in the states? and there are not recruiters hanging around campus anxious to hire you as there are in the US - Dad of Oxford undergrad

You don’t “read in” anything, you just “read” it. But you don’t need to keep writing it either, you can just say you studied it. I went to Cambridge and while “read” may be the official language, no one actually says that. Everyone understands that in UK universities you study just your subject (some subjects are broader and include more, like PPE). Is that the point that you are trying to make by writing “read” in every post?

Well, my kid is currently at Oxford and they do ask "what are you reading" there.

but we are not there. stop with the reading.

Stop splitting hairs over something you know nothing about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The specific college is what matters. Some colleges are technically at Oxford/Cambridge but are decidedly unoxbridge. Unlike in the US, you can only use the resources at your college. So instead of having a grand all-uni library, some colleges have gothic cathedral libraries and some have libraries with aluminum shelves and moldy carpet.

That’s nonsense. The quality of education is the same (or just as variable, since it depends on the tutors you get). You seem to be talking about whether it’s more of a Brideshead Revisited experience, which presumably is not why OP’s child applied.

+1 There's a bit of snobbery about the older, more elite colleges, but every student will get a full dose of the Oxbridge experience.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also do not understand the uncertainty. He is getting a specialized degree without obligatory basketweaving courses in 3 years for a reasonable sum of money. Congratulations!

FWIW, once you pay for everything, it's not a lot cheaper than a US private. But 3 years instead of 4 is a big plus.

Just saying bcs a lot of people look at tuition dollars and that doesn't tell the whole story.

but there are hiring concerns back here in the states. Because the course of study is so precise in UK schools, the question then becomes can what they "read" for at Oxbridge actually translate to a job back in the USA?

I wouldn't worry about that. There are far more people in the world who don't know "Santa Clara" or "Haverford" or, heck, "Williams" and they live to tell the tale. HR knows Oxford.

I know a few recent grads who do quite well working for American companies in London and then arbitrage that experience with a higher role in the US in same company. It's easier to be an American who has a visa to get a job working at Goldman or Microsoft than it is for their American sibling to get that same job at that same company here in US

I would. British universities are only 3 years and it is "reading" only one topic. It's very different from the US system and US employers know this.

You don’t have to put reading in quotes.

Employers aren’t favoring grads who have the widest possible education.

They want engineers with a lot of engineering. Chemists with a lot of chemistry. This so why co-ops are favored now if you want a job. There’s a reason Waterloo grads are the most recruited in SV

Yes, they do because most people reading here have no idea what the british system is like. You "read" in a particular subject. If you pick obscure middle-kingdom Mandarin, then yes you will have problems getting a job out. You read only in that subject. If, similarly, you read in "English", what are you going to do with three years of that back in the states? and there are not recruiters hanging around campus anxious to hire you as there are in the US - Dad of Oxford undergrad

You don’t “read in” anything, you just “read” it. But you don’t need to keep writing it either, you can just say you studied it. I went to Cambridge and while “read” may be the official language, no one actually says that. Everyone understands that in UK universities you study just your subject (some subjects are broader and include more, like PPE). Is that the point that you are trying to make by writing “read” in every post?

Well, my kid is currently at Oxford and they do ask "what are you reading" there.

but we are not there. stop with the reading.

For the right student, this can be a great way to get a top-quality international educational experience. One can always get a masters/phd after that in the US system (which is generally stronger at the grad school level).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to put English in quotes.

We can tell when people chime in on topics they know nothing about.

And there were recruiters in the 90s when I was there. And there are recruiters there today. - Oxford grad. (I think you’re the dad who posts a lot, with a kid who has stayed in school. That’s not the only option.)

My DS is at Oxford, AMA

What area of study? How do you rate Oxford relative to top us univs?

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also do not understand the uncertainty. He is getting a specialized degree without obligatory basketweaving courses in 3 years for a reasonable sum of money. Congratulations!

FWIW, once you pay for everything, it's not a lot cheaper than a US private. But 3 years instead of 4 is a big plus.

Just saying bcs a lot of people look at tuition dollars and that doesn't tell the whole story.

but there are hiring concerns back here in the states. Because the course of study is so precise in UK schools, the question then becomes can what they "read" for at Oxbridge actually translate to a job back in the USA?

I wouldn't worry about that. There are far more people in the world who don't know "Santa Clara" or "Haverford" or, heck, "Williams" and they live to tell the tale. HR knows Oxford.

I know a few recent grads who do quite well working for American companies in London and then arbitrage that experience with a higher role in the US in same company. It's easier to be an American who has a visa to get a job working at Goldman or Microsoft than it is for their American sibling to get that same job at that same company here in US

I would. British universities are only 3 years and it is "reading" only one topic. It's very different from the US system and US employers know this.

US employers love GB and Trinity graduates. At my dc’s mega unicorn there are about 40 people just from their uni, including CIO. The world is bigger than the US.

and yet most companies in the US hire from the 4,000-5,000 universities we have . . . because they know what they are getting. There are no career fairs at Oxford

As a person who has lived in Asia for last 11 years, you are ignorant

For math, physics, biology etc, Cambridge and Oxford are crazy good. Better than comparable top 3 alternatives in the us. The individual connection with tutors is what makes all the difference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any one accepted to serious programs at Oxford
or Cambridge would be silly not to go. The pedagogical difference is real. Oxbridge manages to balance top-notch academics with access to their very best professors in a way that would be simply impossible in most top US Universities.

but you can't change majors; you are in a different country, and you do not have a US college experience (you are basically a full-fledged adult); grades are about a test or two per term, there is very little support; you have to be ready in 3 years (good or bad); you don't get the same networks.

My DC just graduated from Cambridge this past June. Here is a bit about their experiences vis a vis the comments above.

1. Students can and do change majors in a more limited fashion. I would say that the number of people who switch courses would be akin to the number of people who transfer colleges in the US. It's not common, but everyone knows somebody who did it.

Here is an article from Varsity (Cambridge's student newspaper) that describes the process: https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/14723.

Here is a bit from Wikipedia on the tripos system that provides a level of flexibility:

In most traditional English universities, a student registers to study one field exclusively, rather than having "majors" or "minors" as in American, Australian, Canadian, or Scottish universities. In practice, however, most degrees may be fairly interdisciplinary in nature, depending on the subject. The multi-part tripos system at Cambridge also allows substantial changes in field between parts; the Natural Sciences Tripos is especially designed to allow a highly flexible curriculum across the sciences.

2. You definitely do not have a US college experience. My DC initially experienced FOMO, especially when they saw friends from high school doing things like going to football games and rushing fraternities and sororities. However, over time, the FOMO dissipated as they embraced the university's own traditions (which are several given that the school is 800 years old).

3. On a continuum between let's say a hand-holding US SLAC and a hardcore urban school like UCL, the college system places Cambridge somewhere in the middle. DC received a lot of support from their college, both in terms of academics and welfare.

4. Grades are indeed rare and in my DC's case where exams were unmarked the first year and marked but unofficial the second year (due to COVID), everything came down to final year exams in terms of classing their degree. That is stressful and not ideal for all types of students.

5. The network is excellent but obviously geared towards the UK. If you're someone who's not open to the possibility of staying on, it's probably better to stay in the US. My DC decided to take a job in the UK for now. Who knows what the future holds in terms of when, or if, they will return to the US.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any one accepted to serious programs at Oxford
or Cambridge would be silly not to go. The pedagogical difference is real. Oxbridge manages to balance top-notch academics with access to their very best professors in a way that would be simply impossible in most top US Universities.

but you can't change majors; you are in a different country, and you do not have a US college experience (you are basically a full-fledged adult); grades are about a test or two per term, there is very little support; you have to be ready in 3 years (good or bad); you don't get the same networks.

Plenty of kids don’t need hand holding. And want that network

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also do not understand the uncertainty. He is getting a specialized degree without obligatory basketweaving courses in 3 years for a reasonable sum of money. Congratulations!

FWIW, once you pay for everything, it's not a lot cheaper than a US private. But 3 years instead of 4 is a big plus.

Just saying bcs a lot of people look at tuition dollars and that doesn't tell the whole story.

but there are hiring concerns back here in the states. Because the course of study is so precise in UK schools, the question then becomes can what they "read" for at Oxbridge actually translate to a job back in the USA?

I wouldn't worry about that. There are far more people in the world who don't know "Santa Clara" or "Haverford" or, heck, "Williams" and they live to tell the tale. HR knows Oxford.

I know a few recent grads who do quite well working for American companies in London and then arbitrage that experience with a higher role in the US in same company. It's easier to be an American who has a visa to get a job working at Goldman or Microsoft than it is for their American sibling to get that same job at that same company here in US

I would. British universities are only 3 years and it is "reading" only one topic. It's very different from the US system and US employers know this.

US employers love GB and Trinity graduates. At my dc’s mega unicorn there are about 40 people just from their uni, including CIO. The world is bigger than the US.

and yet most companies in the US hire from the 4,000-5,000 universities we have . . . because they know what they are getting. There are no career fairs at Oxford

As a person who has lived in Asia for last 11 years, you are ignorant

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also do not understand the uncertainty. He is getting a specialized degree without obligatory basketweaving courses in 3 years for a reasonable sum of money. Congratulations!

FWIW, once you pay for everything, it's not a lot cheaper than a US private. But 3 years instead of 4 is a big plus.

Just saying bcs a lot of people look at tuition dollars and that doesn't tell the whole story.

but there are hiring concerns back here in the states. Because the course of study is so precise in UK schools, the question then becomes can what they "read" for at Oxbridge actually translate to a job back in the USA?

I wouldn't worry about that. There are far more people in the world who don't know "Santa Clara" or "Haverford" or, heck, "Williams" and they live to tell the tale. HR knows Oxford.

I know a few recent grads who do quite well working for American companies in London and then arbitrage that experience with a higher role in the US in same company. It's easier to be an American who has a visa to get a job working at Goldman or Microsoft than it is for their American sibling to get that same job at that same company here in US

I would. British universities are only 3 years and it is "reading" only one topic. It's very different from the US system and US employers know this.

US employers love GB and Trinity graduates. At my dc’s mega unicorn there are about 40 people just from their uni, including CIO. The world is bigger than the US.

and yet most companies in the US hire from the 4,000-5,000 universities we have . . . because they know what they are getting. There are no career fairs at Oxford

https://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/careers-fairs

Anonymous wrote:Any one accepted to serious programs at Oxford
or Cambridge would be silly not to go. The pedagogical difference is real. Oxbridge manages to balance top-notch academics with access to their very best professors in a way that would be simply impossible in most top US Universities.

but you can't change majors; you are in a different country, and you do not have a US college experience (you are basically a full-fledged adult); grades are about a test or two per term, there is very little support; you have to be ready in 3 years (good or bad); you don't get the same networks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also do not understand the uncertainty. He is getting a specialized degree without obligatory basketweaving courses in 3 years for a reasonable sum of money. Congratulations!

FWIW, once you pay for everything, it's not a lot cheaper than a US private. But 3 years instead of 4 is a big plus.

Just saying bcs a lot of people look at tuition dollars and that doesn't tell the whole story.

but there are hiring concerns back here in the states. Because the course of study is so precise in UK schools, the question then becomes can what they "read" for at Oxbridge actually translate to a job back in the USA?

I wouldn't worry about that. There are far more people in the world who don't know "Santa Clara" or "Haverford" or, heck, "Williams" and they live to tell the tale. HR knows Oxford.

I know a few recent grads who do quite well working for American companies in London and then arbitrage that experience with a higher role in the US in same company. It's easier to be an American who has a visa to get a job working at Goldman or Microsoft than it is for their American sibling to get that same job at that same company here in US

I would. British universities are only 3 years and it is "reading" only one topic. It's very different from the US system and US employers know this.

US employers love GB and Trinity graduates. At my dc’s mega unicorn there are about 40 people just from their uni, including CIO. The world is bigger than the US.

and yet most companies in the US hire from the 4,000-5,000 universities we have . . . because they know what they are getting. There are no career fairs at Oxford

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to put English in quotes.

We can tell when people chime in on topics they know nothing about.

And there were recruiters in the 90s when I was there. And there are recruiters there today. - Oxford grad. (I think you’re the dad who posts a lot, with a kid who has stayed in school. That’s not the only option.)

My DS is at Oxford, AMA

Physics from either one is well recognized globally, including the US.

It will be hard work at either one. Both can be pressure cookers, so stay in touch, visit mid-fall, and provide strong emotional support ti DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know one too but they are deciding between that and a top3 US option.

Which do you think is a better option?

NP. If cash is an issue, it is a no-brainer. If cash is not an issue, it would depend heavily on the specific field of interest and how well the two choices compare. Obvious next-step goals matter.