For the sake of my parents, I’m currently assuming that I will, after graduating and taking a year or two off, go to college. Somewhere. I’m looking at some schools not only in the US, but in Canada and the UK. Two things have recently made me stop and pause:
I seem to be the only one doing this. I know that if I go to a school in the US, I’ll do at least a year studying abroad somewhere (a study-abroad program is a MUST in my search). But of all my friends, I’m the only one who’s not limiting themselves to the US. As far as I’ve seen so far, a lot of non-US colleges/universities seem to offer the same types of programs and be less expensive. Am I just some freak of nature for doing this, or is it in fact a heard-of occurance? Anyone have any advice as to whether or not it’s advisable to look at schools overseas or not?
(Stupid question, really). One of the schools I’m looking at can be found here: http://www.aber.ac.uk/ (Well, the webpage can.) The school is in Wales. It looks like a cool school, I’d probably end up going into international politics, English, or law if I went there. Only I feel really ridiculous adding this school to my list, because I can’t pronounce the name. I’ve got the “University of Wales” part down fine, thank you. It’s just the “Aberystwyth” part that gets me. I can only imagine it’s pronounced “A-berry-sit-with”, probably completely wrong. And it’s really, really embarrasing when your guidance counselor asks about what colleges you’re looking at, and one of your responses is “University of Wales, somewhere. Can’t tell you where.” :rolleyes:
May I recommend Quuen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada where I went to school
They have a program where you can also study for a year in a Scottish Castle…
Study abroad is cool but do it as part of an American university. Unless you get into Oxford or something, the foreign school doesn’t go as far as the American school with American companies.
Education is NOT just to be able to get a good job. Education is a life-affirming, life-altering experience to be embraced and drunk deeply without thought of gain or glory! College more than any other time should be savored like a fine meal and good sex! Yes, there is and should be a practical aspect to education–to help you develop of an individual and as a member of humanity. Education is not just so you can work at a Fortune 500 company and brag about how many cars you own at class reunions!!! Decisions about education should therefore not be made on the basis of how much money you can get out of it, but on the basis of how this particular educational experience is going to affect your whole life. If you get a good education–one that challenges you as a whole person–then you will end up with a job that you can love and be proud of having. <end of slight hijack>
Go for it, NinjaChick, dare to find the education you deserve!
i pronounce Aberystwyth as abber-ist-with, but since i’m not welsh, i’m not 100% sure.
good british unis are plentiful, and many have very good international reputations.
Oxbridge are obviously top in many subjects, but St Andrews, Durham, Bristol, Newcastle, Edinburgh, UL and the London School of Economics are pretty well-known.
UCD and Trinity College in Dublin are also well known abroad.
Trinity especially has strong ties with the states, and has several American students in all faculties, my own medicine class of 120 has 15 Americans and Canadians.
do you realise that in the UK you can’t mix and match classes the way you do in the US?
courses have mandated lectures related to the subject, and everyone doing that course will go to those lectures.
more specialisation earlier on in other words.
Look…if you want to be some liberal arts major and live in relative poverty, burdened by school loans for the rest of your life, by all means go ahead. The fact is that you will need a job doing SOMETHING when you graduate and the better the school you go to, the better your chances of doing what you want to do, whatever that may be.
Aberystwyth (“abber-ist-with”) has a strong program in International Relations, so you would do well applying there. Oxford’s program in politics (called Politics, Philosophy and Economics [PPE for short]) is certainly better than Cambridge’s, IMHO. Look at Edinburgh too.
As for study abroad programs, don’t let it be as important a factor as you’ve made it. While I’m yet to have a friend who’s not enjoyed their study abroad experience, it can’t in any way be equated with really living somewhere. What I’d look into, if I had the chance to re-do things and had taken a year off after high school, would be to work overseas somewhere for a bit. Search around for companies that facilitate the paperwork for this. You’re taking a unconventional path by taking a couple years off, which offers a wonderful opportunity to do something really interesting.
I was a liberal arts major (philosophy no less), and now have a JD and a very successful and profitable practice in labor law (a job I love). I own my house, contribute to my retirement fund, can afford to go the the theatre, buy gifts for my familiy and friends and eat out whenever the mood takes me, and consider what student loans I have as well worth it. Getting a good education (under my terms) and success (even in you narrow financial terms) is not difficult at all.
If you want to hedge your bets and study somewhat abroad without going overseas or someplace you can get back from easily should the world situation deteriate so badly that it become a concern (holy run-on sentence, Batman!), Canada might be a good compromise. Not that Canadian Universities are anything but world-class, of course.
Hey I was an engineering major AND an MBA. I am an unemployed management consultant formarly with a big-4 firm and now make $405 a week off unemployment. I still manage to pay for a studio appartment in NYC that costs more than most peoples mortagage while going out every other night. So whats your point?
How successful would you be if you never went to law school?
And now what’s your point? Going to an American school in a non-arts program didn’t seem to help you stay out of the dole line.
Ninjachick, take every opportunity you can to go someplace new. And study whatever you damn well please, because chances are if you don’t enjoy what you’re studying, you won’t apply yourself as assiduously as you would if you did, and therefore not live up to your full potential.
[shameless plug] There are a number of internationally respected universities in Canada, and Montreal especially. No one sneers at McGill university when it comes to science programs, and Concordia or Queens for the arts. [/shameless plug]
Just to let you know, I know a whole BUNCH of people who planned that “one or two years off” thing, and then never went to school.
As much of a pain as it is, the best thing for you to do would probably be to get into college as soon as possible.
As for going to school overseas or somewhere like that, just make sure your passport and all necessary paperwork is already pre-filled out, in case you get accepted. Wouldn’t it suck to get accepted to Oxford or University of Wales Welshplace and then not get to go because you’re waiting months for paperwork to process?
I say go for it. It obviously means quite a lot to you to experience education abroad. Why not?
My BA was earned from CSU Chico via satellite and now that I live in England my master’s or any other degree will be from here.
Nottingham University http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ has several programs that you may find interesting. It has quite a few American and Japanese students and seems to have a very good reputation for science based studies.
There is also something interesting called the American University in London http://www.aul.edu/ that offers US style educational opportunities.
As irishgirl mentioned, the course structure is more rigid than in the US. Give a good think about what degree you are interested in so you don’t end up spending a year(s) chasing your educational tail.
Good luck in your studies, whichever way you choose.
Hey Ninjagirl, if you are considering coming to the U.K. for your degree then might I recommend the oft-overlooked but excellent University of Warwick…apart from it’s very good reputation, my international student friends all think it’s great and by the looks of it they get taken care of by the University very well, with lots of time and effort put into making sure everyone settles in nicely
Lots of American and Canadian students, indeed it seems to have a very ‘international’ feel, or maybe that’s just because I’m from a very uninternational place…
