Which University?

Barcode

You do realise it's more likely to be forty thousand a YEAR. Tuition fees are much, much, much more expensive than over here. At least if you want to go to a reasonably good university (and let's face it, not all universities are equal).

You will also have to take the SAT. Yes, it seems easy, but make sure you are familiar with the format. It's a multiple question test, consisting of a verbal and maths section. Nothing terribly taxing, but if you don't fill in the circles correctly, you'll screw up. It's scored by a computer and not a human being. I think the whole thing is idiotic, but you will almost certainly have to take it, and score around 1300 plus if you're going after somewhere decent.

Then there is emphasis on extra-curricular activities. As if we don't have enough to do whilst studying. Nonetheless, I suggest you list just about anything you have been involved in - it will help.

Good luck.

Midas

Barcode wrote:

You do realise it's more likely to be forty thousand a YEAR. Tuition fees are much, much, much more expensive than over here. At least if you want to go to a reasonably good university (and let's face it, not all universities are equal).

Conversely, grants and bursaries can also be much more generous, particularly at the best American universities. However, these are generally allocated according to ability, so you need to be amongst the brightest and best.

melancholly

Barcode wrote:

You do realise it's more likely to be forty thousand a YEAR. Tuition fees are much, much, much more expensive than over here. At least if you want to go to a reasonably good university (and let's face it, not all universities are equal).

barcode has it spot on here - i pulled these figures from the yale website:
The Estimated Cost of Attendance
Tuition and fees: $31,460
Room and Board: $9,540
Books and personal expenses: $2,700
Cost for one academic year: $43,700

and don't forget that they all seem to ask you to pay a fee to process your application (between $50 and $70 dollars), and for the SAT tests- it's not a lot, but if you have to spend $300 before you get there, it's good to know about it.

matty_c608 - i think you need to do quite a bit more research about this and then consider it and you still haven't told us what subject you want to do?! If you want to do it, it's going to take some effort, and you'll want to check the timetable for getting everything done at whichever university you pick. on average, about 1 in 3 people who apply to cambridge get an offer - at somewhere like yale it's 1 in 15 and at harvard it's 1 in 10..............

i'm not trying to put you off, i just think you should realise that to get into a 'good' american university (and like barcode said, not all universities are equal - and for $40,000 a year I'm guessing you want somewhere that's well regarded!) is a challenge. i really wish you the best of luck with, but it sounds like you need to find out more about it before deciding what to do.

matty_c608

The University I plan on attending is definately $10,100 per year (8 Months Work, 4 Months Summer and Term Breaks). That includes Tuition, Materials, Board, Food Plan (All Meals), Med Insurance - That's something i've researched!!

Still in the process of researching definately. And I'm really grateful to everyones comments, suggestions and information! If I haven't made a specific response to your comment (there's many!!), please still realised that its meant something and helped me out!!

Thanks again

Matt.

Lord_Chris

always a good guide as to how highly a university (in the uk anyway) will be regarded by UK employers, is when looking at courses in the prospectuses, take a look at the entry requirements if you need all A grade A levels, you know its going to be highly regarded.

I.E i want to do something physics related at uni, so i needed to decide roughly what, so i could make good choices with my a level courses, and when i looked at university of kent... forget about it, the entry requirements are like BCC, while others are much higher, so are going to look far better on your CV.

With american universities, remember that most americans have their higher education heavily subsidised; however, will their foreign policy be the same as our uni's, in that we charge foreign students coming here much more than the the £3000 tuition fees, in which case you need to be rich

misskool

Lord_Chris wrote:

With american universities, remember that most americans have their higher education heavily subsidised; however, will their foreign policy be the same as our uni's, in that we charge foreign students coming here much more than the the £3000 tuition fees, in which case you need to be rich

They have in-state tuition and out-of-state tuition. If you are resident, you pay the cheaper one. Out of state tuition (fees) is paid by everyone else, international or american.

One thing to bear in mind about cost, estimates vary widely and dependent on what degree you intend on doing, you can also get a part time job. Student visas are easy to get and if you do a degree in the states, you're allowed leeway of six months to try and look for a job to convert your student visa to a work visa (if you enjoyed it so much and don't want to go back!)

If you think you may be interested in doing a postgrad, I would recommend doing a degree here and then a postgrad there, if nothing else due to the fact that most american universities will have fully funded postgrad places.

Again, the type of degree you are doing and where you're planning to do it will help. Perhaps if you give us an idea of what you're thinking of doing?

And on a side-note, remember most students take their degrees in 4 years but you have to realise that they pick what classes they want so they choose their major, you have to register for classes early (they do get full up!) and you have to decide early. It does seem like a better system but it is easy to get lost in it. You do get more of a rounded education if you choose to do it.

Good luck in deciding!

headintheclouds

Have you been to see a Careers advisor? I think it could be well worth your time and effort to talk to someone who has a bigger picture. Your school/college/Local Authority should be able to put you in touch with someone and they will be able to point you in the direction of specialist help that could make your decisions a lot easier.

Whatever you do, don't make the decision lightly. It's a huge investment, financially and personally. Look at all the details of the courses you are thinking about. If you don't enjoy what you're studying you're more likely to drop out and that would be the worst situation, wherever you end up.

Seems to me you need to have the big picture, weigh up all the pros and cons of courses and institutions and then decide where to apply. I'd also reiterate what others have said about courses in the UK that enable you to spend a year abroad, or Post-Grad opportunities in the USA. Could be the best of both worlds.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

cupid_s

In general degrees from UK unis are held with more regard than those from Us universities. If you go to the top ones in the US this may be different but I imagine those are the ones charging the 30000 a year tuition fees, like melanchollys break down of costs at yale.

But as already said the type of degree you do matters immensely. I did a science degree and to be honest if i had known then what i know now i'd never have bothered going to uni in the first place!

matty_c608

What do you know now, that you did not know then, then?

Gem_

Is it a 'state' university that you are looking at? They are usually the only ones with fees as low as $10,000! State universities are the equivalent of our polytechnics ... if you are interested in making an impact with employers then you have to think about the reputation of the university.

There are also lots of weird things about studying in the USA, such as the fact you need to have proof that you have $10,000 in a bank account - i.e. that you could support yourself financially. My parents transferred $10,000 into my bank account for one month so that I would have the bank statement to show them.


Good Luck with your decision.

Gem