I was living in Germany at the time I was considering going to college. And I had to decide if I wanted to stay in Germany or go back to the states. I loved Germany very much and all my friends and my Fussball club and all of that. But ultimately I couldn't study how I wanted to study in Germany. In Germany, Music is only in the Conservatory (Musik Hochschule) and I wanted to do both Music and Academics (Universität). So I had to go back to the states where I ultimately double majored in German Studies (Germanistik) and Composition (Komposition). I couldn't do that in the German education system.TheAmazingHobo said:
how do American and British universities compare?
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Well if you are looking at differences in tuition an internet search could help you find that. The thing about American colleges is that they are probably the only part of our education system that is not broken. It is actually very good. If you are looking for quality of education the top colleges in the US will be about the same as the ones in the UK, but there are more in the US. Oxford and Cambridge are the UK ones that come to mind in the US you have Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Cal Tech, etc. You get the idea the top tier schools are equal. If you go down I have gotten the impression from reading things on this subject that after the top tier America's schools are better. Though I could be wrong.
I'm in the same boat as you, so I'll say this:
America, regardless of the tremendous price-hikes in Britain, is still much more expensive for you to apply to, especially if you're foreign, as there is another hefty price hike for foreigners studying in America (I'm assuming you're British). Living costs are also pretty high.
British Unis are pretty much the 2nd most expensive anyway, however across Europe (again, assuming you are British, or at least an EU national) the fees are MASSIVELY lower -- in the Scandinavian countries generally, they actively seek english speaking students, and in most of Europe the highest fees you'll see are 3k whilst most unis charge between 1.5K and nothing. As in, literally, nothing.
Britain has a great deal of choice given the number of VIABLE universities you can go to, given the compact size of the country compared to the rather ridiculous number of universities within it -- there are 43 within London alone, and hundreds of others besides -- there are more per head than in anywhere else in the world.
As for the actual education: In America, the education is fairly broad -- you don't even decide your major until later after your first year -- it actually has a broader range of required subjects than even A-level in Britain.
Britain on the other hand is MUCH more focused -- you choose a subject and you study it for 3-4 years. You become much more specialised in Britain, whether that is a good or bad thing. Europe is somewhere in the middle, generally erring on the US-style side of things.
Admissions: Competition in Britain is bad, much worse than in anywhere else in Europe, however it pales in comparison to the US if you are a foreign student -- there is only the slightest chance you will get into an American uni because there is already massive competition and the line taken (understandably)on these things is that American citizens are a priority.
A word on Europe: Although France, Italy and Spain tend to teach only in their languages, Germany, Scandinavia and (especially) the Netherlands offer many courses in English, and especially in Scandinavia it is very easy to get by with minimal language skills -- almost everyone there knows English.
My thesis: Forget America, take a look at Europe just in case but you'll probably end up studying in Britain. Remember that you can apply for as many foreign universities as you want (though you have to pay around £20 per uni, but when the alternative is 9k a year, money is no object I think you'll agree
)
America, regardless of the tremendous price-hikes in Britain, is still much more expensive for you to apply to, especially if you're foreign, as there is another hefty price hike for foreigners studying in America (I'm assuming you're British). Living costs are also pretty high.
British Unis are pretty much the 2nd most expensive anyway, however across Europe (again, assuming you are British, or at least an EU national) the fees are MASSIVELY lower -- in the Scandinavian countries generally, they actively seek english speaking students, and in most of Europe the highest fees you'll see are 3k whilst most unis charge between 1.5K and nothing. As in, literally, nothing.
Britain has a great deal of choice given the number of VIABLE universities you can go to, given the compact size of the country compared to the rather ridiculous number of universities within it -- there are 43 within London alone, and hundreds of others besides -- there are more per head than in anywhere else in the world.
As for the actual education: In America, the education is fairly broad -- you don't even decide your major until later after your first year -- it actually has a broader range of required subjects than even A-level in Britain.
Britain on the other hand is MUCH more focused -- you choose a subject and you study it for 3-4 years. You become much more specialised in Britain, whether that is a good or bad thing. Europe is somewhere in the middle, generally erring on the US-style side of things.
Admissions: Competition in Britain is bad, much worse than in anywhere else in Europe, however it pales in comparison to the US if you are a foreign student -- there is only the slightest chance you will get into an American uni because there is already massive competition and the line taken (understandably)on these things is that American citizens are a priority.
A word on Europe: Although France, Italy and Spain tend to teach only in their languages, Germany, Scandinavia and (especially) the Netherlands offer many courses in English, and especially in Scandinavia it is very easy to get by with minimal language skills -- almost everyone there knows English.
My thesis: Forget America, take a look at Europe just in case but you'll probably end up studying in Britain. Remember that you can apply for as many foreign universities as you want (though you have to pay around £20 per uni, but when the alternative is 9k a year, money is no object I think you'll agree
)