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Oxbridge vs. Ivy League
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SlyPie
If I had applied and got into either Ox/Cam and had applied and accepted to Harvard, I'd pick the latter. All three are excellent institutions, but Harvard is just, well, Haaavard, as my poli sci teacher put it.
I think it would be more of an achievement as an international student to get into Harvard than to get into Oxbridge. That said, I think the average quality of student at Oxbridge is probably higher than at Harvard, because
1. Harvard don't judge on academic merit alone; Oxbridge do.
2. The British school education system is better than the American system.
If I were applying for a normal subject, rather than training to be a doctor, I'm not honestly sure where I would prefer to go. Does Harvard have a better brand than Oxbridge? I suspect it varies from place to place. Definitely for postgrad I would choose Harvard over Oxbridge, though, and I suppose from that point of view it would be cooler to go to Oxbridge for undergrad so you can have the experience of both. Also, in America you wouldn't be able to drink while you're under 21, so I think a better time is to be had as an Oxbridge student.
sbailey
Definitely for postgrad I would choose Harvard over Oxbridge, though, and I suppose from that point of view it would be cooler to go to Oxbridge for undergrad so you can have the experience of both. Also, in America you wouldn't be able to drink while you're under 21, so I think a better time is to be had as an Oxbridge student.
I used to think that too, up until I started my Masters I thought I'd apply to the States for PhD but now I'm seriously reconsidering it...Yes, the States are better because if you get accepted they provide full funding and they probably have more money to put into research (and I love the States!), but...it's 5 to 6 years to get a PhD! And quantity doesn't necessarily mean quality...I don't think that, after spending 4 years in uni studying my subject in great depth I'd like to spend 2 or 3 years taking more courses and exams etc. I mean, it's a great system if you come from a liberal arts education, but for us I'm not so sure...I feel like it would be a bit of a waste of time. That said, I might change my mind again in a few months time, but well...
kalen
I used to think that too, up until I started my Masters I thought I'd apply to the States for PhD but now I'm seriously reconsidering it...Yes, the States are better because if you get accepted they provide full funding and they probably have more money to put into research (and I love the States!), but...it's 5 to 6 years to get a PhD! And quantity doesn't necessarily mean quality...I don't think that, after spending 4 years in uni studying my subject in great depth I'd like to spend 2 or 3 years taking more courses and exams etc. I mean, it's a great system if you come from a liberal arts education, but for us I'm not so sure...I feel like it would be a bit of a waste of time. That said, I might change my mind again in a few months time, but well...
I didn't realise their PhDs take longer. Puts a different spin on things!!
Typical MA (if fully paying or on fellowship) 1 year, depending on the subject. Typical PhD, four years total (including the MA-level coursework, additional coursework/independent study, and dissertation). For graduate school, if you have to get a teaching or research assistantship, the time to completion will lengthen somewhat, but your tuition is free and you get a stipend.
Law School, 3 years. Medical School 4 years (followed by residencies), MD/PhD 5 years (note: there is more financial aid available for the dual degree).
Law School, 3 years. Medical School 4 years (followed by residencies), MD/PhD 5 years (note: there is more financial aid available for the dual degree).
as far as employability goes, i have no idea, although i doubt there would be a lot in it.
what i've always heard is that it's better to be an undergraduate at a uk university than an american one, and better to be a graduate at an american university than a uk one. obviously, that's a bit of a generalisation, but it seems to ring true - i'm at oxford and, whilst i get nice comfy college rooms, the grad students have to live waaaay oooout, not in the centre of the city. moreover, although it is only word of mouth, i have heard that the teaching in uk universities is much more undergraduate-focused than at american universities (e.g. the 'big names' of the university teach undergrads here, whereas in the us they tend to stick more to grad work). as such, i'd take oxbridge over the ivy league, because i think my degree would possibly be a) more enjoyable and b) more fruitful, than at an american university.
what i've always heard is that it's better to be an undergraduate at a uk university than an american one, and better to be a graduate at an american university than a uk one. obviously, that's a bit of a generalisation, but it seems to ring true - i'm at oxford and, whilst i get nice comfy college rooms, the grad students have to live waaaay oooout, not in the centre of the city. moreover, although it is only word of mouth, i have heard that the teaching in uk universities is much more undergraduate-focused than at american universities (e.g. the 'big names' of the university teach undergrads here, whereas in the us they tend to stick more to grad work). as such, i'd take oxbridge over the ivy league, because i think my degree would possibly be a) more enjoyable and b) more fruitful, than at an american university.
No, SAT II tests are no where near the euqivilent of an A level, a closer comparison would be AP tests. Some of the previous posts talk about the differences. Basically, as a UK student, you'll have much more advanced knowledge of your a level subjects than a high school graduate, but they'll have studied more subjects. Most UK students therefore enter US universities as second years (sophmores), apparently.
I know that MIT charge around $32000 for tuition fees, and estimate that you'll spend an additional $8000 on living expenses. That's a fairly typical figure for the top private universities. Cos of the huge expense, they have financial aid schemes, which basically assess how much your parents can afford to contribute, how much you could earn over the summer and working part time during term time, how much you can realistically borrow and then they'll top up the rest. This sounds fairly good, but when i was looking at MIT, it turned out their idea of what your parents could contribute involved remorgaging your house, etc. You can get scholarships and stuff like that as well, but as an international student you might struggle.
On the whole, from a financial perspective, as a UK student, you're much better off going to oxbridge, unless you're dirt poor, in which case you might be able to get a huge grant from the university. A UK degree will be cheaper, even with full £3000 a year fees than a single year at an ivy league school, not forgetting that you'd have to do four years in the US rather than 3 over here.
I know that MIT charge around $32000 for tuition fees, and estimate that you'll spend an additional $8000 on living expenses. That's a fairly typical figure for the top private universities. Cos of the huge expense, they have financial aid schemes, which basically assess how much your parents can afford to contribute, how much you could earn over the summer and working part time during term time, how much you can realistically borrow and then they'll top up the rest. This sounds fairly good, but when i was looking at MIT, it turned out their idea of what your parents could contribute involved remorgaging your house, etc. You can get scholarships and stuff like that as well, but as an international student you might struggle.
On the whole, from a financial perspective, as a UK student, you're much better off going to oxbridge, unless you're dirt poor, in which case you might be able to get a huge grant from the university. A UK degree will be cheaper, even with full £3000 a year fees than a single year at an ivy league school, not forgetting that you'd have to do four years in the US rather than 3 over here.
Keep posting on this thread. It makes me feel important. 
trunksss6
Does anyone now how SATs compare to, say, A-level?
Or to put it better, is the US equivalent to the A-levels more or less advanced?
Or to put it better, is the US equivalent to the A-levels more or less advanced?
Supposedly A-levels equate to AP tests. I guess that's why Oxbridge accepts AP scores as the equivalent of A-levels.
The SATs are not substance-based, but are more "common-sense" based. It should be easier, but many still underestimate the SAT exam. I mean if it were as easy as everyone says, then why isn't it easy to score a perfect?
MIT is not an Ivy league uni. Staford is not an Ivy league uni either, but they are both extremely good unis.
I had done both SAT's (maths I and maths II, physics and english) and A-levels (maths, further maths, physics, computing) and in my opinion as an international student, A-levels were much easier than SAT's. especially physics.
Have in mind though, that I did SAT's before A-levels, so I kind of revised the same things for the A-levels examinations, so there you have a reason for me finding A-levels easier.
I had done both SAT's (maths I and maths II, physics and english) and A-levels (maths, further maths, physics, computing) and in my opinion as an international student, A-levels were much easier than SAT's. especially physics.
Have in mind though, that I did SAT's before A-levels, so I kind of revised the same things for the A-levels examinations, so there you have a reason for me finding A-levels easier.
eth0
MIT is not an Ivy league uni. Staford is not an Ivy league uni either, but they are both extremely good unis.
I had done both SAT's (maths I and maths II, physics and english) and A-levels (maths, further maths, physics, computing) and in my opinion as an international student, A-levels were much easier than SAT's. especially physics.
Have in mind though, that I did SAT's before A-levels, so I kind of revised the same things for the A-levels examinations, so there you have a reason for me finding A-levels easier.
I had done both SAT's (maths I and maths II, physics and english) and A-levels (maths, further maths, physics, computing) and in my opinion as an international student, A-levels were much easier than SAT's. especially physics.
Have in mind though, that I did SAT's before A-levels, so I kind of revised the same things for the A-levels examinations, so there you have a reason for me finding A-levels easier.
lol...I remember the SAT IIs. I took biology, history, and english lit before I took biology and english lit. I guessed my way through the entire thing...it turned out okay, but not great.
Additionally, "Ivy league" is just a sports affiliation. Some of the unis in the Ivy League--I won't mention names-- are worse than other better unis in America: ie) Stanford, Chicago, Cal-tech, etc.
Fluffy
Oxford still pisses all over that in terms of dates! The earliest record of teaching at Oxford is 1096/7!
What's your point? However, the University of Oxford was founded a little later in 1117 (according to Wikipedia). Plus, how much history does someone need? I'd like to go to a place with history, however it's not the most important factor when picking a university.
pratikv
What's your point? However, the University of Oxford was founded a little later in 1117 (according to Wikipedia). Plus, how much history does someone need? I'd like to go to a place with history, however it's not the most important factor when picking a university.
Exactly, there are older universities than Oxford which aren't as good (just as there are younger ones which are better
).Bologna is indeed the oldest educational institution in the world if I am not wrong.
and yes, SlyPie said it right, Ivy league is just a sports affiliation, the only thing is that some top unis are members of that affiliation such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton while some others are not. MIT, Stanford, UC?? blah blah blah.
enough, this thread is old. let it rest in peace.
and yes, SlyPie said it right, Ivy league is just a sports affiliation, the only thing is that some top unis are members of that affiliation such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton while some others are not. MIT, Stanford, UC?? blah blah blah.
enough, this thread is old. let it rest in peace.
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