What&#x27;s it like doing a Semester/ year abroad in America?

Original post by catoswyn

I've never been to USA so I'm very ignorant about the various states etc. If you are gay... is this legal in every state and is the age of consent the same as for heterosexual people. Which states/universities would be most 'gay' friendly and which would one avoid (if any????)

Are there any states where carrying guns is less common as I'm a bit wary of the possibility of wandering somewhere I shouldn't and getting shot! As a lot of my view of America is via films and TV I feel a bit scared of potential crime/violence. Which city/universities would be considered safer. Sorry if these are just ridiculous questions... I'm sure not everyone in the USA lives in fear of being mown down by a gunman.... and I know I'm generalising.

Are there any books that run through American universities in the same way as say 'The Good University Guide' in Britain.

Many thanks for any answers.

:smile:

Our Fiske's Guide to Colleges is probably your equivalent to the good univeristy guide.

I would check out unigo.com for student reviews of americanunis. There's another website like that but the name escapes me :/

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 44

^Found it!!! Check out collegeprowler.com and unigo.com :smile:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 45

FinanceStudent28

5

Original post by sarah1345

There's a few on there that I mentioned, what's so special about UNC compared to say Maryland?

UNC's academics are just much better. It will also be slightly warmer due to it being in a more southern location.

UNC's campus is also really really beautiful. UMaryland's campus is nice too though.

Reply 46

FinanceStudent28

5

Original post by catoswyn

I've never been to USA so I'm very ignorant about the various states etc. If you are gay... is this legal in every state and is the age of consent the same as for heterosexual people. Which states/universities would be most 'gay' friendly and which would one avoid (if any????)

Being gay is legal everywhere. Gay marriage is not legal in most states. The age of consent is the same. You will probably have to do research on which uni's are most "gay friendly" but you will most likely not have a problem wherever you go. At most major college institutions there are LGBTQ organizations.

Original post by catoswyn

Are there any states where carrying guns is less common as I'm a bit wary of the possibility of wandering somewhere I shouldn't and getting shot! As a lot of my view of America is via films and TV I feel a bit scared of potential crime/violence. Which city/universities would be considered safer. Sorry if these are just ridiculous questions... I'm sure not everyone in the USA lives in fear of being mown down by a gunman.... and I know I'm generalising.

You are not going to get shot. Most US campuses are extremely safe.
You are more likely to die in a car crash on the way to the airport than you are to get shot at your american Uni.

Reply 47

Probablylucy

Hey

I'm from england and im going to the university of Maine for a year 2012/13 for my 2nd uni year.

I have questions about the social life too (I think i know everything there is to know about the academic side, the social life stuff is harder to find for some reason!) I'm 18 now, and I'll be 19 when I go. I know the drinking age is 21, but is 'underage' drinking really really bad? do people drink when they are 19? like do you get arrested for it in the USA? I know here, i was caught about 3 or 4 times when i was 15/ 16/ 17 with alcohol, and the nice policemen just poured it out on the street and say things like 'you know the age is 18.... tut tut' -then go on their way. Worst comes to worst you get a 'verbal warning'. For some reason I have this 'american cop' image of being caught with half a pint of beer in the USA and getting tasered.... (or perhaps i'v been watching too many films?)

Also, I noticed that on a number of blogs/ american university reveiw sites, people say things like 'Yeah, the uni is good, has a nice social life, but DON'T WORRY it's not a party school' or 'my friend went to this uni. i wouldnt reccommend it. it's a party school' -Why is being a 'party school' so bad?? I think in the UK, universities actively show off their clubbing scene and nightlife to entice freshers in! why is the term 'party school' avoided like the plague in the USA? do collages have big social scenes?

Also, I wondered about the treatment of 19 year olds in the USA. Here, when you turn 18, you are an adult, and you have 99% of your adult rights, and you're treated as an adult. because the drinking age is 21, are you still 'treated' like a full adult? I just dont think i could handle being treated like a 17 year old again!

Reply 48

Original post by Probablylucy

Hey

I'm from england and im going to the university of Maine for a year 2012/13 for my 2nd uni year.

I have questions about the social life too (I think i know everything there is to know about the academic side, the social life stuff is harder to find for some reason!) I'm 18 now, and I'll be 19 when I go. I know the drinking age is 21, but is 'underage' drinking really really bad? do people drink when they are 19? like do you get arrested for it in the USA? I know here, i was caught about 3 or 4 times when i was 15/ 16/ 17 with alcohol, and the nice policemen just poured it out on the street and say things like 'you know the age is 18.... tut tut' -then go on their way. Worst comes to worst you get a 'verbal warning'. For some reason I have this 'american cop' image of being caught with half a pint of beer in the USA and getting tasered.... (or perhaps i'v been watching too many films?)

Also, I noticed that on a number of blogs/ american university reveiw sites, people say things like 'Yeah, the uni is good, has a nice social life, but DON'T WORRY it's not a party school' or 'my friend went to this uni. i wouldnt reccommend it. it's a party school' -Why is being a 'party school' so bad?? I think in the UK, universities actively show off their clubbing scene and nightlife to entice freshers in! why is the term 'party school' avoided like the plague in the USA? do collages have big social scenes?

Also, I wondered about the treatment of 19 year olds in the USA. Here, when you turn 18, you are an adult, and you have 99% of your adult rights, and you're treated as an adult. because the drinking age is 21, are you still 'treated' like a full adult? I just dont think i could handle being treated like a 17 year old again!

You can definitely get arrested for it but that doesn't stop people haha :tongue:

I'm not sure about the university of maine but the drinking culture really depends on the university so i'd do some research if i were you.
good places to check are uniqlo.com and collegeprowler.com as well as talk.collegeconfidential.com (which is basically the American TSR). Sometimes campus security is really tight when it comes to drinking but for others, very relaxed.

And I think you have probably seen too many American cop or spy movies. It really depends on where you are, who/how many people you're with, and how much you've had to drink. Sometimes it's just a warning. The worst you'd get is some sort of penalty, maybe some community service. For a first or second offense though. Third, you'd probably get in trouble with the university.

I think those people probably don't like party schools or they are referring to intense party schools that are too rowdy and dangerous and/or no one studies, they just party all the time and do nothing academically productive at university.

As far as a social scene it depends on colleges but also, equally, on you as a person. I believe that you can always have fun if you want to and if you want a great social scene, you can create one. :biggrin:

I guess it depends on what you mean by "being treated like a 17 year old." How do you define that?

(P.S. - I hope that helped. Feel free to ask any other questions you have!

P.P.S. -I will check Fiske's Guide for you about Maine...)

Reply 49

swbp

YO. Basically i'm going to Sussex next year and definately want to take a term abroad in the USA. They have some really decent partners, and I found several that i liked that i liked the look of, but if anyone could offer some further info on these institutions it would be really useful:

Pennsylvania University
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Berkeley
Georgetown University

I was also considering University of Texas, however i'm gay so that probably will be a no-go area haha

Reply 50

devil09

7

Original post by swbp

YO. Basically i'm going to Sussex next year and definately want to take a term abroad in the USA. They have some really decent partners, and I found several that i liked that i liked the look of, but if anyone could offer some further info on these institutions it would be really useful:

Pennsylvania University
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Berkeley
Georgetown University

I was also considering University of Texas, however i'm gay so that probably will be a no-go area haha

Crossing off Texas would be a huge mistake. UT Austin is a GREAT college. Strong academics, awesome social scene, awesome sports, cool city, great weather, great music scene...there really isn't much to dislike about it. Austin is very liberal and somewhat counterculture (local businesses have started the slogan "keep Austin weird"). Most big cities in Texas are okay, actually; Houston has a gay mayor. Texas A&M, now...that would be a problem.

Penn, Berkeley, and UCLA are all awesome for gay students. Penn would offer a much more laid-back experience, and the gay scenes in LA and SF can be pretty intense (I can be more specific about LA if need be). UCLA offers a good mix of academics/athletics/social life; Berkeley has a decent mix but has a stronger leaning toward the academic side of things. Berkeley students are stereotyped as nerds and hippies and UCLA students as beach bums and athletes; while not completely fair to either university, I think it's a bit more accurate than it's not. Public transit in SF is MUCH better than in LA.

Penn is a private university and offers a more intimate experience than either Berkeley or UCLA, though it's relatively large for a private. Philly gets a bad rap, and honestly West Philly is kind of sketchy, but I think it's a really cool place to attend college anyway. It offers the cheapest off-campus social activities/options of the three and has the nicest dorms and facilities due to its significantly greater wealth. You're far more likely to run into students from across the country at Penn than Berkeley or UCLA, which are almost entirely composed of Californians.

I have never been a fan of Georgetown. It is a pretty good university overall and excellent in international relations, but it is (in my opinion) less diverse and liberal than other top universities; it also has a reputation for entitled/spoiled/wealthy students that is undoubtedly greatly overstated but not entirely inaccurate. Though definitely not unfriendly to gay students, Georgetown's Catholic leanings and high percentage of would-be politicians means that the gay presence on campus is muted relative to other top colleges, and other local universities (GWU and especially American) have noticeably more active gay student groups. That said, most people seem to like it well enough, so I'm probably not being entirely fair here. DC is a cool place to go to college, and Georgetown offers a good social scene and decent sports (basketball mostly).

Looking over the list on the website, Sussex really does have some great options. U Washington, Wash U, Tulane, Miami, Michigan, UNC, and UGA are especially good/fun.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 51

FinanceStudent28

5

Original post by swbp

YO. Basically i'm going to Sussex next year and definately want to take a term abroad in the USA. They have some really decent partners, and I found several that i liked that i liked the look of, but if anyone could offer some further info on these institutions it would be really useful:

Pennsylvania University
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Berkeley
Georgetown University

I was also considering University of Texas, however i'm gay so that probably will be a no-go area haha

Go to UCLA. You are right in Santa Monica (a great little city) and right next to the beach. Will be incredible.

Reply 52

swbp

Original post by devil09

Crossing off Texas would be a huge mistake. UT Austin is a GREAT college. Strong academics, awesome social scene, awesome sports, cool city, great weather, great music scene...there really isn't much to dislike about it. Austin is very liberal and somewhat counterculture (local businesses have started the slogan "keep Austin weird"). Most big cities in Texas are okay, actually; Houston has a gay mayor. Texas A&M, now...that would be a problem.

Penn, Berkeley, and UCLA are all awesome for gay students. Penn would offer a much more laid-back experience, and the gay scenes in LA and SF can be pretty intense (I can be more specific about LA if need be). UCLA offers a good mix of academics/athletics/social life; Berkeley has a decent mix but has a stronger leaning toward the academic side of things. Berkeley students are stereotyped as nerds and hippies and UCLA students as beach bums and athletes; while not completely fair to either university, I think it's a bit more accurate than it's not. Public transit in SF is MUCH better than in LA.

Penn is a private university and offers a more intimate experience than either Berkeley or UCLA, though it's relatively large for a private. Philly gets a bad rap, and honestly West Philly is kind of sketchy, but I think it's a really cool place to attend college anyway. It offers the cheapest off-campus social activities/options of the three and has the nicest dorms and facilities due to its significantly greater wealth. You're far more likely to run into students from across the country at Penn than Berkeley or UCLA, which are almost entirely composed of Californians.

I have never been a fan of Georgetown. It is a pretty good university overall and excellent in international relations, but it is (in my opinion) less diverse and liberal than other top universities; it also has a reputation for entitled/spoiled/wealthy students that is undoubtedly greatly overstated but not entirely inaccurate. Though definitely not unfriendly to gay students, Georgetown's Catholic leanings and high percentage of would-be politicians means that the gay presence on campus is muted relative to other top colleges, and other local universities (GWU and especially American) have noticeably more active gay student groups. That said, most people seem to like it well enough, so I'm probably not being entirely fair here. DC is a cool place to go to college, and Georgetown offers a good social scene and decent sports (basketball mostly).

Looking over the list on the website, Sussex really does have some great options. U Washington, Wash U, Tulane, Miami, Michigan, UNC, and UGA are especially good/fun.

This was SO useful, thank you so much! To be honest, i'm not sporty at all so Berkeley is looking like a good option right now.

I didn't realise Penn was in the Ivy league, so I probably wont consider it anymore as it'll be really oversubscribed (British students love prestige like that) and also i'd worry about not meeting the academic standards there :/

And yeah, one of the reasons i chose Sussex was it's strong American connections :smile:

Reply 53

Been great reading through people's experiences. I'm going University this year september and one particular uni, they have an exchange programme for a uni in Washington DC in year 2. I'm not sure how long it is for, but I'm very interested in going! I'll be 28 when I start uni and 29 if i get to go on the exchange programme, so I guess I will be far less concerned with the nightlife and more interested in the opportunities out there. Even investigating if it would be worth my while relocating to the USA etc...as im a film maker. :smile:

Reply 54

Original post by BexiG

Been great reading through people's experiences. I'm going University this year september and one particular uni, they have an exchange programme for a uni in Washington DC in year 2. I'm not sure how long it is for, but I'm very interested in going! I'll be 28 when I start uni and 29 if i get to go on the exchange programme, so I guess I will be far less concerned with the nightlife and more interested in the opportunities out there. Even investigating if it would be worth my while relocating to the USA etc...as im a film maker. :smile:

What uni in DC?

Reply 55

Original post by cricket123

What uni in DC?

I'm not sure yet. When I start uni, i'll have to investigate more

Reply 56

Original post by BexiG

I'm not sure yet. When I start uni, i'll have to investigate more

Alright, because I visited George Washington University (which is in DC) and could tell you a bit about it if that's where you go :smile:

Reply 57

Original post by cricket123

Alright, because I visited George Washington University (which is in DC) and could tell you a bit about it if that's where you go :smile:

oh ok cool! how long did you stay? and how did you find the experience? oh and what are you studying? :smile:

Reply 58

Original post by BexiG

oh ok cool! how long did you stay? and how did you find the experience? oh and what are you studying? :smile:

I just visited for a day but it was really nice there. That area of DC reminded me of NY just a cleaner version haha. It was a very beautiful day, warm and sunny so a bunch of students were lounging around on benches outside. It looked like a really nice school. My tour guide was very enthusiastic and the school is big on interviews.

I also had an interview a few months after my visit with a senior at GW who was also working for the admissions office and he told me that it is very uncommon for a student to have only completed one internship prior to graduation (most do more). He also said that a lot of professors there are adjunct so they work full(or part)-time and teach on the side so they have a lot of real-world experience in their field and are very helpful and willing to speak with students. Having a good relationship with a professor is also a great way to find internships.

I am interested in psychology, which he had minored in (I believe, he may have just taken a few psychology courses, my memory is a little fuzzy) and he said that the psychology classes he took were very intriguing. :smile:

I hope that helped! Feel free to ask more questions.

Overall, I liked the atmosphere. The experience studying there (like is the case in most unis) is really what you make of it. I've heard some complaints about noisy, party dorms etc but I think that's one of those things that is only an issue if you want it to be and really depends on circumstance.

Plus, the State Department is just a few blocks from campus which is pretty cool (The Foggy Bottom campus I mean. There is also a campus called Mount Vernon which is about a 10-minutes bus ride from Foggy Bottom and is much more suburban [the school has a free bus service between campuses]).
I also took a look at the gym/fitness facilities which are quite new and very-high quality! :smile:

Reply 59