As a British-born American, should I go to a Top 30 Uni in the UK, or College in US?

I was under the impression US unis were ridiculously expensive and required amazing grades..
I'm sure others know more.

What I can say is, top 30 is really good for your grades! As for food, you don't need to eat out. My catered halls also don't do lunch or dinner on weekends. You can cook almost anythingin a microwave (try looking it up, rather fascinating)

Why can't your family or friends just drop you off in a car or even hire van? No need to take a car just to drag stuff there!

En suite is annoying but majority of people cope. I was lucky to get it, but just smack people with newspapers if they leave it messy. Apparently it's not as bad as they say.

Why do you have to remove items at holiday time! That's ludicrous?! Are you absolutely sure? I've not heard of a hall to do this.. I'd seek advice from others as to what they're doing about it if so.

TL;DR:
Got an offer to go to a Top 30 university in the South-East of the UK to do a Computer Engineering course. However, I'm not sure I want to go. I have also always wanted to move over to the US. So I'm considering moving out to the US to do college over there. If I do, I'll likely be living in Florida. However, I've got absolutely no idea about anything in regards to realistically attending college out there. So, I desperately need some help!

If there are any Brits that have gone to the US to do College, or Americans that have come to the UK to do University, I imagine you guys would be a tremendous help for many of my problems!

What should I do?!
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Also, I'm fully aware that this is very much moreso a British-specific forum, & so many of the America / Florida questions I have people here may not be able to help me with as much as actual Americans. However, I am admittedly posting this on a few different websites, & it would be very interesting & insightful to get the opinions of people on both sides of the water!

Also I apologize if this is in the wrong sub-forum. I really couldn't figure out where would be best to ask such a bizarre, unique question. Sorry.
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Long Version:

I'll say right now that this is probably going to be a fairly long post, however I ask that you PLEASE bare with me as I can really do with any & all the help that I hope you guys can give me. I apologise in advance if it's a bit disjointed, though I'll try to do my best. Anyway...

So, a bit of background information:



So, with all that & now being in my 20s, I've come to the realization that I ****ing need to do something with my life. I'm wasting it away here, doing nothing. And so, with that in mind, this Summer I spent a long time researching potential universities I could get into bearing my grades in mind, what courses I would like to do, & what courses would actually be worth doing; My best A Level grade was in Media, & I really enjoyed that subject, but I'm fully aware that it'd be a waste of a degree & all of the money that goes along with that. So eventually I applied to a South-Eastern Uni (in the UK), way past all of the deadlines, to do a Computer Engineering course with a Foundation Year. I thought I'd meet the requirements to get in, but they'd tell me I'd have to wait until 2014 entry. They didn't, they accepted me for 2013 entry.

However, being a British-born American there was loads of visa issues & the like, which only very recently got ironed out. Because of all those problems though, I was unable to apply for finance until very recently. Now I've applied for finance, but I'm not likely to get my money until mid-November at the absolute earliest, however I more realistic time-frame in my opinion would be either side of Christmas. So in the mean time, I'd have to live off my "savings" (which admittedly isn't very much at all; I've never had a savings account, & is literally just the money I haven't spent from my job's wages). The Uni, & my family, have both said they will lend me X amount to tide me over in the mean time, but then that's just more money I've got to pay back.

Not to mention there are some other issues I've got with my University:



Now I can understand why they won't allow students to park their cars on campus. This is a university where you live on campus, so it's not like you need to drive in or anything, & you can get discounted bus passes to travel into town or wherever. However, if I'm expected to bring all my possessions back with me, I'm going to need my car. It's not like I could take them all on a train. I can see if you lived nearby how that wouldn't be an issue, but living so far away means I'm not going to have any help (from other people in other cars) nor am I going to be wanting to make multiple trips. But if I'm not allowed to park my car there, then I'd have to risk parking it off campus. Who knows how far away I'll be able to find a parking spot, not to mention all the issues that come along with it being so far away.

Having to eat out for a whole year will be bloody expensive. Not to mention ridiculously unhealthy. I mean, I am the single-worst cook I know nor am I in particularly great shape, but it would have been nice to have an actual kitchen. Not to mention my own en-suite. Can't stress that enough. Can't be doing with other people's dirty mess.

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With all of this in mind, I've been debating whether or not I should pursue trying to go to college in the US. As I say, being a British-born American, I have always wanted to experience actually living over there. I did briefly visit an American high school once, for admittedly just a few hours, but it was one of the weirdest (in a good way), most "woaaahhh" moments I'd experienced in my life. It was just so different. But it was definitely quite cool. Furthermore, I ****ing hate the town I live in. It's got absolutely zero going for it. It's a beach resort town, that's heyday passed about 100 years ago, & just desperately tries to cling onto the coattails today. It's absolutely full of drug addicts, alcoholics, dead-end hotels, no jobs, people living on government benefits, & just all-round general poverty. It's an incredibly depressing, horrible place to live. I'm sick & tired of it all. But if I want to go to the US, how can I realistically do it?


I do have distant relatives over there, but no-one I've ever met, spoken to, or even really know at all. My grandmother is planning on moving back over there in the coming few months. She's lived back over here for the past few years, but needs to go back & sort out loads of stuff. Last time I was in the US, back in 2008 I think, we was actually able to get me a Florida Resident ID. It's still valid today, as far as I'm aware. Therein lies the ability for me to go try college in the US. But, I have absolutely ZERO understanding about the whole thing. So I'd need to understand:



Now, here again though I have issues with this side of my thinking as well:



I can't believe I've not at all even mentioned what course I want to do. That's no help. So I'm currently on for doing a BEng Computer Engineering with a Foundation Year, 4 year degree. I did do Computer Studies at Sixth Form. Was very interesting, but I wasn't too good at the programming. As far as I understand this is a more maths & physics based course, which is much better suited to what I can do & am interested in. Are there any good colleges in Florida for doing a similar course? Or are they all out of state?

Whilst I did admittedly waste my time in Sixth Form I have now come to the conclusion of how much I do need to actually go through University, whether it's in the UK or the US. Not just go, infact, but rather make sure to come out with a good degree. No parting my time away. Not to say I won't party at all, but definitely will crack down more than I did. Heck, thanks to iTunes U, I've been learning some Calculus in the past couple days! I have also been on a couple other short-courses in the past couple years, which have definitely re-ignited my passion & interest for education.

Now this is getting pretty long here, so I should begin to wrap it up. I know I have asked tonnes of questions, probably more than I'll ever get answers to. Though I've probably forgotten loads of stuff I wanted/needed to discuss. Even still, I'm hugely grateful for anyone here that's read all this & can offer any help to me though. I desperately need it. If I'm not taking up my course this year, I need to tell the Uni within the next couple days, & ask if they will defer me until next year. If they won't. Then I've got to consider whether to go with little money & no finance anytime soon, or not at all.

So, yeah, what should I do?!

This is an incredibly long post! I'm going to move it over to the study in north America forum where you should be able to get more specialist advice.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I was under the impression US unis were ridiculously expensive and required amazing grades..
I'm sure others know more.

What I can say is, top 30 is really good for your grades! As for food, you don't need to eat out. My catered halls also don't do lunch or dinner on weekends. You can cook almost anythingin a microwave (try looking it up, rather fascinating)

Why can't your family or friends just drop you off in a car or even hire van? No need to take a car just to drag stuff there!

En suite is annoying but majority of people cope. I was lucky to get it, but just smack people with newspapers if they leave it messy. Apparently it's not as bad as they say.

Why do you have to remove items at holiday time! That's ludicrous?! Are you absolutely sure? I've not heard of a hall to do this.. I'd seek advice from others as to what they're doing about it if so.

Stop whinging. You made bad decisions in your life and now you are paying the price. Lifes not easy,deal with it. You sound like a middle class snob, whinging about en suites and how you cant park your car. So what? Use you initiative, this is the real world now. Go wherever makes you happiest. Oh and regarding the Florida unis, you cant complain they are crap and are low standard, when your grades are crap and of a low standard. Some would argue you dont deserve to go. Dont be such a snob.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Thanks for that, my bad. I must've missed this forum when I was looking for places to post this thread.



Well, I think it all depends on which uni's you go to over there. I know that State / Public Universities are cheaper than Private ones, & that In State students get to go at a much-discounted rate than Out of State students. I'm hoping that, if that's the path I do take, I'm eligible as an In State student (even though, yes, I do live in the UK) as I've got a family presence in the state, as well as having bank accounts, ID & other stuff of my own that's tied to me being in the state. If I can, then it makes Uni a heck lot cheaper than it is over here. Florida State University for example charges tuition fees for In State students at just $6,575, or £4,180.01 for the year, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than what I've now gotta pay over here.

I think my part-catered halls do do dining at the weekends, because I've read of people getting like a "late breakfast" until I about 1:45pm I think it was. But yeah, I get what you mean. I'm not really a big fan of microwaved meals, but I suppose there will be some hidden gems I'm not aware of. Either that, or I can just live off sandwiches, or salads. They're easy enough.

Well, my dad's side aren't very pro-education, so they've no interest in helping me like that. If it's what I want to do, I've got to go do it on my own. It's up to me, & all that. My mum's side, well she doesn't drive. Only other person is my grandmother, but she's nearly 70 & it just wouldn't really be a great idea to have her drive 7 hours with me, to help me move all my stuff, & then for her to drive 7 hours back. I mean, I suppose I could hire a van, but having to do that every trip is another extra cost that I'm sure won't be cheap unfortunately.

Yeah, I can imagine that I would have to / be able to cope. I mean, I've not had my own en-suite for years, but it is still a bit annoying. Though I would get actually furious if I had some disgusting flatmates, eugh. Do like your smacking them with newspapers idea, haha!

I've gotta remove my stuff outside of term time because my contract is only for 31 weeks. Outside of term-time, our rooms are used for like hotel / conference purposes. It is a bit ridiculous, but there's not much I can do.

Thanks for that, my bad. I must've missed this forum when I was looking for places to post this thread.



Well, I think it all depends on which uni's you go to over there. I know that State / Public Universities are cheaper than Private ones, & that In State students get to go at a much-discounted rate than Out of State students. I'm hoping that, if that's the path I do take, I'm eligible as an In State student (even though, yes, I do live in the UK) as I've got a family presence in the state, as well as having bank accounts, ID & other stuff of my own that's tied to me being in the state. If I can, then it makes Uni a heck lot cheaper than it is over here. Florida State University for example charges tuition fees for In State students at just $6,575, or £4,180.01 for the year, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than what I've now gotta pay over here.

I think my part-catered halls do do dining at the weekends, because I've read of people getting like a "late breakfast" until I about 1:45pm I think it was. But yeah, I get what you mean. I'm not really a big fan of microwaved meals, but I suppose there will be some hidden gems I'm not aware of. Either that, or I can just live off sandwiches, or salads. They're easy enough.

Well, my dad's side aren't very pro-education, so they've no interest in helping me like that. If it's what I want to do, I've got to go do it on my own. It's up to me, & all that. My mum's side, well she doesn't drive. Only other person is my grandmother, but she's nearly 70 & it just wouldn't really be a great idea to have her drive 7 hours with me, to help me move all my stuff, & then for her to drive 7 hours back. I mean, I suppose I could hire a van, but having to do that every trip is another extra cost that I'm sure won't be cheap unfortunately.

Yeah, I can imagine that I would have to / be able to cope. I mean, I've not had my own en-suite for years, but it is still a bit annoying. Though I would get actually furious if I had some disgusting flatmates, eugh. Do like your smacking them with newspapers idea, haha!

I've gotta remove my stuff outside of term time because my contract is only for 31 weeks. Outside of term-time, our rooms are used for like hotel / conference purposes. It is a bit ridiculous, but there's not much I can do.



Okay yes, I have made plenty of bad decisions, & I'm very likely to keep on making them. What's worse, is that I don't tend to learn from until I've made the wrong decision a few times. However, this is me now trying to make right of bad decisions I've made in the past. Yeah I'm not happy about the en-suite issue, but I'll accept it. The car situation is a genuine problem when you consider, as I say, that I have to move all my stuff back with me at the beginning / end of each term. Not to mention a particular health issue which can, at complete random, need me to get to the hospital as soon as possible; though not ambulance-emergency worthy. In regards to the Florida Uni's, I'm not complaining they are crap & of a low standard. I'm saying I don't hear good things about the state in general, but I have no idea about the Uni's themselves. I know I've not got the greatest grades, & I'm not expecting to get into Harvard, Yale, Oxbridge, or wherever. However, what is wrong with, if I do go over there, wanting to go to the best university I can? I don't see how there can be a problem with that?

I do like your "Go wherever makes you happiest" point, though. Which will make me happier though? I have no idea. Both paths are so vastly different from anything I've ever experienced before, & so vastly different from each other.... and, as probably evident in this thread, I'm not all that good at making strong decisions; I'm, like, the worst shopper in the world.