Choosing between Cambridge and US universities. OPINIONS PLS :D
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Original post by alcibiade
I would agree that self-selection eliminates many from the pool of potential undergrads at C. Interestingly, there are only about 6 Americans at C that, even with the tuition hike, we see as a great deal, about 1/4 the cost of top US unis. (My d is American and Irish, she applied as an EU citizen for tuition considerations.)
I am surprised that C refuses to accept the results of normal school in SA. But then, I know little about C.
Congrats on your post-grad work.
I did a writing gig (on Aids and the generic drug controversy of GSK) in SA about 12 years ago and loved the country. I may go back to update that work.
I am surprised that C refuses to accept the results of normal school in SA. But then, I know little about C.
Congrats on your post-grad work.
I did a writing gig (on Aids and the generic drug controversy of GSK) in SA about 12 years ago and loved the country. I may go back to update that work.
According to this http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/international/qualifications/usa.html there were about 65 US undergrads at Cam - lot of postgrads though, over 500. There were a lot more undergrads a few years ago; wonder why the drop? A small number of admits every year. I don't quite understand it either.
Here is the page for SA, detailing that they do not accept the local qualification:
http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/international/qualifications/southafrica.html
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by sj27
According to this http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/international/qualifications/usa.html there were about 65 US undergrads at Cam - lot of postgrads though, over 500. There were a lot more undergrads a few years ago; wonder why the drop? A small number of admits every year. I don't quite understand it either.
Here is the page for SA, detailing that they do not accept the local qualification:
http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/international/qualifications/southafrica.html
Here is the page for SA, detailing that they do not accept the local qualification:
http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/international/qualifications/southafrica.html
Thanks very much for posting this.
While the number of US students is higher than I thought, the degree candidates appear to be in the teens, while the rest are exchange students.
I am surprised that SA high school doesn't qualify for applications. Are there more concrete reasons? As a former colony, the systems should be quite similar.
sj27, do you like Cam? What is your field. (Please excuse the curiosity, I am a reporter.)
Original post by alcibiade
Thanks very much for posting this.
While the number of US students is higher than I thought, the degree candidates appear to be in the teens, while the rest are exchange students.
I am surprised that SA high school doesn't qualify for applications. Are there more concrete reasons? As a former colony, the systems should be quite similar.
sj27, do you like Cam? What is your field. (Please excuse the curiosity, I am a reporter.)
While the number of US students is higher than I thought, the degree candidates appear to be in the teens, while the rest are exchange students.
I am surprised that SA high school doesn't qualify for applications. Are there more concrete reasons? As a former colony, the systems should be quite similar.
sj27, do you like Cam? What is your field. (Please excuse the curiosity, I am a reporter.)
...will take this to PM, happy to chat but getting off topic.
I honestly thought there would be a lot more US students, but I guess when you have so many good unis at home with excellent name recognition the incentives are quite small.
Original post by sj27
...will take this to PM, happy to chat but getting off topic.
I honestly thought there would be a lot more US students, but I guess when you have so many good unis at home with excellent name recognition the incentives are quite small.
I honestly thought there would be a lot more US students, but I guess when you have so many good unis at home with excellent name recognition the incentives are quite small.
I have heard that the UK degrees don't help that as much with employers in the US as do Ivy degrees. So there is a networking issue. I imagine my daughter will settle in the UK.
Bear in mind that US universities do take transfer students. If you are unhappy at Cambridge but can get a good recommendation or two (and have good secondary school transcripts), you could come to a US school as a sophomore or junior (2nd or 3rd year).
As others have said, one difference in the US is that students tend not to specialize as early. In the UK, the assumption is that you'll be zeroing in on your eventual course of study a few years even before you apply. In the US, you show up at college, there are some general education requirements, and you declare a major by the end of your second year. Obviously, if you're doing something like engineering, or double-majoring in two very different fields then you will have to start early. But the declaration and finding a faculty advisor doesn't have to happen for a while.
Even after the BA there's a lot of switching around. You have musicians going to med school, philosophers going to law school, etc.
As others have said, one difference in the US is that students tend not to specialize as early. In the UK, the assumption is that you'll be zeroing in on your eventual course of study a few years even before you apply. In the US, you show up at college, there are some general education requirements, and you declare a major by the end of your second year. Obviously, if you're doing something like engineering, or double-majoring in two very different fields then you will have to start early. But the declaration and finding a faculty advisor doesn't have to happen for a while.
Even after the BA there's a lot of switching around. You have musicians going to med school, philosophers going to law school, etc.
(edited 10 years ago)
Britain is certainly more liberal about sexual diversity than America is. But if you're living in a big city/university town I don't suppose that'd be a problem either way.
There may not be that much of a variety of things to do in Cambridge, but the museums, societies, teams, and pubs should be enough to keep you busy. Oxbridge do care quite a lot about their sports teams so I don't know how you got the impression that they don't have any.
With the college system you probably will have an easier time finding some close friends, and not having to spend too much time to maintain those relationships.
There may not be that much of a variety of things to do in Cambridge, but the museums, societies, teams, and pubs should be enough to keep you busy. Oxbridge do care quite a lot about their sports teams so I don't know how you got the impression that they don't have any.
With the college system you probably will have an easier time finding some close friends, and not having to spend too much time to maintain those relationships.
Original post by sj27
...will take this to PM, happy to chat but getting off topic.
I honestly thought there would be a lot more US students, but I guess when you have so many good unis at home with excellent name recognition the incentives are quite small.
I honestly thought there would be a lot more US students, but I guess when you have so many good unis at home with excellent name recognition the incentives are quite small.
For admissions, Oxbridge is pretty much based around the A-levels, which we don't have in the US. There are AP exams, but many of the excellent private schools don't bother teaching precisely to the exams-- and not a lot of students necessarily take 4 or 5 of them.
Two other factors-- university is cheap for UK residents, but expensive to foreigners. So that limits entrance to those who could pay the full freight in the US. Sticker price in the US is also high, but so is financial aid to those households with lower incomes.
Finally, most US students aren't trained to think about choosing their major a year before arriving at college. If more of them had parents who expected Oxbridge to be in their plans (e.g., alumni), that might be different.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Camilli
For admissions, Oxbridge is pretty much based around the A-levels, which we don't have in the US. There are AP exams, but many of the excellent private schools don't bother teaching precisely to the exams-- and not a lot of students necessarily take 4 or 5 of them.
Two other factors-- university is cheap for UK residents, but expensive to foreigners. So that limits entrance to those who could pay the full freight in the US. Sticker price in the US is also high, but so is financial aid to those households with lower incomes.
Finally, most US students aren't trained to think about choosing their major a year before arriving at college. If more of them had parents who expected Oxbridge to be in their plans (e.g., alumni), that might be different.
Two other factors-- university is cheap for UK residents, but expensive to foreigners. So that limits entrance to those who could pay the full freight in the US. Sticker price in the US is also high, but so is financial aid to those households with lower incomes.
Finally, most US students aren't trained to think about choosing their major a year before arriving at college. If more of them had parents who expected Oxbridge to be in their plans (e.g., alumni), that might be different.
I'm not so convinced on the exams argument - Oxbridge do look at APs and obviously many US students do IB too. The other factors make sense though, especially the financial aid available which with the international fees the UK charges, goes a long way to reducing the price differential.
But also ... a conversation I had a while ago with a US student applying to unis (she did IB btw). Her parents live in NYC. She didn't want to go to Oxbridge just because it was "too far". And yet.... Her top choice was Stanford! I guess that ocean in the way makes the flying time seem longer
As I'm typing this I remember another part of the conversation: that some people would find it wierd/not take one seriously if one arrived back home with a bachelors that only took three years.
Original post by Camilli
For admissions, Oxbridge is pretty much based around the A-levels, which we don't have in the US. There are AP exams, but many of the excellent private schools don't bother teaching precisely to the exams-- and not a lot of students necessarily take 4 or 5 of them.
Two other factors-- university is cheap for UK residents, but expensive to foreigners. So that limits entrance to those who could pay the full freight in the US. Sticker price in the US is also high, but so is financial aid to those households with lower incomes.
Finally, most US students aren't trained to think about choosing their major a year before arriving at college. If more of them had parents who expected Oxbridge to be in their plans (e.g., alumni), that might be different.
Two other factors-- university is cheap for UK residents, but expensive to foreigners. So that limits entrance to those who could pay the full freight in the US. Sticker price in the US is also high, but so is financial aid to those households with lower incomes.
Finally, most US students aren't trained to think about choosing their major a year before arriving at college. If more of them had parents who expected Oxbridge to be in their plans (e.g., alumni), that might be different.
I disagree re "geared to A-levels". We applied from France, where there are not even honors courses let alone AP and they understood our system in accommodating detail. I am sure they would do the same with US students.
Regarding the cost difference, it is about $6500 per year more for non-EU humanities students (and much more for STEM disciplines), but if you ask me it is still an incredible bargain. As EU citizens, my d will get a BA at literally 1/4 the cost in the US.
You are correct that students must be ready to specialize. My d geared herself for that from an early age because she knew about it.
Where do you want to study? My d loves Cambridge.
Original post by sj27
As I'm typing this I remember another part of the conversation: that some people would find it weird/not take one seriously if one arrived back home with a bachelors that only took three years.
As I'm typing this I remember another part of the conversation: that some people would find it weird/not take one seriously if one arrived back home with a bachelors that only took three years.
Well, an Oxbridge degree is an Oxbridge degree. If you get it at 21, 22, or 23 doesn't matter too much.
One other mechanical factor is schools' ability to support the application process, which just has a lot of unfamiliar procedures in it (unfamiliar in the US, anyway). At my daughter's (small, very academic private) school, there was a kid a year ahead of her who wanted to go to Oxford. College counseling basically told him not to bother, that there were too many land mines, that their lack of grade inflation might hurt him because they didn't know any admissions people, etc. He's at Balliol reading PPE right now, so something obviously worked. But he had to figure out a lot of this himself.
My daughter would herself love to go to Oxbridge, but will either be doing it junior year or as a postgrad, if at all. She finds out in 6 weeks what her domestic options are.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by alcibiade
Where do you want to study? My d loves Cambridge.
Where do you want to study? My d loves Cambridge.
My own daughter starts college this fall, so I'm past the Tripos thing even though I will have a little spare time on my hands.
But Cambridge does offer a part-time MSt that looks very interesting, scheduled in such a way that would allow me to hold the fort at home a little longer.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by yisevery1cr8tive
I just received an offer to study Psychology and Behavioral Science at Cambridge, but I'm also waiting for replies from universities like Brown, Cornell, Columbia and Yale. I plan to take double majors in psychology and political science in the US.
Before you guys tell me it's about what I personally want out of my undergraduate experience, let me state some of my assumptions/beliefs here. I'm just trying to objectively measure them up against each other. PLEASE TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS.
1.The difference in prestige among these schools is minimal.
2. Cambridge only grades you based on exams, US unis are a lot more flexible (if you guys have numbers, percentages, please please please share)
3. People at these US universities are happier, because they are less stressed than those at Cambridge.
4. At the end of 3 or 4 years, I would pretty much learn the same amount (?) of things.
The distribution across disciplines can be wider in US universities, but then again, Cambridge's PBS program is interdisciplinary in itself. If I were to choose my US university modules, they would look quite similar in the end.
5. There are more open LBTQ women in US universities. (this matters to me)
6. Extracurriculars.
I feel that at Cambridge, my world would be very small. I mean, I would be able to do any sort of extracurricular activity I want, but only just.
At a US university, I could literally do anything. I could write a musical, join a sports team
Then again, if I fit all these activities within my capacity, I would probably end up creating pretty much the same environment and set of activities that I could at Cambridge.
I DON'T KNOW. PULLING MY HAIR OUT. THOUGHTS ANYBODY?
Before you guys tell me it's about what I personally want out of my undergraduate experience, let me state some of my assumptions/beliefs here. I'm just trying to objectively measure them up against each other. PLEASE TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS.
1.The difference in prestige among these schools is minimal.
2. Cambridge only grades you based on exams, US unis are a lot more flexible (if you guys have numbers, percentages, please please please share)
3. People at these US universities are happier, because they are less stressed than those at Cambridge.
4. At the end of 3 or 4 years, I would pretty much learn the same amount (?) of things.
The distribution across disciplines can be wider in US universities, but then again, Cambridge's PBS program is interdisciplinary in itself. If I were to choose my US university modules, they would look quite similar in the end.
5. There are more open LBTQ women in US universities. (this matters to me)
6. Extracurriculars.
I feel that at Cambridge, my world would be very small. I mean, I would be able to do any sort of extracurricular activity I want, but only just.
At a US university, I could literally do anything. I could write a musical, join a sports team
Then again, if I fit all these activities within my capacity, I would probably end up creating pretty much the same environment and set of activities that I could at Cambridge.
I DON'T KNOW. PULLING MY HAIR OUT. THOUGHTS ANYBODY?
Choose an environment in which you think you would feel happy and confident, because that is the environment where you will be able to thrive and progress and enjoy uni life
After all, university isn't just about learning and education, it's about studying, achieving what you hope to accomplish and having the time of your life all at the same time! Cheers! Original post by Camilli
My own daughter starts college this fall, so I'm past the Tripos thing even though I will have a little spare time on my hands.
But Cambridge does offer a part-time MSt that looks very interesting, scheduled in such a way that would allow me to hold the fort at home a little longer.
But Cambridge does offer a part-time MSt that looks very interesting, scheduled in such a way that would allow me to hold the fort at home a little longer.
Which MSt are you looking at?
Original post by sj27
Which MSt are you looking at?
Hey, just an update!
I got into Columbia, but not Brown or Yale. The Columbia program is a little different from the usual 4 year US program... Trying to compare them below:
Cambridge
Tough academics, big exams which I'm not very good at
3 years at Cambridge in Psychology then a masters somewhere in something else (within the field of political science)
No new languages (and hardly any time!)
Columbia-Sci po
Tough academics, more diverse assessments which i'm better at
Two years in Le Havre, two years in NYC.
Curriculum in France focuses mainly on Asian studies and sociology. Come back to Columbia to finish the double-degree program.
Opportunity to learn a fifth language like Hindi or Chinese and also become more fluent in French.
Similarities
Same fees/year (due to two years in France)
LGBTQ women
Co-curricular activities
Okay, that's all I can think of. Would anyone like to refute these or provide new perspectives?
Posted from TSR Mobile
I got into Columbia, but not Brown or Yale. The Columbia program is a little different from the usual 4 year US program... Trying to compare them below:
Cambridge
Tough academics, big exams which I'm not very good at
3 years at Cambridge in Psychology then a masters somewhere in something else (within the field of political science)
No new languages (and hardly any time!)
Columbia-Sci po
Tough academics, more diverse assessments which i'm better at
Two years in Le Havre, two years in NYC.
Curriculum in France focuses mainly on Asian studies and sociology. Come back to Columbia to finish the double-degree program.
Opportunity to learn a fifth language like Hindi or Chinese and also become more fluent in French.
Similarities
Same fees/year (due to two years in France)
LGBTQ women
Co-curricular activities
Okay, that's all I can think of. Would anyone like to refute these or provide new perspectives?
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by yisevery1cr8tive
I just received an offer to study Psychology and Behavioral Science at Cambridge, but I'm also waiting for replies from universities like Brown, Cornell, Columbia and Yale. I plan to take double majors in psychology and political science in the US.
Before you guys tell me it's about what I personally want out of my undergraduate experience, let me state some of my assumptions/beliefs here. I'm just trying to objectively measure them up against each other. PLEASE TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS.
1.The difference in prestige among these schools is minimal.
2. Cambridge only grades you based on exams, US unis are a lot more flexible (if you guys have numbers, percentages, please please please share)
3. People at these US universities are happier, because they are less stressed than those at Cambridge.
4. At the end of 3 or 4 years, I would pretty much learn the same amount (?) of things.
The distribution across disciplines can be wider in US universities, but then again, Cambridge's PBS program is interdisciplinary in itself. If I were to choose my US university modules, they would look quite similar in the end.
5. There are more open LBTQ women in US universities. (this matters to me)
6. Extracurriculars.
I feel that at Cambridge, my world would be very small. I mean, I would be able to do any sort of extracurricular activity I want, but only just.
At a US university, I could literally do anything. I could write a musical, join a sports team
Then again, if I fit all these activities within my capacity, I would probably end up creating pretty much the same environment and set of activities that I could at Cambridge.
I DON'T KNOW. PULLING MY HAIR OUT. THOUGHTS ANYBODY?
Before you guys tell me it's about what I personally want out of my undergraduate experience, let me state some of my assumptions/beliefs here. I'm just trying to objectively measure them up against each other. PLEASE TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS.
1.The difference in prestige among these schools is minimal.
2. Cambridge only grades you based on exams, US unis are a lot more flexible (if you guys have numbers, percentages, please please please share)
3. People at these US universities are happier, because they are less stressed than those at Cambridge.
4. At the end of 3 or 4 years, I would pretty much learn the same amount (?) of things.
The distribution across disciplines can be wider in US universities, but then again, Cambridge's PBS program is interdisciplinary in itself. If I were to choose my US university modules, they would look quite similar in the end.
5. There are more open LBTQ women in US universities. (this matters to me)
6. Extracurriculars.
I feel that at Cambridge, my world would be very small. I mean, I would be able to do any sort of extracurricular activity I want, but only just.
At a US university, I could literally do anything. I could write a musical, join a sports team
Then again, if I fit all these activities within my capacity, I would probably end up creating pretty much the same environment and set of activities that I could at Cambridge.
I DON'T KNOW. PULLING MY HAIR OUT. THOUGHTS ANYBODY?
Hi there, I am a current PBS student at Cambridge and It might be helpful to a get a realistic view of what its like to study it and where you could go with it, regarding political science/public policy etc.
So PBS is first and foremost, amazing! The scope you get to both specialise and explore is genuinely brilliant. I'm sure you already know this stuff but i'll quickly outline what modules you can take and what might appeal to you!
In year 1 you take:
- PBS1: Intro to Psych (which covers Personality, attachment, addiction, cognitive neuroscience, decision making, Health Psychology, face Perception, embodied cognition, neuropsychology of art, emotions, relationships etc)
- PBS2: Psych Enquiries and Methods (Molecules in the Brain, Brain Structure and Function, Psycho-Biological intervention, Probability, Statistics, Research Methods, Designing Research etc)
Then you get a huge choice of modules, of which you pick two: Politics, Sociology, Social Anthropology, Archeology, Biological Anthropology, Evolution and Behaviour, Computer Science, Metaphysics, Logic, Language Communication and Literacy and Microeconomics!
If you're interested in Political Sciences then Sociology, Soc Anth, Politics and Microeconomics would all be great options!
In your second year the options develop again along side your core ones (Soc&Dev Psych, Experimental Psych plus 1 option or Bio and Cog psych + 2 options) including: Neurobiology, History of Science, Globalisation, Social Theory, Philosophy options, Logic, Anthropology of Science and Society, Anthropology of Post Socialist Societies, Anthropology of Development, Human Ecology, Human origins, Health and Disease and more!
So you could take Social and Developmental Psychology, Biological and Cognitive Psychology, The Anthropology of Development (which includes alot on government policy making) and Social Theory (Political/Social Thought/Philosophy)/Globalisation or History of Science or Science and Society etc!
In your 3rd year you again have the option to specialise, so you could take a dissertation, a paper in neuroscience or developmental psychopathology, a paper in Sociology, anthropology, or again you could carry on with those papers that have strong political links such as the available Criminology paper and the paper that would probably most interested you is Psychology and Society which directly looks at how psychology is affecting public policy!
There really is the opportunity to specialise hugely on Psychology from half of the courses in y1 being psych to all of them being psych by y3. OR you could maintain a balance of half and half - with the option to take such a great selection of modules that really makes the Behavioural Science part of PBS!
With regards to extra curricula's, I know lots of people who have already written plays/musicals in their first year which have even been put on to paying audiences at the ADC! Loadssss of people partake in drama and there is time to do this if you make it! Sports teams as well, is MORE than doable! Trust me, the opportunities would not be there if they were not people able to take them up - and they are so popular which just shows it is possible to get an amazing degree and have an amazing time in music, drama, sport etc!
With regards to stress, it is stressful! The workload is undeniably large, essays weekly with PBS and often you could be landed with 3 due in one week or something crazy! But, the thing to remember is people do manage, there is HUGE amounts of help from extra 1 to 1 supervisions if you are struggling, to group sessions, help and example classes for statistics, the opportunity to help out with research projects going on and of course your DOS and Tutor who will do all they can to make sure you are on top of things! If it gets too much, just tell them and it will be worked out - plenty of people say 'i can't do all this work right now' and then it will be thinned out, forgotten or you will be given extensions - cambridge is for the hard worker but that doesn't mean you have to be bullet proof to stress or boring!
With regards to flexibility, Cambridge work on a tripos system, so if after your first year you love the politics/sociology SO much that you want to specialise in that you are more than able to switch to Human, Social Political Sciences, Law, Social and Economic History or Economics (if you love maths) for example! However PBS really is the best of both worlds as you can borrow so much from other courses and still get BPS accreditation!
I hope Ive cleared up a few things for you, if not then I hope someone might find this of some help..... :P If you want to know anything at all just ask!
P.S. You can learn an extra language at the cambridge language centre! You can do it along side your degree, I have a friend currently do a course there actually, and they provide lectures and classes and if you pass the course you wont be charged - you can study anything from stuff as exotic as Arabic and Mandarin! And if you're interested in Icelandic or Irish then you can do that for free if you pass or fail aha!
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by yisevery1cr8tive
I just received an offer to study Psychology and Behavioral Science at Cambridge, but I'm also waiting for replies from universities like Brown, Cornell, Columbia and Yale. I plan to take double majors in psychology and political science in the US.
Before you guys tell me it's about what I personally want out of my undergraduate experience, let me state some of my assumptions/beliefs here. I'm just trying to objectively measure them up against each other. PLEASE TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS.
1.The difference in prestige among these schools is minimal.
2. Cambridge only grades you based on exams, US unis are a lot more flexible (if you guys have numbers, percentages, please please please share)
3. People at these US universities are happier, because they are less stressed than those at Cambridge.
4. At the end of 3 or 4 years, I would pretty much learn the same amount (?) of things.
The distribution across disciplines can be wider in US universities, but then again, Cambridge's PBS program is interdisciplinary in itself. If I were to choose my US university modules, they would look quite similar in the end.
5. There are more open LBTQ women in US universities. (this matters to me)
6. Extracurriculars.
I feel that at Cambridge, my world would be very small. I mean, I would be able to do any sort of extracurricular activity I want, but only just.
At a US university, I could literally do anything. I could write a musical, join a sports team
Then again, if I fit all these activities within my capacity, I would probably end up creating pretty much the same environment and set of activities that I could at Cambridge.
I DON'T KNOW. PULLING MY HAIR OUT. THOUGHTS ANYBODY?
Before you guys tell me it's about what I personally want out of my undergraduate experience, let me state some of my assumptions/beliefs here. I'm just trying to objectively measure them up against each other. PLEASE TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS.
1.The difference in prestige among these schools is minimal.
2. Cambridge only grades you based on exams, US unis are a lot more flexible (if you guys have numbers, percentages, please please please share)
3. People at these US universities are happier, because they are less stressed than those at Cambridge.
4. At the end of 3 or 4 years, I would pretty much learn the same amount (?) of things.
The distribution across disciplines can be wider in US universities, but then again, Cambridge's PBS program is interdisciplinary in itself. If I were to choose my US university modules, they would look quite similar in the end.
5. There are more open LBTQ women in US universities. (this matters to me)
6. Extracurriculars.
I feel that at Cambridge, my world would be very small. I mean, I would be able to do any sort of extracurricular activity I want, but only just.
At a US university, I could literally do anything. I could write a musical, join a sports team
Then again, if I fit all these activities within my capacity, I would probably end up creating pretty much the same environment and set of activities that I could at Cambridge.
I DON'T KNOW. PULLING MY HAIR OUT. THOUGHTS ANYBODY?
Without knowing where you got accepted as I have not read the other posts, it appears you are dead cert on a US university though I feel you are rather misinformed if you think you can't anything you want by way of ECs at Cambridge, assuming you have time to do everything you want given work commitments.
You also say students at US universities are happier, less stressed and more LGBT students etc. You have stats for these?
I would have though given the selectivity of places such as Brown and Yale the atmosphere will be as academically rigorous and competitive as Cambridge and perhaps in some respects even more so.
Original post by yisevery1cr8tive
Hey, just an update!
I got into Columbia, but not Brown or Yale. The Columbia program is a little different from the usual 4 year US program... Trying to compare them below:
Cambridge
Tough academics, big exams which I'm not very good at
3 years at Cambridge in Psychology then a masters somewhere in something else (within the field of political science)
No new languages (and hardly any time!)
Columbia-Sci po
Tough academics, more diverse assessments which i'm better at
Two years in Le Havre, two years in NYC.
Curriculum in France focuses mainly on Asian studies and sociology. Come back to Columbia to finish the double-degree program.
Opportunity to learn a fifth language like Hindi or Chinese and also become more fluent in French.
Similarities
Same fees/year (due to two years in France)
LGBTQ women
Co-curricular activities
Okay, that's all I can think of. Would anyone like to refute these or provide new perspectives?
Posted from TSR Mobile
I got into Columbia, but not Brown or Yale. The Columbia program is a little different from the usual 4 year US program... Trying to compare them below:
Cambridge
Tough academics, big exams which I'm not very good at
3 years at Cambridge in Psychology then a masters somewhere in something else (within the field of political science)
No new languages (and hardly any time!)
Columbia-Sci po
Tough academics, more diverse assessments which i'm better at
Two years in Le Havre, two years in NYC.
Curriculum in France focuses mainly on Asian studies and sociology. Come back to Columbia to finish the double-degree program.
Opportunity to learn a fifth language like Hindi or Chinese and also become more fluent in French.
Similarities
Same fees/year (due to two years in France)
LGBTQ women
Co-curricular activities
Okay, that's all I can think of. Would anyone like to refute these or provide new perspectives?
Posted from TSR Mobile
Coincidentally if I don't get offered to stay on for further study here at Cambridge then my "backup" option is Columbia so it seems we're kind of on the same wavelength.
It's tough to recommend what to do given both are very competitive to get into and you should be commended for getting offers from both.
If it helps my reasons for applying to Columbia for post grad were that firstly and most importantly they offered a degree programme i was very interested in. Secondly of all the Ivies I earmarked Columbia as the best because not only do you have one of the best universities in the world, but you are also in one of the most famous/greatest/iconic cities in the world and very few other universities can offer that same trade off between a truly world class university and and a world class city on your doorstep maybe with the exception of LSE or University of Tokyo, but they don't quite have the brand factor or that Ivy League tag.
Fact is even if you placed Columbia in a vast wasteland, it'd still be a great university i.e. it's not a case of that it's reputation is bolstered by the fact it is in a very famous city although it helps.
That's why it stood out for me out of all the other Ivies, closely followed by UPenn. As it happens I did not/have not applied to any other Ivies.
At a US university I believe you will have a more "liberal" curriculum whereas at Cambridge it will be more focused and you need to decide what you would enjoy. Also the acceptance rates at the Ivies are staggeringly low dipping into single figures and even more stringent for international students at undergraduate levels so in that sense you might few Columbia as the bigger achievement. However if you were to excel at either Columbia or Cambridge you could attend the other for postgraduate study.
And in keeping with my avatar you can watch the New York Jets on weekends
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