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US vs UK Universities

I want to do undergraduate course for engineering but I'm confused about Uk or usa. What is the workload in usa compared to uk, is it tougher? Also is the social life better in usa? Because I want to study as well as enjoy my life by going to parties etc

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You can not ask this anywhere in the western world and expect people not to be bias. Ask someone who isn't from either the US or UK and has studied in both countries.
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KobbyP
Mate go to the US if you can man!! its a total no brainer..
You get taught pretty much the same stuff in both the UK and USA if you look at the course outlines for the course you want to study at respected institutions in both countries. You're pretty much learning the same stuff in the same amount of detail however I think the testing in the states is a little more demanding than in the UK.

Studying in the USA will probably cost a heck of a lot more than it does here in the UK however a job in the USA is likely to pay more than its equivalent in the UK. I guess you could get a degree in the UK then work in the USA but you'd have to get a degree from a UK university with outstanding international reputation (Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, St Andrews, Edinburgh etc.) to stand a chance of securing the type of job that a degree from the USA would get you. You'll probably have a lot more fun in the USA (My Opinion) however it's only worth going (Again in my opinion) if you get into a good engineering school there (Eg. MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale etc.) and you actually have an idea on what you want to do after the degree is finished.

I think studying your degree in the UK will be better since you're used to the environment and it will prove a lot cheaper to study here.
Original post by Thahleel
You get taught pretty much the same stuff in both the UK and USA if you look at the course outlines for the course you want to study at respected institutions in both countries. You're pretty much learning the same stuff in the same amount of detail however I think the testing in the states is a little more demanding than in the UK.

Studying in the USA will probably cost a heck of a lot more than it does here in the UK however a job in the USA is likely to pay more than its equivalent in the UK. I guess you could get a degree in the UK then work in the USA but you'd have to get a degree from a UK university with outstanding international reputation (Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, St Andrews, Edinburgh etc.) to stand a chance of securing the type of job that a degree from the USA would get you. You'll probably have a lot more fun in the USA (My Opinion) however it's only worth going (Again in my opinion) if you get into a good engineering school there (Eg. MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale etc.) and you actually have an idea on what you want to do after the degree is finished.

I think studying your degree in the UK will be better since you're used to the environment and it will prove a lot cheaper to study here.


From Columbia's website:

At Columbia Engineering, students not only study science and mathematics and gain technical skills but also study literature, philosophy, art history, music theory, and major civilizations through the Core Curriculum in the humanities.


I can guarantee you that if you read engineering at Southampton you won't study Jane Eyre, logical positivism, Bach's cantatas or Van Gogh's sunflowers.
Original post by nulli tertius
From Columbia's website:



I can guarantee you that if you read engineering at Southampton you won't study Jane Eyre, logical positivism, Bach's cantatas or Van Gogh's sunflowers.


Yeah I missed that, some universities make you take another subject. They do it in the UK too (Oxford and Cambridge)
Original post by Thahleel
Yeah I missed that, some universities make you take another subject. They do it in the UK too (Oxford and Cambridge)


Not at Oxford and any subject switch is entirely optional (and unusual for engineers) at Cambridge.
Original post by nulli tertius
Not at Oxford and any subject switch is entirely optional (and unusual for engineers) at Cambridge.


Okay, well for Cambridge's Computer Science course they usually make you take another subject (Usually Philosophy, Physics/Chemistry). Unless you don't consider Computer Science as an engineering degree.
Original post by Thahleel
Okay, well for Cambridge's Computer Science course they usually make you take another subject (Usually Philosophy, Physics/Chemistry). Unless you don't consider Computer Science as an engineering degree.


This is what Cambridge considers an engineering degree

http://www3.eng.cam.ac.uk/admissions/guide/
Original post by nulli tertius
This is what Cambridge considers an engineering degree

http://www3.eng.cam.ac.uk/admissions/guide/


Well done.
Original post by teeshapatel
I want to do undergraduate course for engineering but I'm confused about Uk or usa. What is the workload in usa compared to uk, is it tougher? Also is the social life better in usa? Because I want to study as well as enjoy my life by going to parties etc


I'm from the U.S. I prefer the UK system though. Here, you spend the first two years of your degree studying other topics to satisfy your general education requirements. It really depends on your interests. For me, I'm the type that does well on the courses I'm interested in, not so much on the others. You'll find parties in your country as well as mine.
Original post by Thahleel
Okay, well for Cambridge's Computer Science course they usually make you take another subject (Usually Philosophy, Physics/Chemistry). Unless you don't consider Computer Science as an engineering degree.


They make you do another subject but it is only 1/4 of the first year and you get to choose it too. Still don't get why cambridge award BA's in all there degree programs o_O Apparently it's tradition :P


I think UK probably will be best option (although my view is obviously fairly bias as I live here :P). I did look at America once but you have to do extra tests and it seemed like to me you'd need a broader knowledge (in terms of number of subjects). Also you'd have to consider if student loans (unless you aren't getting one) would still cover your uni costs abroad. The UK also has some of the worlds top uni's which isn't so bad considering how small the UK is in comparison to the US.
If you're a British resident then you might as well complete your degree here; going abroad will confer no advantages.

And probably the vice versa if you're American.

But if you're neither, then the choice isn't so obvious. Cost will play a much greater factor, so I'd primarily be looking at what's affordable.
Something I've just thought of, you could get the best of both, some universities like Bristol offer study years abroad (usually in your second year). Which universities you can go to would vary quite a lot on the course you choose / main university you go too. I haven't looked at many other uni's apart from bristol atm for study years but this is where Bristol let you study http://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-office/year-abroad/study/options.html
Depends on the area that you want to go into, if it's space or defence related then go for the US as getting into those fields of which most jobs are going to be in the US is difficult enough as a foreigner, you might as well make it a bit easier and get your degree from there. For other areas, getting a masters degree in the same time it takes to get a bachelors in the US gives the UK a pretty big advantage.
Companies often look for an international edge in candidates, often for no particular reason except a bit of variety. But heck MIT or Stanford. Why not ?
Original post by Thahleel
You get taught pretty much the same stuff in both the UK and USA if you look at the course outlines for the course you want to study at respected institutions in both countries. You're pretty much learning the same stuff in the same amount of detail however I think the testing in the states is a little more demanding than in the UK.

Studying in the USA will probably cost a heck of a lot more than it does here in the UK however a job in the USA is likely to pay more than its equivalent in the UK. I guess you could get a degree in the UK then work in the USA but you'd have to get a degree from a UK university with outstanding international reputation (Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, St Andrews, Edinburgh etc.) to stand a chance of securing the type of job that a degree from the USA would get you. You'll probably have a lot more fun in the USA (My Opinion) however it's only worth going (Again in my opinion) if you get into a good engineering school there (Eg. MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale etc.) and you actually have an idea on what you want to do after the degree is finished.

I think studying your degree in the UK will be better since you're used to the environment and it will prove a lot cheaper to study here.


this is only one example but someone I know has just got back from her year abroad in the states, couldn't believe how easy it was- essay were only 1,500 words and exams were multiple choice. Next year at her UK uni essays will be 3000 words and exams will require written essays.
Wrong. Im a brit at an american uni and its much better than staying in the UK.

the Uk would have been stagnant for me

US colleges are rich so can throw money at qualified international students
Moved to Studying in North America forum. :smile:
generally speaking, US universities for engineering have a better reputation and are generally better compared to UK (take a look at the world rankings). Especially MIT, Stanford, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of California, Berkeley
Original post by teeshapatel
I want to do undergraduate course for engineering but I'm confused about Uk or usa. What is the workload in usa compared to uk, is it tougher? Also is the social life better in usa? Because I want to study as well as enjoy my life by going to parties etc

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