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American Interested in UK Uni

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Original post by D_ecrivaine
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll do that.
Sorry, I'm not familiar with Russell Group....What does it mean?
EDIT: Oh I just looked up Russell Group. Being part of it is a good thing, right?


Yes it's a very good thing :smile:

EDIT The 'Study Abroad Programme' seems like something for you to look I to at Queen's
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Sarao
Russell Group unis are a group of 24 research unis generally considered to be the best unis in the UK.

Here's the link to Queen's international student page http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/StudyatQueens/InternationalStudents/




Ooh, and Edinburgh and Glasgow are a part of it :smile:

Thanks! I'll send them a message inquiring about my situation.
I notice Aberdeen isn't on the list, is it still considered a good school?
I ask because it's only $20000
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Sarao
Yes it's a very good thing :smile:

EDIT The 'Study Abroad Programme' seems like something for you to look I to at Queen's



Oh I've heard of that sort of thing! Good idea, thanks.
I mean no disrespect to Queen's University Belfast as it is a good university, but IMO Edinburgh has a stronger reputation among employers in the states than QUB. No harm in looking into both though. Maybe try looking into Durham and St. Andrews as well.


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Original post by savoir-faire
I mean no disrespect to Queen's University Belfast as it is a good university, but IMO Edinburgh has a stronger reputation among employers in the states than QUB. No harm in looking into both though. Maybe try looking into Durham and St. Andrews as well.


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Well I am sort of hoping to move to Europe in the future....Edinburgh would be amazing though. It's sort of my dream school.
Thanks for those other suggestions, I'll look into them, though I heard St. Andrew's is crazy hard to get into.
EDIT: Umm ok. Just looked at entry requirements for Durham and St. Andrew's and I don't think I could get into either of those....
(edited 9 years ago)
You won't be able to transfer into the third year of an English/Welsh/Northern Irish university. You might be able to transfer into the third year of a Scottish four-year degree. If you're certain that you want to do a degree in the UK then I don't see any point paying for a third year of university in the US, it won't help your application and you will have to redo it anyway.

It is also worth noting that international fees are not necessarily cheaper than most American universities. You say you like Edinburgh, their fees range from £15,250 to £20,050 per year. Most good British universities will have similar fees.

Original post by D_ecrivaine
Also, the convenience of being surrounded by so many countries speaking so many languages....I want to become fluent in French and other languages so it would be much easier to do so if I were merely a train(?) ride away from France.


Being close to Europe doesn't improve people's language learning ability. If it did, British people wouldn't be so monolingual. You can certainly study languages here (most universities have language centres where you can study in your free time), and lots of student societies will organise trips to various European countries, but if you can't learn a language in America then you probably wont in the UK.
Original post by Samual
You won't be able to transfer into the third year of an English/Welsh/Northern Irish university. You might be able to transfer into the third year of a Scottish four-year degree. If you're certain that you want to do a degree in the UK then I don't see any point paying for a third year of university in the US, it won't help your application and you will have to redo it anyway.

It is also worth noting that international fees are not necessarily cheaper than most American universities. You say you like Edinburgh, their fees range from £15,250 to £20,050 per year. Most good British universities will have similar fees.



Being close to Europe doesn't improve people's language learning ability. If it did, British people wouldn't be so monolingual. You can certainly study languages here (most universities have language centres where you can study in your free time), and lots of student societies will organise trips to various European countries, but if you can't learn a language in America then you probably wont in the UK.



Oh I'm about to enter my second year, not third year of school.
If I transferred within the US the school I'd go to would likely be a private school and it would cost at least £37,000 per year.
Huh. I always thought Europeans were frequently bilingual or trilingual.
I was just sort of envisioning traveling to France on vacation when it was too expensive to go home...
I've taken 5 years of French and consider my level of speaking to be intermediate-advanced. I feel like going to a French speaking country will really help my language skills at this point.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Arnamdo
These types of post sadden me. The choices are not only about "doing the course" or drinking. The big choices are around establishing your independence, participating in a community by living among your fellows and contributing something to that academic institution. No one says you can not commute but it simply misses half the point of university. You may as well sit in your bedroom doing the Open Uni, save some money and work part time. But that is not the point is it ?

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Have you posted this in the wrong thread? I have no idea what you're talking about.
Original post by Arnamdo
These types of post sadden me. The choices are not only about "doing the course" or drinking. The big choices are around establishing your independence, participating in a community by living among your fellows and contributing something to that academic institution. No one says you can not commute but it simply misses half the point of university. You may as well sit in your bedroom doing the Open Uni, save some money and work part time. But that is not the point is it ?

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I don't follow.....
Original post by Arnamdo
You be trying to transfer here. You be going for the cheapest uni or the one that has the most fame. Not once you mention course quality or content. You need to reevaluate Dalek1099.

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No, that's not it at all.
"Fame" as you call it=employers knowing the name of the school.
But what I'm actually looking for are good schools. I've been looking at Edinburgh because I saw it on a list of good UK schools for Environmental Studies. Aberdeen was on a similar list, a bit farther down though. I noticed it wasn't that pricey. These days, your best bet of success is finding a good value school, one that gives you the best for your money.
Also you will see a little further up I asked someone else if Aberdeen was considered a good school. Please take your criticism elsewhere. I'm not looking for a famous school, I want a good school that will help me succeed in my chosen career but won't leave me full of debt until I'm 50.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by D_ecrivaine
Oh I'm about to enter my second year, not third year of school.
If I transferred within the US the school I'd go to would likely be a private school and it would cost at least £37,000 per year.
Huh. I always thought Europeans were frequently bilingual or trilingual.
I was just sort of envisioning traveling to France on vacation when it was too expensive to go home...
I've taken 5 years of French and consider my level of speaking to be intermediate-advanced. I feel like going to a French speaking country will really help my language skills at this point.


Why do you need to transfer to a private school in the US? Why are you so set on leaving your current college? A degree is a degree at the end of the day, you would be in a much better position getting a degree from a lesser known college and saving your money for grad school.

Bunching all Europeans into one generic group isn't helpful. Some Europeans are famous for being good at languages (the Dutch for example), and most young educated people in Western and Central Europe will speak English - but in Britain most people do not know any language but English.

I don't agree that going to France will help you, not unless you plan on spending a considerable amount of time there (3 months or more). Spending a few weeks in France will be fun and you will get to practise the French you know, but you won't learn anything new. Travelling around France for the summer will be much more expensive than going home.

Original post by Arnamdo
You not OP. Your understanding not concern.

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I still don't understand you and clearly the OP doesn't either. Please don't be rude. :smile:
Original post by Arnamdo
But you are American. You get your money from interferring in the Middle East and hooking up with oil barons. You will not know debt.

Also have you tried looking at the University of Exeter?

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Oh gosh. Yes I am American. That does not mean I have any involvement or say in the actions of the government. That doesn't mean I agree with the decisions they make.
Did I mention I want to move to Europe?

Nope, haven't heard of it. But from what other posters say it sounds as though a Scottish uni is my best bet.
Original post by Samual
Why do you need to transfer to a private school in the US? Why are you so set on leaving your current college? A degree is a degree at the end of the day, you would be in a much better position getting a degree from a lesser known college and saving your money for grad school.

Bunching all Europeans into one generic group isn't helpful. Some Europeans are famous for being good at languages (the Dutch for example), and most young educated people in Western and Central Europe will speak English - but in Britain most people do not know any language but English.

I don't agree that going to France will help you, not unless you plan on spending a considerable amount of time there (3 months or more). Spending a few weeks in France will be fun and you will get to practise the French you know, but you won't learn anything new. Travelling around France for the summer will be much more expensive than going home.



I still don't understand you and clearly the OP doesn't either. Please don't be rude. :smile:


It just seems from what I've read that (as I told Arnamdo) these days you want least expensive+best education. I commute to my current school, am living with my parents, there are about 20,000 students. So that's part of it, that I want to go to a smaller school where I feel less like one fish in a big ocean of fish. This is going a bit off topic but I just don't see any opportunities from finishing it out at the school I'm at, which is only mediocre. Any job I'd get would probably be in this city, and I'd be stuck living with my parents, whom are strict, until I'm at least 24 or 25. Some schools have reputations for being good at career services.
When I originally applied to schools I applied for a few that I could never get into, as my mom urged me to, a few local ones, and a few other schools which were expensive but mediocre. So I ended up at a mediocre local one. After that happened, I decided to spend two years at public school then transfer to a better school to save money (instead of being at the better school for 4 years). Better schools here=private schools=$$$


I'm sorry if I offended you. I've just always had the perception that education in the UK, and elsewhere, before university is better than here. It just seems like every European (sorry to lump again, but my experiences are limited) I've met is proficient at English, their native language, and occasionally another language.
Again, I'm sorry if I offended you. I've just always been so envious of how easy it must be to travel to a completely different country when you live there. That's so much opportunity.
Original post by Arnamdo
You want to move to the broken EU. You'll be called up to fight against Russia in a few years. I hope your government has taught you some skills.

Exeter has very good conservation (and similar) courses.

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Okay, I'm done. You're not making any sense.
Original post by Arnamdo
I SAID THAT EXETER HAS VERY GOOD CONSERVATION, ENVIRONMENTAL ETC COURSES. IT IS VERY WELL RANKED FOR THEM IN THE UK, IS PART OF THE RUSSEL GROUP, IS USUALLY PART OF THE TOP 10/15 IN LEAGUE TABLES AND IN GENERAL IS A VERY GOOD UNI.

I KNOW YOU LIVE IN AIRHEAD AMERICA BUT COME ON.

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I meant whatever you were spouting about Russia
FYI to everyone else who posts in this thread, the above user has been spamming other threads with the exact same post that was the first one he posted.
Literally I clicked on a random other thread and saw his post.
Original post by D_ecrivaine
It just seems from what I've read that (as I told Arnamdo) these days you want least expensive+best education. I commute to my current school, am living with my parents, there are about 20,000 students. So that's part of it, that I want to go to a smaller school where I feel less like one fish in a big ocean of fish. This is going a bit off topic but I just don't see any opportunities from finishing it out at the school I'm at, which is only mediocre. Any job I'd get would probably be in this city, and I'd be stuck living with my parents, whom are strict, until I'm at least 24 or 25. Some schools have reputations for being good at career services.
When I originally applied to schools I applied for a few that I could never get into, as my mom urged me to, a few local ones, and a few other schools which were expensive but mediocre. So I ended up at a mediocre local one. After that happened, I decided to spend two years at public school then transfer to a better school to save money (instead of being at the better school for 4 years). Better schools here=private schools=$$$


I'm sorry if I offended you. I've just always had the perception that education in the UK, and elsewhere, before university is better than here. It just seems like every European (sorry to lump again, but my experiences are limited) I've met is proficient at English, their native language, and occasionally another language.
Again, I'm sorry if I offended you. I've just always been so envious of how easy it must be to travel to a completely different country when you live there. That's so much opportunity.


You didn't offend me. I just think you need to do more research and be realistic as to what the UK can offer. You say you don't like being at a big school but most British universities are very big. I think your only realistic option for transferring is Scotland, but if you want to go to a small university then your options are limited. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have around 20,000 students each and they're based in large cities, so you will still feel like a small fish in an ocean of students. St Andrews and Aberdeen are the only other options which are comparatively small and internationally recognised.
Reply 37
Original post by Samual
Why do you need to transfer to a private school in the US? Why are you so set on leaving your current college? A degree is a degree at the end of the day, you would be in a much better position getting a degree from a lesser known college and saving your money for grad school.

Bunching all Europeans into one generic group isn't helpful. Some Europeans are famous for being good at languages (the Dutch for example), and most young educated people in Western and Central Europe will speak English - but in Britain most people do not know any language but English.

I don't agree that going to France will help you, not unless you plan on spending a considerable amount of time there (3 months or more). Spending a few weeks in France will be fun and you will get to practise the French you know, but you won't learn anything new. Travelling around France for the summer will be much more expensive than going home.



I still don't understand you and clearly the OP doesn't either. Please don't be rude. :smile:


I'd say a lot don't even know that :colondollar:
Original post by Samual
You didn't offend me. I just think you need to do more research and be realistic as to what the UK can offer. You say you don't like being at a big school but most British universities are very big. I think your only realistic option for transferring is Scotland, but if you want to go to a small university then your options are limited. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have around 20,000 students each and they're based in large cities, so you will still feel like a small fish in an ocean of students. St Andrews and Aberdeen are the only other options which are comparatively small and internationally recognised.


Oh boy, for some reason I was under the impression they were much smaller...
I suppose the most important things are that the university has a well thought of environmental sciences/the like program, and that they have a good career finding program. I just want as much opportunity as possible.
And I don't think St. Andrew's is a possibility... I saw the entry requirements :frown:
I'll probably apply to some schools here too. And we'll see once all the UK schools I emailed reply whether applying is even possible.
Is there any way to kick a user out of a thread? *cough* Arnamdo

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