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Perks of studying in the UK and issues w/ parents?

Hi guys! I'm an American here that is interested in studying in England. I already visited a few universities over there and loved it. I am really set on studying there since it is cheaper then many US schools and the programs offered appeal to me. There is only one issue though: my parents. They aren't keen on me leaving the country and are afraid of the terror threat. I mean, it's much more likely I'll get shot up in the US than blown up in England so that argument is pretty invalid. They are also worried about healthcare. People with student visas pay a fee and receive basic NHS services. The fee is far less than what insured Americans pay anyways. Getting a degree over there takes less time as well so I don't see what their problem is. Anyone have other pros about studying in the UK Any advice is appreciated as well :smile:
Reply 1
It'll be a good experience! You'd experience different social atmospheres, and you can really bring out your independence by studying abroad!
Do what you think will make you happy!!!

Any uni in particular you've set your heart on? :smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by icehockeyolive
Hi guys! I'm an American here that is interested in studying in England. I already visited a few universities over there and loved it. I am really set on studying there since it is cheaper then many US schools and the programs offered appeal to me. There is only one issue though: my parents. They aren't keen on me leaving the country and are afraid of the terror threat. I mean, it's much more likely I'll get shot up in the US than blown up in England so that argument is pretty invalid. They are also worried about healthcare. People with student visas pay a fee and receive basic NHS services. The fee is far less than what insured Americans pay anyways. Getting a degree over there takes less time as well so I don't see what their problem is. Anyone have other pros about studying in the UK Any advice is appreciated as well :smile:


The threat of terrorism in the UK is pretty much non-existant outside of London and a couple of other big cities. There have been precisely zero fatalities from Islamic terrorist attacks on civilians in the UK in the past 10 years. That means there are British high schoolers who were not even born when the last terrorist attack happened.
Reply 3
I feel like university in the US and the UK are really different, and it depends on how you feel about these things, like, does it sound like what you want from higher education?

In the UK, you will focus on one, sometimes two, subjects and not really go outside of this subject very much. For example, if you are doing a maths degree, you only really do maths for those three years. I'd personally find this to be a perk, but if you aren't sure what you want to study, probably not. The drinking age in the UK is 18, so alcohol is more central to student life from the first year. Studying in the UK seems to be a lot more independent than the US as well. There is much less emphasis on sports in the UK, generally (with the exception of things like the boat races).

Which unis are you considering? Bigger universities and bigger cities will give you a different experience to smaller universities.

Did your parents come along with you to the universities? Also, did you get chance to visit some of the cities where you might be studying? That could help convince them.
Reply 4
Terrorist threat? Lmao what?

Tell them to turn off the TV when Fox News comes on
Original post by slc98
It'll be a good experience! You'd experience different social atmospheres, and you can really bring out your independence by studying abroad!
Do what you think will make you happy!!!

Any uni in particular you've set your heart on? :smile:


Thats all very true. Thanks!

I think I would be happy abroad. The political atmosphere in the US had been really bothering me. I lived in Europe for a while, worked abroad, and did an exchange program and loved all of them so I genuinely think it will suit me.

I like University of Birmingham or University of Lancaster. Both are good in Earth Sciences and their programs appeal to me. :smile:
Original post by Copperknickers
The threat of terrorism in the UK is pretty much non-existant outside of London and a couple of other big cities. There have been precisely zero fatalities from Islamic terrorist attacks on civilians in the UK in the past 10 years. That means there are British high schoolers who were not even born when the last terrorist attack happened.


I know. lol. It is the media here that gives people the impression. People here are shot on a daily basis because of our horrible gun laws and it basically goes unknown. Then when there is a terrorist attack somewhere the media goes on a feeding frenzy and that is all people hear about over here. I feel it is a lot safer in the UK but sadly people here don't see that.
Original post by oswalds
I feel like university in the US and the UK are really different, and it depends on how you feel about these things, like, does it sound like what you want from higher education?

In the UK, you will focus on one, sometimes two, subjects and not really go outside of this subject very much. For example, if you are doing a maths degree, you only really do maths for those three years. I'd personally find this to be a perk, but if you aren't sure what you want to study, probably not. The drinking age in the UK is 18, so alcohol is more central to student life from the first year. Studying in the UK seems to be a lot more independent than the US as well. There is much less emphasis on sports in the UK, generally (with the exception of things like the boat races).

Which unis are you considering? Bigger universities and bigger cities will give you a different experience to smaller universities.

Did your parents come along with you to the universities? Also, did you get chance to visit some of the cities where you might be studying? That could help convince them.


Yes. I think UK schools would be better. I am set on what I want to study. In the US, you usually do a broad range of subjects your first year. That doesn't appeal to me and is also why university is more expensive and takes longer here. I'm set on studying earth science and I really don't want to pay extra to study things I'm not interested in.

Here, alcohol being illegal just causes issues and binge drinking once people do reach 21. I personally like how the British handle alcohol a lot better. No matter what campus, you are going to get drunk people. Here, we also have the football culture, fraternities, and high sexual assault rates which I would love to avoid as well.

I'm considering University of Birmingham or University of Lancaster. Both are different but I love the areas and programs offered.
Original post by dcthorpe
Terrorist threat? Lmao what?

Tell them to turn off the TV when Fox News comes on


Yes. Terrorism and the Middle East are popular news topics here despite the fact that people get shot every day and it goes unheard. The UK is by far much safer than the US.

By the way, we don't watch Fox. I prefer NPR (public radio, which is comparable to BBC). We watch CNN or ABC, sometimes the Canadian news channels since Canada isn't far from me and half of our channels come from there anyways.
lol @ terrorist threat in UK. Im sorry, american children get their schools shot up by psychos and anyone purchase a gun there. The US and UK are not even comparable in terms of terrorist threat.
Original post by Youngmetro
lol @ terrorist threat in UK. Im sorry, american children get their schools shot up by psychos and anyone purchase a gun there. The US and UK are not even comparable in terms of terrorist threat.


I know! Thats why I'd rather go to school in England. It is the media here that is to blame. Thankfully I get Canadian TV...

Shootings and stuff go under reported here since they occur so frequently. Its pretty sad and I'm disappointed that politicians are just sitting there not taking action while more people are dying. But whenever a terrorist attack happens, the media goes wild and people start flipping out. So you can't really blame the people since all domestic news sources and are the real culprits by just blasting these over exaggerated "headlines" in our faces. The sad thing is people watch the news, think they are being informed, then get a false picture of what is really happening.

I'm originally not from the US and use foreign sources from my own country, Canadian channels because that is what I get, and NPR (our public radio that is comparable to BBC). Sadly, most people only have access to the big name news sources or Fox "news", which are notorious for spewing loads of false and over exaggerated information.

I know the US and UK aren't comparable but sadly other Americans don't see that. Just note it is not out of ignorance, it is because that is what the "news" tells us.
(edited 7 years ago)

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