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US university, please help!

can anyone in this thread help me? basically i'm enrolled at a UK university but am currently on an interuption year due to mental health reasons. I realised quite late I actually want to do my undergrad in the US. I just hate the UK system SO MUCH I hate how we have to decide our degree so early on it has caused me major mental health issues and I just much prefer the US unis in every way. I REALLY want to do my undergrad in the US but I left sixth form 2 years ago, I dont have any extra curriculars and I never took ACT or SATs. my GCSEs are six A* three A and a B, and my A levels were biology, chemistry and geography AAA. what are my options? its my dream to go to a US college. I'm not fussed about going to the top ones like the ivies as I know that would be impossible.


I just absolutley despise the UK system, I think it's so unfair to put 16-18 year olds under so much pressure. If I was in the US i would easily be able to chnage my subjcts and explore different options to find out what I'm acctually intersted in.
Original post by Anonymous
can anyone in this thread help me? basically i'm enrolled at a UK university but am currently on an interuption year due to mental health reasons. I realised quite late I actually want to do my undergrad in the US. I just hate the UK system SO MUCH I hate how we have to decide our degree so early on it has caused me major mental health issues and I just much prefer the US unis in every way. I REALLY want to do my undergrad in the US but I left sixth form 2 years ago, I dont have any extra curriculars and I never took ACT or SATs. my GCSEs are six A* three A and a B, and my A levels were biology, chemistry and geography AAA. what are my options? its my dream to go to a US college. I'm not fussed about going to the top ones like the ivies as I know that would be impossible.


I just absolutley despise the UK system, I think it's so unfair to put 16-18 year olds under so much pressure. If I was in the US i would easily be able to chnage my subjcts and explore different options to find out what I'm acctually intersted in.

If you want it then go for it.
What exactly are you planning to do? You don't wanna pursue a degree in biology or chemistry as they were your A LEVELS subs?
Reply 2
Original post by Anonymous
If you want it then go for it.
What exactly are you planning to do? You don't wanna pursue a degree in biology or chemistry as they were your A LEVELS subs?

I would go in undecided and take a bunch of different classes to find out what I like. you don't have to decide your major until the end of the second year
Original post by Anonymous
I would go in undecided and take a bunch of different classes to find out what I like. you don't have to decide your major until the end of the second year

I'd suggest you to explore bio-medical/ bio-chem/ pharma / nursing and medicine. You have studied the subjects (during your A Levels) that will be in demand in the coming years and these career pathways will definitely be fruitful in the long run.

As far studying in the US is concerned, I don't see a lot of difference. Only that they have a four year degree program and a completely different process to pursue Medicine ( if you wanna major in that).
Original post by Anonymous
can anyone in this thread help me? basically i'm enrolled at a UK university but am currently on an interuption year due to mental health reasons. I realised quite late I actually want to do my undergrad in the US. I just hate the UK system SO MUCH I hate how we have to decide our degree so early on it has caused me major mental health issues and I just much prefer the US unis in every way. I REALLY want to do my undergrad in the US but I left sixth form 2 years ago, I dont have any extra curriculars and I never took ACT or SATs. my GCSEs are six A* three A and a B, and my A levels were biology, chemistry and geography AAA. what are my options? its my dream to go to a US college. I'm not fussed about going to the top ones like the ivies as I know that would be impossible.


I just absolutley despise the UK system, I think it's so unfair to put 16-18 year olds under so much pressure. If I was in the US i would easily be able to chnage my subjcts and explore different options to find out what I'm acctually intersted in.

Hi- I'm afraid this is going to be very complicated... lemme explain why.
1- Since you are enrolled in a UK Uni, most US colleges would not let you apply as a freshman. There might be some few colleges that would let you still be considered a freshman, but I have no idea which ones they are- you'd literally have to email hundreds of admission officers with that specific question, to find some. Otherwise, you would have to apply as a transfer student (it does not matter whether you took exams or not, or whether you finished courses- you still enrolled at a Uni, and that's what counts.
This makes admission more difficult, but it's especially a problem if you are looking for financial aid, which is effectively non-existent for International transfer students, pretty much anywhere.
If you can afford a minimum of $250,000 for the four years to graduate, then there might be some options, plenty of decent/good state Unis particularly would take a look at you, as you bring $$$. But keep in mind that you won't be able to get any UK loans, and might get some American loans only if a US citizen guarantees the full amount for you (which would not be advised, at all, anyway).
2- most US applications for this year are mainly closed by now, so you'd have to wait until September 2023 to start (unless you applied as a transfer, which has different timelines).
As another option to study in a liberal arts model, there are several Dutch Universities (taught in English) that would have a similar- though maybe less flexible- system. Maybe it's worth a thought! GL
Reply 5
Original post by Anonymous
Hi- I'm afraid this is going to be very complicated... lemme explain why.
1- Since you are enrolled in a UK Uni, most US colleges would not let you apply as a freshman. There might be some few colleges that would let you still be considered a freshman, but I have no idea which ones they are- you'd literally have to email hundreds of admission officers with that specific question, to find some. Otherwise, you would have to apply as a transfer student (it does not matter whether you took exams or not, or whether you finished courses- you still enrolled at a Uni, and that's what counts.
This makes admission more difficult, but it's especially a problem if you are looking for financial aid, which is effectively non-existent for International transfer students, pretty much anywhere.
If you can afford a minimum of $250,000 for the four years to graduate, then there might be some options, plenty of decent/good state Unis particularly would take a look at you, as you bring $$$. But keep in mind that you won't be able to get any UK loans, and might get some American loans only if a US citizen guarantees the full amount for you (which would not be advised, at all, anyway).
2- most US applications for this year are mainly closed by now, so you'd have to wait until September 2023 to start (unless you applied as a transfer, which has different timelines).
As another option to study in a liberal arts model, there are several Dutch Universities (taught in English) that would have a similar- though maybe less flexible- system. Maybe it's worth a thought! GL

would I still be a transfer student if I dropped out of my current uni?
Original post by Anonymous
would I still be a transfer student if I dropped out of my current uni?

For most colleges, yes. As I said, there might be a few exceptions, but it's rare. It's having enrolled in the first place that counts, not whether you attend now.
Original post by Anonymous
can anyone in this thread help me? basically i'm enrolled at a UK university but am currently on an interuption year due to mental health reasons. I realised quite late I actually want to do my undergrad in the US. I just hate the UK system SO MUCH I hate how we have to decide our degree so early on it has caused me major mental health issues and I just much prefer the US unis in every way. I REALLY want to do my undergrad in the US but I left sixth form 2 years ago, I dont have any extra curriculars and I never took ACT or SATs. my GCSEs are six A* three A and a B, and my A levels were biology, chemistry and geography AAA. what are my options? its my dream to go to a US college. I'm not fussed about going to the top ones like the ivies as I know that would be impossible.


I just absolutley despise the UK system, I think it's so unfair to put 16-18 year olds under so much pressure. If I was in the US i would easily be able to chnage my subjcts and explore different options to find out what I'm acctually intersted in.


I will say that the US system still has pressure, even at lower tier universities. You have to keep your GPA up which means that every single test and piece of homework counts, as does participation etc. It's a very different kind of pressure, but you do need to be aware of it. Have you had a look at universities in Scotland?
Reply 8
Original post by Sandtrooper
I will say that the US system still has pressure, even at lower tier universities. You have to keep your GPA up which means that every single test and piece of homework counts, as does participation etc. It's a very different kind of pressure, but you do need to be aware of it. Have you had a look at universities in Scotland?

Yeah I've considered Edinburgh and saint Andrews. Would you reccomend a scottish uni for someone like me who has absolultey no clue what they want to do?
Reply 9
Original post by Sandtrooper
I will say that the US system still has pressure, even at lower tier universities. You have to keep your GPA up which means that every single test and piece of homework counts, as does participation etc. It's a very different kind of pressure, but you do need to be aware of it. Have you had a look at universities in Scotland?

it depend on how you look at it. some people would say having most of your grade be based on set of exams increases pressure since its much easier to mess up and it puts more pressure on doing well in that one exam
Original post by Anonymous
Yeah I've considered Edinburgh and saint Andrews. Would you reccomend a scottish uni for someone like me who has absolultey no clue what they want to do?


Obviously it's not perfect, but the fact that you can take three subjects in the first year might really help you. My friend didn't know what she wanted to do so she did History, Theology, and Middle Eastern Studies in her first year at Edinburgh, and went from there. I'd also have a look at joint honours courses, or liberal arts courses - although you mentioned that you were doing science, so maybe stuff like the BASc at UCL might be of interest.

Original post by Anonymous
it depend on how you look at it. some people would say having most of your grade be based on set of exams increases pressure since its much easier to mess up and it puts more pressure on doing well in that one exam


You're right, it does depend, but I will say, as someone who studied at Cambridge and is now in the US, the constant pressure to get As and A+s - if you miss one, you can't get a 4.0 GPA - is exhausting at times. Especially as you're covering so many different things, and you have more contact hours, and some classes - thankfully not mine - are graded on a curve.
Original post by Sandtrooper
Obviously it's not perfect, but the fact that you can take three subjects in the first year might really help you. My friend didn't know what she wanted to do so she did History, Theology, and Middle Eastern Studies in her first year at Edinburgh, and went from there. I'd also have a look at joint honours courses, or liberal arts courses - although you mentioned that you were doing science, so maybe stuff like the BASc at UCL might be of interest.



You're right, it does depend, but I will say, as someone who studied at Cambridge and is now in the US, the constant pressure to get As and A+s - if you miss one, you can't get a 4.0 GPA - is exhausting at times. Especially as you're covering so many different things, and you have more contact hours, and some classes - thankfully not mine - are graded on a curve.

what are you studying?
Original post by Anonymous
it depend on how you look at it. some people would say having most of your grade be based on set of exams increases pressure since its much easier to mess up and it puts more pressure on doing well in that one exam

As somebody who did A-Levels and is now studying undergrad in the US, I'll say this - I personally found it nicer to just have one set of exams count for my grade.

As @Sandtrooper said, having your grade also based on homeworks, quizzes, participation, and attendance is a completely different kind of pressure and it's constant. If you want to maintain a 4.0 GPA, you really need to understand everything in the class as it comes, as messing up at all on any homework can really hit your grade hard. There's not much room for error and no way to account for what may go on throughout term - illness, any kind of emergency, just needing to take a short break for health reasons. And in a lot of cases, it's not like you won't have exams too - both midterms and finals, which still contribute to enough of your grade that the pressure is still very much there.

In contrast, if your entire grade is based on just one set of exams, you can actually use your homework as a chance to learn - you can afford to make mistakes and not understand straight away, because you'll learn from your graded and corrected assignments what you have to do next time. You can afford to miss a class, or turn in some homework late if you have to due to your health or any other reason.

I've had classes so far taught in both formats (and even a mixture of the two), and I can say for certain that the one that just based my grade on the final exam was a lot better in terms of pressure and was more enjoyable than the others.
Original post by Anonymous
what are you studying?


I'm taking classes in Middle Eastern Studies, East Asian studies, Germanic studies, informatics, and geography, and next year I'll probably take a class in the public health department as well.
Original post by Anonymous
can anyone in this thread help me? basically i'm enrolled at a UK university but am currently on an interuption year due to mental health reasons. I realised quite late I actually want to do my undergrad in the US. I just hate the UK system SO MUCH I hate how we have to decide our degree so early on it has caused me major mental health issues and I just much prefer the US unis in every way. I REALLY want to do my undergrad in the US but I left sixth form 2 years ago, I dont have any extra curriculars and I never took ACT or SATs. my GCSEs are six A* three A and a B, and my A levels were biology, chemistry and geography AAA. what are my options? its my dream to go to a US college. I'm not fussed about going to the top ones like the ivies as I know that would be impossible.


I just absolutley despise the UK system, I think it's so unfair to put 16-18 year olds under so much pressure. If I was in the US i would easily be able to chnage my subjcts and explore different options to find out what I'm acctually intersted in.


So, I am a student from the US and I found this website because I'm studying abroad in England next semester, but I found this and figured I hop in. So, from personal experience, everything here is extremely customizable and you're able to choose your classes every semester. For example, I am a political philosophy major, but I also took an art course one semester, and another semester I took a course on ancient myths and legends. I know my university also has just fun classes. There is a dodgeball course and I took a yoga class as well. I also know that many schools here like having international students because it increases their diversity. When you apply and if you get accepted, they walk you through EVERYTHING you could ever know.
Also! You can change your major until your junior year (third year). It does change by the university, but I know so many freshmen who came in with an undecided major and were able to take courses from all different kinds of subjects to find what they like.
Hope this helps (:
Original post by mcoy5
So, I am a student from the US and I found this website because I'm studying abroad in England next semester, but I found this and figured I hop in. So, from personal experience, everything here is extremely customizable and you're able to choose your classes every semester. For example, I am a political philosophy major, but I also took an art course one semester, and another semester I took a course on ancient myths and legends. I know my university also has just fun classes. There is a dodgeball course and I took a yoga class as well. I also know that many schools here like having international students because it increases their diversity. When you apply and if you get accepted, they walk you through EVERYTHING you could ever know.
Also! You can change your major until your junior year (third year). It does change by the university, but I know so many freshmen who came in with an undecided major and were able to take courses from all different kinds of subjects to find what they like.
Hope this helps (:


Good luck in the UK! I'm currently studying abroad in the US and liking the flexibility so far.
Original post by username5901871
So, I am a student from the US and I found this website because I'm studying abroad in England next semester, but I found this and figured I hop in. So, from personal experience, everything here is extremely customizable and you're able to choose your classes every semester. For example, I am a political philosophy major, but I also took an art course one semester, and another semester I took a course on ancient myths and legends. I know my university also has just fun classes. There is a dodgeball course and I took a yoga class as well. I also know that many schools here like having international students because it increases their diversity. When you apply and if you get accepted, they walk you through EVERYTHING you could ever know.
Also! You can change your major until your junior year (third year). It does change by the university, but I know so many freshmen who came in with an undecided major and were able to take courses from all different kinds of subjects to find what they like.
Hope this helps (:

This sounds amazing and is exactly what I'm looking for. I really wish it was like this in the UK. Do you mind if I ask what university you go to?

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