A Degree from the UK or USA? Which one is harder/difficult to obtain?

the US student has just as much of an opportunity to take specialist classes in one field as the UK student does. not to mention that most top unis students in the US are excused from compulsory modules due to AP score exemption.

and PhD's are often combined with Masters so your point is irrelevant.

In america they finish high school at eighteen and then do college. Its easier to study when youre older I think and americans go to university when theyre older. Therefore, I think it is easier to obtain an american degree. I was too young for those damned a-levels.

So in the 4 years of a US degree they will be able to study as much maths/physics as me in my 4 year physics degree? That would rather counter what a US degree is all about wouldn't it?



They call university 'college'. They don't go and do A-levels at 18 .

So in the 4 years of a US degree they will be able to study as much maths/physics as me in my 4 year physics degree? That would rather counter what a US degree is all about wouldn't it?



They call university 'college'. They don't go and do A-levels at 18 .

the UK student would not be ahead in the job market at all. what job is so specialized that it requires 3 years of unis training to go into it? employers are looking for well rounded individuals, surely that is obvious?

In the movie 21, that dude needs $300k to get through harvard, **** that!

if your family earns less than $60,000, Harvard is free.

even if you were paying, you would need $200,000 max to do all 4 years, and everyone who needs it gets financial aid.

the fact that people on this forum think American students do A-levels at 18 proves they know nothing about the system. i have experienced both systems and I can personally say that the US system is better for me. you have infinitely more support, better teaching, more contact hours, more work, and much more flexibility.

doing a subject so in depth is pointless unless you want to pursue academia further or go into research for the rest of your life. employers want well rounded individuals who can write, do maths, read efficiently, etc. the UK system does not promote this.

So in the 4 years of a US degree they will be able to study as much maths/physics as me in my 4 year physics degree? That would rather counter what a US degree is all about wouldn't it?
.

Err... you were talking about US financial aid when you mentioned international students. Who exactly are you talking about? Someone who's international to the US, UK, or both? That little fact drastically changes where they should go to get a cheaper education.

And 50k...? The link I posted said that the average four-year private college costs $26,273. And the average student at these colleges receives $14,400 a year in financial aid. At a college that costs more than average, it would be reasonable to assume that the students also receive a higher-than-average amount of financial aid, would it not?

Another interesting fact: the average student in the UK graduates with £23,000 in debt (source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8205539.stm).

In contrast, only 66.5% of students at US 4-year colleges graduate with debt, and the average debt among them is $22,656 (
£14,643.23) (source: http://www.finaid.org/loans/).

So, while US colleges have a higher price tag, UK students graduate with more debt, despite their courses being shorter.

They're in debt because in america there is a culture of parents funding their childs education. I don't graduate with any debt - is that because I live in uk?

Yeah, I agree totally. A UK student studying something for 3 or 4 years exclusively or near-exclusively will definitely come out just as specialised as a US student who has done different stuff for at least the first year and then not entirely specialising necessarily in later years.

Thats why US PhD people have to go to lectures during PhDs as well, because they are just as in-depth knowledgable on things.

So all of them do the equivalent to a-levels?

Yeah, I agree totally. A UK student studying something for 3 or 4 years exclusively or near-exclusively will definitely come out just as specialised as a US student who has done different stuff for at least the first year and then not entirely specialising necessarily in later years.

Thats why US PhD people have to go to lectures during PhDs as well, because they are just as in-depth knowledgable on things.

So in the 4 years of a US degree they will be able to study as much maths/physics as me in my 4 year physics degree? That would rather counter what a US degree is all about wouldn't it?

I meant that the average UK student will finish their degree a year earlier than an American student. When an American student finishes their degree, the Uk student will have already have been working for a year. 3 year specialist degree + a year in the job is better than a 4 year degree which is just as specialist but broader.


Of course, it's not as simple as that. I was just furthering your comparison.

If you were to take an AP student and put them in an A-Level class, I guarantee you they would fail the majority of the modules (this may not be entirely true in subjects like Maths or Physics but those don’t really count)

Studying subjects other than your main subject does not detract from your knowledge of your main subject. Having a broad education and specialised knowledge of one subject are not mutually exclusive.

US students spend more hours in classes every week and have longer terms. My UK undergraduate degree had about 480 taught hours. In contrast, undergraduates in the USA have about 1,920 taught hours. With four times more teaching hours, why is it impossible that they could have the same depth of knowledge as a UK student... but with the added breadth of studying other subjects as well?