Applying for a US university

hi everyone

I’m a first year student at UCL studying history and I’m thinking of withdrawing from my course because it’s just so boring. Originally I wanted to reapply on UCAS and i have found some liberal arts/flexible combined honours courses that suited my interests. However, none of them are perfect, there’s always something wrong about either the course or the university.

My tutor at UCL mentioned the how the US style education is perhaps more suitable for someone like me who don’t know what they want to do as in their first year they do a range of subjects before specialising in their interest area. This kind of sparked my interest as it’s something i’ve never considered before.

I’ve been doing some light research into studying in the US and the fees look horrendous, especially at private ivy league universities. I know there’s financial aid available but still it’s a lot of money to consider. Also I would have to take a year out to do the whole application process (SAT/ACT and essays and forms to fill) and it might even be too late because studying for the SAT will probably take time.

I’ve always been very academic and got all A*s in GCSEs and 3 A*s at A-level and have lots of extra curricular activities. It would be amazing to study at an ivy league university but i don’t know if it’s worth the time and effort and money. I would definitely have to do more research into this but I was wondering if anyone here knows anything about applying to US unis, financial aid and the style of teaching and learning.

I feel like this is such a big dream, but maybe it’s worth a shot? Any information would be appreciated :smile:

Reply 1

username4618318

I think Harvard does this blind aid thing where if they accept you they can aid in all fees, but this does seem like a big move. :> Are you sure you won’t reconsider staying at UCL? What do you plan on doing in future?

If I’m being honest I don’t think US unis are worth it. Having looked into it, it appears to be all for the brand-name. Though, I think once you’ve made up your mind no-one can dissuade you from your decision.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 2

_HS

Heyy! Thanks for the reply!

I’m considering staying at UCL because I love the uni and all my friends but the degree is boring me to death. I had a breakdown over exam season and did absolutely no work because i couldn’t force myself to study. I know that everyone will hate their degree at some point but I just found it seriously dull and uninspiring. Somehow still managed to pass with a average 2:1 lol don’t know how that happened....

I have no idea what I want to do in the future, definitely nothing history related or academia. I don’t wanna be a lawyer or a banker or anything like that. I’m interested in theatre and music and would love to be a producer or just working for TV/film/the arts in general.

I’m still gunna apply for some liberal arts/more flexible courses at other unis for september but from what i’ve heard the US style education sounds a lot more diverse because you do a bit of everything in the first year and then specialise which is really attractive as I’m someone who have multiple interests and don’t know what they want to do.

To be honest I probably won’t even get into any of the Ivies, apparently they’re very keen on extra curriculars as well as perfect grades. I’ve done a lot of extra curriculars but it sounds like they want you to have done something extraordinary like start your own business or win international maths medals or something lol...

Thanks for the reply again, much appreciated :smile:

Reply 3

hoixw

Original post by _HS

They don't REQUIRE anything over the top. I was told the story of someone who got into Yale because they were impressed with his bell ringing hobby. You just need to differentiate yourself from a huge cohort of impressive students (which is hard).

Quite a few universities have merit based scholarships too - and make sure to take/prepare for the ACT/SAT!

Applying for a US university

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you