NationStates Jolt Archive

Well the thread title says it all...heh. I'm interested in life in Britain, hoping it will offer what life in California cannot offer me. And it does seem like British universities are on par with American universities in terms of rigor, if not superior.

DON'T LEAVE ME!

I swear honey! I won't hit you no more! And I'll quit taking your welfare check baby! What did I di? Was it my smoking? I can put that pipe down baby! Crack aten't important baby!


DON'T LEAVE ME!


and yes. your degree will be just fine when you get back here. Although if you are going for a higher degree you might have to reclass or take some things to prep for it.

Well the thread title says it all...heh. I'm interested in life in Britain, hoping it will offer what life in California cannot offer me. And it does seem like British universities are on par with American universities in terms of rigor, if not superior.

Yes, they're acceptable in the US.

I will warn you - there are fine universities in the UK (as fine or finer than any in the US). There are also shitty universities in the UK (as shitty as any you might find in the US).

Just because it's a university in the UK is no guarantee that it's "superior" in any way. You still have to do your shopping.

It's also more expensive to live in the UK, and the weather sucks compared to California (especially when compared to San Diego).

But, the UK has it's own charm, and as a student, you might appreciate the health care. It's also a relatively lukewarm way to live abroad and experience "foreign" life (it's not so different from the US culturally - I mean, it's not like you're living in France).

And it does seem like British universities are on par with American universities in terms of rigor, if not superior.
Depends which one you go to.

Well the thread title says it all...heh. I'm interested in life in Britain, hoping it will offer what life in California cannot offer me. And it does seem like British universities are on par with American universities in terms of rigor, if not superior.

It really does depend which uni (British short version of 'university' - pronounced like the first part of the word ("you-ni")) you go to. Some are not so great. I won't advise which are good, as they are different for different courses - eg. Salford Uni is crap for languages, but great for Performing Arts

Also, some are very, VERY stringent when it comes to entry requirements (Oxford is especially stringent), though they may be more relaxed towards international students as they have to pay more money.

And do you have enough funding? If not, look into them (or ask your Careers Service or your school/college about them) - you usually have to have good grades though for scholarships, and they're often available only AFTER the first year of study.

First though, find out about a few universities and see what the entry requirements are for your course.

Universities in Britain are obviously superior to American ones because you are able to legally drink alcohol.

Also there is rain and people drive on the sensible side of the road.

Well the thread title says it all...heh. I'm interested in life in Britain, hoping it will offer what life in California cannot offer me. And it does seem like British universities are on par with American universities in terms of rigor, if not superior.

Are you mad? The British Isles are farther north than all of the lower 48 states. It gets dark over there at this time of year at three in the afternoon!

What are you looking for in Britain that California can't offer you? Just curious.

Well the thread title says it all...heh. I'm interested in life in Britain, hoping it will offer what life in California cannot offer me. And it does seem like British universities are on par with American universities in terms of rigor, if not superior.

i wouldn't willingly come here.

Well the thread title says it all...heh. I'm interested in life in Britain, hoping it will offer what life in California cannot offer me. And it does seem like British universities are on par with American universities in terms of rigor, if not superior.

Yep, an undergraduate degree from most any civilized country (read: not Somalia) is acceptable in the United States. I work in student services and I deal with applications to grad school fairly regularly, and we get a large quantity of overseas students, and their undergrad degrees are perfectly acceptable.

And UK Universities, in the upper tier, are as good as upper tier US Universities, but there is a minor degradation of quality in the lower levels of UK Universities relative to US Universities. Or, at least that's how it's perceived in the literature on the matter.

What are you looking for in Britain that California can't offer you? Just curious.

Really. Think about it, no central heating, driving on the other side of the road, no ice in mixed drinks ... :p

Are you mad? The British Isles are farther north than all of the lower 48 states. It gets dark over there at this time of year at three in the afternoon!

its been dark and grey and gloomy most of the day, actually.

and fucking cold, too.

Are you mad? The British Isles are farther north than all of the lower 48 states. It gets dark over there at this time of year at three in the afternoon!Isn't that 49 states? The most northerly part of Maine is 47.3 degrees North, and the most southerly part of mainland Britain is 49.6 degrees North. However I'm currently in Birmingham which is about 52 degrees North. It's been very cloudy today and coldest it will get is 4C. It went as high as 6C and will be about 10C tomorrow. In Portland Maine the hottest it will get today is 3C.

The down side of the UK is that in winter the time between sunrise and sunset is about can get as low as 8 hours with 16 hours of darkness. In the summer it's the reverse - with up to 16 hours of sunshine and 8 hours of darkness.

Isn't that 49 states? The most northerly part of Maine is 47.3 degrees North, and the most southerly part of mainland Britain is 49.6 degrees North. However I'm currently in Birmingham which is about 52 degrees North. It's been very cloudy today and coldest it will get is 4C. It went as high as 6C and will be about 10C tomorrow. In Portland Maine the hottest it will get today is 3C.

The down side of the UK is that in winter the time between sunrise and sunset is about can get as low as 8 hours with 16 hours of darkness. In the summer it's the reverse - with up to 16 hours of sunshine and 8 hours of darkness.

"Lower 48" doesn't include Hawa'ai (or, naturally, Alaska). It's an old term. One might have said "the 48 contiguous states."

It's warmer in Britain in the winter than it is in the northern US, no question. Good old Gulf Stream. You do have that 16 hours of darkness in the winter thing, though the summer reversal is a definite plus.

I was kidding, of course. I'm reminded of the line from Kevin Costner's Robin Hood movie (possibly the only redeeming feature of the film), when the Moor comes ashore and cries, "Is there no sun in this country?"

A British undergraduate degree will be just as acceptable in the states as it is here. The massive advantage you have is if you come here, do a good degree at a good uni, you will then find it easier to further that, either through a masters or PhD program, back in the states, since you are a citizen. THEN you have a multi-national education, and that is something that looks better than a degree from either country. At least, as far as employers are concerned.

It also depends on what you want to do with your degree when you finish. Britain's good, but like someone already said, it's already dark (16.30) and it's been raining all day, and im not expecting much change till at least arpil. If we're lucky, it'll snow down here (Kent, south of london).

A British undergraduate degree will be just as acceptable in the states as it is here. The massive advantage you have is if you come here, do a good degree at a good uni, you will then find it easier to further that, either through a masters or PhD program, back in the states, since you are a citizen. THEN you have a multi-national education, and that is something that looks better than a degree from either country. At least, as far as employers are concerned.

It also depends on what you want to do with your degree when you finish. Britain's good, but like someone already said, it's already dark (16.30) and it's been raining all day, and im not expecting much change till at least arpil. If we're lucky, it'll snow down here (Kent, south of london).

Send me your address, I'll mail you all the snow I have to shovel Thursday or Friday, we're supposed to get another "significant" snowfall in Denver at the end of the week.

The down side of the UK is that in winter the time between sunrise and sunset is about can get as low as 8 hours with 16 hours of darkness. In the summer it's the reverse - with up to 16 hours of sunshine and 8 hours of darkness.

What we need is someone to invent some device which could turn electric current or piped natural gas into illumination.

Send me your address, I'll mail you all the snow I have to shovel Thursday or Friday, we're supposed to get another "significant" snowfall in Denver at the end of the week.

haha, that'd make my day. Got another few weeks off uni, and playing in the snow like a child would go down VERY well.

Gotta be better than freezing drizzle anyway.

What we need is someone to invent some device which could turn electric current or piped natural gas into illumination.

Brilliant!

I read of a town in northern Norway, I think it was, that is surrounded by hills and so doesn't get any direct sun most of the winter, even though it's not above the Arctic Circle. They rigged large mirrors on the hills to reflect sunlight down into the town.

What we need is someone to invent some device which could turn electric current or piped natural gas into illumination.What a preposterous idea! That's almost as crazy as lighting a fire beneath a ship's deck with the intent to propel it (horizontally that is, not vertically).

"Lower 48" doesn't include Hawa'ai (or, naturally, Alaska). It's an old term. One might have said "the 48 contiguous states."

It's warmer in Britain in the winter than it is in the northern US, no question. Good old Gulf Stream. You do have that 16 hours of darkness in the winter thing, though the summer reversal is a definite plus.

I was kidding, of course. I'm reminded of the line from Kevin Costner's Robin Hood movie (possibly the only redeeming feature of the film), when the Moor comes ashore and cries, "Is there no sun in this country?"Ah, I see. Being as I am in Britain I am not familiar with your terminology.

I don't remember Prince of Thieves at all. My memory of it is always obscured by Men in Tights. No... wait... The Moor is trying to pray when he says that line. Ahah!

But yes, I know what you mean... at least we get glorious sunsets that last for ages.

How about rest of europe?
My country is in accordance to Bologne standard for EU.
Does that make my degree acceptable in US?

Ah, I see. Being as I am in Britain I am not familiar with your terminology.

I don't remember Prince of Thieves at all. My memory of it is always obscured by Men in Tights. No... wait... The Moor is trying to pray when he says that line. Ahah!

But yes, I know what you mean... at least we get glorious sunsets that last for ages.

There were men in tights obscuring your view in the cinema during "Prince of Thieves"? Do we even want to go there? I think not.

We get nice sunsets in the summer when some idiot sets the forest one fire and the smoke gets blown down along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. And sometimes when the pollution gets trapped against the mountains by a thermal inversion. Ah, wilderness!

Really. Think about it, no central heating, driving on the other side of the road, no ice in mixed drinks ... :p
Also no In N Out!!! :p

But, seriously. To the OP: what is it you're hoping to find in Britain? I really am curious as to why you would choose to go there rather than a school elsewhere in the United States. British universities are much like American ones; some are crappy, some are good, some are excellent. Which leads me to believe that there must be something other than the academics that makes you want to move to the other side of the Atlantic.

Also no In N Out!!! :p

But, seriously, what is it you're hoping to find in Britain? I really am curious as to why you would choose to go there rather than a school elsewhere in the U.S. British universities are much like American ones; some are crappy, some are good, some are excellent. Which leads me to believe that there must be something other than the academics that makes you want to move to the other side of the Atlantic.

Probably watched too many Harry Potter movies.

Also no In N Out!!! :p

But, seriously. To the OP: what is it you're hoping to find in Britain? I really am curious as to why you would choose to go there rather than a school elsewhere in the United States. British universities are much like American ones; some are crappy, some are good, some are excellent. Which leads me to believe that there must be something other than the academics that makes you want to move to the other side of the Atlantic.

An outstanding warrant? ;)

Probably watched too many Harry Potter movies.
Are you kidding? I wanted to leave after the first one.

To the OP - what everyone else said, with a couple more questions. Are you aware of any differences in the teaching styles of courses? Here, choosing a degree often means fixed modules, or very restricted choices. I could only choose one of my modules this entire (second) year, and that was closely linked to the rest of my modules. From what I gathered in the semester choices thread, many US colleges allow a very wide range of courses for their degrees. I've never heard of this being the case over here, at least not in more rigorous degrees.

Secondly, what are you intending to study? University choice differs greatly in terms of degree. I know it's obvious, but check league tables for the last few years in your subject. The Guardian and the Times are good for it. As a guide, Oxbridge, Durham and Warwick seem to do very well in every category they partake in, although the entrance system is diabolical.

Oh yeah, and what's the cost going to be like? UK students are really heavily subsidised for their stay in uni, plus the loans given to them are local education authority-specific. Ask Neo K if he's about, I seem to remember he did some research into a possible application to LSE, he might know.

Are you kidding? I wanted to leave after the first one.

To the OP - what everyone else said, with a couple more questions. Are you aware of any differences in the teaching styles of courses? Here, choosing a degree often means fixed modules, or very restricted choices. I could only choose one of my modules this entire (second) year, and that was closely linked to the rest of my modules. From what I gathered in the semester choices thread, many US colleges allow a very wide range of courses for their degrees. I've never heard of this being the case over here, at least not in more rigorous degrees.

Secondly, what are you intending to study? University choice differs greatly in terms of degree. I know it's obvious, but check league tables for the last few years in your subject. The Guardian and the Times are good for it. As a guide, Oxbridge, Durham and Warwick seem to do very well in every category they partake in, although the entrance system is diabolical.

Oh yeah, and what's the cost going to be like? UK students are really heavily subsidised for their stay in uni, plus the loans given to them are local education authority-specific. Ask Neo K if he's about, I seem to remember he did some research into a possible application to LSE, he might know.




i think what you say about module choice also vaires between courses and unis. i had little to no choice for my first year, but by the time i got to my third, i was doing exactly what i wanted.

it's definatly a different system though, instead of doing minors and majors like you would in the states you pretty much spend your 3 years focused on the subject you choose to study.

and as far as heavy subsidies go, that used to be the case, but now we have Mr. Blair's plan to alienate the middle class in full swing. Uni is EXPENSIVE unless you're rich enough to afford it or poor enough for a bursary.

i think what you say about module choice also vaires between courses and unis. i had little to no choice for my first year, but by the time i got to my third, i was doing exactly what i wanted.

it's definatly a different system though, instead of doing minors and majors like you would in the states you pretty much spend your 3 years focused on the subject you choose to study.

and as far as heavy subsidies go, that used to be the case, but now we have Mr. Blair's plan to alienate the middle class in full swing. Uni is EXPENSIVE unless you're rich enough to afford it or poor enough for a bursary.

Even if you get a bursary (which I believe is for UK citizens only), you still have to pay back the tuition fee loan after leaving uni. Though of course if you're not a UK citizen, you have to pay for everything as you go along unless you're lucy enough to find one or more grants somewhere that mean you don't have to pay a penny (possible maybe, but probably unlikely) - and the fees are much higher for international students studying in the UK