UNIVER S ITY
Advice
I
f you’re thinking about studying for a degree in America then you’re in good company: in 2017-18, almost 11,500 UK students were in the US for
their studies. Below are some of the top reasons given by UK students for wanting to study in the United States.
Quality and reputation of US universities Although rankings should be taken with a pinch of salt, seven of the top 10 universities in the 2018 Times Higher Education World University Rankings are US institutions. With more than 4,500 offering undergraduate degrees, students can choose from a large, diverse pool of universities compared with 120 universities in the UK, so there’s bound to be one that’s a great fit for you.
Study the American dream
US universities offer more subjects, scholarships, and a chance to stand out in the job market
Liberal arts curriculum The liberal arts curriculum at US universities is a real selling point for students who don’t want to narrow their study options at the age of 18. Rather than being focused almost entirely on one subject, the US higher education system encourages you to become well-rounded and explore your options – you don’t even have to choose a field of study until the end of your second year, when you pick your major or even a double major. If you have a passion for something that is not on offer, you may be able to create your own curriculum and degree.
Campus life and extracurricular activities UK universities focus on independent learning and academics; on a US campus, learning and development is encouraged outside the classroom and library. US universities provide opportunities for
extracurricular involvement, community service, internships, sport, leadership and the arts. If there isn’t a club that caters for what you’re interested in, you can just create your own. The US Quidditch League was started at a college in Vermont in 2005 and is now played at hundreds of colleges nationwide!
Funding opportunities The availability of scholarship funding is a big draw for international students. The UK-US Fulbright Commission surveys students when they get their visas from
the US embassy in London; 36 per cent of respondents last year listed a scholarship as their primary source of funding. Undergraduate scholarships are often offered to students based on merit, extracurricular achievement, financial need or various personal characteristics. Just being an international student
makes you stand out, so if you look hard enough and are flexible, there’s probably a scholarship for you.
Internationalise your CV A study conducted by Universities UK found that mobile students (those who had studied abroad) had lower unemployment rates and higher quality jobs than non-mobile students (Gone International 2018).
International students in the US also
have the opportunity to gain work experience during their studies through internships, and they can work in the US for up to one year after graduation from an American university on the Optional Practical Training scheme. Graduates in STEM subjects can stay on for up to three years.
What are you waiting for? Attend one of Fulbright’s regular seminars on studying in the US or check out the step-by- step guides to applying to US universities at
fulbright.org.uk. Come along to Fulbright’s free USA College Day fair in September and meet admissions reps from more than 150 US universities. l
Spring 2020
WhatLive.co.uk 11
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