Does anyone have recent experience of applying to an American University?

My son is looking at maybe applying to MIT next year, and whilst some info is available online, any first hand experience would be helpful.

Thanks Rich

I helped a student through the processes

I’ll try and find the organisation that supported her through the processes

This one I think

Home

She was going for support in the basis of a low family income. She got close but stumbled on in The funded places rather than getting a place if that makes sense

Presumably you are aware of the ball park costs envolved? Without funding $80,0000 a year

Oh and you’ll want some one in your current school on side I did a lot of paper work

Not that I mind. the student did a degree in Exeter then got a job as clean room technician and assembled a camera that will be sent to Mars. She is now doing a space technology masters. I arranged with her today to come and talk to my current students

The funded places rather than getting a place if that makes sense

Presumably you are aware of the ball park costs envolved? Without funding $80,0000 a year

Yep, I was wondering about the funding. Well out of our budget otherwise.

Any further info appreciated. Thanks.

There are scholarships (especially sports ones) that can help a lot.

Pals son is in his last year over there.

IIRC expect to keep writing cheques out – everything seems to be a cost.

And the fun of being classed as a foreign student and expected to do mandatory English classes!

And the fun of being classed as a foreign student and expected to do mandatory English classes!

Hopefully you can use those classes to politely explain that, in fact, they’re the ones doing it wrong.

My son is looking at maybe applying to MIT next year,

That is one of the most selective universities in the world. Obviously, some people do get accepted but, even if he’s extremely smart, he’ll probably not be accepted. If he’s smart enough to get into MIT, he’s smart enough to research how to apply and also research alternative schools that might also be worth trying.

It’s easier to go over for your PhD – that wouldn’t incur any fees for a bright kid in a STEM subject. Harder (but not impossible by any means) for non STEM as PhD funding is more restrictive.

Obviously no one knows if they really want to do a PhD before they’ve even started their undergrad, just putting it out there as it’s a more common route to study in the US. eg go to one of the big three here – Oxford, Cambridge, Hull; then over to the US for doctoral study.

Not particularly recent but I did 6 months as an exchange student and was able to spend that time working in a lab doing research into hepatitis. This was quite easy to organise and the way it worked meant I paid the cost of being in the UK and a took the funding from someone who was in the USA so it didn’t cost me anything extra other than flights etc.

https://www.isepstudyabroad.org/programs/program-types-and-deadlines/isep-exchange#apply

Really an amazing experience and I am confident my career was kickstarted by having something different on my CV.

As others have said, doing an undergraduate abroad isn’t all that common and is likely to cost a fortune.

Yep – message me

eg go to one of the big three here – Oxford, Cambridge, Hull; then over to the US for doctoral study

Garry_Lager deserves far more recognition for this hilarious comment. Of course we all know that the idea of Oxford realistically competing with Hull’s academic powerhouse is frankly derisory.

Humour aside, I echo the sentiment that it’s better to wait for postgraduate study before crossing the Atlantic. In addition to the costs being far lower, I think that at the top level, undergraduate education in the UK can still hold its own against the US. However, in the physical sciences there is a gaping chasm separating the educational attainment levels in US vs. UK PhDs. I imagine the situation may be similar in other STEM fields, simply due to the relative paucity of funding in the UK.

I’d recommend that richpips’ son applies to Cambridge. If he’s accepted, he will have an excellent foundation from which to apply to the US in 4 years’ time. He’s also likely to enjoy his undergraduate experience far more in the UK due to cultural familiarity and the course structure in Cambridge (exams at the end of the year rather than continuous midterm assessments). If he doesn’t get in, then in the unlikely event that he did get an offer from MIT, he’d probably face a miserably expensive struggle.