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Postgrad in America?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
Sooooo to cut a long story short, meeting people from all over the world has made me want to travel and I am toying with the idea of going to America to do my Postgraduate after I finish. Universities are getting ever more expensive in the UK and living costs in the States are cheaper and often have food included.

So I was wondering if anybody could offer me advice...

Is it extortionately expensive and can I get financial aid to help with the costs?

Is 'special needs'/learner support better in the states?

I heard that universities are better funded, is this true?

Is it hard for British students to get in to American universities?

How do I get a scholarship?

Any suggestions on places to go?

I am a first year, but my Learner Support tutor has told me I should be aiming for a First... So hopefully will get good grades. :angel:
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PHD and Masters courses at American Uni's are in some ways cheaper, though this isnt always the case. BUT, and its a big but, the course is a lot longer, a Masters is three years and a PHD four or is it two and five, anyway its several years longer.

    BUT, you do get a lot more teaching experience than on a UK PHD course, however, there is a down side to this, in that you basically work for your tuition on very very low wages teaching classes, which is why it takes so long.

    Yes, Uni's there are (mostly) better funded because they can charge stupidly high fee's to undergrads and get PHD students to teach for next to nothing.

    Getting a PHD there will take ages but the qualification will be worth quite a lot and you will (potentially) have a better chance of getting a teaching job. And of course if you stay there to teach then the wages are higher than here.

    There are scholarships, though I dont know of many other than the Fulbright, which is very prestigious but relatively hard to get. You might want to go to their website and have a look they have lots of information which might help you.

    I hope that helps.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Having researched this very briefly before It does seem that tutition is rather more expensive in the US than in the UK.

    There are also more scholarships available but these would inevitable be heavily contested. Just having a first may not be enough, you will probably have to be pretty brilliant to get a scholarship to fund you.
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    Hey hey,

    A friend of mine is currently looking to do her PHD in New York - here is what she had to say:

    Obviously in the US, universities are like private businesses so rather than going through a UCAS styled system you apply directly to the institution you are interested in. Also, all the institutions cost different amounts dependent on how prestigious they are etc. But, it's not a myth that they support students far more effectively than UK institutions. Each institution will have scholarships and bursaries, and an American friend of mine told me that there are many specifically for international students to encourage them to come over. US universities rely greatly on donations, which many British academics criticise, however, the advantage of this is that they are able to offer students from all over the world (many from third world countries) opportunities to study as they can finance them.

    So, probably the best thing for you to do would be to pick a geographical area that she’d like to study in e.g. New York – and then google the universities and their scholarships. You can then apply for as many as you like as far as I know.

    Also, as a postgrad, there are far more opportunities given to US students to work at the uni, e.g. as lecturers or learning assistants to support themselves.

    As you are hoping on getting a first and can aim high, then you could try for something like a Kennedy scholarship – which also gives you money for travelling during your summer months.

    http://www.kentrust.demon.co.uk/scholarships.htm

    Also, the Fulbright commission is set up for helping Brits fund travel to the US.

    http://www.fulbright.co.uk/

    Hope this helps - good luck :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    **Helen** wrote:
    Also, the Fulbright commission is set up for helping Brits fund travel to the US.

    http://www.fulbright.co.uk/

    Hope this helps - good luck :)

    Not really, certainly it does this, but Britain is far from the only country, and it sends Americans to other countries too. Get your facts straight.
  • JsTJsT Posts: 18,268 Skive's The Limit
    bongbudda wrote:
    Not really, certainly it does this, but Britain is far from the only country, and it sends Americans to other countries too. Get your facts straight.
    Where did she say it was exclusively for Brits? Maybe she refered to Brits as they are the main users of the board.
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    ok - but the link my friend gave - www.fulbright.co.uk does focus on links betwen Britain and US as opposed to other countries.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    JsT wrote:
    Where did she say it was exclusively for Brits? Maybe she refered to Brits as they are the main users of the board.

    She said "the Fulbright commission is set up for helping Brits fund travel to the US" but it wasnt, it was set up to help foster better relations with the US with people from loads of countries.

    And anyway, I was only pissing about. *Helen* is a good Mod.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ok... I have been researching this and universities are often asking for $40, 000 (around £22, 000... Probably what my stepdad makes n a year) to be in your bank... That is stupid.

    I'd like to go to California as it is quite liberal, but to be fair Australia is looking more affordable and betterto me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    **Helen** wrote:
    ok - but the link my friend gave - www.fulbright.co.uk does focus on links betwen Britain and US as opposed to other countries.
    What I am worried about here is that it seems like the kind of fund that only takes on for example, Oxford graduates and private school kids... Whilst I predicted good grades because my learning difficulties were not picked up on until a month from my exams I didn't get any learner support...

    And because of this I didn't get good A level grades.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What I am worried about here is that it seems like the kind of fund that only takes on for example, Oxford graduates and private school kids... Whilst I predicted good grades because my learning difficulties were not picked up on until a month from my exams I didn't get any learner support...

    And because of this I didn't get good A level grades.

    No no NO NO NO NONO NO

    Fulbright does have a reputation for this, but its totally wrong, they do take quite a few Oxbridge people because they are the biggest group which applies.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    bongbudda wrote:
    No no NO NO NO NONO NO

    Fulbright does have a reputation for this, but its totally wrong, they do take quite a few Oxbridge people because they are the biggest group which applies.
    Ohhh Ok! I thought they only wanted upper middle class uber academic private school prestigious uni types.

    Yeah then it sounds cool... Teaching experience would be pretty sweet. They seem to like extra curricular people... I am the university's Environmental and Ethical Officer for next year and anextra-curricular whore so hopefully they'll like me.

    I checked out the Co-op and they do loans... So maybe, just maybe it's possible!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ohhh Ok! I thought they only wanted upper middle class uber academic private school prestigious uni types.

    Yeah then it sounds cool... Teaching experience would be pretty sweet. They seem to like extra curricular people... I am the university's Environmental and Ethical Officer for next year and anextra-curricular whore so hopefully they'll like me.

    They are looking for bright people of course, and people who get more than just good grades, people who are going somewhere - but that does not mean just Oxbridge grads with rich parents.
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