What are the differences between applying to British universities and American universities?

The United States has more than 3,500 universities, while the United Kingdom has less than 200 colleges and universities. In terms of rankings, that is, academically speaking, good schools in the United Kingdom are no worse than those in the United States, such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College. All are very good schools.

But the reason why many people think that the UK is not as good as the United States is that it is difficult to apply for British and American schools:

UK schools other than G5 basically have agents in China, and every year There are many double-African (non-211,985) students who can enter the top five to top ten schools in the UK;

In American schools, even 211,985 students want to apply to the top 30 or even the top five The top 10 schools all have a certain degree of difficulty, so everyone generally recognizes the quality of education in the United States.

The difference between British and American universities lies in the following points:

1.GPA

British schools mainly measure students based on their grades. When applying, GPA, school background and IELTS/TOEFL scores account for an extremely large proportion;

The United States places more emphasis on students’ all-round abilities, which is why many high-scoring students are rejected every year when applying to the United States, and many low-scoring students can reverse course. The reason for the attack.

So for those students whose undergraduate background is not high and may be "disliked" by British schools, the United States pays more attention to personal abilities and potential.

2. Major

British schools do not have as much freedom as the United States in choosing majors and courses.

British schools are similar to those in China. One person chooses a major, there are relatively few cross-major learning opportunities, and there are many restrictions on course selection. For example: at the graduate level, if you are applying to change majors, you will not be able to choose as many elective courses as students in your own major.

3. Scientific research

British schools are not as good as American schools in terms of scientific research and experimental conditions and the level of teachers.

After all, there are few opportunities to study at Oxford and Cambridge. For most of the schools behind, British schools generally have insufficient resources. In terms of the number of courses offered, the United States is far higher than U.K.

4. Academic system

In the UK, it takes three years for an undergraduate degree, one year for a master's degree, and three years for a doctorate. It takes seven years to obtain a doctorate. However, for American schools, a student who wants to obtain A doctoral degree can take nine years at the earliest. The short duration of study can be seen as an advantage, but it is not necessarily a good thing for those who want to do in-depth research.

In addition to the academic gap, the reason why studying in the United States is more expensive than studying in the UK is: cost-effectiveness and job opportunities

5. Cost of studying abroad

Studying abroad In particular, studying abroad for undergraduate and master's degrees requires a large portion of the family's funds. There are still a small number of people who really want to go abroad just to get the status of overseas returnees. Most people hope to improve their resumes through the experience of studying abroad. Even more impressive, those who study abroad without employment purposes are just rogues.

In terms of the cost of studying abroad, there is not much difference between the United Kingdom and the United States. Tuition fees are between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan a year. However, some schools are located in remote areas and the cost of living is slightly lower. The cost of living in big cities like London and New York is somewhat higher.

6. Employment opportunities

In terms of employment after graduation, the chances of studying in the United States are greater than those in the United Kingdom. Many people will say that I chose the United States because I cannot stay and work in the United Kingdom. This sentence is half right and half wrong. International students who graduate in the United States do have more opportunities for internships and jobs, but it is not impossible to stay and work in the UK. This is a popular misconception in recent years.

After graduating from a university accredited by a British accreditation agency, graduates need to obtain an employment notice from a sponsor agency recognized by the British Border Agency and engage in a skilled job with a minimum annual salary of ?20,800/year. Get a UK work visa.

Similar to the extension of the OPT duration for STEM majors, that is, technical majors, in the United States, technical talents are valued by both the United Kingdom and the United States. However, the difficulty in the United Kingdom is that there are only a small number of institutions with guarantee qualifications, and the United Kingdom graduates every year. The number of international students in the UK is around 300,000, but there are less than 30,000 institutions with sponsorship qualifications, which means that only 5% of the number of people who obtain work visas to stay in the UK every year.

In the United States, regardless of whether you are a STEM major, you can apply for one year of OPT before and after graduation. You can work as an intern in the United States and have a chance to draw an H1b work visa. If you are a STEM major, If so, the duration of OPT is three years, the chance to draw a work visa is 3 times, and the probability of not winning in 3 times is 28%, and most American companies are qualified to help international students apply for a work visa. So from this perspective, the United States is a place where you can accumulate overseas work experience, but the difficulty in the United Kingdom is much higher than that in the United States.

7. Cost-effectiveness

In terms of cost-effectiveness, a three-year undergraduate degree in the UK is a four-year undergraduate degree in the United States. Although the cost of studying in the UK will be less, you still want to earn back the money you spent studying abroad after returning to China. The average cost of study is four to six years. If you study in the United States for four years with an American undergraduate degree, you can earn back the cost of studying abroad in two to three years on average. (Of course, finding a job also involves differences in industry and work content. We will only discuss the average situation here. ).

In addition, if you can stay in the United States to work and successfully obtain a work visa, you will also have the opportunity to apply for a green card in the future, which is also very attractive to some people who want to immigrate.

Of course, people who go to the United States instead of the UK have other considerations. For example, when applying for a master's degree, most master's degrees in the UK last for one year. The length of study is too short, which makes many people feel "watered" when they first go to school. It didn't take long before I finally got used to the environment and was about to graduate. Although some majors in the United States last for one year, most majors last between one and a half to two years, which allows students to have a summer to find local internships. After that, they will lay the foundation for formal job hunting. At the same time, the flexible curriculum also allows students to have the opportunity to be exposed to other majors and explore the direction they really like. Another example is that there is currently some preference for American educational backgrounds in the job market, including domestic universities that also have this requirement when hiring returned PhDs to teach.

8. Application procedures

The application procedures and required materials in the United States are more difficult than those in the United Kingdom. This is one of the reasons. After all, the United Kingdom (except for G5 schools such as Oxbridge) (External) For students with low language scores, the requirements can be lowered and students who do not meet the standards can just take language classes. However, the United States does not have this preferential treatment. In addition to IELTS and TOEFL, GRE or GMAT test scores are also required, which will undoubtedly increase The difficulty of applying to the United States has been reduced, so the more difficult things are, the more noble they feel.