Is it better to study in Britain or America?

The United States is an immigrant country, keen to attract international talents, easy to accommodate international talents, and has many good employment opportunities, so the chances of staying after graduation are even greater. In contrast, it is even more difficult to stay in Britain. British students choose to return to China after graduation. Of course, there are no absolute quantitative indicators to measure the quality of Britain and the United States. Parents and classmates should judge according to their own situation when choosing a country.

Specific comparison:

1. Learning and teaching quality

Undergraduate education in foreign schools is different from that in China. For example, the general concept of what class is that students choose courses and the organization is relatively scattered. The relationship between teachers and students is not close, and there is much spare time, so it depends on the students' own study habits. Those who have good study habits, are positive and make good use of school resources can also learn well in an ordinary school in Britain; People with poor study habits may not be able to study in American Ivy League.

Go back to class. Generally speaking, the quality of teaching in British schools is good, mainly balanced and reliable. Teaching in British and American universities is generally divided into two parts: one is lectures, the other is lectures; One is seminar, which is discussed after class. The seminar part is very critical. All classes in Britain are hosted by professors or lecturers themselves. In American universities, especially Ivy League universities, professors pay too much attention to scientific research and even social activities and not to teaching, so that lectures are often taught by teaching assistants (Harvard has always had this problem); Seminars are almost certainly hosted by teaching assistants (often doctoral students). In this way, the quality of teaching has been greatly affected. In this respect, college in the United States is better, the teacher-student ratio is obviously better than that of famous universities, and the teachers are mainly teaching.

To sum up, for those who really want the best education, American universities are the best choice; Generally speaking, British universities are relatively reliable, while American universities (including Harvard and Yale) are quite different in majors, courses and professors.

It should be mentioned here that teaching is not only classroom, but also extracurricular activities. American universities have great advantages in this respect. No matter how good the university is, there are various activities, such as lectures, academic conferences and exchange activities. Students can participate extensively, but British schools are weak in this respect. Therefore, studying in the United States may have a broader experience and vision, not limited to classrooms and libraries.

2. Non-academic postgraduate education (i.e. general master's degree)

The so-called academic postgraduate education is a doctor, and the specific major depends on the teaching and scientific research ability of the school, which is not involved here. This paper mainly talks about the non-academic postgraduate education oriented to the professional market. In this field, the quality and recognition of the United States is obviously better than that of the United Kingdom-whether it is MBA, LLM, public management, or master's degree in other fields. At present, the view of the British master's degree is that the academic system is too short, and the master's degree actually comes out in 12 months (many talents have just adapted to it, and their English is not neat), and the entrance threshold is not high, which means that they can get it at a little money, and the water is relatively large. If the undergraduate course is in China, going to Britain to study for a master's degree is only a limited supplement; If the undergraduate course is in the UK, adding a master's degree (unless you go to Oxford and Cambridge) will have limited effect. Therefore, unless the master's education is accelerated, or because of economic considerations, or because of the limitations of my previous background, I recommend going to the United States.

3. Socialization of students

On this issue, Britain and the United States have great differences. Students studying in Britain generally have a problem that it is difficult to integrate into the local society-the British are not so enthusiastic and open, and they are not interested in telling the truth to China students. Many people complain that they went to middle school in England and stayed there for 89 years without making any English friends. This is especially true for those who study undergraduate or even master's degree in the UK. The result is a group of China students. Live together, eat together and play together. Don't associate with English students. The end result is that after staying for several years, I still feel alienated from British society, feel like a passerby, and my language training is not satisfactory.

America is different. The United States is an immigrant country, with many people of different races and many international students. Americans are usually more open and enthusiastic. Therefore, it is relatively easy for China students to integrate into the campus in the United States, and many people will feel different from international students. Therefore, foreign students in the United States are relatively more influenced by their places, more "westernized", and even have better English in all aspects. Of course, this is just a big picture, not for specific people.

4. Career awareness and employment opportunities

In this respect, the United States is obviously superior to Britain, and the gap is not small. Undergraduate students in the United States, because of the campus atmosphere-for example, American universities have strong and conscientious institutions to help students find jobs; A little better schools, various enterprises to investigate and recruit a lot, western students also have this awareness. Under this influence, students will have a stronger sense of internship/employment and become more "precocious". For example, most people know to actively arrange holiday internships. But in Britain, this awareness is not necessarily there, first of all because of the lack of this atmosphere, and second of all, it depends on the domestic student groups. In addition, it is also related to the opportunities that can be accessed. After all, the United States is the most developed economy in the world, with many top enterprises in the world; If you study in a big city, you will have a lot of workplace experience.

Another point I want to emphasize is the academic system. The educational system in Britain is three years, that is, there are only two summers (freshmen and sophomores) until graduation. In America, there are three summers in four years. This is the difference between a summer internship, which has a great influence on the contribution of resume (generally formal international institutions and enterprises determine recruitment in the spring of the year when undergraduates graduate). Considering the more mature workplace awareness, more open environment and more abundant job opportunities on American campuses, this difference has multiplied. In short, in the United States, students' awareness of the workplace will be more precocious. There are more opportunities to find job opportunities from the United States to Greater China, and it may be more efficient in the connection between study and work (that is, work directly after graduating from undergraduate courses, and then study for a master's degree with higher gold content as needed, such as an MBA from a prestigious school). British students are more passive. After finishing my master's degree, I have to hurry to find a job after a busy year. It is very hard to take care of my studies and work.