When people think about studying abroad, they very often prefer the Anglo-Saxon world, where undoubtedly the best solutions will be England or the United States. Education in the first offers traditions, in the second - innovations and cool places in the ratings.
How do I choose what to look out for? Where are the stricter requirements? About this and much more - in our today's material.
Admission to the university
For many, admission to a foreign university is available in the presence of a document on secondary education - such as the Unified State Exam. Schoolchildren who cannot pass such a program can do with the Foundation course (Pre-Masters / Graduate Diploma), which is designed for applicants from foreign countries and serves as an analogue of the first course. As a person passes this program, he joins the team, learns the language, masters cultural norms; integration into the community and other things related to the move is more easily passed. True, in any case, the applicant will have to "lose" a whole year on this, which is a lot.
The British allow you to enter without a preparatory program, but the competition is very high, so it is better to take advantage of this auxiliary stage.
It is also possible to enter directly, but you need to have an excellent level of English or scores on the SAT exam - otherwise nothing will work.
Admission System
Educational systems are different, which affects the mechanisms of admission.
- United Kingdom
Here, a student enters several universities at once through a single centralized system (UCAS), which allows you to send a package of documents at once to five institutions in one specialty. When the answer comes, you can choose one of two options. The system fills out a questionnaire with personal and academic data with the addition of motivation and letters of recommendation (in a limited number). The deadline is January, although in Oxford and Cambridge everything ends in October: competition, you know.
- UNITED STATES
The United States also has its own system for submitting documents, but here they prefer the traditional method of selection. It is individual and does not limit the applicant in the number of applications with anything other than the cost of processing a package of documents - each university has its own, so a large number of applications can be very expensive.
The list of requirements is also not unified, so the sets differ at times.
The deadline is a little more flexible, which is associated with individual schedules: from the first of January to February 1.
Exam Tests
- United Kingdom
In British institutions, specialized tests are not common, except for engineering and medical profiles, where there are their own tests, as well as creative, where a portfolio is needed. There are also separate rules for Oxford and Cambridge Universities and Imperial College London.
Sometimes universities request interviews.
- UNITED STATES
Here you need the results of standard tests. Doctors should pass a separate text, which is carried out after the bachelor's degree, when entering the medical school.
There is a Pathway program, thanks to which you can enroll even without exam tests.
Ranking system
- United Kingdom
For the British, studies consist of lectures, the usual coursework and seminars, while the results of the educational module can often depend on a single exam.
- UNITED STATES
Here the results of all the student's works are aggregated - from group to individual, and then the arithmetic mean is derived.
Variability
Here the choice depends on how ready you are to choose your own set of disciplines or trust academic experience and a curriculum worked out to the smallest detail.
- United Kingdom
British students choose a specialization and study on it until they receive a degree. Changing the profile or even more so the university remains small.
- UNITED STATES
Americans learn everything in a row at their discretion for the first year, and specialization begins with the second year. In the course of training, you can change the direction, a set of disciplines, but you will have to study longer, since the set of credits for graduation from an educational institution or course in it must be complete - you will have to get either an extra semester or intensive classes.
In addition, the United States has a system of transfers: those who do not get points for the Ivy League can enter any other educational institution, and then transfer to the interesting and priority, if they do well in the program and have a good command of the language.
Duration of study
In both cases, the duration of the bachelor's degree is three years. You can add a year of Foundation here to get 4 years.
In the United States, it is necessary to collect 120 credits for a bachelor's degree. Master's degree – another 35-45 credits. You can study longer, but cheaper, and many people use this.
Prestige of the diploma
- United Kingdom
The British are recognized specialists in the training of managerial and managerial personnel. In higher education institutions, most often only some of the same areas are strong - while the general level of the institution does not have a fundamental role.
- UNITED STATES
The United States takes the masses: 25% of foreign students around the world study here, and each university included in the ratings is a multifunctional factory for training students.
Visa Policy
After a newly minted specialist has acquired a diploma, he has several months to change the type of visa or go to his historical homeland. After you have received a diploma, you can stay on a professional internship program, and the first year is paid to gain the necessary experience in practice. And then you can go home.
In the US and the UK, there is no particular difference in this regard, however, the States still provide a larger number of options due to the physical volumes of the market.
Work and practice
- United Kingdom
During the study period, students can work up to 20 hours a week, during the holidays everything doubles (up to 40 hours). A common place to work is a university campus.
- UNITED STATES
In the U.S., you can also work 20 hours a week with a doubling during the holidays, but visa-approved firms are added to campus. After completing the course, you can take an internship, in some cases - paid, but often free.
