University in the United States

[Telstra]

Annual Costs:

Tuition & Learning Materials: Approx $30,000
Housing: Approx $12,000
Mandatory Health Insurance Required For A Visa: Approx $1,500
Food/Ent: Approx $5,000
Transportation (depending on location, may need a car):Approx: $4,000
2 visits back to UK per year: Approx: $2,500
Student Visa Costs: Approx: $1,000

I am sure I have left out a few other misc. costs but you could be looking at an annual bill of approx $55,000.

Since your family has been paying into the tax system in the UK you have the whole of Europe to go to and join a university at a greatly reduced rate. If you come here to study you will be at the top tier of the tuition schedule, is it really worth it because you are bored in the UK.

As others have said, buckle down, get a quality education in a quality school and aspire to be an expert in your field, at that point US companies will pay YOU to come here and work for them on their dime.

UK and American education systems are quite different and its possible you would be required to repeat many courses and pay for them that you have already studied and passed as a part of your A Levels.

that is expensive. What is the minimum wage in the US? $15,000 per year?

 

[JSB_01]

I think you may want to consider studying abroad. You can come to the US for a semester or a year. It's much more cost-effective, I think. I had the chance to go to England (Leicester!) last year, and I loved it, but it was far too expensive. If only we could switch spots!
But there are some rankings on the internet about top architecture schools; Google will bring up a few. Rice and UT Austin (both in Texas) are pretty good. And of course all the big name schools are up there. It's just that they're really expensive!

 

[jaybuoy]

While not wishing to speak for Jay, I doubt that very much, Herman. Learning Spanish as a foreign language is not a priority except on this side of the Atlantic.

I bet if Jay does speak another language, it's probably German or French.

Ye your write, I can speak a bit of French but Spanish is a no! I understand that it will be expensive but everywhere is expensive now. And Hummer university seems like the only option, if I am hounest I would rather not me and education dont mix well. (although I am fairly smart and get good grades) I do really want to travel and would rather go straight into work, but how will I become succesfull in life?

 

[SonOfSlobone]

But we Americans don't separate ourselves into classes. Except for the extreme upper class, we have to rub elbows with everybody from every social class, and this is the way we have found to "get on".

I think that's baloney, frankly. America has classes just like everyplace else. The main difference is that, unlike the English, we're not as aware of them, so we're more likely to get things wrong.

The Brits, ever since WWII, have knocked themselves out trying to make class distinctions less meaningful, with some success. Of course, no country can eliminate them completely, they're a part of human nature. Even in N. Korea, I'm sure there's a distinction between those who can afford to eat dog and those who can't...

 

[maxpowr9]

To follow up on my post previous to this one by Telstra:

American institutions have evolved into a system in which one's ability to pay becomes a primary consideration for setting tuition levels. Tuition is set high. If you or your family cannot afford it (as determined by various institution's own criteria and by the income criteria of the various government-run student loan and grant programs) then you can qualify for assistance in the form of (partial) waiver, scholarship, loan, or work. In this way, a progressive cost system has been established--the rich pay more, the middle class are drained to varying degrees, and the poor are assisted.

Of course, this equation can be changed if you are a great academic or athletic trophy.

To some varying degree, your right. HOWEVER, internationals have an entire different set of rules to play by. They don't get any US (public) aide at all. They are required (at most schools) to pay in full by the time the semester starts. Often, they don't get any scholarship money from the school. Unless your parents or some sort of organization is willing to foot the bill to study in the US, it aint happening.

I hate to be the person that crushes dreams but cloud seekers need to be grounded every now and then.

To answer your question about clubbing, I would probably go with NYC.

 

[Yooper]

that is expensive. What is the minimum wage in the US? $15,000 per year?

Most foreign undergrads I've seen cannot be employed on a student visa.

If they are, it is usually part time working either for the school or maybe restaurant work.

The university jobs are $7-10 an hour for about 15-20 hours a week.

The restaurant jobs are about $3 an hour plus tips.

Students NEVER have any money.

But for full time employment (40 hours a week) the $15K figure is about right, BEFORE taxes, FICA and any other deductions.

 

[Ekim23]

Most foreign undergrads I've seen cannot be employed on a student visa.

If they are, it is usually part time working either for the school or maybe restaurant work.

The university jobs are $7-10 an hour for about 15-20 hours a week.

The restaurant jobs are about $3 an hour plus tips.

Students NEVER have any money.

But for full time employment (40 hours a week) the $15K figure is about right, BEFORE taxes, FICA and any other deductions.

Yeah I second that

That's why with my international student background I said to him that he should really think about it...
I dont think u come study in the US coz ur sick of where u leave... unless u really like to spend money

 

[EwanSF]

No wonder you think the UK is boring and shit, you live in fucking birmingham. Seriously, you want to go study somewhere where your folks would have to re-mortage thier house for you to go, aside from all the overheads, as opposed to going somewhere in Britain, whith facilities that are just as good, but your tuition fees are only gonna come to a grand or so?

Seriously man, there are so many good places to go, why write off the whole country? Can't speak from experience on the English side of things, but there are a lot of good Uni's and good towns up here. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Aberdeen, St Andrews. Fairly sure all of these places have architecture courses. The weather might not be great, but deal with it, the rest of us do.

 

[maxpowr9]

What I wrote in this post was a follow-up to a comment by Telstra. In a previous post of mine, I had written: "However, because you are from another country, unless you have already shown great achievement, it is unlikely that many institutions will give you even a partial scholarship."

Sorry. I was just speaking from experience when I studied abroad in Australia. I did not get any aide from the uni over there. Of course it was MUCH cheaper there (tuition was like AU$15k compared to ~US$22k). I got a study abroad grant of like $1k and another $5k from scholarships given to me by my school.

As for the whole working thing, it usually does not happen. Many int. students struggle to get jobs because of the visa. You need to apply for a working visa on top of a student visa. You are limited to working something like 20 hours a week and can only draw a certain income (forget what it is). Many companies forgo hiring int students because of all the red tape associated with it. A job at school may work but definately not enough to cover living expenses.

 

[Yooper]

From a University in Michigan with a high International student ratio (11+%); ranked in the top tier of Engineering Schools in the US:
Undergraduate Expenses (2008–09)
Based on two semesters, 15 credits each

Michigan Resident Non-Michigan Resident
Tuition (Res. $331/cr.; Nonres. $723/cr.) $ 9,930 $ 21,690
Required fees $ 831 $ 831
Course/lab fees (estimated) $ 444 $ 444
Room and board + soc. fee (19 meals per week) $ 7,738 $ 7,738
Books and supplies (estimated) $ 1,000 $ 1,000
Personal and travel needs (estimated) $ 2,000 $ 2,600
Total $ 21,943 $ 34,303
Graduate Tuition $567/credit $567/credit

 

[unloadonme]

..... if I am hounest I would rather not me and education dont mix well. (although I am fairly smart and get good grades) I do really want to travel and would rather go straight into work, but how will I become succesfull in life?

I think you've just answered your own question. If you want to work and travel and you're not interested in more education, university isn't the place for you.

How does one become successful in life? That depends on how you measure it. Find work you enjoy and do well at it, and you can expect a degree of material success. There's a lot more to life than that though, as you'll come to realise sooner or later.

Good luck.

 

[lawrenceal]

I also loved America (my favorite country since i was little) but i am very surprised that the US Universitiy costs are so expensive from the above posts,almost over RM 150 k+ if converted to my country’s currency. Like jay i am soooo bored of where i grew up. Not that Malaysia is a boring country but i live in a freakin small town, there are a lot of accomodations or stuffs that my hometown does not have, so HELL bored i am in my 18 years of life. I have also thought about switching a new scene, going to different countries to study. But costs are always higher in foreign countries as opposed to one own's . I always thought that UK is a very good place to study. Since pretty much all of the study agencies in my hometown recommends students to further their studies in the UK, (also Australia being another recommended countries). Not to mention, pretty much all of the people i know would love to go to the UK and study. My Sister, being one of them. I like u Jay, personally prefer to go to US to study. But my parents really doesn't like the idea of me studying in the states and probably wouldn't allow it.(my parents have a very bad impression of the states) So i have to study a one year foundation locally first. Will have to see how things goes after my foundation. Perhaps i might get to join an exchange programme that allows me to study in the states. But unfortunately its very much likely that my first 3 years of studies would have to be done locally since exchange programmes are usually 2nd yr or final year of degeree.

 

[belamy]

May I add the Spaniards' point of view on social classes?
It would seem that, when speaking of social classes, it is assumed there's a "natural" and only way of consider it, to wit, that the distinction only has sense when it is assumed that there is an elite that imposes the value and the values of that social group over the whole of the population: but has anyone considered the possibility that there is at least one country in which there is no elite shaping the values and direction the whole society takes?
It doesn't mean there are no rich people, or people who can be said to be above the rest, whatever you mean by that, but that they remained without exerting any real influence in the beliefs and actions of the rest of the population.

Well, that Spain: and you can find a reflection of that in every single aspect of civilization in Spain, from grammar and spelling to social values, economics and political organization, and their place in the global game of power.

 

[unloadonme]

...... in the UK, where people tend to socialize pretty much with people of their own social class. They go to pubs and social events that pretty much cater to their own social class--and no other--and no one thinks anything about it; it's just the way it IS. There's a good possibility that interested parties who're reading this will come forward.

I'm happy to come forward and plead guilty. That's pretty much how it is and, as you say, nobody outside the ivory tower world of politics really thinks much about it.

Our Labour government talks a lot about social mobility and thinks it can address it in two ways.

Firstly, and put in its crudest form, tax the middle classes and spend the money on the working classes. It hasn't worked though and wealth distribution in the UK is as polarised as ever.

Secondly, increase educational opportunities. This has been done in the (mistaken in my view) belief that everyone must be a winner and everyone must have a prize. School examinations have been made ridiculously easy to ensure as many people as possible pass. At the same time, the grammar school system, which was a real instrument of social mobility, has been all but destroyed. The end result is that middle class parents send their children to private schools or move to live near good state schools and children from poor families end up at the worst schools and have no better chance of getting on than they ever did.

 

[belamy]

I just remembered I had forgot to add something to my post, which would show how it is more directly realted to this thread: in Spain there are not universities or institutions granting prestigious degrees with a wide social recognition... that means you can attend universities and business schools which can provide a good education, but not a social prestige and, therefore, there is not a system of social promotion through education.
Of course, like anywhere else, you can't be sure to make a more decent living by attending college or a prestigious university, and I agree what the JUBber above who said that having valuable skills is ultimately more important, jobwise, than where you got them or how you got them but, still, the condition of the learning institutions of a country tell a lot about its strengths and weaknesses, its past and its future.

Anything Spain can be said to have contributed to the learned world always came through individual stubborness far more than through institutional (public or private)incentive, by mere chance and like isolate sparkle, with no future hope of further development like it had had no past tradition on which to rely; so whatever trouble there is in the education and research in system America or the UK, it still represents all the best you can aspire to.

 

[Ekim23]

Anyway USA is not an eldorado coz u're sick of ur country loool

U get homesick very quickly anyway

 

[hummer7979]

Ye your write, I can speak a bit of French but Spanish is a no! I understand that it will be expensive but everywhere is expensive now. And Hummer university seems like the only option, if I am hounest I would rather not me and education dont mix well. (although I am fairly smart and get good grades) I do really want to travel and would rather go straight into work, but how will I become succesfull in life?

Unloadonme is right -- you need to figure out what success means to you. You are at a point in your life where you're facing lots of decisions and it's important to think about all of your options and the consequences of each one.

If you already know that you're sick of being in a classroom, then my advice is don't sign up for uni now. I'm sure you know an endless number of students that just go onto uni, barely pass, spend all their free time getting wasted, get their degree, and move onto office jobs. If that's what you really want, then fine; do it. But realize that you could probably do the same thing without going to class or paying tuition at all and just hanging around college towns.

What you really need to do is explore all of your options. It doesn't hurt to know and you might find something you really like. For example, if you like working with your hands, you might consider a trade school. There is always a demand for people who are trained in things like electronics, HVAC, plumbing, carpentry, car mechanics, etc. Trade schools are usually cheaper in tuition and it'll probably be easier to find a job.

Aside from that, I would also echo everyone who said to consider foreign exchange programs through a local uni.

It's a lot to think about, but you really need to know what you ultimately want for your future, what you value, and what kind of person you want to be.

 

[PabloZed]

Jay is young so the market will rebound, but right now and into the foreseeable future, the market for architects is flooded. There isn't much building going on.

Although American schools are top notch, I am not sure its worth the difference in cost to go to school here as opposed to in England. Since Jay likes hip-hop he must know its all about the might dollar.

 

[LoveIsNow]

Ye your write
...

if I am hounest I would rather not me and education dont mix well.

Yes, that does seem indubious. You might have some trouble. Non-English-speaking immigrants are a hot button political issue over here.