UK student studying abroad in the USA. Where to go? (2014, chapel)
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I am a student in the UK and for my degree I get to study in the USA for a year starting September 2014. I have 42 universities to choose from, but have no idea where to go. I have some criteria:
- Must have a good reputation and academics.
- Good history department.
- Good location with an airport and travel links.
- Preferably East coast.
- Somewhere with lots of history because my dissertation has to be on the history of the place I studied.
- Good social scene with outgoing students.
- Friendly student body.
I have bolded some universities I like the look of that meet MOST of my criteria. Could you suggest any others/give me some info on the ones bolded? Thanks:
1 University of Alaska at Fairbanks
2 Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia
3 Washington University in Seattle
4 Reed College, Portland, Oregon
5 Oregon State University, Corvallis
6 University of Colorado, Boulder
7 University of California at Davis 8 University of California at Berkeley
9 University of California at Santa Cruz
10 University of California at Santa Barbara 11 University of California at Los Angeles
12 University of California at Irvine
13 University of California at San Diego
14 University of Texas, Austin
15 Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
16 Tulane University, New Orleans
17 University of Miami, Coral Gables
18 Georgia Tech., Atlanta
19 Spelman College, Atlanta
20 University of Georgia, Athens
21 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 22 George Washington University, Washington DC
23 Georgetown University, Washington DC
24 Pennsylvania State University, University Park
25 State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, New Brunswick
26 State University of New York, Stony Brook
27 Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley
28 University of Massachusetts, Amherst
29 University of Vermont, Burlington
30 Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy
31 University of Rochester
32 University of Toronto 33 University of Pittsburgh
34 University of Waterloo, Ontario
35 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
36 Purdue University, West Lafayette 37 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 38 Occidental College, Los Angeles
39 Washington University, St Louis 40 Arizona State University, Tempe
41 University of British Columbia, Vancouver
42 Roosevelt University, Chicago
Of the ones you highlighted, I think the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown would be the best fits in terms of reputation, East Coast location with good travel links and interesting, historical locations. You'd also be close enough to NYC and Boston for weekend trips.
California is great but, as you know, it's an extra five hours on a plane.
To begin with your Choices 2, 32, 34 and 41 are in Canada, not the USA.
For the most American History the Schools in Massachusetts would have the most local sites. I recommend, 27 Mt Holyoke. It is small in a rural setting very relaxed and close to many historic sites in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut
But for diversity and exposure to the USA as a melting pot and full of History from numerous nations I think you would do best at 14 UT-Austin.
Texas has existed under the flags of 6 Nations and one of the few States that has been an independent Nation before becoming a US State.
Spelman is a women's college. University of North Carolina and University of Michigan would be good choices. Rutgers would be nice due to being a good East Coast school between NYC and Philadelphia, as well as proximity to Newark International.
If you're looking for historical places then you might want to look at a school on the East Coast. Berkley is a really good school and would satisfy your education needs, but I know a lot of California schools are having a hard time.
Spelman is a women's college. University of North Carolina and University of Michigan would be good choices. Rutgers would be nice due to being a good East Coast school between NYC and Philadelphia, as well as proximity to Newark International.
I agree with this. If I were you, I would stay between DC and Boston. In between and those cities themselves all have great schools (like the Ivy Leagues), plenty of history, and are located in one of the busiest, most powerful, and oldest areas of the US (BosWash Corridor/Megalopolis).
Rutgers is a very good school and close to both NYC and Boston. NJ itself is very full of history, as well. There are 3 Rutgers campuses: New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden (I don't recommend you go there), so its student body is big and diverse and a lot of kids from out of state as well as from NJ go to Rutgers.
Last edited by JerseyGirl415; 06-23-2013 at 03:03 PM..
I agree with this. If I were you, I would stay between DC and Boston. In between and those cities themselves all have great schools (like the Ivy Leagues), plenty of history, and are located in one of the busiest, most powerful, and oldest areas of the US (BosWash Corridor/Megalopolis).
Rutgers is a very good school and close to both NYC and Boston. NJ itself is very full of history, as well. There are 3 Rutgers campuses: New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden (I don't recommend you go there), so its student body is big and diverse and a lot of kids from out of state as well as from NJ go to Rutgers.
With all due respect to Rutgers, why would you pick the state school of New Jersey over an Ivy League institution like UPenn? Also, those three cities are total dumps. They have nothing going for them other than proximity to BETTER cities. And I say this as someone who has spent a number of years living in NJ. I have nothing against the Garden State. But the OP has the chance to go to a truly elite university. Rutgers, while a fine option for NJ residents, just doesn't have that global name recognition.
With all due respect to Rutgers, why would you pick the state school of New Jersey over an Ivy League institution like UPenn? Also, those three cities are total dumps. They have nothing going for them other than proximity to BETTER cities. And I say this as someone who has spent a number of years living in NJ. I have nothing against the Garden State. But the OP has the chance to go to a truly elite university. Rutgers, while a fine option for NJ residents, just doesn't have that global name recognition.
What cities are total dumps? What is wrong with New Brunswick and Piscataway?
What cities are total dumps? What is wrong with New Brunswick and Piscataway?
Newark and Camden are two of the most dangerous, crime-ridden cities in the U.S. To be fair, New Brunswick may not be a "dump" but it doesn't have a lot to recommend it. It has Rutgers, UMDNJ and the corporate headquarters of J&J.
Again, I love New Jersey, even though it might not sound like it. But if you were studying abroad in a new country, wouldn't you prefer to be in a major, world class city rather than 90 minutes outside of one? And if you had a chance to study at Oxford or Cambridge, all costs presumably equal, wouldn't you choose that over a school that people outside the region have barely heard of?
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