How do American universities work?

[VivaLeBeaver]

In my fantasy life I’ve been accepted for Brown, Cornell and Columbia.

I’m accepting Cornell because the campus looks nice with on campus hiking trails and a waterfall and they seem to have some nice “Greek organisations”. .

I’m slightly put off by the amount of double roomed dorms.......do most college students really have to share a bedroom with a total stranger? Can’t think of anything worse.

Also do American students apply for a particular course like we do in the U.K.? Or do you just turn up and study a bit of everything and then decide on a “major” later on?

Canadian university costs us about $25k for tuition and accommodation. There are private universities (usually Catholic but others exist) and that will set you back about that much in tuition.
Dd1 is in third year (microbiology taking epidemiology and virology hahaha) and neither she nor her high school friends spread at universities across the country have any sorority or fraternity links.
The wider academic breadth just follows on from high school really. They don’t narrow their choices to 3 or 4 A levels, so they haven’t specialized (they may have tailored slightly, but more akin to gcses and taking options, and not triple science).
I taught at a different uni and as every student has to take an English course, I had third and fourth year Engineering students in my first year class, desperate to fulfil the requirement so they could graduate with their engineering degrees.
It’s a bit odd. The entire thing is in some ways more relaxed - lots of kids take an extra year, either because they want a lighter course load or take a long time to declare a major, or switch majors, or decide to double major... judging by her friend group, it’s actually unusual to graduate in the initial four year timeline (four years here, not three, as the first year is a bit less targeted).
YMMV, obv.

I have studied (and worked in higher ed) in both places. US university is really just an extension of high school, they are effectively still treated as children.

DD starts at Cornell in the fall. Go there, OP! 😄

@PeytonManning that’s exciting. You must be really proud of her. I’ve read that Cornell is really hard to get into.

@OneTooManyBathtimes - Falmouth as in Falmouth, Cornwall?

Ds went to a private methodist Uni in the US costs are higher.
tuition per year 25k
Dorm room shared from 4000k a year and if you add on food packages as you need to eat it can go way up to 13k
Shared apartments are 5000k plus food packages on top
Books cost us about $500 per semester.
We used to visit him monthly and buy groceries to help save money.

@Horsemad yeah, Falmouth Cornwall. Long story, but the short version is my dad was telling me what I should and shouldn't do, I ended up at Falmouth and graduated with a 2:1 Because my dissertation dragged my mark down as I had a tutor who just didn't like my work and wasn t impartial but whatever. It's still a good grade. Dad is now proud of me despite telling me before that I didn't need to go to uni, I could just do writing courses for 500 a week etc, but the whole point of it was because I wanted to do it, because my whole school life was focussed on what he wanted me to do.

It's only the last 6 month's that I've started noticing how toxic he is, and the abuse that's been going on for the majority of my life. Mostly gaslighting etc, but I really don't know if hes actually aware he's doing it or not...

That's a shame about your Dad, I think a lot of parents all too easily fall into the trap of 'steering' their DC in to the direction they (the parent) would prefer them to take.

Just try and not fall into it yourself, should you have children.
And maybe reduce the contact with your Dad if possible... Lead your own life! 🙂

Yeah, it's a shame. He's always been pretty supportive in other ways, but I just find it funny how he always tells me he needs help with writing stuff for his business but never asks me (with my creative writing degree, it's literally what he needs help with??! And then moans about how much work he's got to do) There's a lot of other things, but the eye opener for me was him trying to use my youngest siblings as cash cows or whatever the term is by having my DB try and become a favour YouTube gamer/twitch streamer and DSis as an influencer selling stuff he's created. DB is a very good gamer, but not into being a public person and DSis does not in any way want to be the front of a business that's not hers if that makes sense. They're only teens just goes to show... But I don't know why I'm surprised when we all got pushed I to doing the IB except a few of us, and we weren't allowed to change and do a levels instead.

I could go on, this really annoys me, if you couldn't tell ahaha

So is there a difference between College and University in the USA or are the names interchangeable ?

@Pavlova31 They get used interchangeably. But technically it's sorta to do with size.

For example, Boston University is made up of multiple colleges (College of the Arts, College of Engineering, etc)

But also there are just smaller colleges. Middlebury College, Muhlenberg College, etc

And there's Boston University and Boston College - which keeps me on my toes as DD is talking about applying to both...

Hah @HoldMyLobster I think that throws most people, to be fair! Both good schools though!

It's not size (though colleges are usually smaller). A college only/mainly has undergraduates, whereas a university has postgraduate students too. So a college is centred on its undergraduates, which tends to make them feel friendly, though they can be a little claustrophobic.

Now we're talking about American universities, I've been surprised by how beautiful so many of them are. I hadn't really seen many until my oldest started doing college tours, then we went to see lots together. Campuses, quadrangles, ivy, bell towers, etc...

@mathanxiety has done some interesting posts on US universities! I'm fascinated by what she's said about scholarships and student financial support - makes it look a lot more affordable than you'd think.

My DS would like to go to the Rhode Island School of Design. We haven't really looked into it seriously as the cost would be huge!

So are university lecturers university lecturers or are they college professors? Is there a difference?

There are only 4/5 highly over subscribed US unis that help with funding. Getting in to any would be harder than Oxbridge.

All the rest are ££££££ and impossible unless you have very rich parents as U.K. loans system won’t fund them.

There are only 4/5 highly over subscribed US unis that help with funding. Getting in to any would be harder than Oxbridge.

This just is not true.

Thinking offhand of my DD's friends who are getting completely full rides at college - that means tuition, accommodation and meal plans covered - the colleges include:

Carnegie Mellon
Mt Holyoke
Oberlin
Northwestern
RPI

Divided by a common language and all that:

All university teachers are 'professors,' and university is 'school' even if you're doing a PhD.

And the whole High School 'Jocks & Nerds' thing is about getting scholarships, which you can get by being very bright, or good at sport. The sports jocks hence have no need to study hard and have a reputation for swaggering about the place, and are thus resented.

And Freshman (Year 1) study at a US State University is about the same level as English Year 12 or Scottish Highers.

In my far of dreamland I thought of going to Berkeley. I liked the idea of California sunshine. But the majors and minors thing really confused me

www.topuniversities.com/student-info/admissions-advice/guide-need-blind-admission-us-universities

Unless you have rich parents you’d need to have a place in one of those top 6 unis if British with accommodation and fees completely net. U.K. loans system won’t cover it. Many of the other unis who offer help don’t extend it to overseas students or don’t cover everything.