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?

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

"Many other US universities also offer generous scholarships and other forms of funding. So even if you don’t see a need-blind admission or full-need policy indicated, don’t let the high tuition fees and other costs deter you from applying."

DD's university is not on that list, but they do offer generous financial aid packages to international students.

School. You go to ‘school’ at any US university. And when you do a PhD as I did, you go to ‘grad school.’

Lecturers are part time staff, often former PhD students. You have junior professors called Assistant Professors, when they get tenure they came become Associate or Full Professors depending on where you are. Getting tenure is hell.

You would need the entire lot funded.

Some US universities have need-blind admission policies, but do not promise any connected financial aid. This means students offered a place may not be able to accept it, if they’re unable to meet the costs of attendance.

However, other US universities accompany their need-blind admission policies with a pledge to meet the full financial need of all those offered a place. Most often, this pledge only applies to US nationals, but there are currently six elite institutions (see below) which also promise the same level of financial assistance for international students.

The thing about the US is that it’s a big country and there are many many many excellent Universities to go to. Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Princeton and Yale. Maybe U Chicago is in that League and Cornell and NYU. Then there are the ‘liberal arts colleges’ like Vassar and Dartmouth. Then the excellent state schools like UW Madison or UC Berkeley. Or UCLA.
DH went to U Penn and Berkeley. I went to Harvard and Berkeley. We both loved it. US Unis are on the whole much better funded than even the best U.K. Universities and the opportunities are endless.

And I am sure I missed out many up there. Sorry! (Columbia, UT Austin, UIUC are all great schools for what I did in grad school for example).

Ooh interesting... I thought he US had both private and state unis, so different fee situations?

I went to a very old English uni and we had to share rooms... I'm surprised some pp think this a an issue or unusual? Perhaps mine was the unusual one!

Ooh interesting... I thought he US had both private and state unis, so different fee situations?

Yes - then you also add in scholarships and need-based aid, and the question of how much college will cost is 'how long is a piece of string'?

My daughter (currently 16) really wants to go to the University of Michegan to do Musical Theatre. This may be influenced by the fact her favourite theatre group (StarKids) are based local to it.

I had a quick look at the website, but kind of assumed it would be completely unachievable without having loads of money.

She is a bright girl (hoping for all As and A*s at GCSE) and a talented performer. I wish we could find a way to do this for her - but I don't see how. Anyone have any words of wisdom?

Great thread! I’ve always wondered about the ins and outs.

I think Royal Holloway has that campus feel.... and maybe Leeds?

Oakmaiden Get in touch with the admission dept and talk to them about what she needs to do.
Ds started over a year in advance, He had to learn about the application.
They put weight on extra curricular activites, clubs, jobs, and voluteering as it makes them stand out.
Nows the time to prepare, only 2 years to go.

I will do that, Troels, thanks.

She does lots of extra curricula stuff - in addition to her dancing/singing/acting (which is over 15 hours a week) she does pole vault at regional level, is a Ranger Guide and volunteers as a Brownie Young Leader and an assistant dance teacher. All of which counts for pretty much nothing in the UK... would be good if it made a difference if she does decide to go to the States...

I've a family member dead set on studying at Berklee in Boston, but would like to know if it's a similar system to the uni's and how it works.
I'm sure the family member would need to know about finance.

@OneTooManyBathtimes thank you. Why does rushing mean that they risk losing their dorm room? Presumably if they’re accepted into frat/sorority they might get to live in there, but if they’re just trying out?

Does hazing for fraternities still happen? I remember it being in the appears forever a couple of boys dying during challenges, and seemed that it was outlawed, but I wonder if that’s really the case?

I read about hazing on the Cornell website. There’s a whole list of stuff which isn’t allowed. So induction type stuff can still go on, but nothing which involves physical or mental stress, no sleep deprivation, no food depreviation, no consuming of drugs, alcohol.......

It was a lengthy list.

My friend has twins just been given places at Elon and Bucknell. The campuses look amazing. They grew up in Runcorn.

Hazing definitely still happens, including all the terrible stuff that is "banned". But it's different at every school / each organisation at the school

I went to a really small college and was in a sorority that didn't do any hazing. But one of the other sororities and one of the fraternities did.

Bit of a generalisation, but hazing tends to be worse at the bigger colleges/universities it seems.

Do American universities have mature students like in the UK?

I went to Bowdoin which is a little college in Maine. My first year I had two roommates and we shared one bedroom (bunk bed and single) and a living room. Bathrooms were shared by the dorm floor. My sophomore year I had a private room in a frat house (lived there as an independently- never dropped there) and my final two years I had a single room with 4 person shared living space/bathroom.

I did a double major in German and History with a Minor in Music. Utterly useless for getting a job and I ended up doing a couple of post grad courses in the UK.

Can I just say Brown is amazing?! My brother went to RISD next door to Brown, where he studied architecture. Providence is a great college town. What I love about American universities, particularly those back East, is the campus environment.

Yes yes the extra curricular stuff counts for VERY little in the UK (I have sat on admissions teams in the UK) and counts for MUCH more in the US. In fact someone with just good grades and not much else will struggle to get into a good school.

Do American universities have mature students like in the UK?

Yes, but it also much more common to do remote/part-time study there, as a mature student, than in the UK. Like the OU but offered by a huge number of colleges and universities. We do this more in the UK than we used to, but still not nearly as much as in the US.

The portability of credits (towards degrees) between different institutions makes this far easier than in the UK, and it's far easier to pick up a degree again if you have had to drop out.

Do American universities have mature students like in the UK?

I'm in my mid 40's and taking classes in a subject that attracts mature students. There are less older people studying at this particular university than I expected. I've been the only old person in the class.
That said Chicago has a whole school set up to allow mature students access to the University and it is part of its tradition.

Mature students are quite common in the US, and many employers have tuition reimbursement plans. I have several friends who got degrees in their 40s and 50s.

WickedGoodDoge - Bowdoin is so lovely. Had you gone to US or UK high school?

I'd be delighted if DD2 got in, but I don't think she's quite academic enough.