University abroad - what do I need to know

[bluebluevalentine]

My eldest has his hopes set on studying abroad. He's Y11 so we have time to plan. We're visiting the country he wants in the summer to tour some universities and check out accomodation/arrangements. It's not an English speaking country but the universities he's looking at have English speaking courses. He doesn't speak the language but has started learning. We have a close relative in the country to act as NOK in emergency.

What do we need to investigate:
a) before we go to look
b) while we're there
c) before he starts (I'm thinking ahead of insurance etc.)

Googling is a minefield and I thought MN is the most likely place to have people that have been through it!

I haven't been through it some am not much help but I would have thought naming the country would help a lot, as France will have different entry requirements to Germany etc.

Off the top of my head, my biggest worry would be accommodation - almost all UK unis either own halls or have arrangements with halls providers such that finding somewhere to live with or near other students is quite straightforward (even if it's not the perfect room or price!)

It's an East-Asian country. There are international student dorms. We need to investigate where he'll stay during summer breaks (or come home). But accomodation should be ok.

How will you pay for it
How uk qualifications translate for entry
how different expectations are

Qualifications/entry requirements are on our list to ask.

I'mfairly certain it's got to be self-funded, which will be doable. I'll add how to go about getting a part-time job to our list of questions though.

Expectations is a good one. I'll add that to the list too.

It may not be top of your list, but consider whether (assuming you are British) he could do a UK course with a third year at a uni in the country of his choice. DS is at UCL but having the time of his life studying at a top uni for a year (the Harvard of the north!) And the bonus is that it is costing 15% of the usual fees. So c£1k not £9k.

Is he hoping to work there? Overseas degrees don’t tend to be understood by UK employers so beware of how mobile the qualification is, a UK Masters could mitigate that, but he’d need to check what grade he’d need for Masters entry (and he could well find himself being assessed as an International student if he came back to do further qualifications).

You would need to fund the whole thing, international fees can be eye watering, though I assume this isn’t a problem.

What’s the attraction?

The degree will still be a Bachelor of Science/Arts so transferability should be ok, if he comes back to the UK to work. I half expect him to move there permanently though - not what we want but too great an opportunity to pass up on.

Fees + accomodation on paper, look to be cheaper than UK and our relative living there has implied that too, but obviously won't be eligible for student finance so it'll be down to us. I am fully expecting additional costs though. Just flights to visit will be £££.

The attraction is from visiting the country a few times to visit our relative. DS loves the culture, loves the lifestyle, loves the order and rule-following you get in East-Asian cultures. He is a big fan of the food and pop-culture there. He would easily find himself feeling at home, I'm sure. The actual courses he's looking at don't seem much different from UK courses. I will make him apply to UK unis too as a "back up". Honestly, I'd prefer if he just took a normal gap year to travel, but he's really got his sights set on this so I just want to do as much research as possible.

Yes it’ll be a Bachelors of course - I was thinking of the grade. Grad schemes in the UK usually ask for a 1st or 2:1 which presumably they won’t use to grade, so he’d be forever having to explain that his grade is (if it is!) the UK equivalent of a 1st.

Also to add - he may encounter some prejudice and assumptions from UK employers - some will assume he’s from that country and may think it would be hassle to have to provide a visa etc even though they wouldn’t.

Ah! Sorry, this is why I'm starting to ask the questions now - I know there's a lot I don't know!

Just looked it up. They use 5 grades which translate to 1sr, 2:1,2:2, 3rd and fail. So that should be simple enough to put on an application form and then explain in full once he's been offered a job.

I wouldn't worry too much about prejudice. Blind recruitment is quite popular in lots of sectors now, and if not, his full name is very "British". I'm job hunting atm and I've had to tick a box saying I meet the nationality requirements for every job I've applied for. And show my passport at interview.

But thank you. This is what I need - all the things I haven't thought of yet.

if it’s the country I think it is, then it might be worth looking into summer schools first for learning the language and experiencing the culture (which can be done under 18). This could be done before starting or even applying for uni. It might also be worth considering a masters there vs a bachelor’s. I think it’s the length of time that is the concern as it’s completely different living somewhere to visiting there.

I'll definitely look into this! Would you recommend one of the providers? Or direct through the universities? The providers seem to be extortionate prices, but that was only a quick Google.

I would look at universities first but they are likely to be aimed at over 18s. I would highly recommend checking if any UK universities do semesters or summer schools in that country as another option as that gives the best of both worlds and would likely be better in the long run if they want to live there. A two week or six week immersion course is another possibility, but expensive as you say. I think a visit at least should be on the cards before deciding to study there.

I would consider the course rigor, particularly if it's a STEM major, as certain East Asian countries have very high academic standards for university admissions (Gaokao, KSAT, Kyotsu, etc), particularly in mathematics.

Tell me which country and I will advise. I’ve lived in several SE Asian countries for extended periods (years) and know them all. The other thing is - is it a boy or a girl?

A boy. The fourth word of the OP is "his".

Thank you, that's something we'll have to discuss when we're there in the summer. Both of the entrance tests he might need don't advertise a UK test center so that might throw a spanner in the works! Might need to plan another trip next year to take them unless they accept A levels as is. We still have time to switch to IB if that's preferable though so we'll hopefully be able to talk to an admissions person when we visit.

Has he thought about work experience at all? He may now be allowed to do it over there and lacking it may affect employability later. It might mean working all summer instead.

Haven't thought about work experience in industry, but with a student visa he can obtain a permit to work up to 28 hrs term-time, 40 hrs during holidays. We'd expect him to work a bit to help fund himself, but not 28hrs. Whether he can get a job until he becomes more proficient in the language is another thing!

The top East Asian universities are incredibly competitive with would be students attending classes every evening to get ready for the entrance exams and also the high school exams, crazy hours of study compared to the uk. The universities have a very different vibe I’m told (neighbour studied in South Korea for a year on a university year abroad) some even have uniforms. He said the home students seemed really young despite being 20+ typically, very naive, he hung out with the international students mostly on one year abroad.

Just be careful that it won’t get held against him if applying for jobs in the uk - the people interviewing won’t understand the system or that the grades are easily convertible.
culturally the way of teaching and expectations may be very different and might not set him up for post uni life appropriately. On the hand it might be amazing and make him really stand out.
he shouldn’t rule out university in the uk with a year abroad.

I believe there is an agency called Ecctis that evaluates foreign degrees of candidates for jobs in the UK.

One huge issue will be the language. Is there a language proficiency test akin to the English language proficiency test taken by applicants to universities in English speaking countries?

Even without a test, he will need to get to a very high standard very fast.

What subject is it btw?

If this is a STEM subject in Japan, then entrance requirements are extremely high and it’s incredibly competitive. The country has a very low international student intake and whilst courses in English do exist, their cohorts tend to be from other Asian nations, with some year abroad students. Their main academic year also isn’t aligned with the U.K.

If you’re looking at one of the major cities, there is student accommodation (similar to private halls in the U.K.), with specific support for English speaking international students.
What subject is it?

Aggressively learn the language and possibly delay going a year to do that or as someone else suggested a language camp.
I went to university in China, the people who struggled the most were those who didn’t know the language before they got there, being on an English course, means you will speak mostly English, then doing your coursework, in international dorm etc his social circle could end up being just international students and your world becomes very small, they struggle to do the basics, food shopping health etc and it starts tipping over into why are you in an foreign uni, when you’re mostly speaking English.
decisions about what he wants to do later in life, if he wants to work in the UK afterwards I’d seriously think about doing a UK course with a year abroad option instead