Consultant to help chose university?

[inniu]

We live in Ireland and our 15 year old goes to a good state school. The careers/ further education advice is very lacking. It is basically assumed everyone will go to one of 2 universities within walking distance unless they want to do some subject not offered and then they might want to take the bus across the city.
DD doesn't want to study in Ireland. She would like to study in the US or possibly the U.K. I would prefer Ireland or the U.K. for her but am open to persuasion.
Are there consultants who advise on the higher education systems in the US and the UK. How the applications work, what college might suit her etc

She is a bright child, straight A student and wants to explore her options.

"The best universities have the best retention rates. "

That's funny, wasn't true when I were a nipper. 25% drop out rate from my top 10 American Uni (I was one of the 25% who left... but went to another college).

If you're on Facebook, come and ask as many questions as you like on here:

m.facebook.com/groups/488235648182391

(What I wish I knew about uni)

There's several posters based in Ireland in there who will be able to help, plus loads all over the uk.

I was also going to suggest Scottish Unis if you're coming from Ireland - no fees is hard to pass up on.

St Andrews, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen are all good Universities although St A and Edinburgh are probably the most prestigious.

What matters is that he decision is based on realistic reasons to study in the US/UK rather than wanting to live the life, having no real clue of the cost of it and what she'll get out of it.

I'm originally from France, studying both in the States and UK. I have no regrets whatsoever, but I can say that beyond putting that I've done a BS and MA on my CV, my studies have not benefited me in anyway in terms of my career. Thankfully, the BA was funded via inheritance and as it was in the 80s when jobs were plentiful, I was able to work quite a number of hours for pocket money. I funded my MA myself after saving for two years.

From what you've said so far, it sounds that her wishes are currently more about moving and experiencing a more exciting life rather than wanting to go there for a clear career paths. Of course, if you can afford it and you are happy that nothing more comes out of it than if she'd gone to the local Uni, then that's not an issue.

Has she visited Southern California? Has she visited the University? If not I would certainly take her (money doesn't seem to be an issue for you) on a tour to visit that and a few other US universities - this summer would not be too soon. (We visited a few on holiday when my DD was 16).
You could do similar for a few UK unis.
Your DD has a while to mature and her ideas to change.

inniu,

Would your DD consider doing a degree in liberal arts and sciences in the University of Leiden. Leiden would be similar to Trinity College Dublin or St. Andrews in world rankings.

www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/education/study-programmes/bachelor/liberal-arts--sciences-global-challenges/admission-and-application/tuition-fees

The costs in Leiden would be a fraction of going to university in the US or UK (outside Scotland).

In saying that, your DD is in the extremely fortunate position of being able to walk to two highly-ranked universities. (I presume these must be TCD and UCD.) As your DD can attend either of these at relatively little cost, there is a lot to be said for availing of an undergraduate degree at home. Many here in the UK would accumulate loans well in excess of £60,000 to achieve the same.

If your DD does want to study abroad, invest in a post graduate degree that would really give her an edge in what she finally wants to do.

Just my thoughts on an old thread if someone else is looking this up, I know that it helped me when I was searching for help for both my kids!

From my experience getting both my DD and DS into uni in different countries, I would say - if you have the means, it is worth hiring someone. We worked with a lovely woman for my DD first, and she wanted to look at UK, US, and Canada. There is a lot of information online, but that's the problem... there is too much to try to navigate yourself. I was so stressed out searching on forums and facebook, and I was taking it all out on my kids!! That was the worst feeling, trust me.
So my DH and I started asking around, we tried big firms and they were okay but I didn't really like them, they were too impersonal and you had to spend more money if you wanted someone with more experience. But that just made me think, well if we get someone cheaper, will we get rubbish advice??? We then looked into independent consultants (I think that's what they're called), and found one person that we just clicked with and my kids loved her! She specialised in multiple countries, which was exactly what we were looking for.

It did cost and arm and a leg... but I think it was worth it for my family. My DD ended up at UCL in the UK, and my DS is in the US at Duke, both loving life! We are very proud.

Zombie thread