Parents of US student looking for general UK uni advice

[Valleysaurus]

Hello

Our eldest daughter is a junior in high school in the States and is seriously considering pursuing her bachelors course at a UK university. Her high school marks and test scores will not be high enough for her to be competitive at the more selective universities. If we understand the UK entry requirements, we suspect our daughter would qualify for courses with entry requirements at the ABB or BBB level. We don't think she is particularly concerned about institutional pedigree, just fit. Likewise, international fees are not a primary consideration in our choice because, believe it or not, even at the international rate, many UK universities are more affordable than their US counterparts.

Like many high school students in the United States, she does not have a clear idea of what course she would like to study in university, but we suspect she will settle on a course focused on environmental studies, sustainability, conservation or tourism and hospitality. Which leads to the questions:

Given her applicant profile, which UK universities (if any) have a closer-knit campus community? Think a lot of students living in university accommodations and/or located in a city that is what we might call a "college town" in the States.

Are sandwich programs at all useful for international students in helping to find work post graduation?

Is it weird that admissions representatives are not returning our emails? We've contacted a few universities with questions about entry for 26/27 school year and it's been crickets...

Thanks!

Thanks. I've read that her student visa should permit part time work up to 20 hours per week but let me know if I'm mistaken. Good suggestions. I reckon that she will apply to several of the unis mentioned in this thread - probably two or three in the north of England (is Liverpool north or midlands?), 1 in Wales and perhaps 1 in Scotland, with Belfast thrown in the mix as well. The unis mentioned in Cornwall are also in on the list.

Liverpool is in the NE, facing across the Irish Sea.

Thanks! Today I learned that the River Trent forms the northern boundary of the Midlands. I’m going to tuck that away for trivia night

DD should do well in pub quizzes!

I did a summer abroad in the States with Bunac in the 90s and we used to trounce the Americans at Trivial Pursuit. They were bright kids but had no general knowledge.

university of Sussex is her place

1. close to airport with direct flights home
2. amex have a huge hub nearby with lots of American ex-pats
3. lots of American and Canadian students

great Campus in a very safe part of world

snd will easily get in with those grades

Liverpool is 100% North West!!! Look up the River Mersey!

Cornwall has the Cornish campus of Exeter university. It’s in Falmouth. Sea and countryside activities are obviously on offer here but it is quite remote. More of a holiday area for many.

I don't know anything about the student experience at Sussex, but I can second that it's a fantastic part of the world. The downs are lovely for walking, Lewes is a fantastic town, Brighton is a buzzy student hub, easy to get to London and easy access to Gatwick for flights home.

I remember taking DSis to an interview at Sussex. Back in the early 1980s. They didn’t give her a place and she got AAA at A level. How times change. Good shout though! Great location.

I also wanted to add, I don't know where you're from in the states, but it might be worth keeping weather in mind. I do miss bright, sunny, crisp winter days (and snow) but overall am not someone who minds cold, dark and damp. Even so, British winters, while not particularly cold by northeast standards, can get a bit grim, and student flats can be a bit... grotty and damp and unwelcoming. The North is beautiful, but winters are long and grey, so it might be worth keeping that in mind.

The other thing about being further south is that it makes it easier if she's planning on spending some time exploring other places in Europe, which is surely one of the advantages of the UK for an American.

There is a bit of a North South divide and she might find places like Bristol, Exeter etc nicer. (I had 3 children, now lawyers, who went to Bristol who rejected Durham for Bristol). Also if she is international would the grades required be easier so she might be able to aim for harder to get into and better universities?

If not Royal Holloway nearish to London is quite popular or at least as a back up.

Oxford Brookes has a lot of international students and plenty of accommodation. If you can afford it, living there is wonderful.

Oh my bad bad typing error. I apologise to the people of Liverpool 😂😂😂

Hi OP. With her grade profile, she could apply to University of Bath to do International Development with Economics. The modules std not unlike a Human Geography degree at other unis - geography is a very broad degree anyway, spanning the sciences and social sciences. Lots of focus on sustainability / environment. Option to do a year in a work placement or overseas uni in the third year. Also Bath is a beautiful town and better weather than Scotland or the North (marginally)! It will be easier to find a student community in a 'contained' town like Bath with a campus, than somewhere like Manchester or any of the London unis. Bath has fast access into London by train too. Bath is very popular - often in top 10 UK unis / and known for its pastoral care.

Another thought on Liverpool. From the airport, it’s less than a half hour flight to Dublin, where you can do preclearance to the US. If there’s a good route to your home airport from Dublin, that’s possibly worth factoring in as it could makes trips to visit either way much easier

Liverpool is in the NW - West of Manchester!

Yes I know. I mistyped. I am on the app and can't correct my post.

OP, I thought Bath was a great suggestion. Definitely put that on your long list.

OP you asked about University of Kent as a lower tariff option? It's a campus uni on a hill overlooking Canterbury. Canterbury is a medieval city - famous cathedral in the middle. Loads of character and windy streets. You can be in France in no time. Lots of tourists there in summer though. Surrounding countryside is gorgeous - lots of vineyards, so quite different to NW England where you visited. Near to the coast too for lovely walks - even the white cliffs of Dover if you've heard of those? Weather significantly drier than the NW.

If she's bothering to come here, I'd recommend a small city with a student vibe and gorgeous architecture throughout. She could almost certainly get into Anglia Ruskin Uni in Cambridge which is a beautiful town; Uni if Kent in Canterbury; possibly Uni of Bath; Oxford Brookes in Oxford. Durham would have a similar vibe, in a northern way, but not sure about the entry tariff.

In the U.K., people interested in sustainability issues, climate change etc tend to study Geography. Just mentioning this as I know it's not really a discrete subject in the US. Most Geography courses offer a range of physical geog modules (earth science) or human geog modules (covering intersections between economics, anthropology, sociology, law, politics). The whole focus these days is the shift into the Anthropocene and sustainability / climate mitigation strategies. There is now the 'more-than-human' turn in Geography which considers ways to give 'agency' to non-human species in the sustainability debate. It's a very dynamic and ever-changing subject. Most unis will offer geography degrees.

Everything you are saying tells me Exeter and UEA should be on her lists.

To be fair, now that the Eurostar doesn’t stop in Ashford anymore, you’ll be in France faster from London than from canterbury ( which would involve a train to Dover or Folkestone then a ferry or hovercraft).

@TheGander What century are you in?! Hovercraft???? They actually stopped in 2000.

Warwick University:
For Global Sustainable Development Degree (Can be combined with Politics and International Studies) is headline AAA but says it makes a number of offers at AAB and I'm pretty sure was in clearing at ABB (although of course this varies year to year).
Campus uni with good transport links and reputation and lots of international students.

Might be a stretch on grade requirements but worth inquiring if considering a campus uni. Apart from Durham and of course Oxford/Cambridge colleges at university don't really play much of a role in the UK university life.

Although certainly doesn't fit a camping, outdoors vibe apart from a green campus and good sports facilities- similar to Nottingham/Loughborough.
I'd more consider Sheffield/Lancaster/Newcastle Uni for access to the Peak/Lake District/North Pennines or Wales/Scotland for these activities to be readily accessible.

Lancaster is very much collegiate with a very strong college community system with lots of competitions, their own socials, their own bars etc. York is too technically but not to nearly the same extent, it’s more just a label there.

I would have to agree about Preston. Spent a large part of my childhood on the outskirts and couldn't wait to get away. Back in the days of my university applications it was described in one of the alternative prospectuses as being "like Hiroshima after the bomb". It was entirely accurate then and I don't think much has changed.