myUface Blog

So we’ve considered most of the advantages and disadvantages of going to the U.S. for your university education.  But you may still be having difficulty deciding if studying in the U.S. is the right decision.  In this final post, I will present three pieces of advice about how you should go about making the decision whether or not to study in the U.S. (or anywhere else, for that matter):

1. Remember, you won’t be studying at a university called “the U.S.”  You’ll be studying at one particular university in the U.S.  So please, do some research about individual universities.  DON’T think that every university in the U.S. will be more or less the same, because they AREN’T.  Until you bring real universities into your decision-making process, you won’t be making an informed decision at all.
2. Keep your options open. Remember, you don’t need to decide right now that, no matter what, you’re studying in the U.S.  You have should research different programs in many countries, including your own.  You may want to consider pursuing entrance into U.S. universities and, at the same time, applying to universities in other countries as well.
3. Find good advisers. Making the decision to study in the U.S. will be easier if you connect with people who are familiar with the U.S. system of education.  Find such people and develop a relationship with them. The right adviser can help answer all your most difficult questions and lead to a better decision. In your country, look for an Educational Advising Center.  On the internet, you need go no further that myUface.  Remember, you can always ask us questions and we will always give you the best advice we can!

The decision to study in another country is a daunting one, but it can be fun as well.  The options for international students are more diverse and exciting than ever before.  Consider all your options carefully, but always remember:  if you do your research, take your time, keep your options open, and find good advisers, you will find the perfect program for you!

SERIES:  Why study in the U.S.?

• April 20 – Introduction
• April 21 – Diversity at U.S. campuses
• April 22 – Value of U.S. degrees
• April 23 – The Facilities
  
• April 24 – Practical focus of U.S. education
• April 25 – Variety of U.S. programs
• April 26 – The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: visas
  
• April 27 - The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: cost
  
• April 28 - Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.:  it might not help in your profession
• April 29 – Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.: will you fit in “going back?”
• April 30 – Other disadvantages
• May 1 – So, should you study in the U.S.?

As in yesterday’s post, I’m going to speak very briefly about a supposed reason not to study in the U.S.

The reason?  It costs too much.

Verdict: False

As we mentioned in a previous post in this series, while it is true that a U.S. university can be expensive, it’s also true that the U.S. spends more per student than almost any other country.  So it’s not as if you’re paying for nothing.

But more than that, is university study in the U.S. really so much more expensive than other countries? I’m always skeptical of claims like “universities in _____ country are expensive,” because, as we saw in yesterday’s post, there are so many different kinds of universities and programs available.  In every country, you’ll find some programs that are expensive and some that are not.  For example, let’s look at some very basic tuition information available on the web (NOTE:  these are estimates taken from random sites for the purposes of illustrating a point):

• Tuition in the U.K. is between £3,500 to £18,000 a year
• Tuition in Australia is between $A10,000- $A16,000 a year
  
• Tuition in the U.S. is between $5,000 and $30,000 a year

Using today’s exchange rates, and taking the middle point of those ranges,  tuition costs work out to be:

• UK:  $15,695
• Australia:  $9,347
• U.S.:  $17,500

Now, are there differences?  Yes.  Are the differences so overwhelmingly big so as to make you immediately discard the idea of studying in the U.S.?

Probably not.

The bottom line is that, yes, the U.S. will tend to be more expensive for university study . . .but probably not by such a large amount as to outweigh the various benefits of going there. And always remember, there are going to be universities in the U.S. that cost less than the average university in the U.K. or Australia.  It all depends on what you want and what kind of program you’re looking for.

For Your Consideration:

Have you looked at specific universities in the U.S.?  Do you know how much it would cost to attend?  Have you looked for other schools which might cost less?

SERIES:  Why study in the U.S.?

• April 20 – Introduction
• April 21 – Diversity at U.S. campuses
• April 22 – Value of U.S. degrees
• April 23 – The Facilities
  
• April 24 – Practical focus of U.S. education
• April 25 – Variety of U.S. programs
• April 26 – The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: visas
  
• April 27 - The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: cost
  
• April 28 - Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.:  it might not help in your profession
• April 29 – Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.: will you fit in “going back?”
• April 30 – Other disadvantages
• May 1 – So, should you study in the U.S.?

If you’ve done any research at all about U.S. universities, you’ve probably heard quite a bit about how expensive it can be to study in the U.S.  Although I want to note that the difference in cost between universities in the U.S. and other countries is often exaggerated, I think it is safe to say that, in general, and with many individual exceptions, the cost of a higher education at a U.S. university is going to be higher than in other countries.

This is often brought up as a reason not to study in the U.S.  Certainly, cost should be an issue in deciding what university to attend, but it should not be the only issue.  It helps to remember that, in most cases, university costs are high for a reason, and that quite often the increased cost of U.S. university education reflects, at least to a certain extent, the higher expenditures made by U.S. universities upon the educational process. The OECD notes that the United States spends more per tertiary student than all but 3 OECD members (Norway, Luxembourg, and Switzerland). A large part of that comes from student tuition costs.

More money spent for each student means more money for state-of-the-art facilities.  By facilities I don’t only mean classrooms, but also money for research, for top-notch professors, for sports venues, for student comfort, for libraries, for IT resources, and so on and so forth.  Quite often, then, the high cost of a university can positively reflect the quality of the education you’ll receive at that university.

In fact, the situation is even better – many of the most expensive universities in the United States actually spend more – sometimes two or three times more – on each student than that student spends on tuition.

The point here is that when it comes time to look at individual universities, don’t look at the cost in a vacuum.  An expensive school might be worth it because of the quality of education it provides.  An inexpensive school might actually present less value because it doesn’t provide the same educational resources.  Of course, in many cases, and depending on what you want to study,  expensive universities will provide poor quality, and inexpensive universities will provide high quality.

Don’t be scared off by the high cost of U.S. universities.  Look at the total picture, including the educational quality they provide, in making your decision.  And keep in mind that in many cases, you’ll get what you pay for.

For Your Consideration:

Do higher tuition costs translate into better facilities?  Do better facilities mean a higher quality education?

SERIES:  Why study in the U.S.?

• April 20 – Introduction
• April 21 – Diversity at U.S. campuses
• April 22 – Value of U.S. degrees
• April 23 – The Facilities
  
• April 24 – Practical focus of U.S. education
• April 25 – Variety of U.S. programs
• April 26 – The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: visas
  
• April 27 - The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: cost
  
• April 28 - Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.:  it might not help in your profession
• April 29 – Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.: will you fit in “going back?”
• April 30 – Other disadvantages
• May 1 – So, should you study in the U.S.?