myUface Blog

Over the past week we’ve had hundreds and hundreds of new users visit the site.  I wanted to take a moment and share with you some resources we have that may be of interest to you:

First, we have two myUface guides:

1. The Advantages and Disadvantages of a University Education in the United States
2. Looking for a University in the United States

You can donwload both of these guides (for free of course) here.

Second, you should check out our Series:

1. Should you study in the U.S.? A comprehensive and honest guide to the benefits and disadvantages of a U.S. education (April 2009).
2. Looking for a U.S. University – All of the information you should consider in selecting a U.S. university – including some things you may not have thought about (May 2009).
3. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education – Need help paying for a U.S. education?  Here’s a guide to how to look for and secure financial support.  It’s not easy, but it’s worth a try (June / July 2009)!
4. Preparing For A Visa Interview – A three part series on the misconceptions many students have about student visa interviews (July 2009).
5. Universities in the Fifty States – we look at what it would be like to live as an international student in each of the fifty states.
6. Writing Essays for University Applications – full of advice on how to write, edit and submit an essay with your university application.

Yesterday we shared a brief excerpt from Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat, in which he talked about the skills you need to succeed in a globalized world.  Today, I’d like to share another excerpt, in which Mr. Friedman discusses the ways in which U.S. universities support exactly these skills.

Before I do, and for the benefit of those interested in the ongoing debate about globalization (what it is, whether it’s good, etc.) I want to mention that Mr. Friedman certainly has his critics (for example, here).  Nonetheless, his views are valuable at the very least because they represent a strong current of thought regarding globalization and its impact.

With that disclaimer out of the way, here is Friedman on U.S. universities (with a big assist from Bill Gates):

It is a truism, but the more educated you are, the more options you will have . . . “Our university system is the best,” said Bill Gates.  “We fund our universities to do a lot of research and that is an amazing thing.  High-IQ people come here, and we allow them to innovate and turn [their innovations] into products.  We reward risk taking.  Our university system is competitive and experimental.  They can try out different approaches . . . It is a chaotic system, but it is a great engine of innovation in the world . . .”

“America has 4,000 colleges and universities,” said Allan E. Goodman, president of the Institute of International Education.  “The rest of the world combined has 7,768 institutions of higher education.  In the state of California alone, there are about 130 colleges and universities.  There are only 14 countries in the world with more than that number.”

. . . [I]n 2003, American universities reaped $1.3 billion from patents . . .

In other words, U.S. universities innovate and take risks in order to adapt to a changing world. What’s more, because of the sheer number of universities, they do so on an unprecedented scale, and in a vast array of fields.

For that reason, if you are interested in sharpening you skills in terms of innovation and adaptability, you won’t go wrong by investing in a U.S. university for your higher education.

Give then we just celebrated July 4th, Independence Day here in the U.S., I thought I’d take a break from discussing the ins and outs of financial aid to talk for a moment about something which U.S. universities value very highly:  independence.

In most countries around the globe, the university system has some type of formalized relationship with the central government.  Often, this takes the form of a Ministry of Education providing funding (and rules) for the national system.  Thus, in many countries, if the president or prime minister says, “You know, I really think our universities should do X,” there is at least a good chance those universities will be required to do so . . . by law.

U.S. universities, in contrast, are by and large completely independent from the central government.  They often receive funding of some sort for ongoing research, and so they are beholden to government support in that respect; but there’s no sense in which they are in the chain of command of the political leadership.

Although the U.S. is in now way unique in this regard, I would suggest that, for historical reasons, universities in the U.S. are perhaps more protective of their independence than universities in most countries.  And this in turn leads to the incredible diversity of educational institutions and programs you see in the U.S.  When there isn’t a central bureaucracy controlling the curriculum, individual schools are free to to determine their own path.

This is somethign to keep in mind as you look for universities and programs in the United States.  Don’t assume that one particular university – Harvard for example – is superior to other universities in every regard, as might be the case in a more centrally-controlled system.  Instead, remember that each university will establish programs based upon the needs of whatever it considers to be its “community,” and with funds that are secured from a variety of sources – not only the government.   This gives you the opportunity to look closely for a particular university to suit your needs – thereby exercising your own “independence.”

Many U.S. universities have put a large number of their classes on iTunes.  This allows you to listen to actual lectures by actual U.S. professors, on subjects ranging from physics to the historicity of religious figures.  This service is called “iTunes U,” and it is a potentially great resource for international students, for a few reasons:

1. You can use iTunes U to get a sense of what classes are like at U.S. universities.
2. iTunes U has hundreds of universities participating.  There’s a good chance one of the universities you’re interested in has an iTunes U page, allowing you to listen to actual classes at your prospective university.
3. iTunes U will show you how differences in the reputation of schools don’t necessarily translate into differences in academic quality.  Some of the lectures you’ll listen to from so-called “second-tier” schools will far exceed, in the quality of instruction, lectures from so-called “elite” schools.
4. The lectures themselves are incredibly interesting and educational.

To use iTunes U you’ll need to download iTunes itself.

Happy listening!

Other Posts in this Series

1. Conclusion - How to Choose a U.S. University - 02 Jun
2. Activities Around a University Campus - 01 Jun
3. Check Out U.S. Universities on iTunes U (This post)
4. Extracurricular Activities - 25 May
5. Get to Know Your Potential Professors - 21 May
6. Don't Forget Your Life! - 20 May
7. What Do You Want to See in the U.S.? - 19 May
8. How Many International Students go to your Chosen University? - 18 May
9. The Problem with University Rankings - 17 May
10. Using Facebook to Research Universities - 14 May
11. Look at the Surrounding Neighborhoods When Looking at a U.S. University - 13 May
12. How Weather Should Factor Into Your Search for a U.S. University - 12 May
13. Looking for a University in the United States: Cost of Living - 11 May
14. Looking for a University in the United States - 10 May

Once a week, every Saturday, I will be putting out a podcast. The goal of the podcast will be to cover the  subjects of the week in audio form, with guests occasionally.

On the first podcast the  co-founders of myUface joined me to talk about the reasons why they think international students should study in the U.S. The first podcast is right here.

If you like the podcast and want us to answer one of your questions on it, please send me your questions at podcast@myuface.com.

Other Podcasts

1. Podcast: Asking Questions - 18 Jul
2. Podcast: Give Yourself Time To Complete Your Application - 13 Jun
3. Podcast: What to Do if your Application is not Accepted - 06 Jun
4. Podcast - The View from Albania - 23 May
5. Podcast: University Rankings - 16 May
6. Podcast: Timeline for Applying to a U.S. University - 09 May
7. The Inaugural myUface Podcast (This post)

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.?

Here is a list of five other disadvantages to studying in the United States for you to consider:

1. Studying in the U.S. – or in any foreign country – involves adjusting to a new culture and way of thinking. Although this is an exciting challenge to overcome, and will positively shape your character and personality, it is nonetheless a difficult process.  For some students, it can take up to a year to fully adjust to their new environment.  For others, it can take days.  In either case, the adjustment process requires flexibility, perseverance, and mental toughness.
2. For most international students the United States is very far away from their home country.   Because of the time difference, organizing ways to connect with those in your native country can be challenging.
3. Similarly, the distance between you country and the U.S. will make it hard to travel home during short breaks in the Spring and Fall, or over the weekend; whereas if you studied closer to home, you could easily visit friends or family for short periods of time.
4. A huge benefit of U.S. university is that it provides a high quality education.  The flip side of that is that obtaining a U.S. degree is very challenging and requires hard work.  You will be challenged by professors and fellow students.  If you are looking for an easy path to a degree, this may not be it.
5. English, english, english, all the time.  Though studying in the U.S. can be a great way to perfect your spoken and written English, it can be difficult if you are not fully committed to learning the language.  Do you like English?  Do you really like English?

For Your Consideration:

Can you think of other disadvantages to studying in the U.S.?  If so, please share!

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.?

Here’s another potential disadvantage of studying in the U.S. that you should consider:  in certain countries, and within certain professions, people who possess U.S. degrees are viewed with suspicion and even resentment.

To use an extreme example to illustrate the point:  in certain authoritarian countries, if you possess a U.S. degree the security services may suspect you of being a spy.  Really, it happens.

OK, for most of you this will not be a problem.  But you could suffer from suspicion of your degree in other ways:

• colleagues may be threatened by your degree.
• colleagues may feel that your degree doesn’t apply to the “way we do things here.”
• colleagues may have negative political feelings about the U.S. as a country, and apply those feelings to their relationship with you.

Are these reactions fair or reasonable?  Absolutely not.  But they can be surprisingly common, especially in fields like economics, politics, public policy, and so forth.  I once met a group of Harvard graduates who had studied politics, but who were almost completely ignored by the politicians in their own country, and had all moved onto different fields.

By the way, this in no way applies only to U.S. universities.  Usually, if this kind of attitude exists at all, it will exist in relation to foreign degrees in general.

The bottom line is, be aware of the “culture” that exists within your chosen profession, and ask yourself, would holding a U.S. degree help me or hurt me here?  How will I fit in “going back?”

For Your Consideration: do you know what you’d like to do as a career?  Do you know someone within that career who has studied abroad?  How is their degree received among their colleagues?

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.?

Today we’re going to talk about a potential disadvantage to U.S. university study.  First, a brief look back:  in our last two posts – here and here - we discussed supposed disadvantages of studying in the United States:  the difficulty of obtaining visas, and the high cost of a U.S. university education.  We discovered that, although there was a kernel of truth to both of these, neither represented a particularly huge problem.

In contrast, today we’ll be talking about a real disadvantage for many of those who choose to study in the U.S., and it’s this:  for many professions in many parts of the world, a U.S. education simply does not provide the appropriate preparation.  Let me give you an example:

A student I met from an Eastern European country had always dreamed of studying in the United States.  He wanted to become a lawyer.  The problem was that, in his country, a law degree is awarded at the end of undergraduate education at a specialized legal faculty.  In addition, his country’s system of law was completely different from that practiced in the U.S.  In other words, by going to get an undergraduate degree in the U.S., he would have:

• missed out on getting the degree he needed to practice law in his home country
• learned very little information that actually pertained to his own legal system

Now, that’s not to say he shouldn’t have wanted to study in the U.S.  In fact, despite the disadvantages of a U.S. university in this regard, he ended up coming to study in the States.  But even he acknowledged that those four years were in a certain respect wasted, at least in terms of how they strictly applied to his chosen profession (they were certainly not wasted in terms of his life – he had a great experience, made lifelong friends, helped him develop leadership and cross-cultural skills, and so on).

The bottom line here is that before you decide to pursue university education in the United States, you should do some research into how it might impact your chosen profession.  In the majority of cases, a U.S. degree will probably advance your career.  But in certain cases, due to the system used in your country, it might not provide you with the appropriate qualifications.  This is particularly possible in some of the following fields:

• law
• education (i.e. getting certified to be a teacher in a public school)
• medicine or dentistry

For your consideration: do you know what you’d like to do as a career?  What are the requirements in your country for having such a career?  Do you need a specific degree?  To pass a certain test?  How will education in the U.S. impact your ability to meet such requirements?

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.?