How Do You Choose Between Universities in the US vs the UK?

Every year, hundreds of students from Singapore apply to the most competitive universities in the US and the UK, from the Ivy League to Oxford and Cambridge, drawn to the unparalleled opportunities that a top university education offers. But how do you make the choice of where to go?

Here is an overview of the main differences between the two education systems:

US Education System

For the first four years of a student’s US university education they attend ‘college’ where they undergo a liberal arts (or in some cases science and engineering specific) undergraduate degree.

Determined to allow students to explore study options and access a broad and comprehensive education during these four years, most universities do not require their students to choose a ‘major’ — or area of study — until the end of their second year.

This process of academic variety and flexibility enables students to expand their high school knowledge and make an educated decision as to the course of their future career.

Liberal arts courses are interdisciplinary and cover a range of topics, allowing students to explore different academic avenues which both expand upon their knowledge in favoured areas of study and uncover hidden passions before a decision on a major has to be made. Even then, students can take ‘minors’ or ‘certificates’ in other areas of study to both compliment their major and offer diversity in their final two years at college.

UK Education System

The UK educational system places more emphasis on in-depth knowledge of a specific area of study. But while they are more traditional and less concerned with a student’s non-academic pursuits, they do want to see evidence of a student’s passion — what matters to them, why it matters to them, and how they intend to pursue these passions to make academic progress and contribute to the university.

By including a personal essay question, asking for a supporting reference and interviewing most of their candidates, top UK universities gain a greater insight into the ‘human’ qualities of their applicants - qualities which are often key to gaining acceptance in an increasingly competitive academic field.

More specifically, in the case of Oxford and Cambridge Universities, the tutorial system takes this desire to examine a specific area of study in great detail to a new and highly individualised level. In these weekly tutorials – which are often as small as one faculty member with three or four students – students have the opportunity to explore, enquire, share and discuss their thoughts and ideas with world leaders in their chosen field of interest.

How do you decide?

Of course, both the US and the UK boast some of the most famous and respected educational institutions on the planet. In the US, there are the eight Ivy League universities (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Dartmouth and Brown) as well as Stanford, MIT, Caltech and the University of California ‘family’ including UCLA and UC Berkeley. Meanwhile in the UK, there are Oxford and Cambridge, along with the ‘Russell Group’, which consists of 24 prestigious institutions including the University College London, King’s College London, London School of Economics and Political Science and Imperial College London.

Ultimately, only you know which kind of educational environment you thrive in. Would you prefer the broad-based flexibility of the US “liberal arts” model of education, or would you fare better with the in-depth, subject focused style of learning in the UK?

Both US and UK universities offer a plethora of choices — and  Crimson Education helps narrow these down for each and every one of our students. In fact, the ‘best fit’ university philosophy is key to Crimson’s personalised application/tutoring approach to overseas university acceptance. If you’re interested in learning more about which education system might fit you best, schedule a free consultation with one of our Academic Advisors here!

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