• Question: Should I go to an ivy league university

    Asked by keep11met on 30 Mar 2023.
    • Photo: Laurence Quirk

      Laurence Quirk answered on 30 Mar 2023:

      We don’t have Ivy league universities in the UK. You can study abroad but you need to think about the following
      – paying fees which might be different,
      – student visas and how long they last for
      – are A levels or GCSEs are accepted as part of their entry requirements.
      – when you graduate from a university abroad, will the qualification be accepted in the UK if you decide to return and what additional learning might you have to do to be registered with the relevant health body.

      On top of that its about can you live in another country where the culture might be different and where you are a long distance from friends and family

    • Photo: Yuen Say Toh

      Yuen Say Toh answered on 30 Mar 2023:

      it depends on why and what are you hoping to get out of an ivy league university that you are not able to get in other universities

    • Photo: Kate Knowles

      Kate Knowles answered on 31 Mar 2023:

      Its up to you – if you wish to study in USA then yes, go for it. It’s not for me

    • Photo: Sarah Chalmers-Page

      Sarah Chalmers-Page answered on 3 Apr 2023:

      We don’t have an Ivy League. The nearest UK equivalent is probably the combination of Oxford and Cambridge, the five Scottish Ancient universities and the Russell Group research universities.

      If you go to the USA, you need to think about how long for. There are some exchanges that are for a semester (roughly a half year) which could be a brilliant experience to learn different things, experience another culture and way of doing things, and maybe save up and get some travel time in.

      However, if you are thinking of doing your whole degree out there, or staying long term, you need to think about:

      – American Ivy League university debt is very high indeed – far more than in the UK – and American doctors spend decades paying it off at commercial rates
      – American medical degrees are not fully recognised in the UK and you might not be able to come home at the same level of seniority if, for some reason, you want to
      – American working conditions tend to be harsh. Hours tend to be longer than would be legal here, leave is far, far less generous and far more at the employer’s whim (to the point where as a care worker I had the money to go home to visit my family but was told I would be fired if I took my two weeks at once). Americans work on “at will” contracts – they don’t have the protections we have against being fired – and if you are fired you may lose your right to stay in the USA on some visas
      – internships in the “best” hospitals are extremely competitive and can be decided as much on personal connections as they are on academic excellence, and those networks can be tricky to establish if you are already an outsider as a Brit.

      None of that means don’t go. Just brace yourself for a far harder path than the media lets on.

    • Photo: James Waldron

      James Waldron answered on 4 Jul 2023:

      Agree with everything below. We have loads of great unis in the UK – I went to Notts and loved it 🙂

      One thing I would say is if you get a chance to do a semester (or year) abroad go for it! I studied in Holland for a month in Nijmegen, it was incredible! I loved every moment of it. It was on an Erasmus programme – unfortunately that has gone because of Brexit (Brexit, the gift that keeps on giving… 🙁 )- but there may be other ways you can achieve this.

Comments