Originally Posted by Taunton

So are universities in the UK... in fact, the average UK student pays a maximum of £3,125 which is very close to what we pay here. International student tuition is extremely expensive anywhere.

Oh right, I forgot that the amount that Greg posted was for international students XD. But it's still really expensive.

Originally Posted by patelp

I'm not really interested in an exchange program. I want to go for good. Its not that I don't like mac or anything like that but I just need change of scenery.

I would love to live in England as well, but the cost is quite expensive, especially with the exchange rate and the cost of living. Right now according to ANEKI.com, the UK is the 16th most expensive country to live in... it's only a few spots less expensive than the USA, and in the US you must pay for your health care :(.

I wish you the best of luck, but living there is no easy feat, especially for an expat student.

source: http://www.aneki.com/expensive.html

My GOD! In my experience, Switzerland is accurately above the U.S. But the U.K. is incorrectly placed. It is darn close to the cost of Switzerland. In exploring it for just 10 days, and seeing places like the enormous London, the medium sized Bath, and the itty-bitty Swanage (you've never heard of it, but it's a tiny community), I can say that NOTHING is cheap ANYWHERE in England. Their pound is darn close to 2-to-1 with the Dollar, but they use the same numbers for all their pricing! Ex: McDonalds combos are still 4-7 pounds. Starbucks-anything is still 3-5 pounds. Any subway ride is minimum 1.60 (with an Oyster card discount) . It's absolutly insane! Two of us tried to eat from grocery stores as much as possible: Ready-made salads, wraps, sandwiches, or fruits and vegetables. They all had the same numbers we see here, so a cheap lunch is still 4-8 pounds for two people... that's 8-16 dollars to eat a meal from a grocery store.

I met a lot of others who were studying there, and even a recent graduate from Mac Life Sciences (neuroscience) staying in a hostel. They were hardly there for a few days and they were trying SOOOO hard to be thrifty on all of their accomodations because they were almost out of money.

So I see two sides to this: If you have LOTS of money after second year, I would say do it because after 4th, you can't possibly have enough. If you are skeptical about your bank account holding up though, be wary, because England will rip your finances apart, and just generally become very harsh towards you.

My two cents anyways. I love opinions though!

My friend goes to Oxford, he loves it. Lucky guy.

oxford is way outta my league. I know its expensive.. for any international student its expensive even coming to mac is pretty expensive. Universities are a business.. its all about making money. But in the long run it works out the way I see it. And oxfords tuition is nothing compared to that of the USA. Harved Med is something like $300,000!!! Thats a house for most people.

Does anyone know the diffuculty to get in?

I don't know the politics or the details of it, but when I was there a few weeks ago, I kept hearing in the news, and from overheard conversations, that the country is havign a massive problem with the number of its own students that graduate from high school (a massive number) and the number of them that make it into university after applying (a really low number). That may mean more internationals are getting in, or it may mean that less students overall are getting in...

Originally Posted by mike_302

I don't know the politics or the details of it, but when I was there a few weeks ago, I kept hearing in the news, and from overheard conversations, that the country is havign a massive problem with the number of its own students that graduate from high school (a massive number) and the number of them that make it into university after applying (a really low number). That may mean more internationals are getting in, or it may mean that less students overall are getting in...

It probably means more international students are getting in. Universities only need to reach a certain quota for local students. They would much rather have international students since they make more money that way.

Originally Posted by jhan523

It probably means more international students are getting in. Universities only need to reach a certain quota for local students. They would much rather have international students since they make more money that way.

that's definitly true. but I'm not surprised High School kids aren't getting in. The drinking age there is 16... way to ruin ones chances right there.

All universities in england have a standard tuition rate.(if you live there). Also, living in england is actually not that expensive...especiall y if like 99% of your family lives there PLUS..if your lucky enough to have a british passport like...*cough* me...then you wont have to pay international fees.

Originally Posted by xxsumz

All universities in england have a standard tuition rate.(if you live there). Also, living in england is actually not that expensive...especiall y if like 99% of your family lives there PLUS..if your lucky enough to have a british passport like...*cough* me...then you wont have to pay international fees.

That's not necessarily true for all EU countries though.

In Malta, for instance you need to have lived and worked in the country for three years before you can go to school there, even if you have a Maltese passport.

Hey;
I've been thinking about England myself, and to be honest after doing a lot of research, in the end - it depends what field you want to go into.
I found a few medical schools and mailed them as well, and got what they require and if I qualify or not. If that's what you are interested in, let me know - I will PM the mails to you

If you just want to go there for your undergrad, most of the universities will take you as a transfer student. For that each universtiy has different qualifiations but the majority of them will NOT take you if you are already in an undergrad study. If you want to go to UK, then you will have to apply as a high school student for some of the good universities.. But then again, like I said, it depends on what program and which university you are looking into.

Originally Posted by xxsumz

All universities in england have a standard tuition rate.(if you live there). Also, living in england is actually not that expensive...especiall y if like 99% of your family lives there PLUS..if your lucky enough to have a british passport like...*cough* me...then you wont have to pay international fees.

Perhaps if you have family there, then it's not a huge deal, but the cost of living there is quite high compared to Canada, so a Canadian like myself would be much more poor (or less wealthy) in the UK.

UK is expensive per year...but most the degrees there are 3-year
so the total cost of undergrad studies is almost the same

exactly, it works out pretty nicely!

and having familiy definitly helps!

but again... I know two guys who arn't really bright.. they managed to get into Liverpool University for Pharmacy... They said it was easy to get in... but when you do apply.. should you apply as a high school student then?

I was recently at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. One bottle of iced tea, one bottle of water and a large McDonald's fries cost us $15.45 CAD.