What is the difference between university study in the UK and the USA? After taking part in a study abroad semester, I can now compare! The chance to study at one of many top universities around the world for a year or just one semester is one of the many great opportunities you will have available if you are a student at King’s College London. Many of our students choose to go to the USA as part of a study abroad exchange programme.
During the first semester of my third and final year at King’s, I went to the University of Michigan as an exchange student. While I was there, I noticed a few things that weren’t quite the same as they are at universities in the UK…
1. Majors
As you may already know, American colleges courses and credits tend to be based on a wide curriculum organised around a system of majors and minors. Basically this means that most students ‘declare’ a major in their second (or sophomore) year. Lots of American students also take a double major, or double major with two minors, which can make class scheduling (which I’ll explain next) quite complicated! Thankfully, as a semester exchange student, I didn’t have to navigate this complex system. I took four classes while abroad – three in film, which I study at King’s, and one in art history – and it was nice to be able to take advantage of the wide range of courses on offer from different schools and departments.
2.Scheduling
UK universities tend to be organised around a central system of administration, meaning that once you’ve picked your courses for the year, a timetabling department takes care of booking rooms and allocating everyone to classes that don’t clash. In the US, however, students must take on a bit more responsibility when it comes to timetabling. Once you’ve decided which classes you want to take, you have to check when and where they are happening and add them to your timetable, ensuring they don’t clash. This inevitably leads to some disappointment as lots of great classes run at the same time – there were countless classes I wanted to try but couldn’t because they clashed with others! It’s very convenient, though, to organise your own calendar to maximise both productivity and enjoyment. I managed to bag Fridays off and no classes before 10am by being clever with my scheduling.
3.The Work
At British universities, many courses – especially in the humanities – consist of mid term and end of term assessments, whether through coursework or exams. In the US, roughly the same amount of work is spaced out over the entire semester. I had a short paper to hand in or some discussion questions to introduce almost every week for every class, and every class met twice a week. So your contact time is much more full on than it would be in the UK, where you are expected to take charge of your own learning. Adjusting to this can be a steep learning curve, but there’s loads of support on offer from professors, advisors, RAs if you live on campus, and specific services for international students.
4.Food
American colleges have a-m-a-z-i-n-g food offerings. There are usually several dining halls on campus, where you can eat pretty much as many meals as you want as many times a day as you want. There’s a different menu every day but there’s always a salad bar, fruit, a sandwich station, various veggie options and, of course, desserts (and a waffle iron!). Just make sure you don’t eat too much! There will always be more the next day.
Of course, if you do study abroad in the US, there are many other differences you might experience – such as roommates, frat houses, and squirrels all over campus! It’s also great to travel to other places in the US (and Canada and Mexico) if you can, but just make sure you get to a real American football game. Go Blue!
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