In the Puyallup School District we are taught to pick our paths early.
Maybe not pick, but at least think about it.
What do you want to be?
Where do you want to go to college?
Technical school or community college?
Career?
When I was at Carson Elementary, we spent library days checking out books about different careers, as long as these books weren’t above our AR reading level, of course. When I was at Kalles Junior High, Tyee Time was devoted to researching colleges and costs. I loved all of this. I’ve always been ambitious and going to a great college has been important to me since those first library days in second and third grade. I did the research on accredited colleges and began to dream of University of Southern California, Northwestern University, Georgetown, Dartmouth… I was very optimistic.
Finally I realized that it was almost impossible to be accepted into these schools no matter how hard I worked. My grades won’t cut it and I could never afford it.
About a year ago, I was lounging on the couch and scrolling through a list from online including the most beautiful college campuses in the world. It was then that I realized that I had never looked at colleges from the whole world, just the U.S.! After much more research, I narrowed my search down to the United Kingdom. Colleges in the U.K. have a very distinct teaching style, but I like different and began to think that this could be the path for me. I’m a junior this year, so I will apply to colleges next fall. Time is limited and I’ve talked to my parents and decided that the best way to decide if college in the UK was for me, was to go there and see it for myself. At the beginning of November, I visited two colleges in Northern England, University of York and Newcastle University.
I quickly found out that college is very different in the UK than it is in America.
First, it’s not even called college, it’s called university (or uni, as Nick from Newcastle University says). The biggest difference is that you don’t apply to a university, you apply to a school within the university. For example, I want to go into film and media production, so I will apply to the program Film and Television Production. This is because you don’t do any prerequisite courses before declaring a major. The credit system just doesn’t exist in the UK. If admitted to the Film and Television Production program, I would take core classes in the subject and take two or three classes I choose within the discipline, such as a scriptwriting course. In almost every program, a bachelor’s degree takes only three years and a master’s degree is only one additional year. What I like most about UK schools is the admission process. You pay approximately $30, write one personal statement and that same application is sent to your five schools of choice. Also, admissions really aren’t based on your orientation, legacy at the school or economic background. The programs are clear what grades they want. If you have them, you move on. If you don’t, you don’t. The way universities choose to admit one applicant over another is based entirely on their personal statement, or personal essay. It is your passion and story that counts above all else. Oh! Did I mention that tuition could be as low as $12,000 a year? That is about what most in-state universities cost.
I’ll admit, a big reason I’m attracted to schools in Northern England is because they remind me a bit of Hogwarts. When I got off the plane and found myself at Kings Cross Station, I shed a tear. Or many tears. I saw Platform 9¾, but unfortunately my train left from Platform 8. My first stop was York. The city encompassed everything that I imagined an old English city to be. Brick buildings and crooked cobblestone streets surrounded by the bleak yet beautiful moors. In that moment I could have sworn I had just tumbled into Bronte novel. Even though the city felt like Harry Potter and looked like Wuthering Heights, the University of York campus was modern.
The campus was off set from the city, which I like. The accommodations (dorms) offer full kitchens, ensuite bathrooms, a self-catered option and most of all, rooms without roommates! Not to mention every accommodation building came with a cafe. The library was enormous, and still being built, with rentable laptops and rentable textbooks. You heard me right, you wouldn’t have to buy textbooks. The modern university offset by old England and nature was wonderful. There were also ducks everywhere, and honestly I don’t blame them for wanting to hang out on campus. There are ponds, people to feed them, cute boys with British accents… You know, things ducks like. If you like modern facilities, old England and ducks, University of York might be for you.
Newcastle upon Tyne was an entirely different English experience. The city was vibrant, yet not hectic. Modern, but full of history. Diverse and big, but felt like home. Newcastle did remind me of Seattle a little bit. The gorgeous city was placed on, surprise, the Tyne river and included many beautiful bridges. One bridge is famous for literally turning sideways to let boats through. The river ran right to the ocean, located only twenty minutes away. I absolutely loved being in the city, which I quickly learned was famous for shopping. Two nice ladies sat across from me on the train, and both were giddy with excitement for two reasons. First, they had travelled three hours by train just to take advantage of the extensive shopping malls and department stores. Second, Fenwick’s (Britain’s own Nordstrom or Macy’s) was having their annual christmas tree lighting where they would reveal an extensive themed window display. The holiday season is a big deal in Newcastle. The University was set right in the middle of the city, surrounded by the mall, museums and more restaurants than I could count. The university’s main building was a modern towering facility with blue windows that hit the sun back at me, old buildings on either side. I was impressed to say the least. Pieces of campus are spread throughout the city, but the only far away buildings were the medical center and business center. They were located near the other university in the city, Northumbria University. There was a clear rivalry between the two and I have to say, Northumbria didn’t hold a flame to Newcastle. Then again, I’m definitely biased. Nick, my guide through the campus, told me all about the culture and the many clubs. One club he advertised to me was the Pub Club, who like to bar hop on the weekends.
“Sounds fun,” I said, though I wish he hadn’t promoted a drinking club while my mom was right there. Finally we landed at the Culture Lab, home of all media arts. It was here that I could feel a future home, and envision a future. Professor Alastair Cole, accredited documentary producer and director, walked me through the building and talked to me about the programs. He described students spending hours in editing bays, weekends with a camera and tripod running around the city, then introduced me to groundbreaking technology in every room and lecture hall. In that moment, I could see myself walking through those halls in the future.
These two universities have shown me that there is better and more suitable education available in the world. Although, it has crossed my mind many times that I will be two days of travel away from home, I would have to schedule calls with my parents because of the time difference, and that there won’t be a soul in the country that knows me.
That’s the kicker: to live half way across the world when you’ve never been without your parents could be the hardest transition you would ever make.
That I might ever make.
When it comes down to it, I really believe that you have to find opportunities and take them. Life is really short, here we are only a few years from graduation and I used to think high schoolers walked on water… turns out it’s the same vinyl floors we’ve been walking on since elementary school. I have decided that international university is for me, and I would have never known without a strange strand of circumstances. So I am here to let you know you can broaden your horizons. International school is possible and it is a much better option for many students. Consider the choices, there are more than you think.
