Advice please? (College, future, etc.)

happymomof1
Wed, 03 Jul 2013 15:06:02 +0000

"Although I haven’t been in Australia in a very very long time, I have Australian citizenship so it would be very cheap for me there. "

By this I take it that you have been living outside of Australia for most of your life. Going “home” for your undergraduate education can be an excellent plan. You would meet other people in your age group, many of whom also would have career goals similar to yours. Given that you were admitted to a “top” institution in the US, it is likely that you would be admissible at the “top” institutions in Australia where you would be with your academic peers. Your options for post-graduate studies would be equivalent, as would your options for semester or year-long academic exchanges elsewhere in the world. Without the work restrictions of a student visa, your employment and internship options would be much better than here. To be perfectly honest, I can’t see a down side to that plan.

If you are uncertain about starting in the US this fall, ask for deferred enrollment. Take a gap year to think about your goals, do an internship or get a paid job, visit Australia and check out the options there, etc. etc. If you do decide that Australia is better (and why not? It is a great place!) then pursue your undergrad studies there. If you decide that you were wrong about that idea, then enroll here in the fall of 2014.