<p>DS is an aspiring theater major. At one of the colleges he’s thinking of applying to here in the US, they spend their junior year in London. Which lead to a discussion of attending college in London instead of the US. We’ve been to London once and DS fell in love with the city. I’ve just always assumed the cost was too much but I promised to do some research.</p>
<p>I’ve tried to sort out the information but it’s tough as I am so ignorant of how the system works there. I understand that colleges in the UK are parts of larger Universities. I can see that the tuition for non-eu students is high but not nearly as high as some private colleges here, even including cost of living. And I sure wish the dollar was stronger. </p>
<p>My main concern at this point is what does a degree from the UK mean here in the US? The undergrad degree programs I’ve seen are three year. Is that an issue for graduate school? </p>
<p>Did anyone do this as a college student themselves? Did your kid? Best friend? Total stranger you struck up a conversation with? Pros or cons you happen to be familiar with? Thanks!</p>
<p>Will he be attending an American extension in London, or attending a British school. If the program is through the American university that he will be attending, then I would think that any classes that he attended would count towards his US degree. I wouldn’t think that you would have to worry about the UK system. Why not call the theater department of the school he is applying to and have them explain what the program would entail. The school probably has a study abroad department that could give you some information, too.</p>
<p>We lived in London for 3 years – the best years of my life. It would be a great experience. I hope that it can happen for him.</p>
<p>pugmadkate: D2 is a theater major, in her sophomore year. She has just finished the application to study abroad at Queen Mary, University of London next fall. D1 spent a semester in London and after D2 visited her, she made up her mind then that when she got her chance, she, too would go to London. D1’s school has its own program over there, so there was no registering at other schools/worrying about transfer of credits. </p>
<p>However D2 will actually be a student at Queen Mary, living in their dorms (D1 rented a flat with other friends). The theater department at her school has some sort of reciprocal agreement for transfer of credits after the semester with several schools abroad, so we know it will all work out.</p>
<p>There are many ways to get the experience of being a theater student in London without commiting to the full degree from there. You might also post this on the musical theater board.</p>
<p>One of the colleges he is thinking of applying to here in the US includes spending junior year in London. I’m not concerned about the credits and such for that year because it is part of a four year BFA so the college itself must take care of that. At least I hope that’s the case.</p>
<p>I’m looking for information about him attending a college in England to get his full degree. From what I can tell, the undergrad degree is three years in England. Which is part of my concern as to how it translates for grad school. Of course, American grad schools accept students from all over the world, right?</p>
<p>kate, there are a couple of things to consider before making a decision to pursue a theatre degree abroad. The theatre world is a relatively small one and the importance of contacts and establishing relationships cannot be overstated. This would be difficult to do if he were out of the country for all of his college years, not only because of the distance during the school year, but also because the summer breaks often do not coincide with those in N.A… This would make it difficult/impossible for him to participate in summer stock, internships, typical summer work that N.A. theatre kids regularly do. Auditioning for these, and in general (which a lot of kids do at some point during their college years), would be impossible. The other consideration is that it would be extremely difficult for him to stay in the UK to work following graduation. The process is not an easy one and it happens rarely.</p>
<p>The option of attending a college which would afford him the opportunity to study abroad at some point, is a much better one, in my opinion. The forums for theatre and MT might be a good spot for you as you begin to investigate this crazy process of theatre admissions.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for sharing that information. I did not even think about summers or that it would be difficult for him to work there. </p>
<p>I’m going to stick with our initial plan that going for the whole degree is not possible but going for one year as part of a degree plan is something we can look into. </p>
<p>It’s funny where this journey is taking us. I could not wait to get out of NJ and would never have applied to Rutgers. Now my son, who has never lived in NJ, is seriously considering it! Life is strange sometimes.</p>
<p>My H, who was born and raised in NJ couldn’t wait to get out of NJ when he was ready for college. He’s moved progressively westward with college, grad school, training and finally stopped when he reached the left coast.</p>
<p>On the other hand, our D, who has only visited NJ a handful of times, just received a job offer within 20 miles of where my H grew up and may very well end up there. Our family has come full circle too.</p>
<p>pugmadkate…with regard to Rutgers…I think it is different for a BFA candidate. They need to look for the BEST PROGRAMS which doesn’t always correlate in the same way as the best COLLEGES. As well, factors like location become a little less significant in the BFA selection process where there are fewer schools to consider, than when someone is looking to do a BA out of hundreds of colleges. As you are likely aware, the BFA in Acting at Rutgers is one of the top programs in the field. </p>
<p>Btw, I agree with AlwaysAMom about doing a year abroad in a theater program vs. the entire college years abroad. You ought to visit and hang out on the Theater/Drama and Musical Theater forums where there are many well versed on this stuff and going through the similar process.</p>
<p>To apply for any degree in the UK you use UCAS
[UCAS</a> Homepage](<a href=“http://www.ucas.com%5DUCAS”>http://www.ucas.com)
It’s one common app. </p>
<p>teriwtt -Tell your D to be VERY careful. The QM campus is in one of the worst areas possible of London (nearby “murder mile”). One of my friends here in Oxford did a masters there and was mugged twice. I would go nowhere near it. Given the fact that there are dozens of much safer schools even within London, and the vast majority of the UK is very safe, I would choose again.</p>
<p>cupcake - she really has to choose programs approved by her school, and only had three solid choices, two in London (the other was at Goldsmith College) and one in Italy. The application is already a done deal, and I will trust she will continue to use the same good judgment she does when travels. At almost 20 years old, there’s not much I can say to convince her otherwise. I was rooting for Italy myself.</p>
<p>terwtt - to reassure you, the QM campus is not in a bad area of London. The supposed ‘murder mile’ is nowhere near it at all - it’s on the other side of a completely different borough called Hackney. I’ve visited friends at the QM campus - not is it only safe, it’s very nice and they have some of the best accommodation in the country. The closest thing of note to it is Liverpool Street and Brick Lane.</p>
<p>thanks nanamaria - I think most campuses themselves are safe, it’s when you venture off campus that you need to be more diligent. And part of orientation is letting kids know which areas of London are safe, and which aren’t. Like I said earlier, D1 did study abroad in London, but did a lot of traveling around London, and knows which areas to stay away from, and which ones you can let your guard down more.</p>