Trying to find some different options for my daughter, does anyone know where I might find a list of US universities that offer joint/dual international degree programs?
I am aware of St. Andrews/William and Mary and SciencesPo and UC Berkeley but I can’ t seem to find a comprehensive list where I might be able to search under majors offered etc?
here is a usnwr article on international dual degree programs:
This is review of dual-degree programs that might be more esoteric than what you are looking for- but might have useful bits:
https://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Documents/Mapping-International-Joint-and-Dual-Degrees.pdf
Also, EU universities participate in the ERASMUS scheme, which is basically a study abroad for students enrolled full time in the EU. If your daughter enrolled at a European university she could do part of her degree in another EU country, with full credit towards her primary degree. Not a dual degree program- but a dual country program anyway!
Study-abroad programs are prevalent and generally pretty easy to participate in at pretty much all American colleges these days.
What’s the reasoning for the dual degree?
@collegemom3717 Thanks.
@PurpleTitan No reason, just looking at alternative options for her - trying to find something that might spark some interest. She is a very good student (straight A’s, 4.0 /4.45 GPA. GATE, AP’s with scores of 5 etc) who is wavering about going to college at all so I’m just trying to find alternative solutions to the traditional path. She needs to continue her further education, I just need to find something that I can show her that might inspire her…
I should have added that we are also looking at the possibility of a gap year (she’s burnt out), going to community college and transferring later on - anything that might help.
I’m a big fan of gap years- if there is some focus or structure- even just a regular full-time job.
Are there financial limitations? Does she have a subject that she loves or something she really loves doing? Would a school with a strong work-study element (eg, Northeastern) appeal to her?
Also, I just scanned another thread of yours: between the anxiety that you mention and SoCal being “too far” from NorCal for her, I seriously do NOT recommend any of the dual degree programs. They require a lot of independence- every student that I know who has done one (and most of them are really glad that they did) has commented on how much you have to manage your own process, and have war stories to tell about the challenges in doing so. You know your daughter, but the picture you have painted here doesn’t sound like that we would exciting to her.
However, if the EFCs work, do try and take her to places like Grinnell / Kenyon / Carleton / etc- great mid-western colleges with fabulous english programs and really supportive environments. They are farther than SoCal in distance, but maybe less so culturally, but more importantly, they will be a home from home. And they all have study abroad programs 
Good thread, sounds a lot like my daughter. She is a good student but I can see she is experiencing burnout. She will need a different approach to College to enjoy the next phase.
Yep, there’s no rush to start college right after HS.
@collegemom3717 - thanks for those suggestions. They all look great. She is a very independent student and I believe would cope well with managing her time and study, I just don’t know if she will ever step outside her comfort zone. You are correct, she has issues with anxiety as well and the dual degree programs may be a little too much for her, but I want to put all the options out on the table for her so she can see that there are other paths available. I will be careful though - the last thing I want to do is put her in a position where she will fail. Trying to find a balance between giving her a gentle nudge and putting her in the wrong environment is tough!
I loved the look of Carleton in particular - and their study abroad options for later on, but it’s not about me. It’s about finding something that fits for her.
What do you do when you are a parent of an academically good student who says they are not ready for college and not sure if they want to go and have had enough of studying? Where is the instruction manual that tells you how to help them and make sure that they don’t veer off on to the wrong path?! She’s had four years of her high school assuming that she will just naturally step into the four-year path like her peers. She says she listens to her friends talking about colleges and getting excited about going to live in a different place, meeting new people, experiencing college life and she has no interest in any of it. That is why my search for something different began.
I basically want to find out what is out there and go, ‘Here it is. Here are your choices, do any of them spark any interest?’
OMG don’t we all wish for that manual??
What are her interests? if she could do anything at all, and do a lot of it, what would it be? I am a fan of gap years- especially ones where she has a college acceptance that is deferred (& can always be cancelled). Anything with some structure could be a great plan for her: volunteering f/t at the local humane society, working in whatever kind of organization she finds interesting, doing a language immersion locally by working in a [insert language] shop / school / center, get certified as emergency responder, whatever.
I could see her volunteering at the local animal shelter, working in a used bookstore, maybe travelling overseas (we have family in the UK she could stay with and part of the reason why she is comfortable in a foreign country is that she has spent a lot of time in Europe while growing up).
She loves the written word, is passionate about books and reading. Loves the study of language and literature and would major in English. I don’t think any of the UC’s or CSU’s that she has on her list offer deferred enrollment.
All of those are great options 
A few other possibilities for a gap year:
Americorps: https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/what-americorps
Student Conservation Society: https://www.thesca.org/serve/young-adult-programs
Various seasonal-type job websites: https://www.livecareer.com/career/advice/jobs/cool-unique-seasonal-jobs
Would your finances handle ~$135K for total costs of university? if so, Ireland (~$35K/pa x 4 years) or England* (~$45K/pa x 3 years) for full-time undergrad is worth thinking about, as she would be able to do English lit 100% of the time. Have her take a look at Durham University (a gem of a school: great town, you belong to a college within the university, top-tier English program) and Trinity College Dublin** (also a great town & a great program). She will find details of what you study on their websites:
https://www.dur.ac.uk/english.studies/undergrad/courses/q300/
https://www.tcd.ie/English/undergraduate/fresher/reading-lists-2018-19/index.php
No gen eds, no daily tests & quizzes, just a boatload of reading, discussing and analyzing.
So, some ideas to throw around:
Americorps: https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/what-americorps
Student Conservation Society: https://www.thesca.org/serve/young-adult-programs
Various seasonal-type job websites: https://www.livecareer.com/career/advice/jobs/cool-unique-seasonal-jobs
*Scotland is 4 years- if your budget can handle that, St Andrews is really welcoming to US students, and does more hand-holding than most
**TCD has a really arcane nomenclature system: Junior Fresher = Freshman; Senior Fresher = Sophomore; Junior Sophister = Junior; Senior Sophister = Senior. Don’t let it put you off
Thank you - all of those universities are already being looked at and considered. She was all for St Andrews up until recently, (we even went to visit it over the summer) but as the application dates got closer and closer, her enthusiasm waned and she started to really worry about the distance for four years, which was why we started to look at the dual degree programs where she wouldn’t be committing to four full years over there.
I definitely think she would prefer the UK style degree, where she can concentrate solely on the subject she’s passionate about and really delve into the subject in some depth. The trick is to try and get her to understand those differences when she has no experience of it!