I sincerely appreciate all the thoughtful and detailed advice. It’s been very helpful. I took note of the school names you mentioned, and I’ll reconsider the financial impact on my parents. I realize I shouldn’t take their lifelong savings for granted.
As for why I’m inclined towards US schools, I’ve already taken several university courses (though I won’t disclose the university’s name here), and what struck me were the class sizes. Initially, all classes start with a group of 180-200 students. As the weeks passed, those numbers would dwindle. The more challenging math courses would shrink to around 50-60 students, while the easier subjects like history and humanities remained consistently large.
Even 50 students in a math class is too big when we’re flying through 4 to 5 theorems in one lecture. Except for one course called Real Analysis. Initially, there were 9 of us enrolled, but over time, it dwindled down to just 3 students. We three students circled closely with the professor during lecture hours. Each of us had enough time to ask questions and present our thoughts. That course was the only one where I truly learned something beyond what I could self-learn from videos and textbooks. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, this course will be chopped in the next semester.
I heard from a freshman at UPenn about her experience in a calculus class. With just 12 students, supported by five TAs plus the professor, she got her questions answered within the same day of the lecture. I am so envious.
I began on the self-study road since junior high school. Not because I prefer it, but because I had to seek other sources for truth when the science teachers misunderstood fundamental concepts. For instance, in grade 8, I was taught that “buoyant force was directly proportional to the subject’s surface area.” Besides free eDX and YouTube, I discovered that College Board’s Daily Course Videos are free to access as long as I registered for the AP exams. The exam fee is CAD$180 per course. For a school year’s worth of content, it is truly affordable.
The approach of self-study from YouTube, eDX, and textbooks is full of struggles and had left concept holes, and thus it is not sustainable for advanced courses. I think that a big-class-size lecture is equivalent to YouTube videos. After experiencing the 3-to-1 class of Real Analysis, I love the discussions with the professor, who is so enlightening. Seeking smaller class sizes is the main motivation for me to look at US schools.
Why I’m also considering UC schools. Despite their public status and larger class sizes, the concentration of intelligent individuals and startup opportunities in their vicinity could provide alternative paths for learning, through like-peers, internships, and part-time jobs.
Those are my preliminary thoughts on university options. Thanks once again for your insights.