undergrad abroad?

Applying to College
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<p>This is my first post, so let me give you some background. I am 17, graduated high school June 08, denied at several colleges I applied to (GonzagaU and UofWA) and I really am not that excited about my safety schools. I want to go into architecture, but if not that, engineering. Due to my denials I now have some more time to figure out some options.</p>

<p>Scholastically I would say I am pretty bright, thought I haven’t always been very dedicated to things I was not interested in. I currently have a ~3.3 gpa (it’s complicated due to homeschooling some of high school, but that’s about it) and am retaking two classes I failed at a local community college several years ago so I can replace the grades, which should boost my gpa to 3.5-3.7. I could have done better, but at the time didn’t correlate my grades with options later in life, along with some personal issues I was dealing with. Well hindsight is 20/20 and all that… I also have a 2000 sat.</p>

<p>Athletically I am pretty solid too, with several national medals in my sport, rowing, and I have competed and done well at various other high level competitions, 2nd in the heavy eight at at Head of the Charles, etc…</p>

<p>So with that background, I’d like to learn about attending a full undergraduate course abroad, preferably in the UK, as I am only fluent in English. Financially I am not in the greatest of positions, between my parents choice of careers and their messy divorce the college funds aren’t really existent, so cost is definitely a factor. As I said before, I am interesting mainly in architecture but am very open to using engineering of some sort as a backup/stepping stone. Lastly, I am interested in schools that have crew teams, preferably half decent ones, but even if it’s a small program it’s worth taking a look at.</p>

<p>I know rowing is pretty traditional in England, so I figure there has to be a decent selection of schools with crew teams, and I know I would greatly enjoy going to school in a place with easy access to mainland Europe, but compared to Seattle, that’s just about anywhere in the UK =)</p>

<p>So, any ideas?</p>

<p>Edit: I guess I should mention I would also enjoy school prettymuch anywhere in Europe, specifically Eastern Europe or Scandinavia, but I fear the language barrier would be an issue.</p>

<p>Edit2: New Zealand/Australia is an option. Basically I would like to get out of the states.</p>

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<p>Your problem is that in UK there is basically zero financial aid for overseas students (that entire phrase “financial aid” doesn’t actually mean anything here really). Full-fee paying overseas students is how the universities make their money. That’s just the way it is. </p>

<p>Your second problem is that ECs are totally and utterly irrelevant to the admissions policy. It’s all about grades. Yes, you can row as a hobby at pretty much any UK school near a river, but being good at rowing won’t get you in. </p>

<p>To apply to a UK school there is one common app at
[UCAS</a> Homepage](<a href=“http://www.ucas.co.uk%5DUCAS”>http://www.ucas.co.uk)</p>

<p>Also visit a UK board similar to this one at
<a href=“http://www”>www</a>. the student room .co .uk
remove the spaces for the link to work.</p>

<p>Despite the fact the pound is now worthless, it will still be cheaper to consider Australia and New Zealand, especially as the living costs there are much, much lower than the UK.</p>

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<p>I am not hoping to get in on my rowing, just saying I would like to continue to compete.</p>

<p>Thank you for the information though, I will look in NZ/AUS more and check up on US FA for international students.</p>

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<p>Also, if you’re looking to go in fall of 2009, it’s kind of late to apply to UK schools. The deadline for UK students was 15 January. International students can apply up until some point in June, and supposedly still receive equal consideration, but at this point, a lot of offers have already been given out.</p>

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<p>I believe Americans can get some financial aid at certain UK colleges. Check the FAFSA website for a listing.</p>

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<p>For Australia check out Australearn [AustraLearn:</a> Study in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific ? providing semester and year abroad, internship, summer, and degree programs abroad](<a href=“http://www.australearn.org/]AustraLearn:”>http://www.australearn.org/) “AustraLearn provides college/university students with study abroad opportunities in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Students may participate in a semester or year abroad or earn an entire degree at one of more than 30 major universities. There are also opportunities to participate in a high quality internship in Australia or New Zealand or a January term or summer abroad program.” Most are 3 year programs instead of 4.</p>

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<p>What about Hong Kong University? [The</a> University of Hong Kong](<a href=“http://www.hku.hk%5DThe”>http://www.hku.hk) it has a good architecture program from what ive heard, on youtube i found a vid of an abroad student there. all classes are taught in english in HKU and you can get around with just that. Im pretty sure they have a crew team, i saw a vid on youtube of HKU’s crew team as well, with a couple abroad students. it might’ve been CUHK…but im pretty sure it was HKU. </p>

<p>I applied to HKU for undergrad for Sept. 2009, hope i get in!</p>

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<p>Engineering/Architecture in Australia is great - and in regards to the money issue, the exchange rate is so awful right now that it would be very affordable for a US person coming into Australia as compared to going to the UK or Europe; I think the exchange rate is something like $US1 for $AU1.50 - so it would be very affordable right now.
Not to mention the education at Australian universities is great for people who know what they want to do already - you apply to a University already declaring your major, and spend your time going a lot more in depth into your chosen field as opposed to then having to go onto grad school, as most US students do.</p>

<p>If Oz sounds like your sort of thing, check out the University of Sydney, University of New South Wales, University of Melbourne, Australian National University, and Monash University - they’re the best schools - though in terms of student life, definitely try and go to either USydney, UNSW, or UMelbourne.</p>

<p>If you have any other questions about Aussie universities, just PM me :)</p>

<p>Oh, and Oz universities LOVE American students, so you’d be able to get into just about anywhere.</p>