US vs UK

International Students
1

The national deadline for American schools is 5 days and I am extremely conflicted. As of 5 hours ago, I was 100% certain that I would be attending university in the United Kingdom, but am now contemplating it. I have been conditionally accepted to The University of Edinburgh (my insurance choice is Newcastle University & I have already met my conditions - I just have to graduate with a 4.0 GPA). If I was to attend university in the USA, I would go to George Washington. At both universities, I would study International Relations and Politics.

There are many pros and cons to studying in the UK, some pros being the amazing opportunities that come with the global experience, along with attending a very reputable university (assuming I meet my conditions). However, the distance is huge and my school breaks would not really coincide with any American university breaks, meaning I would hardly see any of my friends. Moreover, it might be difficult for me to find a job when I come back to the States and internships would be in the UK, meaning even less time at home. Also, one of by biggest concerns is not meeting my conditions and having to attend Newcastle. While Newcastle is a great university, it is definitely not somewhere where I would be happy. (I just insured it for the sake of doing it as all my other offers were much harder than Edinburgh and Edinburgh has always been my dream school).

Furthermore, in regard to the USA, GW is a great university, being #1 in the country for internship placement. Also, it is located 6 hours from where I live, so it would be a rather easy commute. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t get the whole global experience, that I have been longing for.

With scholarships, GW is pretty much the same price as Edinburgh, so money will not be a deciding factor for me.

Thanks!

2

You can always put a deposit on GW and use that as your insurance (v Newcastle).

Also, there is no reason that you couldn’t do internships in DC or NY over the summer. It is a little harder, especially for Hill internships as they will start before you break up for summer, but there are a lot of places that will have internships that work. My D, who is at university in the UK, did a DC internship the summer after 1st year, a London internship the summer after 2nd year, and is still deciding between NY, London and Sao Paulo for this summer. She has found that the Christmas and spring breaks work out pretty well for meeting up with her old gang from school. She does miss being home for Thanksgiving, but hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for other orphans and has taught herself how to roast a really good looking turkey!

That said, GW does have great internship placements. One of my D’s old gang is there now, and has had some great experiences.