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The college (or uni) experience is very important to a lot of students. Our ideas of what life would be like while attending different universities can add or remove schools from our list when we’re deciding. Once we’re already in uni, it can make or break our time there. And three or more years in the same environment is a long time to be happy or miserable. If you decide to study abroad, it’s important to remember that your experience may look different than it would back at home. That doesn’t mean it’ll be better or worse, but it’s important to be aware of.

When I decided to go abroad, I never would’ve understood the extent of the differences between American and British universities. I had dual-enrolled in the U.S., so I have some experience in each. I don’t know a lot about education in other countries, so I won’t be much help there, but I can share what I know and bring up some points to consider. Honestly, some of this will apply even if you don’t want to study abroad, but it’s good to think about anyway.

Academic Experience

Just like no two teachers teach (or grade) the exact same, no two countries have the exact same style or quality of education. It’s actually a little annoying. You spend your earlier years in education getting used to your system only to adjust to a new one on the fly. By the way, not being used to the other country’s style isn’t an excuse. You won’t receive a whole lot of mercy, and it might be considered weird if you struggle to adjust. That’s not to say you can’t find sufficient help while you study abroad, though. You can (probably) always find great teachers who will understand. Chances are they’re international, too.

To compare and contrast the U.S. and UK…

Grading System

In both the U.S. and the UK, grades are on a scale of 0-100 points. Other than that, it is NOT the same, and it gets to my head every time I get a grade back. In the American system, we break the number grades into five letter grades: A, B, C, D, and F. In most parts of the States, you need at least a C, if not a C+, to pass. Though there might be slight differences depending on which part of the country you’re in, that means you usually have to get at least a 70, or you fail. (A-D are usually around 10 points each; e.g., A=90-100, B=80-89, etc.) That sounds really intimidating, but we’re probably fairly lenient with grading. Add that to our assessment types (discussed later), and it’s not as dramatic as it founds. Plus, you might have a nice professor who curves grades.

In the UK, the number grades are broken into… well, more number grades. They have 1st mark, 2:1, 2:2, 3rd, and fail. Here, you need at least a 3rd to pass, but it’s definitely better if you get higher marks. That might be because you only have to get a 40 to get a 3rd mark. 2:2 is around 50-59%, 2:1 is 60-69%, and 1st mark is 70-100%. So while you need a 70 to pass at all in the U.S., getting a 70 in the UK means you got the highest mark. And though you can pass with pretty low scores, it’s harder to get those higher numbers.

Grading seems to work differently everywhere you go. For example, the Netherlands has a grading scale of 1-10 and Germany uses 1-6 (with higher numbers being worse). If you’re not used to the different system, it can give you a panic attack to get your grades back. I dread getting anything below a 70% because I’m used to that being a fail. It’s taken a while to adjust. I can’t imagine switching to an even more dramatically different system like a 1-10. If you’ve ever made that kind of transition, let me know how it went! I’d love to hear about it!

Assessment Types

Guess what? Countries don’t all rely on the same types of assessments. In the U.S., most assessments are multiple choice. You don’t need to have a thorough understanding of the material. You just need to remember it well enough to take a test, and if you don’t know, you can guess. In the UK, most degrees (courses) won’t use very much multiple choice. It’s a LOT more essay and project based. Despite having done essays in high school, I had to learn how to complete certain types of academic writing, and I wasn’t the only American student to ask the lecturers what prompts were asking about. It feels harder, but it proves that you know the material. You’re not guessing, you’re explaining, criticizing, etc. Oh, and exams are also written, timed, usually closed-book, AND in-person. I don’t know how many of you will have taken the SAT with the essay before it was discontinued, but I think it’s like that. But I got lucky and had exams during COVID, so I can’t be sure. Maybe any British readers can explain what this is like.

Classes, Seminars, etc.

I realize this probably varies school-to-school, but like I said, even common things are good to consider. Some places, you’ll have a bunch of lectures or classes, and that’s it. Some teachers/lecturers/professors might be more interactive, but it’ll mostly be sitting there while they explain the topic to you. In other places, you might also have seminars, small group settings where you can discuss the topic and go more in-depth, and workshops. Honestly, I don’t completely understand the difference between seminars and workshops. I think workshops are supposed to be more application focused maybe? Regardless, look into what you’ll be attending each week.

Social Life

What are you doing when you’re not in classes? (Granted, that’s assuming you have enough time outside of assignments to have a life.) Does your university offer clubs, societies, sports, events, etc.? Are there opportunities to socialize outside of classes? What do social activities usually look like? Is it mostly partying and drinking (the drinking age is under 21 in most places), or is it organized events? If you aren’t comfortable with certain things, be aware of it in advance. I don’t drink or party, but these are the most common activities where I go to uni. I have to look a little harder to find things to do. There will almost always be things to do, but how hard are you willing to look for them?

And what does your university offer? Are sports only for people who received scholarships for them, or can you join a team, too? Are there clubs or societies for a variety of cultures and interests, or do they all spend their time the same way? Even if you don’t join societies, it’s good to know what your options are.

Language and Accent

Obviously, if the country you’re studying abroad in speaks another language, you’re going to have to deal with that difference. Do you speak/understand said language? If not, you might be very miserable there. Even if your classes are delivered in your native language, you have a life outside of that. Can you communicate with other students? Can you order food at the local restaurant? Can you read road signs? You might be fine if you’re only studying abroad for a semester or two, but if you’re going for your whole degree, make sure to learn some of the language.

Oh my word, accents. I severely underestimated how much this can affect your experience studying abroad. If you’re American going to the UK, Australia, or another English speaking country (or vice versa), don’t assume everyone there sounds like they do in movies. Southern English accents are not representative of the entire UK. Welsh accents and Northern English accents can be tricky to understand. I have to listen very carefully to some people in my societies because their accents are so tricky. And those are nothing compared to Scottish accents. If that’s where you want to go, find ways to listen to the accent(s). I remember sitting at a coach station to go to Edinburgh, Scotland listening to two older Scottish men telling each other stories and not being able to understand a word either of them were saying. If you can’t understand the accent, good luck understanding your lecturers.

Culture and Religion

The culture you study abroad in will have a major effect on your college experience. Is the country more individualistic or community-oriented? What behaviors are acceptable? You might find yourself in a place where things are almost exactly the same as in your home country (e.g., the U.S. and UK), or it could be nothing alike. This is something to be mindful of when traveling, too, not just studying abroad. When I visited Oman, the cultural priorities, rules, and norms weren’t at all what I was used to. We wouldn’t be inviting people over to our homes for huge meals on a regular basis in the U.S. like so many people do there.

I mention this in The Little Things That Add Up, but humor and slang can make a difference. Will you spend your uni years feeling like everyone is making fun of you? Or maybe you won’t be able to have coherent conversations with your classmates outside of formal settings? If you aren’t comfortable with certain types of humor or personality, then take the time to research what’s normal for these in the country you’re looking at. Yes, you can probably adjust, but that doesn’t mean you have to.

Never underestimate the importance of religion (or lack thereof) in other countries. It can be hard to wrap our heads around from Western cultures, but there are parts of the world where the government has an official religion, and almost everyone will practice it. It shapes the laws, norms, and lifestyles of the people living there. It can be an opportunity to learn more and to share ideas, but it can also lead to offence and misunderstanding. In the Middle East and North Africa, for example, you’ll find many Islamic governments, and other religions will be minorities (Israel is a little more complicated). In East Asia, it’ll be more Buddhist or atheist. In Europe you’ll have more atheists and Christians. Even if you don’t practice the dominant religion, look it up. What’s against the rules? Because you don’t always get a free pass from them.

Safety

Before you study abroad, it’s important to learn the difference between a place that’s genuinely unsafe and a place with a bad reputation. They don’t always go together. I’d recommend taking a look at the Global Peace Index. It’s a great resource if you want to learn which countries are most and least safe. Granted, even within a country, there will be areas that are more or less dangerous. Last year (2022) the U.S. was the 35th most dangerous country in the world, but there are plenty of safe parts here. And then you get cities like London (a.k.a. ‘Stab City’) and regions like the Middle East that have bad reputations with safety but, when you look at actual statistics, they aren’t all as bad as they sound so long as you use common sense. (Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of dangers and safety risks in these places, but reputations aren’t always fair.) If you’re a woman, chances are you’re less safe just about anywhere. That doesn’t mean you should be paranoid, but I’d suggest looking at stats specific to you. Same goes with any other minorities (racial, religious, etc.). And if you’re an American woman thinking anywhere outside the U.S. isn’t safe for you, I’d like to point out that the U.S. is the most dangerous Western country for women, so you’re actually worse off staying stateside.

Climate

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THIS!! It seems like such a little thing, but you might not have a car or anything to get around when you study abroad, meaning you’ll be walking around and living in whatever climate for the length of your time there. Some parts of the world get REALLY hot, like the southern U.S., Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia… Other parts get very cold (Northern Eurasia, for example), and some places have horrible weather (natural disasters or just general bad weather). When I went to Wales, I’d heard that it rains a lot, but hey, it looked pretty and the weather was gorgeous when I first arrived, so I would be fine with a few wet days. Yeah… walking a mile uphill in the wind and rain, carrying groceries isn’t my idea of a good time. And soaked Converse in a two hour lecture isn’t a nice feeling.

City, Town, Middle of Nowhere…?

This is something you’ll consider anyway, so why not mention it when you’re looking to study abroad. Would you rather spend your years in a big city, small city, town, or in the middle of nowhere? This will shape what there is to do on a daily basis and even how easy it is to travel.

How are you feeling?

How are you feeling now? Ready to study abroad and make the most of your college experience? A little nervous because you realize you don’t know as much about your intended destination as you thought you did? Just remember, no matter where in the world you go, you can find great people and plenty of amazing opportunities.