Will good results make it easier to study abroad?

Music4Life085

Hi there, This is an odd question, I haven't given much thought to this only till recent. I was in 5th year and have gotten some good results in the summer exams, With hard work and effort I am sure I can do well come next June.

The thought of studying in the USA has been on my mind a lot lately and I am starting to do some research on the topic now. I wanted to know with good results would grants and visa be easier to get?

Do you know of any good websites or resources on studying in the States?

Is there anything else you think would be good for me to know?

Thank you so much

-Love Anthony

oswinoswald

Good results won't make it easier to study abroad, most people apply to colleges abroad because the entry requirements are lower than they are here/they hold the leaving cert in high regard. If you are accepted into a college there it wont be difficult to get a student visa.

I actually don't know anybody studying in the USA. I did look into it, but I didn't find much to go on from an Irish perspective, there are a couple of UK-based websites.
If you want to go to college in the USA you will have to take SATs, which are just the US college admissions tests. (I'm pretty sure they consist of multiple choice questions!)
Honestly, I did think about it but studying there wouldnt be worth my while. It's ridiculously expensive.
http://international.collegeboard.org/

qweerty

American uni admission is based on a combination of school performance, SAT/ACT performance (that they are multiple choice is irrelevant because candidates are rigidly scored "to the curve", so each question's weighting is only decided afterwards; also, foreign students are at a slight disadvantage because American students will do a lot of practice for it), and exrra-curriculors.

You apply to each university individually, and the process is quite lenghty - letters of reccomendation, essay, interview (which you can do by phone), etc. A lot depeds on to which unis you want to apply: if you are applying to Harvard/Princeton/Yale/etc grades definitely do matter, although, like I said, they are far more interested than UK universities in your non-curricular activities and achievement.

The American curriculum is entirely different from Ireland's, and it can be hard to ge your head around initially: you needn't elect a "major" before entering, and instead can decide your curriculum from a course catalogue of all courses from across all faculties (provided you meet prerequisites - ie you couldn't do an advanced one before the introductory one) which are usualy run twice a year; you will also, depending on the college, be obliged to ensure about a third of your credits are from a spectrum of subjects (eg 2x Science, 2x Humanities, etc). You will then decide your major in second/third year, with each having a number of prerequisites and credit-requirements. Amazing for some, but others just want to get on with one subject.

Regarding your specific question about grants: I'm not eapecially well-informed, but I know that the better the uni (ie the more difficult to gain admission) the better the financial support. The likes of Harvard will not even consider your ability to pay when entering ("needs blind"), and will give you as much as a 100% grant depending on your family income.

Here's an interesting rcently-published Irish Times article on studying in Europe: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/opportunities-to-study-in-european-universities-continue-to-expand-1.1831361

-Hugs and kisses, qweerty

thelad95

Music4Life085 wrote: »

Hi there, This is an odd question, I haven't given much thought to this only till recent. I was in 5th year and have gotten some good results in the summer exams, With hard work and effort I am sure I can do well come next June.

The thought of studying in the USA has been on my mind a lot lately and I am starting to do some research on the topic now. I wanted to know with good results would grants and visa be easier to get?

Do you know of any good websites or resources on studying in the States?

Is there anything else you think would be good for me to know?

Thank you so much

-Love Anthony

Unless you get some sort of scholarship, there are no grants available for studying in USA, unlike in Europe.

Edit: @qweerty seems to be more well informed than me.

AtomicKoala

thelad95 wrote: »

Unless you get some sort of scholarship, there are no grants available for studying in USA, unlike in Europe.

Edit: @qweerty seems to be more well informed than me.

Yeah to be honest, I don't see why they want to eschew relatively cheap European education, unless it's for a highly specific course.

What is wrong with our universities in Europe? American university entails ridiculous cost as so many are private, and for what? The same degree?