Greetings students of the world, in this video we'll be looking at some of the
differences between studying here in the UK versus the USA or Canada.
Hello again, Jack here from Cardiff Met International, although in this video you won't be seeing
very much of me. To explore some of the main differences between studying at a
university in the UK such as Cardiff Metropolitan University versus
institutions in the USA and Canada, I thought I would bring in one of my
colleagues who knows a little bit more about the subject. So to talk you through
some of the main things to consider when thinking about studying in the UK versus
North America, may I introduce my colleague Nic.
Hi everyone, Nic here from Cardiff Met to talk to
you about the differences between studying in Wales versus Canada and the
US. Often when I'm at events talking to students and parents I'm asked about the
differences between studying in Wales and other destinations around the world
other than things like the weather the language and the location there are many
differences that I talk to our students about. Here are my five main differences
between studying in Wales versus Canada and the US. Number one length of study.
Degrees in the UK are three years in length as opposed to four years in US
and Canada. Also masters are only 1 years as opposed to two in these
destinations so you already save time and money
studying here in the UK. Number two career focused courses. Our degrees are
shorter than in the US and Canada as we don't need our students to take general
ed subjects so you focus on the subject that you actually want to study. So if you
only want to study art you don't need to take courses in science or math you will
only study art related topics and work on the practical elements associated
with your degree and vice versa if you want to study science you don't need to
take any arts or humanities subjects. In the UK we treat your degree like
building a house year one is your foundation of your subject year two the
first floor where you have more understanding and knowledge, building
your brickwork, and then year three is the top floor and roof with the finer
details of your degree with focus on your final year project or dissertation.
Number three majors versus minors. As our degrees are focused we do not offer the
same major minor system as some overseas countries. In some countries majors and
minors allow students to take a mixture of different subjects or courses to get
their degree such as doing a major in biology and a minor in drama two very
different subjects and of course great if you really have no idea what you want
to study. However when studying in Wales you will
need to know exactly what you want to study and hone in on your subject more.
Don't worry if you're still not a hundred percent sure you want to specialise in
one subject you can still have a major minor within it, the question is how? Well
I like to use the example of BA Media. This course you can concentrate a
hundred percent of the program in just media which we call a single honours or
you could do BA English and Media and have a 50/50 split a kind of double
major if you like or your third option would be to do a subject with another
related course like a major minor this would be something like business and
management with finance. We like to call these pathways which allow you to not
only have the main specialism but also refine your subject in another area
within that field. With a generic subject like management these pathways can
really add to your degree experience and employability as well as specialising in
an area that you're interested in. Number four accommodation. Unlike US and Canada
our halls of residence, or dorms, are single occupancy. This means you have
your own room with either an ensuite bathroom or a shared bathroom in an
apartment of six to eight people where you share a kitchen we don't have the
fraternities and sororities within these halls either you are in a mixed gendered
accommodation with students who will be in different degrees and from other
countries. First-year bachelor students tend
to live in halls of residence and then move into shared accommodation in their
second and third years. Our masters students can live in our halls but many
prefer to live in the private accommodation within the city. And number
five, we're talking about fees. When we look at the cost involved in studying
abroad we advise our students that you'll need approximately 25 to 29
thousand dollars per year to cover tuition and living costs to study at
Cardiff Met. This will be the amount that you will need to show when you first
apply for the visa. If you compare these with the average costs for non-US
students studying in the US, you're looking at anything from approximately
21,000 to over 48,000 per year. As you will be completing your course in either
three years for the bachelors or one year for the masters you will already
save money studying in Wales and maybe as much as a whole year of your degree
tuition and living costs compared to that of the US. So there you have it
those are my five main differences between studying abroad in Wales, UK or
other popular study destinations. I hope you find these useful when you are
considering where you would like to study. Bye for now. Thanks Nic.
I hope you're now feeling a little bit more informed and know some of the main
differences between studying here in the UK and North America. To show Nic your
appreciation please do give us a like below. Make sure that you subscribe to
our channel for more tips, guidance and information about study in the UK and
Cardiff Metropolitan University. Don't forget to click on the Bell and select
all to receive notifications when we upload new videos. If you have any
questions, comments or suggestions just let us know in the comments below. And if
this is your first Cardiff Met International video check out our
getting to know Cardiff Met playlist. But for now, thanks for watching, and
hopefully we'll welcome you to Cardiff Met one day soon.
Bye bye.