University in America?

[Azza]

Well recently I've been thinking about going abroad for university due to the massive cost of tuition fees over here. I know a lot of the people on this site are American and do go to university so I just wanted a bit of info... like what is it like socially? Which universities are considered the best and how much will it cost me? Any advice would be welcome

Also if there is anyone who has applied for university in America internationally that would be helpful!

OH and please let me know about universities that would burn me at the stake for being gay, thanks

[FleetFish]

This is just my experience and my general understanding, but any college campus (or even college town, to some extent) tends to be more liberal-leaning and accepting of diversity (at least in the US- I don't have much knowledge of colleges abroad). I have attended two colleges in Florida, and both were totally fine with GLBT students. I saw many students who were openly gay, with rainbow attire and pride shirts, etc. Earlier this past semester, I was walking through campus and a pride parade came marching across my path. It must have had at least several dozen students all marching and chanting together, waving flags. It was awesome. Both campuses I went to have pride clubs. The school newspaper covered several gay pride events, and I never saw any negativity expressed.

To be completely honest, I haven't encountered ANY negativity towards GLBT in my college career. Granted, I am sure it happens, and perhaps others have experiences in other areas of the country. But I can really say, as far as GLBT stuff goes, I have never felt uncomfortable or unwelcome at either college I have been to, at any time.

My best friend took a class on gender diversity, at the community college in Tallahassee. The teacher was a black woman who openly admitted to being pansexual. She had a shaved head, and my bffl described her as being pretty much the most awesome and nicest person ever. That's the kind of vibe we have here.

As much as most people would like all universities to be this way as FleetFish mentioned, not every university is like this. There are a select few universities that react negatively to LGBT students but those select few are sort of on the bottom of the food chain. Meaning that they don't rank as high as other well known universities in the country. As always, when applying for a university, it is best to look at the universities' websites and see what their culture is all about.

[deepviolet]

I go to a small city college and have a tough time participating in lgbt groups. I am not out, the groups are small and clique-ish. I'm just looking around for a 'home' where I can talk.

[catcherinrye2]

Socially at my university, a lot of people are involved in our residence hall activities, as well as clubs and greek life. Some people are also very involved in community service projects. We always have some sort of recycling program or donation drive going on.

I don't know much about the LGBT group at my school, as I'm not involved in it, but they hold "Coming Out Week" every year, which helps make the community more visible on campus.

To find the best university, you might want to check out US News Best Universities Ranking.

Hope this helps a bit.

[midwestgirl89]

Here's a link that tells you some important things to look for when trying to find a university abroad>>> How to Choose a Good American University- Perception vs. Reality

And this website is very helpful in finding out what college you might want to attend. It will go through how much colleges cost, what location you might like, major programs, etc. College Search - Find colleges and universities by major, location, type, more.

Here's a list of the most accepting and the least accepting colleges toward LGBT students in the US. Princeton Review Releases List of LGBT Friendly Colleges, And Not | The Bilerico Project

You might stay away from the least accepting ones but there are many campuses that are accepting of LGBT students, especially those campuses in cities or liberal arts universities. Some have a more active LGBT community than others.

My campus is not very active but LGBT students aren't treated badly. I go to a small campus so it's different than the big campuses. Sorry for sending so many links, hope it helps some.

---------- Post added 30th Dec 2011 at 06:09 AM ----------

I wouldn't go to University of Kentucky or Notre Dame from what I've heard of them. Also some religious colleges are less accepting of LGBT students.

Certain areas of the country seem to be more accepting of LGBT students but often colleges are in college towns where students are more open-minded toward sexual orientation and all. I'd definitely look at their websites after narrowing it down a bit and see what their involvement on campus is like.

Do you know what major you're interested in?

[Azza]

Thanks for all the helpful advice and I was thinking of doing a degree along the lines of biochemistry or molecular biology any suggestions on good science universities? :P
I was just wondering how people react to LGBT as I am planning to be out and it seems most will be accepting

---------- Post added 30th Dec 2011 at 05:28 PM ----------

Oh and one more question what are fraternities and sororities?

[steel03]

Fraternities and sororities are what happened when God's finger slipped. Never ever go there. At one point, they were groups of young men or women who worked together representing a common goal or idea (and often also lived together). Now, it's an excuse to be an elitist drunk and annoy everyone else on campus.

There are so many schools in the US. There's no way to accurately give you a picture of what it will be like. I go to a small liberal arts school (2500 students) with a religious affiliation (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; i.e. one of the sane Protestant denominations) in a small town (8000 people) in a scenic area (northeast Iowa). Music, biology, and education are the strongest departments. My choir is considered one of the best three or four college choirs in the United States, and probably at least one of the top ten or so college choirs in the world, which is a big part of why I chose to go there. I have never heard of, seen, or experienced any problems with gay-straight relations.
What I'm getting at is that you'll be able to find the perfect place for you, but it may not be one of the first schools people mention when you ask. I would even go so far as to say don't apply to places like MIT, Caltech, Stanford, or the Ivy League unless you're absolutely certain that's what you're looking for (a brand rather than an individually tailored experience).

Okay, so the first step has nothing to do with your desired course of study. Where in the US would you like to go? Do you want a big city, a college town, lots of scenery? How do you feel about snow? Is proximity to coastline important? Are there amenities you think of as important? Are there any areas you'd like to avoid?

[TraceElement]

Like others have said before, liberal arts colleges tend to be very accepting, and very religious colleges tend to frown apon the LGBT community.
I've attached a link for colleges that have molecular biology.
Molecular Biology Schools - Find Molecular Biology Degrees, Colleges and Programs

[jargon]

To be fair, not all frats are like that now. It tends to be the expectations everyone here has whenever we hear the word "fraternity," but there are quite a few that are actually based on acedemics, community service, etc. My university is known for being a "party school" and even still I'd say maybe 1 in 5 frats or sororities at my school are actually non-party based groups with valuable career or acedemic purposes. So I wouldnt immediately run for the exit as soon as someone uses that word.

That said, the above (the part about frats) is mostly correct in my opinion. At least be skeptical

[FJ Cruiser]

Originally Posted by steel03

Fraternities and sororities are what happened when God's finger slipped. Never ever go there. At one point, they were groups of young men or women who worked together representing a common goal or idea (and often also lived together). Now, it's an excuse to be an elitist drunk and annoy everyone else on campus.

There are so many schools in the US. There's no way to accurately give you a picture of what it will be like. I go to a small liberal arts school (2500 students) with a religious affiliation (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; i.e. one of the sane Protestant denominations) in a small town (8000 people) in a scenic area (northeast Iowa). Music, biology, and education are the strongest departments. My choir is considered one of the best three or four college choirs in the United States, and probably at least one of the top ten or so college choirs in the world, which is a big part of why I chose to go there. I have never heard of, seen, or experienced any problems with gay-straight relations.
What I'm getting at is that you'll be able to find the perfect place for you, but it may not be one of the first schools people mention when you ask. I would even go so far as to say don't apply to places like MIT, Caltech, Stanford, or the Ivy League unless you're absolutely certain that's what you're looking for (a brand rather than an individually tailored experience).

Okay, so the first step has nothing to do with your desired course of study. Where in the US would you like to go? Do you want a big city, a college town, lots of scenery? How do you feel about snow? Is proximity to coastline important? Are there amenities you think of as important? Are there any areas you'd like to avoid?

Wartburg? That's my mother's alma mater, and she had a great experience.

I'll just echo that the college/university experience here is so varied it's impossible to generalize. If you could give us some more specific desires, it would help narrow things down.

As far as Greek life goes, avoid the social fraternities/sororities like the plague. It's largely just an excuse for a bunch of rich dumbf***s to party and make connections so their work will never have to speak for itself. However, there are plenty of legitimate community service and major-specific fraternities that are co-ed, reasonably priced, and good for your career.

You mention cost as a motivation for looking abroad, but isn't tuition capped at like £9000 per year? That equals 14,000 USD and there aren't many universities that are that cheap (for international students, at least) here apart from community colleges.

[Kerze]

Originally Posted by Azza

Well recently I've been thinking about going abroad for university due to the massive cost of tuition fees over here.

Okay, it's a lot of money, but the US costs much, much, much more, from what I understand

[Azza]

Okay, so the first step has nothing to do with your desired course of study. Where in the US would you like to go? Do you want a big city, a college town, lots of scenery? How do you feel about snow? Is proximity to coastline important? Are there amenities you think of as important? Are there any areas you'd like to avoid?

I would like prefer to be in the New England area and I would really like to go to university in a city that is pretty vibrant and active as well I have no problem with snow and I'd like to avoid the south!

Okay, it's a lot of money, but the US costs much, much, much more, from what I understand

Does it? Think it'll probably break out even, thing is I want to work and live in America anyway so having a degree from an American university would be very helpful and also I kind of like the idea of having an entire ocean separating me from my parents

[midwestgirl89]

Originally Posted by Azza

I would like prefer to be in the New England area and I would really like to go to university in a city that is pretty vibrant and active as well I have no problem with snow and I'd like to avoid the south!

Does it? Think it'll probably break out even, thing is I want to work and live in America anyway so having a degree from an American university would be very helpful and also I kind of like the idea of having an entire ocean separating me from my parents

What's your budget for university? Depending on where you go, it can be extremely expensive or it can be not too bad. Also, you may be able to apply for scholarships. Schools often are excited to have students from other countries.

---------- Post added 30th Dec 2011 at 03:47 PM ----------

My college is about $7000 a year but I am in-state and I live at home. I went to another college that would have been about $12,000 a year but for out of state people it's like $28,000 a year.

[Hexagon]

I'm under the impression that uni is more expensive in the us than here

[caughtbywitness]

I'd quite like to do uni abroad too ;D

[steel03]

Originally Posted by FJ Cruiser

Wartburg? That's my mother's alma mater, and she had a great experience.

GROSS NO! I'm Luther blue to the core! Go Norse!

Originally Posted by midwestgirl89

What's your budget for university? Depending on where you go, it can be extremely expensive or it can be not too bad. Also, you may be able to apply for scholarships. Schools often are excited to have students from other countries.

---------- Post added 30th Dec 2011 at 03:47 PM ----------

My college is about $7000 a year but I am in-state and I live at home. I went to another college that would have been about $12,000 a year but for out of state people it's like $28,000 a year.

I definitely agree with how high tuition is in the United States. Undergraduate universities for international students range from $20,000 - $40,000 per year while graduate universities range from $40,000 - $70,000 per year. If you think it's worth the investment, then I say go for it. Just be informed that most of the people who request loans are unable to pay it back to the lenders and therefore default on their loans. Boy, I think I went just a little bit off topic...

[steel03]

Regarding finances, there will likely be very specific aid for international students at most of the schools you look at that none of us natives even know much about.

So you want a vibrant city in New England.... Obviously there's New York City, but I don't know if that's officially part of New England. Other than that, the big ones I think of are Boston, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and Hartford, Connecticut. Then there are cities like Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse in upstate New York. I'd start by googling schools in each of these cities and learning about their programs and international student opportunities. I know there are a ton of fantastic schools in the Boston area.

[FJ Cruiser]

Originally Posted by steel03

GROSS NO! I'm Luther blue to the core! Go Norse!

Bahahaha, I didn't know there was another Lutheran college in a small northeastern Iowa town. So much for assumptions on my part.