Is It Better to Study in the US or UK? An Aussie Investigation

So, you’re thinking of studying abroad? Makes sense!

This post is presented in partnership with Crimson Education.

Though Australia has plenty of great universities and institutes for high school graduates, there are certain benefits to taking your talents to America, or heading to merry old England.

Studying in the United States or the United Kingdom gets you far from your hometown and out of your comfort zone, giving you a global experience and opening you up to a wide alumni network. This means getting immersed among the world’s most talented minds and paving the way to international job opportunities.

Crimson Education is a global organisation that helps Aussie students apply to universities in the U.S. and U.K., teaming them with Academic Advisors, strategists, tutors, sports scholarship experts and application mentors to help secure a coveted spot at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Cambridge, Oxford and more (because you better believe the competition is fierce). A helping hand from Crimson can make all the difference, especially when it comes to applying for scholarships or financial aid to make your overseas adventures an affordable reality.

The question is: Where’s better? The U.S. or the U.K.? Should you take the Legally Blonde route, or aim for a Hogwarts-style education?

Let’s take a look at the pros and, well, pros of each destination.

If you study in the United Kingdom… you can choose from four of the top 10 universities in the world.

According to the 2019 QS World Rankings of the best unis from around the globe, the United Kingdom has four: Oxford (#5), Cambridge (#6), Imperial College London (#8) and University College London (#10). The highest-ranking Aussie uni, by comparison, is Australian National University (#24).

If you study in the United States…. you can choose from 11 of the top 20 universities in the world.

Then again, even the U.K. has to bow down to the U.S. on this front, with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (better known as MIT) taking the top spot on the QS World Rankings, with Stanford (#2), Harvard (#3) and California Institute of Technology AKA Caltech (#4) close behind.

If you study in the United Kingdom… you can live out The Crown.

After you binge-watch The Crown on Netflix (jk we know you already have), check out the real-life locations at Buckingham Palace and Lancaster House. (If you’re really game, you can even jump over to Scotland and soak in the majestic sets of Outlander.) After all, you can’t spend every last minute overseas studying. 

If you study in the United States…. you can visit Silicon Valley for real.

If you head to California, you can visit the real-life sites of Silicon Valley and maybe even start planting the seeds for a career in the world’s most famous tech space. Or, if NYC’s more your speed, you can check out the locations from almost too many movies and TV shows, from Ghostbusters to Seinfeld.

If you study in the United Kingdom… you'll get to eat some iconic English desserts.

If Heston Blumenthal, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay taught us anything, it’s that England cuisine is much better than its reputation suggests. Where better to load up on trifle, sticky date pudding and treacle tart than the source?

If you study in the United States… you'll get to eat some Texas BBQ.

Desserts are nice and all, but if your tastes are a little more carnivorous, you can’t go past America’s proudest cuisine: spicy burnt things.

If you study in the United Kingdom… you’ll benefit from the history of U.K. colleges.

In case you didn’t know, the United Kingdom is super old. When you’re walking the corridors of Cambridge, which was founded in 1209, you’re basically walking through history. Over at Oxford, you can share the hallowed halls previously inhabited by timeless legends Sir Walter Raleigh, Percy Bysshe Shelley and, slightly more recently, Nigella Lawson.

If you study in the United States…. you can get a Liberal Arts education.

Wait, what's a Liberal Arts education? Well, this means that instead of having to decide on your major before even starting university (as you'll have to in the U.K. and even in Australia), you can sample a bunch of different classes for the first two years before finally declaring what it is you want to focus on in your third year. This means you'll get an expansive education across varied subjects and you'll buy a bit more time to figure out what you actually want to do with your life. Win-win!

If you study in the United Kingdom… you can see English Premier League soccer.

No need to rely on a spotty streaming service for your latest EPL fix. See Mo Salah and Harry Kane in the flesh!

If you study in the United States…. you can watch your NBA faves.

Similarly, no matter which of the 50 states you’re in, there’s a good chance you’ll get to watch an NBA all-star do their thing in person. Go say hi to Aussie boys Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons for us!

So, where’s better?

It ultimately depends on what you want to get out of your university experience. Wherever you end up, if you study internationally, you’ll be able to live like a local—rather than just a tourist—and have the whole world opened up to you.

Can’t decide where you want to go? Let Crimson Education help. Apply now to begin your international journey. Student Edge members (in WA only) get a free Crimson Education consult up to an hour in length, including a free 15-minute career coaching session. Immerse yourself in Crimson's global network via the Crimson Education Perth Facebook Group.

Header Image: MGM & Warner Bros. Pictures

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