As the school year comes to a close, the senior class says its final goodbyes before embarking on a new journey: college. Some are travelling far, some are staying nearby, and others are going the extra mile, quite literally. Maxwell Callaway, Ben Kupka, and Joel Tannenbaum will all study abroad in Scotland, attending the University of Saint Andrews, and whilst Kieran Lewis is still undecided, he is certain of the fact he will be attending university abroad.
Kieran Lewis, who formerly resided in the United Kingdom for 15 years prior to his three year residency in the United States, is very knowledgable on the subject. He is currently considering the University of Saint Andrews as well as the University College London, but he is not contemplating any American universities. Kieran is drawn to the fact that universities in the UK allow one to directly study their major rather than completing core requirements prior to beginning classes for their major. To Kieran’s knowledge, the UK does not have prerequisites similar to the SAT or ACT; however, UK students enroll in A classes, which are the equivalent to APs. As a previous citizen, Kieran believes that he will easily assimilate back into the UK despite his three years in the United States. He also believes that other students attending university in the UK will not have many problems. Kieran advises students pondering the idea of attending higher education overseas to go after it, as long as they are confident in the subject they wish to study. Afterall, many consider Europe to be a very desireable place to live.
In contrast, Maxwell Callaway has lived in America his whole life; however, he has always been interested in studying abroad or living in another country with a different culture. Maxwell originally found Saint Andrews appealing because of its location nearby the sea in a small town. Maxwell was certain he wanted to go abroad, even if not across the ocean, so he also considered the University of British Columbia in Canada. He believes that since 20% of Saint Andrews students are American, his biggest challenge will not be the culture shock, but stereotypes. He, too, is undecided about what place he wishes to live in after graduation, although his parents resided in the UK for quite some time, so it is not definite that he will be returning in the United States.
It is certainly an exciting new experience for anyone attending higher education abroad, especially for Kieran, Maxwell, Ben and Joel, Briarcliff wishes you the best of luck!
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