Coming From Abroad? (UK/EU)

[I Have No Idea]

Does anybody have any experiences what it's like coming from the UK to study in the US? I know this is sort of general...I'm in an odd state now, I'm tempted to apply to a few programmes but at the same time my family, friends and significant other are all in the UK. How easy is it to go back and forth? I...ought to have thought this post out a bit more I see.

[RoaringMice]

If your grad program is within an easy distance of a major international airport, and ideally on the east coast of the US, the trips back home are a lot easier than if you do your grad program elsewhere. That's something to consider. But you won't be doing quick weekend trips - not when the flight (never mind the drive to the airport, check in for an international flight, etc.) from NYC to London is eight hours, then your commute home, then the cost of all this - realistically, you'd probably only be going home on the major breaks - Christmas and summer.

 

You could consider applying anyway, and seeing where you get in. If nothing else, this buys you more time to think through this and decide. And if you do decide to study in the UK, you could do some summers in the US via BUNAC, just to experience living in the US for a bit.

[St Andrews Lynx]

I came over from the UK to the East Coast of the States. This was after having doing a 12 month internship in the same region, I decided to go for the full PhD relocation. The internship year was great, and I'm settling in to the PhD program without any major difficulties. 

 

However...

 

You really can't "flit" between the UK and USA while you are in grad school. Trans-Atlantic flights are expensive on the average grad student stipend. Americans take a lot fewer holidays per year than Brits do: taking more than 14 days' holiday per year in the States is considered grossly excessive, especially for a grad student. Coursework, revision & teaching expand into your weeks and evenings - by comparison I think a British PhD or Masters student won't have as large a workload - so you are unlikely to be able to take breaks during semester time, especially not in your early years of grad school. Nor would I want to actually, I'd like to use my free time for something a bit more relaxing than navigating Airport Security. Realistically, you'll have the opportunity to go home for a week or so twice per year. You would need to be fully committed to the USA for the duration of your graduate studies - else I can't imagine how you'd be happy and productive.

 

That said...Skype is awesome. I write letters to my grandparents regularly. My family are quite independent and each generation migrates around the place - so living in the USA isn't something I find especially difficult, even though I imagined it would be as I was growing up then applying for internships. My mother enjoys the excuse to have a holiday wherever in the world I am.