Is college in america like in the movies?

[anon9999]

like in american pie or road trip, is life in college like that ?also is it hard to get into american college and does it cost money ?im scottish and I'm looking at all my options and I think going to america would be fun and a good experience.

i'm 17 at the moment and in my last year of high school

[Anonymous]

there is a lot of money involved and spending. not just the tuition but daily expenses like food, I would spend like 10-15 bucks a day for coffee in the morning, a sandwich for lunch and may be even some pizza and coke for dinner when I had a whole day of classes...ugh so unhealthy and pricy too but when you're on campus you have no choice...also books textbooks can cost a lot some books are 150-200 dollars half.com or ebay is a good choice to buy used books but even then youd be spending like 60 bucks at least...

as for the social life and all, yea I would say it is similar to the movies, the partying clubbing drinking and all, flirting, being horny, guys trying to get girls and girls trying to get guys, its common I guess because at that age 18-22 you're hormones are at peak and you have so much freedom and independence from your parents you want to experiment and do something crazy.

also the academics...its not easy. classes are a lot of work and there are no easy rides like there were in high school. the professor doesn't care about students, you have to be responsible for your own work. if you choose not to study and do your work, the professor doesn't care he/she simply gives you an F. its all in your hands, so that's something to keep in mind.

[gummybear888]

lol kids are funny these days. university is brutal, constant exams and studying. I just finished my double major. instead of watching movies or cartoons, go to an academic advisor from the actual university...

[human_condition]

Isn't uni free in Scotland? Or did David Cameron change that too?

[Brando]

Well besides the staged comical events, they are a lot like that in party schools- crazy parties and all that. It's absolutely not hardto get into a college or university here. They are looking for whoever meets the minimum performance levels and can pay the tuition (though the second one isn't necessarily required). College and universities here are very expensive to attend. Especially schools around where I live, they are huge sports schools. I'm talking like Division I sports, national level football and basketball teams. So the students who go there get charged tuition out the ass so that the school can fund it's sports programs.

If you are looking for a party lifestyle when you talk about experiencing something, then come on over. But if you are looking for a quality college experience, either choose wisely from American schools or head to mainland Europe for school.

[anon9999]

cool, I wasn't that bothered about the education, I was more wanting the experiance.

can you recomend some colleges, I also play rugby. do most colleges over there have rugby teams?

[Brando]

I think rugby is catching on as almost an "underground" sport. It's a lot like lacrosse over here in that it has it's own following. It's definitely not going to be as popular as it is there, but I'm sure a lot of schools are starting to get into it.

As for schools, I couldn't tell you because I don't know what you're looking for. Basically any big university is going to be a party school, regardless of it's reputation. But also you must consider that a good bit of schools are located...

[Brando]

In otherwise small towns. Like around here, we have the Univeristy of Louisville. It's a huge school, and national sports program. But outside of the University of Kentucky in Lexington (which is like UL's twin school basically, there is Eastern Kentucky University in a small town, and Indiana University in Bloomington- which is a smaller place.

So yeah basically in small towns there isn't much else to do besides party I guess.

[ShishKabob]

College here is what you make it. If you want an experience like the movies then go to a larger school. You could look up "top US party schools". Frat houses are not much different from what you see in the movies.

Unless you're able to get some scholarships or grants from your home country, college here is very expensive. I doubt you'll be able to find too many universities under $20,000 USD a year, plus expenses.

Larger schools have rugby teams, but the sport really isn't followed much here. Your average crowd will be maybe 50 people, most of who are there because they no somebody on the team. If you're really good you may be able to get a scholarship to certain schools.

[Snacks]

Uh, depends. I guess if you want to you can do a bunch of crap you can find something, but don't expect it to be nonstop fun and especially don't expect everything to turn out in the end. Freshmen have no idea of their limits and you don't want to hang out with people who drink until they throw up every Friday and Saturday. Movies ignore that college is still education, and if you spend all your time messing around you're going to screw up, and you have to plan the classes and fix everything if you fail, unless you want to be constantly relying on a counselor.

[snackeyg]

Not at all.

Some college are but most aren't hard to get into.

Yes it costs money. Why would it be free?

[anon9999]

it is here, all you have to pay for is accomodation, but some coarses have fees but it doesn't cost much

[snackeyg]

Oh OK. That's why I asked. It can be very expensive here too.

[sweet_18]

Yeah well you have to pay tuition and yeah it pretty much is like in the movies.