Opportunities for Fettesians in the USA
Fettes College has strong links
with the USA through its pupils, parents, Old Fettesians and the wider
Scottish-American community. These links provide special opportunities for
Fettesians, present and former, in education and business in the USA.
Your interest may lie in
You can seek advice at Fettes College from:
Mrs. E. Thomson and Dr. A. M. Hall
School
exchanges
An exciting option during a year out is to spend a year or part of a
year at an American Senior High School. You will gain experience of America, its
peoples and cultures. You will make new friends and you may decide to return for
university or employment.
There are many ways to organise an exchange in the year after you leave
Fettes College:
Dealing
direct with a school
If you know the name of the school or the city then contact details can
be found in the Peterson's Guide on:
The
English-Speaking Union
Details of its programmes can be found on
1. Secondary School Exchange
"It was an amazing, life-changing year. Thank you!"
The Scholarship caters for young people who wish to spend a 'gap' year
between A levels and university. A group of North American high schools provide
scholarships for a number of British school leavers. There are over 50
participating schools in the US including: Taft School, Connecticut; Asheville
School, North Carolina and The Stony Brook School, New York.
René
spent two terms at Culver Girls' Academy, Indiana:
"When
I first left England the full implications of time spent abroad did not occur to
me. What I gained at Culver was far different from anything I had imagined and
highly educational. This year has been a turning point in every part of my life
and it has strengthened my character."
The scheme is open to school-leavers from all secondary schools in the
United Kingdom. The school offers free board and tuition; the scholar's family
(approx. £2000) must meet all other expenses.
The closing dates for applications are:
End January (3 terms)
Mid-September (2 terms)
Requests for application forms go to:
Justine Duhig, Awards Manager, The English-Speaking Union, Dartmouth
House, 37 Charles Street, London W1X 8AB
2. Music scholarships
The English-Speaking Union offers the following music scholarships, varying from 2-9 weeks, to musicians of outstanding ability to study at summer schools in North America, Canada, Europe and the UK.
Former ESU scholars have included Nigel Kennedy (Tanglewood, 1975),
Simon Rattle (Tanglewood, 1976), Stephen Isserlis (Aspen, 1981) and Tasmin
Little (Banff, 1985).
University in the USA
Study
Associates International
This body also organises a full year and half year cultural exchange
programme with the United States. Participants must be under 19 years old. You
join a Senior High School and stay with a host family. Course fees in 1999 were
£ 2895 for January to June and £3385 for August-June. Interviews are held in
Edinburgh in May.
Further details can be obtained from:
Mrs. B Legge – UK Admissions
Academic Year in the USA
Study Associates International Ltd
46 High Street
Ewell Village
Surrey KT17 1RW
Holiday
jobs
A number of organisations advertise or coordinate working holidays in
the USA
Petersons has a web site with summer job and summer study programme information
at
Americamp
International Recruitment
has its European Headquarters at 4 Lancaster Cottages, Richmond, Surrey TW10
6AE.
Tel: 0181 332 0909. Fax: 0181 332 2401. E-mail: 100715.1754@compuserve.com
BUNAC can be contacted at
Enquiries Department, 16 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R OBD.
Tel: 0171 251 3472. Fax: 0171-251-0215.
E-mail: BUNAC@easynet.co.uk
Programme names include: Work America; KAMP; BUNACAMP Counsellors; OPT
USA
American
universities: first degrees
More and more prospective students are examining the option of
university education in the United States. University education in the USA is
diverse and finding the right course and institution for you is a challenge.
Bear in mind that for a British student the cost of university in the USA will
be greater than staying in Britain.
The structure of American education is different from that in the UK. A
useful introduction to the different terms used in American secondary and
tertiary education can be found at:
http://studyusa.com/articles/define.htm
There is also an excellent ISCO leaflet Higher Education in the USA
(Guidelines Sheet 28) which can be obtained from Mrs E. Thomson.
Structure
of an American degree
The undergraduate degree is structured differently from that in the UK.
Students tend to apply for general admission to a university rather than entry
to a particular department or course. Students will elect a Major (and often a
Minor subject at some point during the first two years of study. They will not
only study these subjects but also be required to take subjects to satisfy
General Requirements (GE's), such as English, Mathematics or Languages. During
the period of study students build up credits until the student has enough
credits to graduate. Most students graduate after 4 years but there is great
flexibility within the system.
Course teaching throughout the degree programme is closely supervised.
For each class taken, students will often have to complete weekly or fortnightly
tests, which asses the work learned to date. Coursework is also completed at
regular intervals through the term. Set reading lists will be given for most
courses. The final mark is a reflection of performance in tests, coursework,
class and the final examination.
Students are referred to as freshman (1st year), sophomore (2nd
year), juniors (3rd Year) and seniors (4th and subsequent
years).
Finding
a course and university
The Main Library has a copy of the International Directory of
Universities. It includes contact information for most universities in the USA.
If you are planning to study for an undergraduate degree in the US then
your first step should be to read the Beginner's Guide to Undergraduate Study
in the USA. This provides information on US degrees, admission requirements,
how and when to apply, admissions tests, costs, financial aid and visas.
The on-line version can be found at:
It is an excellent resource.
Once you have identified institutions and courses that interest you then
the next step is to gather together the details from the web sites of the
universities.
You can order college guides from and see university rankings at:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu
You can explore universities and colleges across the USA on:
Virtual tours of colleges across the USA can be found at:
Many representatives from American universities and colleges attend
educational fairs in London. For example, US College Representatives gather
annually in June at the American School in London. The university admissions
people will be able to tell if any of their representatives are in the UK.
If you are interested in university in California then we are fortunate
that Old Fettesian, Louise Megson, works in Edinburgh for the University of
California. She can be contacted at 50 Buccleugh Street Edinburgh EH8 9LP
(Telephone 0131 662 8988).
Entrance
Requirements
Admissions
tests
American students do not sit nation-wide examinations at the end of High
School: there is no equivalent to Higher or A Level. All American high school
students do however complete standardised intelligence tests (SAT's). To support
your application to an American university it is a requirement to sit one or
other of these tests. These tests include Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT) and
ACT's and the subject-specific Advanced Placement Program.
Details of SAT's can be found at:
The Princeton review web page at
has a SAT guide and practice questions. Follow these options: About us,
college, SAT.
Details of ACT's can be found at:
Those Fettesians who require coaching for SAT’s currently attend
courses outside the school at their own expense. Testing usually involves travel
through to Glasgow for the day of the test. A wide variety of materials for
practice of these tests is available for sale or on-line. Our recent experience
is that Fettes students perform to a high standard on these tests with only
limited preparation.
Additional
entry requirements
Each university will have additional entry requirements, as do our
universities in the UK. These are often referred to as Subject Requirements and
are based on High School courses. As High School teaching is broad-based in the
USA these entrance requirements are usually easily met by following a standard
curriculum in the UK.
Admissions
Deadlines
These generally fall in October or November of the year prior to entry.
This means that you need to begin serious research and planning in the summer
term of the Lower Sixth.
Financial
aid
General information about financial aid for international undergraduate
students can be found in:
Morehead Scholarships
The Morehead Scholarships are highly prestigious and valuable scholarships to the excellent University of North Carolina. Over the years a number of Fettesians have won scholarships, including Craig MacDonald and his sister, Eilidh, abd David Riddle. Applicants need to be of high intellectual ability and to be highly committed individuals with strong leadership potential. Further details can be obtained from Mrs. E Thomson or on-line.
On-line details are at: www.moreheadfoundation.org
American
universities: graduate school
A substantial number of university undergraduates continue on to
Graduate School. This is really the first opportunity to focus on your
particular subject area. Graduate School is required for individuals who want to
pursue a career in areas such as medicine, veterinary science, science, law and
business. This is simply because students will not have had sufficient training
at undergraduate level.
Graduate admission is in many ways simpler than undergraduate admission,
but competition is often severe for places. A strong undergraduate degree is
needed for foreign applicants. Students would also be required to take the
Graduate Record Examination and submit the results with the application. It is
also advantageous for the student to make contact with the department prior to
the application. Deadlines for applications are adhered to strictly and are
usually in November or December of the previous year.
If you are planning to study for your master's or Ph.D. in the US then
your first step should be to read the Beginner's Guide to Postgraduate Study
in the USA. This provides information on US degrees, admission requirements,
how and when to apply, admissions tests, costs, financial aid, including
Fulbright awards and visas.
The on-line version can be found at:
Further information on graduate schools can be found at:
and
Information on Graduate Record Examination can be found at:
and
http://www.petersons.com/testprep/gre
Internships,
employment and business links
Fettes College has some 200 alumni in the USA and many more in Canada
and the Caribbean. The school also has a wide range of supporters and contacts
in the United States. This network provides important social and business links
for its members through Friends of Fettes College, Inc., a non-profit
organisation dedicated to promoting Fettes College in America. The Fettes
network can be helpful to newcomers to the United States in many ways. Those who
travel frequently to the USA on business can be kept informed of Old Fettesian
events and local contacts. The Fettes link may help in securing work experience
and longer-term employment. Many Old Fettesians have chosen careers in academia
or business and may be able to give assistance.
For more information on our contacts in the USA contact Dr Adrian M. Hall at
Fettes College.