I’m a British student and these are the weirdest things about universities in the US

• British TikToker James Edward, 21, told his followers about college life in the USA
• READ MORE: Americans reveal their biggest British ‘ick’ – from beans on toast to the different spelling of certain words

A British student who is currently studying in the US has sparked a transatlantic debate over the differences between British and American universities.

James Edward, who studies at Imperial College, London recently  shared a video to TikTok video highlighting the differences between the higher education systems in the two nations as he visited a college football game.

Filming himself watch a University of Notre Dame vs Ohio state game, the 21-year-old, who works as a model, said he likes about the American college system, due to its scholarship programmes  that mean some students can go to University for free.

However, many followers pointed out students that do pay fees in the US end up paying significantly more than their British counterparts as fees in the states are much higher than £9,000 a year.

Responding to the video, people on both sides of the pond revealed their shock at how students elsewhere lived and the way in which universities are run.

British TikToker James Edward, who studies in the US, explained on TikTok some of the key differences between UK and US universities 

In particular, American viewers expressed their shock at the comparatively low cost of tuition fees in the UK. 

Opening his video, James said his first revelation since travelling across the pond to study was that sports scholarships help lots of students attend university for free. 

Walking past a sports field, he says: ‘Every single person on this pitch right now isn’t paying a single penny to be at university’. 

‘And it’s not just that they’re not paying to go to university, they’re genuinely getting free accommodation, free food. Everything is covered’. 

However, the student revealed that if you do not play a sport, university is likely to cost you an awful lot of money.

He estimates the average cost of tuition fees in the US is $60,000 (£49,204).

‘It’s insane,’ he says. ‘The amount of money you have to pay to go to university in America if you’re not an athlete is genuinely crazy.

‘Whereas in the UK, absolutely everyone just pays their nine grand and gets about their business. It’s kind of just the same for everyone’.

The influencer shared snippets of US university life with his followers, including sports events

In the next clip, James appears in a sports field which is packed full of people ahead of an event.

He reveals the commotion is down to the fact that there is a college football match taking place in the evening – but the event is so highly anticipated that people have arrived to drink and get the party started 10 hours before it’s due to kick off. 

 ‘Don’t get me wrong, in the UK we love a drink,’ he says. ‘[But] people have literally been tailgating and drinking since like 7 this morning’.

He clarifies that the match in question isn’t a particularly important fixture like a cup final – rather, it’s a standard Saturday league game. 

Thirdly, James draws attention to American students’ pride in the institution where they attend university. 

‘I have seen people with statues on their lawn of their university logo or hedges cut into their university logo, it’s crazy,’ he reveals.

James concedes that British students do feel pride in their universities, but the intensity of feeling appears to be stronger among American students.

‘Americans absolutely love to wear a bit of university merch,’ he says. 

Responding to the video, both British and American viewers expressed their surprise at how different the university experience is on the other side of the pond.

One person from the UK wrote: ‘I can’t imagine someone walking around with a University of Coventry shirt.’

Another person, based in the US, asked: ‘Is Uni in the UK £9,000 a year or for the entire program? How long is it and what are the levels?’

‘By uk he means England because in Scotland university is free,’ another added.

 

 

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