For many students, deciding where to go to college is the first major life decision they get to make on their own. With thousands of colleges in the United States, one would think that any prospective applicant is already spoiled for choice. Yet an increasing number of students are realizing that the American college experience is just not for them. For a myriad of reasons, more and more applicants are looking outside the US for a degree that better fits their professional and personal goals.

Just as no one college is perfect for everyone, surely no one approach to higher education is perfect either, right?

That said, the decision to study abroad for an entire degree should not be taken lightly; there are a number of important differences between the American higher education system and that of other countries. Attending college, or more precisely, university, abroad is not just about doing the same thing one would do in the US but in a more exotic setting.  Often times, it requires a completely different approach.

There are a number of differences between studying in the US and studying abroad, terminology being one of them. In the US, “university” often refers to a larger institution that comprises multiple colleges, only one of which is the undergraduate program. Overseas, “college” often refers to a secondary school, while anything that results in a degree is a university. There are some exceptions, of course, but this is the general rule when it comes to nomenclature.

Beyond names, perhaps the biggest difference is the depth of focus. Outside of a few places like Scotland, Canada, and Ireland, most international universities will expect students to focus on no more than two areas of study for their degree. This means that there are no general education requirements, but also very little room for electives or minors. Upwards of 85% of a student’s coursework will be in the area of the degree, and only in later years is there a chance to study other subjects as electives.

This means that overseas degrees are incredibly focused. According to the Rhodes Scholarship Trust, a British BA is about as 

 as an American MA. For students who are truly passionate about what they want to study, this can be an incredibly convincing reason to consider going to college abroad.

This heightened focus means that many overseas degrees are shorter as well. For much of the EU and UK, a degree is typically finished in three years. Even in countries where that is not the norm, like Ireland or Australia, there is typically an option to finish in three years.

Of course, college isn’t just about classes, and for many, this is a drawback to university abroad. Greek life and intercollegiate sports have nowhere near the popularity that they have in the United States. For students whose hearts are set on pledging and tailgating, an American university may be the better choice.

One other major difference is worth noting. In much of the rest of the world, law and medicine are undergraduate degrees. This means that students who aspire to practice law or medicine can earn qualifications that allow them to work in the United States significantly faster. For would-be lawyers, check the relevant state bar association to find out if foreign law degrees are admitted (e.g., in New York and California, they can be with the study of a one year LL.M at an ABA-recognized law school). Aspiring doctors should evaluate what type of medicine they want to practice. Those looking to work abroad or focus on primary care medicine (where 40% of US PCPs are foreign trained) can save time and money by going abroad, while those looking to become dermatologists should likely stay in the US for superior residency opportunities.

Study Abroad for One Semester, or for Four Years?

Every year, more than 330,000 US students study abroad, the vast majority for only one semester. For many students, this is a great opportunity to see the world, meet new people, and improve their language skills.

But a semester abroad only provides a portion of the advantages gained from completing an entire degree overseas. Rather than just becoming conversational in a foreign language, someone who earns a degree abroad can become functionally fluent. As many foreign university courses are year-long, students who spend only a semester abroad are also missing out on a lot of what their professors have to offer.

Finally, there’s the cost. Many students apply to study abroad through their home university, or through programs that act as third-party brokers for enrollment. Almost always, these programs are significantly more expensive than direct enrollment in a foreign university.

This is perhaps the most important difference between US and overseas applications: for many countries, students apply to a specific degree field rather than a university or college. The exceptions to this rule are often the countries whose universities allow students to take four years to graduate, so if someone is undecided, Scottish and Irish universities are typically a better choice than English or Dutch ones.

The admissions process is also incredibly different. In the US, top colleges evaluate applicants using holistic admissions, giving weight to everything from extracurriculars to family background. Overseas, and especially in the UK, students are weighed entirely on their past academic performance as well as their desire to study their chosen field.

That past academic performance is evaluated through performance both in the classroom and through standardized tests. Countries differ considerably here; many Belgian universities are impressed with a high GPA, while Oxford and Cambridge (as well as most elite UK universities) want to see high marks on AP or IB exams relevant to the course of study.

If anything, Americans often find themselves getting a boost because they bring a different perspective to the classroom as a result of a cross-pollination of teaching techniques.

Overseas universities evaluate a student’s application, at times requesting an interview or an assessment test, and either reject the student or offer an acceptance. Students can be offered an unconditional acceptance or a conditional acceptance, with the latter receiving a list of requirements that must be met. Typically, these involve getting a specific score on an upcoming AP or IB exam.

This focus on academics extends to university rankings abroad. Groups like QS or The Times Educational Supplement focus on factors other than cost and admissions rates when coming up with their global rankings; instead, they are almost always focused solely on academics and research.

In many instances, going to university abroad can be considerably cheaper than college here in the United States, especially for families who are not going to receive much in the way of merit or need-based aid. While rumors of free college abroad fail to take into account room and board, it is sure that tuition at many English-language programs in the EU can be a tenth of what many public universities charge in-state students.

On the more expensive end, institutions like Oxford and Cambridge can easily cost $180,000-$200,000 over the course of the degree for tuition, fees, room and board, and travel. However, that is still a fraction of the cost of Ivy League or other top ten universities in the US. In fact, Oxford is comparable in price to what many in-state students pay for some of the top public universities in the country.

Both merit and need-based aid are often limited, but both Federal Direct Loans and 529 plans can be used at hundreds of universities outside of the United States. These typically include top universities in the UK, Ireland, Canada, and Australia.

While college abroad is not for everyone, it can be the right decision for many students. As with all aspects of the college admissions process, beginning the research phase early on can pay major dividends once senior year approaches.

Application essays now make up more than 50% of admissions criteria! Ready to write an outstanding college essay coached by one of our world-class tutors? Get the essay done.

Should You Apply to College Abroad?

1) Before you start researching schools, or crafting your list, make a list of what is important to your child(ren) and family. Is it a short commute? Fencing? Latin? Group work? Advisories? Out lunch?

2) Use your list of priorities to narrow down your search.

 has a helpful guided search tool that you can use as a starting point.

3) Your initial list should be over-inclusive; try to expand your idea of what defines a "good" school and make sure your list contains schools that have fewer applicants per seat.

4) Continue reading about and researching each of the schools on your list, and attend tours and open houses where available. If you are sure you would not send your child to a school, take it off your list, but it is ok to have a lot of maybes!

5) Try to choose your "safety" schools first. This is often the hardest part of the process, and it is harder to love a school when you are comparing it to your child's top choices.

6) Don't finalize your list until we have a clear idea of how individual schools will be admitting students. Your child's chances of being admitted at a school may shift as we learn about these metrics, and that may affect the overall makeup of the list.

7) Be very intentional when choosing your safety schools. Is your child strong in the arts? A strong writer? Have excellent (98% or higher) grades? Those qualities may make a school a more realistic (or appealing!) safety for your child.

8) When reviewing the school list, check for 5 major red flags:

Do you have more than 3 schools that are 6-12s, 7-12s or K-12s? Remember that 8th graders at those schools have an automatic seat, and usually 80% of the class will stay for high school.

Do you have more than 8 schools that have many, many applicants per seats?

Do the majority of your schools have a very high diversity in admissions set-aside (i.e., over 66%)?

Do the majority of your schools use the same admissions modality, i.e., batch ranking, to admit students?

Does your list look like everyone else's that you know?

9) Once you have a clear list of 12 schools, engage your child(ren) in conversations around ranking, if they have not been involved already. Create index cards with the name of the schools and pros / cons on the back, and have a conversation about how they should be ordered. The schools should be in true order of priority - first choice first, last choice last.

10) Finalize the list, check it over, and then submit. Don't overthink! Trust your first instincts. They are usually correct!

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How to Create a General Education NYC Public High School List -- in 10 Easy Steps!

The SHSAT is the required test for admission to the specialized public high schools of New York City.


Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Staten Island Tech, Queens Science at York College, High School of American Studies at Lehman College, High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College of New York, Brooklyn Tech, Brooklyn Latin and LaGuardia High School.


These schools are known for their academic rigor, top teachers, driven students, great course offerings and exciting extra-curricular opportunities. The alumni of these fantastic high schools tout amazing accolades; Bronx High School of Science alumni, for example, hold 8 Nobel Prizes.

An average of 30,000 NYC eighth graders take the SHSAT every October. This 3-hour test is the only criterion for gaining entry into one New York City’s nine specialized public schools. These schools combined only accept approximately 6,000 students each year, which means that 82% of those students who apply are rejected.

In 2021, the SHSAT will take place the first week in December, although the exact date will vary by school. Visit the DOE website to find your exact date here: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/enroll-grade-by-grade/specialized-high-schools

You MUST get a ticket to the SHSAT roughly 2 weeks before the test. You can do this through the guidance counselor at your NYC middle school (public or private) or by visiting a 

The test is 180 minutes and you can only take it once. There is a make-up date in case of emergencies and a November date for 9th graders and students with special needs. The SHSAT is probably the longest test your student will have ever taken — if you can believe it, it’s the same length as the SAT.

Based on the numbers of questions answered correctly, students receive a raw score, which is then converted to a scaled score out of 

The test is meant to be very hard. But the good news is that you don’t have to get an A (or 90%+ of the questions correct).

 that kids whose scores qualify them for a specialized high school only need to get 70% to 80% of the questions right

 (depending on the school you are aiming for). The test is heavily curved based on the performance of all the students who take the test that year as compared to the number of spots available. The curve is done separately for the Math Section and for the English Section.

Because How is the SHSAT scored, students are asked which school is their #1 – #8 choice, the curve is also affected by this ranking.

 A score that is good enough to get into Stuyvesant but prioritizes Bronx Science over Stuyvesant, the student will likely go to Bronx Science and leave an extra spot for someone who may otherwise have had a score that’s on the cusp of getting into Stuyvesant or Bronx Science.

The SHSAT rewards people who are much stronger in one subject over the other.

If you are a math genius and get every math question right, you only need to get approximately 10 out of 57 questions right on the English to get a spot in one of the specialized high schools of NYC. Same goes for “left brain” geniuses: if you get a top score on the grammar and reading comprehension sections (57 questions altogether), you don’t have to get very many math questions right to get into the school of your choice. We estimate that if you get all the ELA (or math) questions right, you need to get fewer than half of the questions right on the 2nd section to earn a spot at Stuyvesant.

Want more good news? You can choose which section to do first, the math or English … or you can even skip around. You are free to do the 114 questions in any order you like.

The SHSAT is not a pass/fall test. Instead, there are cut-off scores for each of the specialized high schools. More on this under the next heading…

What are the NYC specialized high school test scores?

The approximate cut off score for acceptance (out of 800 / 400 Math + 400 ELA) to the specialized high schools of NYC are listed below with their corresponding 2019 and 2020 numbers. The DOE does not officially release the cut-off scores, so the scores listed below are crowd-sourced, using thousands of submissions from students who were accepted based on their scores. The 9th Specialized High School in New York is LaGuardia High School, which requires an audition rather than the SHSAT test.

There are 57 ELA (English) questions and 57 Math questions.

Of the ELA questions, roughly 9 to 11 questions now test grammar and the remainder test reading comprehension through questions which ask students to interpret what they have read in 6 text passages provided during the exam.


Of the math questions, there are 52 multiple choice questions and 5 grid-in questions, where students have to fill in the correct numerical solution without being given answer options to choose from. SHSAT math questions are both word problems and equations.

Probability, Combinations, Mean/Median/Mode

Start with a practice test to see where you stand today —

SHSAT Test in 2021: Everything You Need to Know

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