When to move

[firemaker]

Well I have always wanted to move to america, mainly because the automotive scene there is just sooo much better (not enough good engineering spaces in england) its either america or germany... and i am not planning to learn german. So the question is should I move at eighteen do 3 years apprenticeship there and then do uni there or should I do the apprenticeship here in the uk and do uni here as well. I'm on course for straight A's so getting into the uni I want isn't the problem... what do you think.

[fredjacksonsan]

Good point; unless you're in a high caliber, renowned program overseas, a US education will be more respected in the US.

[2.2 Straight six]

i'm trying to do the same thing. you'll find the hardest part is persuading your parents to let you, help you and support you.

so far it's not looking good for me.

look into Carter & Carter fo apprenticeships, as they recruit for most major manufacturers in the UK. (yes, european manufacturers too.)

if it's motorsport engineering you want to do you can either go through the national college for motorsport, which will accpet candidates from GCSEs. or you can do physics and maths A-level and go and do it through a uni like central Lancs.

[freakray]

On the flipside, having some sort of skillset and education can assist in the obtaining of a visa to stay in the USA.

[2.2 Straight six]

well, my plan was to study there, firstly to get the course i want (Wyotech - auto technician) and also it would allow me a better chance of citizenship (dual, ideally) so i could stay there.

if i don't do it this year i may try to move in march next year.

p.s. - sorry for the threadhijack.

[WickedNYCowboy]

You guys have a lot of guts. Can't even get me to go on a plane to go cross country.

[MagicRat]

Seriously....move to Canada.......
it's easier to emigrate here from the UK (I did) the opportunities are just as good,
We have universal medicare,
Universities/colleges are partly or completely subsidized, so tuition is cheaper.
The Queen is still on all our money,
The snow can be a bitch but if you move to British Clumbia, the climate is just rainey, like Britain, but with big mountains.

[beef_bourito]

I second the move to canada. it's easier to emigrate here, the universities are on par with ivy league colleges in the states, you've got free health care (increased taxes but i'd rather pay more for taxes and get a lung transplant for free), the universities are MUCH cheaper than the states for canadian citizens. the snow can be annoying to some, i personally like it, driving's more fun, you can ski, skate, play hockey, etc. plus you don't waste as much gas as in the summer becuase you don't use your ac (yes it does get hot enough in canada to use ac). Also, it's not as crowded as the states, we've got a fraction of the population with more land.

If you want to go into engineering, the University of waterloo is an excellent engineering and math university. it's the largest center for math in the world (according to my physics teacher, it's got the most people studying and teaching math than enywhere else in the world) and it's the best canadian engineering university. it's harder to get into than other universities though. they ask for mid 80's for mechanical engineering but you'd most likely want to get at least high 80's. after that it really doesn't matter what university you go to for engineering, they all have strong programs. I'm going to carleton for electrical engineering (i want mechanical but that's another long story why i'm not in it), it's in ottawa (the nations capital) which is a very nice city, with some good bars, and you can have some good fun there while you go to uni. I don't know how much info you want, so if you have any questions about canadian universities or anything canadian, you can PM me.

p.s. the canadian drinking age is lower than the states as well, it's 18 in manitoba, alberta (i think), and quebec, 19 everywhere else.

[speediva]

What's wrong with a Primera? I LOVED mine... well, it was a G20, but damn could that thing move!

Anyhoo, I know nothing about what you're trying to do, so I will leave now.

[freakray]

Originally Posted by 2.2 Straight six

well, my plan was to study there, firstly to get the course i want (Wyotech - auto technician) and also it would allow me a better chance of citizenship (dual, ideally) so i could stay there.

if i don't do it this year i may try to move in march next year.

p.s. - sorry for the threadhijack.

You could get to Wyotech on a student visa, but as far as thinking you can go from student to residence visa - dream on....those 9/11 morons took care of that one for you.

[firemaker]

Canada does seem like a good option seeing as I love snowboarding as well as cars. But I don't really know that much about Canada in general (never been there). However I have a lot of family in SF in California and New York. Having spoken to one of them who lives 20 minutes away from the Berkley University campus he said that he wouldn't mind me living with him. But another problem is definately how much US uni's cost a bomb for those who aren't from the US. How much are Canadian uni's.

Oh and to saturntangerine for the record my primera tops out at 112, it cannot drift despite my trying everything and is just all round rubbish. The Clutch is heavy and so is the car!

[2.2 Straight six]

my sister looked at going to a uni for 3-4 years there and it cost in the region of £150,000. needless to say, she studied here.

[vinnym86]

yes it could get expensive, but you'd be surprised at how easy it is to recieve financial aid. Does UK have Study Abroad programs at their universities? you could just enroll to a university there in the UK, but study at one over here in the US, which would probably be cheaper, and though you have a UK degree, you will have an education from the States, which would probably make it easier getting a job here, as well. AlbanyCartel is right, a lot of my relatives, even my dad, had to re-educate themselves here in the US after immigrating from India. look up some Universities online there in the UK and see if they have a study abroad program. You could even get internships (i'm guessing that's what you mean by apprenticeship) while studying here. good luck firemaker (and you too, chris)

[beef_bourito]

For canadian universities it varies quite a bit. For mine it's $15,000 canadian for tuition(engineering) and another ~$6,000 for housing, plus a few hundred for a meal plan and books. At the university of waterloo (the really good engineering university) it costs ~$25,000 for tuition, another $7,000-8,000, $1,500 for a meal plan, and another $1,500 for textbooks.

Honestly from a financial and educational side, you'll get an education that is as good or better in canada, you'll pay less for it, you'll get an equivalent job right out of university, and it'll take you less time to pay off your debts. American universities will cost you way more, you'll have to pay huge debts by the time you're out.

And if you're thinking of waterloo, it's an awsome school, you'll get an awsome education but the social aspect of things isn't as good. it's one of the only canadian universities with more guys than girls, i think it's 60% guys 40% girls, whereas my university has something like 5 girls to every guy. not only that but it's not going to make a huge difference whether you get a degree from there or another canadian university, they're all really good.

[vinnym86]

you can always go to a good community college and transfer, as well. RCC (whre i'm enrolled for the moment) is very cheap; about $1,800 per semester tuition. With financial aid, I can get by without even my parents pitching in a hand. And, even though its just a CC, (community college), its still under the SUNY system, (State University of New York), one of the few CC's that are. i'm sure you can find some Cali CC's that are under UC's also. This means that not only are you paying less for tuition, there is state funding, and state standardized education, which means you're not getting cheap education dur to cheap costs. My school is actually really reknowned in the area for its nursing program, and it's automechanics field isn't bad either. We have just built a new building where we will have more engineering facilites, as well.
Don't look at the big universities here thinking you'll have to pay $30,000 tuition or more, it can be really cheap here, too, and just as educational as the bigger universities.