This article is part 2 of 2 of our look at studying English Aboard and comparing learning in the US v. England. (Read Part 1 here).

Newspapers & Evening News

The first time I watched the “World News” programmes on American TV I was dismayed and amazed by the incredibly narrow view of the world and absolute lack of interest in what happens outside a very caricatured perspective of the world. There is a particular lack of interest on world news that don’t affect the USA directly. I found the title “World News Tonight” rather funny as they spend less than 20% (maybe only 10%) of the time talking about world news and the rest about American issues. Furthermore, rarely are news presented from an unbiased standpoint, with few exceptions, of course. This prevailing attitude illustrates and partly explains the inward looking nature that defines American life and attitudes towards the rest of the world.

The Guardian (UK Newspaper)

In contrast news reporting in the UK is truly global, probably the most global perspective anywhere in the world, from political problems in Fiji, to women rights in Mauritania, to child labour in the cocoa plantations in Ghana and Ivory Coast, to indigenous people’s rights in the Amazon, or the effects of deforestation by the palm oil industry on the populations of Orangutans, or the horrible site of child prostitution in Recife in our own country – it is all on the news regularly. The variety of topics in the evening news is amazing and the investigative reporting that supports some of these news is of a quality not matched by any other news organisation in the world. Best of all, the news are presented in an impartial manner (as much as possible) as this is the remit of the BBC. I particularly like newspapers like The Guardian and the BBC TV News and investigative reporting programmes.

Why does it matter and what might it mean to you as a foreign student? We are first and foremost citizens of the world and information and awareness mark our vision of the world and as a consequence defines a society and its people. As a foreign student, the fact that a larger proportion of the population is more aware of global issues means that it is more likely that you will be understood and/or find more things in common with people that you meet.

Music

America is certainly the centre of mass produced music in the world, however, I tend to like the British independent bands. When it comes to variety nothing really beats what you can get on BBC radio as you can hear music from all over the world, from obscure islands in the pacific like Vanuatu to modern music from Mozambique and Gabon or even from different regions of Brazil. Just this afternoon I was listening to some fusion of Mexican and Irish music – very nice, where else but BBC radio could you listen to stuff like this?

If you love live music, the the UK is a great place for this, from large summer festivals to just some music down the local pub – there is something for everyone in a great variety of styles and cultures. And if you love great acoustic rock, modern or classic – what can I say, some of the world’s greats, past and present, have come from Britain.

Some of my favourite recent rock bands in the best of the British acoustic rock tradition:

Stereophonics

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Ipj8B9pJI

Snow Patrol

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT62Gwv70kM

Razorlight

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz2pa_ygtlQ

Travis

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbzolUqB8Zw

The Kooks

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6-QM0_Prp0&feature=channel

plus many others like Arctic Monkeys, Keiser Chiefs, Oasis, Franz Ferdinand, Feeder, The Fratellis, etc, etc – if you don’t know them, look them up, see what you think.

Safety

All things are related and consequence of one another and safety within the country or city are a by-product of the society. American cities are aggressive and can be dangerous, even small towns – you certainly would not find me walking at night in an American city. Of course, nothing like Brazil, but I am talking in relative terms.

In contrast London, with a metropolitan area with a population on of around 11 million is a fairly safe city. I never felt threatened even when riding the tube at night or walking home late in the evening. Yes, you have to take precautions but in general terms you are far safer than in most American cities. If you are a woman thinking of an exchange, this should be a big consideration in selecting where to go.

This ability to move around at will, specially when you are finding your way about your host city, and to feel safe using public transport, well, I would consider this of great value to your overall experience.

Diversity and Internationalism

There is also a marked difference in how both countries approach their leading role in the world. While the USA society pushes for integration of immigrants into a conformed way of life, the American way; British society practices a policy of multiculturalism. There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages to both of these approaches. However, as a foreigner coming into a new country, I feel in the UK there is much more acceptance of your cultural differences without a pressure to conform to a given way of life. Multiculturalism accepts and thrives on the differences while integrations pushes for immigrants to quickly adapt to their host country. I don’t know which one is best, I just know that I feel far more accepted in Britain that I ever was in the USA.

Diversity

British also tend to be great internationalist, this means that they have a broad outlook of the world. I was amazed how many young people take a gap year and go travel around the world. It is not just for those that are wealthy, but all sorts of people do it, even if it is later in life, even if it is just trips across Europe or to north Africa. They frequently travel to destinations that are off the beaten path and you can find them travelling through the rice fields of Laos or the jungles of Africa. Yes, of course not everyone and not all levels of society could afford to do it but it is very normal to find people that have been to places one has hardly heard off. This is much more difficult to find in America where most people have never left the country or even own a passport.

What does this all mean to you as a foreign student? In my opinion, it is more likely that you will feel more accepted quicker and also there is a good chance that people in the UK will have a better understanding of your culture or, at the very least, an interest about it.

Ok, the wine is almost finished so I shall stop writing, although there is a lot more to discuss. In the end it is a matter of choice as to where you study, but it is a choice that you should make by informing yourself about all aspects that will affect your overall experience of your host county and city. Lots of nice places in America, it is after all an amazing country, but I would say that if you have limited time and funds, you may be better off choosing Britain as your destination. If you are open minded and you seek the experiences and variety that the country has to offer in a relatively small and accessible space, then I can assure you that you will have an amazingly good time.

But before I end, a few words about London:

“Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
— Samuel Johnson

"..when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.."

Well, what could I add to the quote above. Simply one of the greatest cities in the world. A great place to visit and and even greater place to live.

In the next articles I will write about some of the things to do and places to visit in London that are out of the beaten path.

And, oh yes, if you get tired of London all things British you can always take the fast speed train (300 km/hr) from St Pancras station in central London and in be in central Paris in a few hours.

However, if you ask me where I would like to live, American or Britain, I would have to say France…. but that is a different article..!!

Remember, variety is the spice of life…!!!

Studying Abroad – In search of the full experience – American vs British perspective by Luciana Podschun

Many of our website visitors are considering studying English abroad for a period of time, be it a short course or a longer exchange programme.

I have been lucky to have lived and worked in both countries and, as I sit here tonight sipping on my glass of wine and reflecting on my own personal experiences, I have decided to write a short article on how the cultural and social differences between American and Britain may have an impact on your overall/total experience during the length of your course in either country.

This will be the first of a two part article, with part 2 coming very soon.

The ‘Total Experience’
What is a ‘total experience’?  Well, when you are considering a destination to study English, I believe it is important that you consider all aspects of life of what will be your host city or country.  You should take the opportunity not just to learn English but also to take this travel opportunity to expand your horizons and experience a way of life, a different reality, than the one that you know today.  So, from my perspective destination matters as much as the quality of the school where you will study.  After all, variety is the spice of life so I urge you to strive for the best possible experience when you choose a destination.

Following is a very personal perspective of America vs Britain from a view point of a foreign student who will stay in the country 1 to 6 months.  It is only my opinion but one that is based on several years of living in each of the countries and having travelled extensively in both regions.  Of course, as any opinion it is biased towards my own preferences in life so I give you the material and let you make up your own mind.

Cities

The USA is a vast country with sprawling cities that feel like carbon copies of each other with little, if any, in terms of interest.  They tend to be filled with endless rows of fast food places, large shops and even larger shopping centres, and oh yes, some very large people in some very large cars as well.  After you get over the initial amazement at the size of it all, most cities have very little to keep a foreign student entertained or engaged.  This is of course a generalisation as cities in the north-east and north-west coast do tend to have a lot more to offer.  If you don’t have a car, it is simply impossible to see American cities, again, with a few exceptions in the regions previously mentioned.  As a foreign student, unless you have the money to travel far and wide, you will be confined to a very narrow set of experiences.

I saw this film on the internet the other day, it won the Oscar for best short film last year.  To me, it is a pretty good representation of American cities where everything is branded and logos and large corporations dominate the landscape.  If you have ever been to America – this film will make lot of sense.  It is brilliant in its capture of a certain, but large, aspect of American cities. Here’s the official trailer:

The UK in contrast is a tiny and very crowded place but with an amazing variety of experiences to be found by travelling only a few kilometres away from wherever you may be staying.  You don’t ever need a car to enjoy the UK and if you know where to find the right deals you can travel across the county for a few pounds.  In some of the cities like York, Bath or the small towns of the Cotswolds you just simply feel transported in time.  My husband and I particularly enjoy the old pubs, specially those in the countryside where one can have a good beer after a good brisk walk while sitting in a beautiful stone building, surrounded by ancient wood and with a roaring fireplace – what a great British experience..!!  There is an old pub just outside Oxford that has been an Inn or Pub for over 1,000 years.  It is located next to the river, close to where the River Thames is born.  It is said that Lewis Carroll would frequently stay there while writing Alice in Wonderland (1865) and, if you have read the book, when you walk in the surrounding countryside you can see the relationship.

Why does all this matter?  I certainly hope that if you made the effort and expense of travelling abroad to study you will not be confined to your room and your classroom.  Your chances of having much more interesting city experiences are grater in the UK than the USA, or so I believe from my own experiences.

Society

Britain, as most of Europe, is a far more gentler society than the USA.  This stems from the basis of socialism where egalitarianism is seen as desired goal and not as an evil political ideology as it is seen in America.  It is a far from perfect system but it does provide for better social integration.  Many of the new property developments include social or low cost housing that is government subsidised so you end up with fancy and expensive apartments next to apartments for people that are on government benefits.  This means that people of different economic classes may play in the same playgrounds, take the same tube to work or simply drink a beer in the same pub – all of this helps in the social integration.  As a foreign student this also means that your opportunities for meet different peoples and integrate to your local neighbourhood are much greater than in America where, relatively speaking, the sense of community is practically absent and the rich and poor live very far apart.

One thing that pleasantly surprised me the first time we went for a walk in the British county side was the concept of “right of way”.  This is an ancient law that allows walkers or horse riders to pass through private land on what used to be ancient trails, some of them dating back to the Romans.  The fields may be planted or full of cattle or sheep but you still have the right to walk through them as long as you don’t disturb the crops or animals.  This allows people access to any coast or places of natural beauty that are held in private land.  In America if you enter a private farm, well, it is highly likely you will get shot at.  If the bull attacks you or you fall of the cliff because the trail was not well maintained, well, in Britain that is your own problem, as it should be.!!!  In America, no, you blame others and you sue for lots of money.

How will this matter to your experience?  I believe that it is, relatively speaking, a lot easier too integrate into UK society due to the socialist nature of the society which puts a much higher emphases on communal living than American society which is based more on individualism.

Healthcare

USA Health Care

The UK has the NHS which is a socialised health care system.  The quality of this varies from hospital to hospital but you can obtain some of the best health care in the world and it is 100% free.  As a foreign student with a student visa you qualify for any type of treatment while you are in the country.  Actually, even illegal people can’t be denied treatment.

In contrast, if you go to the USA, you better make sure you have some good insurance that will cover you during your trip.  In America you can, and will, be refused treatment if you can’t prove you can pay the exorbitant prices.  It is interesting how the policies that Obama is now introducing in America, and that so many on the political right so fervently oppose, no Conservative Party of any European nation would even consider them as they would be seen as too right-wing, too uncaring and inappropriate for civilised modern European society.

Is free quality healthcare a human right or a benefit?  Well, I am sure we all have our opinion, but regardless, it is something that you should carefully take into consideration.

This is now getting to long for one post so we will divided into two sections.  The second part will discuss:

• Newspapers & Evening News
• Music
• Safety
• Diversity and Internationalism

and some conclusions.