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Passion2009:
I obtained my Bachelor's degree from a Nigerian university. Upon graduation, I proceeded to the U.S for my first Master's degree and later to the United Kingdom for my second Master's degree.

I have equally traveled across the world - I've had the honor to meet graduates from over 70 countries. Today, at a workshop in Canada - we discussed about graduate school opportunities all across the world and I've decided to share my thoughts with readers here on Nairaland. My opinions are drawn from my experience studying and living in both the United States and United Kingdom as an international student.

I will be writing about the Pros and Cons of obtaining a Master's degree in both the United States and the United Kingdom - the dream destinations for Nigerian students.


Graduate School in The United States of America

The United States is the most preferred destination for international students all across the world. They boast of the best and of course - the most expensive universities in the world. Among the top 20 Universities in the world, more than 10 are in the United States and among the top 200 universities in the world - at least 60 are in the United States as well. American universities are passionate about research, study, innovative ideas and critical thinking - especially if you attend a R1 university(e.g Harvard, Princeton, the University of Chicago, the University of Pittsburgh, CMU, etc) in the United States(Google the list of R1 universities). American universities have proven to be the epicentres of transformative discoveries and innovations in the past 50years and they still lead the world in the fourth industrial revolution.



PROS (Advantages of Schooling in the United States).

(1). YOU ARE MOST LIKELY A STRONGER CANDIDATE IN THE JOB MARKET DUE TO YOUR FLEXIBITY

For graduate students who are hardworking, talented and smart thinkers - American R1 universities provide you with a great opportunity to live your biggest dreams in different fields.
As a Master's student in the U.S, you can obtain a Major, a Minor and Certificates in different fields in the course of your two years of study. For instance, I have a mentee who bagged a Master of Public Policy from an American university and he was able to obtain a Major in Energy Policy, a Minor in Governance Development, a Certificate in Cyber Security and Law as well as another Certificate in Africana Studies. He amassed all of these qualifications in his two years of study in the United States. With these qualifications, he is flexible enough to apply to different jobs in different sectors and you can probably guess where he works now. It is also easier to do joint degrees as a grad student in American universities. In other words, you can be running a M.B.A/J.D program at the same time with your initial Master of Science in Psychology - you graduate with two top notch degrees that will give you a big advantage in the job market.
Although, it takes longer(2years) to bag a Master's degree in the U.S but it's mostly worth it for students who know their onions. More so, many grad school programs in the United States make it mandatory for you to go on internship abroad or within the U.S for about 3months. My mentee that I talked about earlier on had his internship in Vienna with one of the international organizations there - his entire internship expenses were fully funded by his American university. Opportunities like interning abroad as a grad student strengthen your profile and make you more formidable in the job market. The U.K grad schools largely do not give the room for this kind of flexibility offered by American universities.

2. THERE ARE MORE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
If you are a strong candidate applying to an American university, you are very likely to secure scholarships and fellowships that will help cover most(if not all) expenses of your grad school education. Schools in the U.K are not as generous as American schools when it comes to funding/scholarships. A very significant percentage of the grad students in American universities study on full-scholarships. You can Google and read about the KNIGHT HENNESSEY SCHOLARSHIP initiative for grad students at Stanford University - this is just one American university.

3. DIVERSE LEARNING COMMUNITY.

American universities attract the highest number of foreign students in the world. They are the first choice of most international students globally.


4. WORLD CLASS FACULTY AND TOP CLASS FACILITIES.


5. A HIGH CHANCE OF BEING RETAINED TO PURSUE THE AMERICAN DREAM.

Particularly for those who have made the best use of their two years.

•CONS( Disadvantages of Studying in the United States)•


1. IT IS SUPER EXPENSIVE.

American universities are by far the most expensive in the world. For most programs in US R1 Universities, your tuition/school fees alone will cost you around $40,000(roughly 15million naira/per year) a year as an international student. Some programs in universities like UCHICAGO and Stanford even cost as high as $60,000 - $73,000 in tuition/per year. Most Master's programs in the United States also take two years to complete. Thus, tuition for a two-year Master's degree program(at the rate of $45,000/year may gulp over 30million naira from you).

2. THE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND PROCESSES ARE MORE STRINGENT AND COMPETITIVE COMPARED TO THE U.K

Many grad school programs in the United States - particularly in R1 universities require you take standardized tests like G.R.E and even TOEFL in some instances. This means more funds are injected into the application process and more candidates to compete with their test scores. While some programs in different American universities now waive the G.R.E test - many have begged to differ and I've instead stuck to their gun.

3. IT TAKES LONGER

In the United Kingdom, you are most likely to bag your Master's degree in the course of just one academic year in a similar program(as a grad student in the U.S) but this is not the case in the United States. The American educational system will keep you in the libraries and classrooms for at least one more year - buried in research works, readings and paper writing.


4. American ENGLISH
If you ever get to visit the United States, you will realize that their pronunciations are to an extent different from the British(Water is pronounced as
"WADAR" in the United States). If you grew up in Nigeria and your parents could not afford to send you to secondary schools like B.I.S, LEKKI British School, GRANGE and the likes - you may struggle to communicate with Americans on your first few days on campus.

5. EXPOSURE TO WHAT MAY SEEM TO BE NEGATIVE CULTURAL INFLUENCES.

Particularly for those who are conservatives - you may find it inconvenient and shocking.



•GRADUATE SCHOOL IN THE U.K•

British universities are no doubt some of the best in the world. They exude class, history and culture. From the classrooms to the libraries, you see students and faculty members making efforts to build on legacies that have defined their excellence and greatness for decades.

PROS(Advantages)

(1). CHEAPER OPTION

Compared to American universities, the U.K offers a similar world-class education for cheaper tuition fees. A Master's degree program that will cost you $40,000(just school fees/tuition) a year in a R1 American University will cost you less than $25,000 in the United Kingdom. It is also pertinent to remember that you are paying the $25,000 just for a year in the U.K but in the U.S.A - you are paying the $40,000 twice. To put things in perspective, the school fees for a Master's degree in the U.K will cost you less than $30,000(less than 10million naira) while a similar program in the United States will cost you at least $80,000(about 30million naira).


(2). EASIER TRANSITION TO NIGERIAN SYSTEM

(3). MORE RESERVED AND PEACEFUL

This is the major reason why some Nigerian politicians pick U.K schools over American universities. Many people see the extreme social/cultural exposure in the United States as destructive. Although, there are still a lot of Nigerian elites whose children study and live in the United States - particularly those in the National Assembly. In fact, Nigerian business men and investors still pick the United States(Canada taking over now) over the U.K as the most preferred destination for their children.

(4). WORLD CLASS FACULTY AND FACILITIES

(5). EASIER TO SECURE STUDENT VISA COMPARED TO THE CURRENT TRUMP USA - PARTICULARLY FOR APPLICANTS BASED IN NIGERIA

The United States now extremely scrutinize their student visa application process. In the past, once you secure admission into an American university, you are almost 100% assured of a U.S F1 visa. These days, the rate of F1 visa denials is shocking; even candidates with scholarships and good immigration history are being denied visas. Some even struggle to secure visa interview appointments in Lagos and Abuja. Currently, compared to Trump's America, the U.K is more relaxed when it comes to student visa issuance.



CONS(Disadvantages).

(1). Less Funding/Scholarships
Although U.K schools do offer decent scholarships to impressive applicants, they are way less generous compared to American universities.
Apart from scholarship initiatives like CHEVENING SCHOLARSHIP and Mastercard Foundation Scholarship for U.K universities - there are no many funding opportunities for prospective grad students - compared to the United States - where even a research fellowship or a G.S.A/T.A with a professor can cover all your tuition and living expenses for two years. American universities by far have bigger endowments and funding when compared to U.K schools.

(2). Grad School Admissions are largely hinged on CGPA

American universities tend to look at a candidate's entire profile(leadership, research, volunteer experiences etc) when making admission decisions but U.K schools are more particular about CGPA.


(3). DESPITE BORIS JOHNSON'S FRESH 2-YEAR OFFER TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS; THE U.K IS YET TO RE-AFFIRM ITSELF AS THE PREFERRED DESTINATION FOR A POTENTIAL FOREIGN WORKER/IMMIGRANT.


Best of luck.



Ayobami Olorundare writes from Canada; 20th of September, 2019. He can be reached on Twitter.

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Engobi:
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