Who is this book for?

"You have personal confidence and a healthy dose of independence. You value breadth at the outset, you are undaunted by hard work and regular grade assessments, and what you know of American life attracts you."

That's how Stephen Baldock, High Master of St Paul's School London from 1992 to 2004, describes the ideal reader of Uni in the USA. If it comes close to describing your approach to university education, then Uni in the USA is close to your ideal book.

Here's Alice Fishburn, Harvard Brit, explaining why she wanted to write the book:

"Try as we might, we Brits can often not refrain from viewing education on that side of the pond with a certain amount of disdain. The thought that I, a quintessentially British girl in both birth and education, would want to throw in my lot with a bunch of Americans came as a nasty surprise to many of my friends and teachers. But what school teachers particularly fail to recognise is that today American universities are some of the most successful and prosperous around. British applicants have begun to wake up to this reality. I am the second generation in my family to go to Harvard, but I am the first to find myself surrounded by Brits who have chosen the same track. So when asked to write this book, I jumped at the opportunity to dispel several of the myths that persist about college in America."

Many refuse to even consider the US option because they believe that it is simply too expensive for them. But the rise of tuition fees in England and the excellent financial aid and bursary programs in place at most American universities ensure that many British students CAN afford to go, regardless of their educational background or economic status.

The recent slide of the dollar puts living expenses within reach: most US students will graduate with less debt than their British contemporaries.