A Star-spangled university?

My experience of the higher education system, limited now to two universities (across six departments), probably shouldn’t allow me to make broad statements juxtaposing two countries’ entire education systems. However, as my experience is around double that of the typical undergraduate, this is what I will try to do.

Since arriving at UC Berkeley in August, now having completed seven weeks of the ‘Fall Semester’ and successfully negotiating my first set of ‘midterms’, I feel I can begin to reflect on the merits of the education systems either side of the Atlantic.
The one thing which has staggered me about the American college system is the vast degree of flexibility it allows. This stems from their higher education system which is much less rigid than our A Level system and requires students to study a wide range of subjects before they can graduate from high school. When applying for universities, most will allow you to apply as an ‘undeclared major’, which means that first year students do not have to decide their subject of study until they have completed one year of university, and indeed this is commonly done.

This is a great strength of the US system, and exposes a major weakness of A Levels. Asking 16 year olds to choose only three or four subjects to study can make students extremely narrow-minded and can considerably reduce a student’s skill set. This is amplified by the fact that universities are requiring higher grades every year, and as such, students will increasingly choose their A levels based on what they are best at. So for the mathematically minded, the choice of subjects could read: Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry (which incidentally is not far off my choice), and I think you would agree that this is unlikely to create a well-rounded individual and vastly reduces degree options to boot. Even as early as GCSEs, some children can choose to drop what would be considered as core subjects in the United States; indeed I haven’t formally studied history since I was 14.

However, there are downsides to the US university system and I have found myself frequently frustrated with some of the nuances between the two countries. The super-sized culture of the US not only applies to their food, but also to their education system. For those subjects where reading is a major requirement, there is a great deal of reading, and due to the frequency of testing it can’t be skipped. While this is great insofar as students are learning a great deal of facts and ideas, it can neglect what in my opinion is fundamental to education; the ability to think for yourself. The testing in the US is much more focused on the regurgitation of facts, definitions and other peoples’ opinions, and less on independent learning and development of your own thoughts which endangers the ability to think for oneself. I have been frequently frustrated by this.

As you know, the English university system, whilst far from being perfect, places much more emphasis on independent learning and allows a great deal more room for originality of thought. This is not only in itself a more rewarding experience than trying to memorise 400 lecture slides for a midterm, but also gives better preparation for life after education, when thinking for yourself is the most fundamental skill you can learn.

Another strength of Warwick, which may come as a surprise to some people, is how much more personal an experience it is. Since arriving at Berkeley I have not been given a personal tutor, nor have I had any seminars excepting my French class. I know the typical student at Warwick probably only speaks to their personal tutor once a term, if that, but for many it can be a valuable resource and should be cherished as such. Seminars can also be fairly awkward affairs at the best of times, but having spent barely three months in the American system, I already miss them.

There are great frustrations in the English system which are only amplified by the economic climate, but we should be proud of the university education system we currently have. While tuition fees may be rising, we still pay far less than the typical American undergraduate, and having been on either side of the fence, I can tell you we get a far better deal.