anyone know anything about Richmond, The American International University in London

[Ava]

it's that time of year, and i'm getting emails and snail mail from universities. i like the idea of studying abroad, but know very little about this school. going to have to do some googling on it tonight.

for now it's back to school work. got another hour of SAT prep to do.

[flvegan]

1. They talk funny and drive on the wrong side of the road.

:P

[billyskank]

2. You come over here and try driving on the right

Then you'll find out what's the wrong side of the road and what isn't. ;)

[mwooldri]

3. Are you loaded? Tuition is £21,000 a year. Think $38-40,000.

Admittedly this is tuition, and room and board... but still it isn't cheap.

The big attraction for AIU is that you earn a dual degree - a US degree and a UK one in the same subject. They also cater for Americans (of course) and easily recognize your SAT scores and stuff like that. They will accept and work with you with US federal financing but that doesn't even cover their tuition. They might have scholarships that could help.

For about the same amount of money as AIU you could apply to Cambridge or Oxford - tuition runs at about £13,000 a year (no such thing as summer semester like for US universities). I never went there so I don't know what the accommodation situation would be but they'd take care of you I'm sure. Of course being UK place, they wouldn't help with US federal student aid.

University of Dundee (my alma mater) is considerably cheaper - tuition and lodging (but no food, self catered nowadays) starts at $12,000 a year. No summer semester though, as is the case with UK unis.

If you're really interested in studying abroad check out unis over here, that have a partnership with a foreign university. You'd only spend a semester or two but it's especially co-ordinated and gives you foreign study without breaking the bank.

Mark.

[Ava]

4. i am applying to schools over here

i got something in the mail from the school, which is why i was asking. 38,000 bucks a year is high, but most schools i'm applying to over here are out of state and as a result aren't much cheaper. i'm going to have to get either aid or a scholarship, because my family isn't "loaded"

cambridge and oxford are great schools, but i very highly doubt i'd be accepted into either.

[Ilsa]

5. Well, I heard it's in London. nt

(kicking it up for you for more visibility.)

[mwooldri]

6. half true...

part's in Kensington - I guess London proper...
part's in Surrey. Outskirts of London.

The freshman and sophomore years tend to be spent in Richmond (the Surrey part) and the junior and senior years in Kensington (the true London part). The Richmond campus is nice - and from memory is guarded if at least gated.

Surrey's a strange place anyway... they re-drew the borders some years ago (1965) to the point that the county seat isn't in Surrey anymore - it's in Greater London.

Plus JK Rowling made us famous: Little Whinging (which doesn't exist) is in Surrey.