What British Colleges Can Teach America

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The reason British MDs and all other foreign MDs can't practice in the US is not lack of competence but the extreme strength of the AMA which has been supremely successful at keeping out foreign competitors and keeping prices for physician services sky-high in the US. If only low paid Americans had such a strong trade union to help them! If only poor Americans could afford these high priced docs-all in the name of quality, of course.

settie of OR 11:43AM April 18, 2010

итак: мне понравилось!! а82ч

Pagiree of AL 5:44PM February 24, 2010

I have lived and worked in the UK and their system is far from perfect. Their overreliance on A level grades encourages students to take extremely simple courses, The system does graduate almost all who are admitted, even those who did not work during their academic career or learn much. The three year degree program produces students who neither master their chosen field not obtained a broad liberal education. There is a reason that Medical Doctors trained in the UK are not able to practice medicine in the US - they do not have an adequate education. Please do not "dumb down" the US system. It truly is the marvel of the world.

William of WA 2:25PM November 13, 2009

Ask your advisor, other committee members, and other graduate students about the archives you are considering visiting, if they have done research there. ,

Ganry45 of KY 6:51AM October 23, 2009

We encourage you to give it a shot and offer any feedback you have on the new system. ,

GanjaBoy54 of AK 7:54AM October 22, 2009

I had the priviledge of attending both an elite American College and a British University, and I found this article enlightening. The current British University application system alone sounds like a big improvement over the nerve wracking and painful proces we have in America. The Common Application has streamlined the process a lot, but it sets no limit on the number of applications a student sends out. The result is that some students use the shotgun approach and apply to a dozen or more colleges.
The current American system has a double whammy punch at the end. Not only are students applying for admission, they are applying for financial aid. Students can, and do, get into thier first choice university only to get an aid package that is too small, so they go to a second or third choice college that gives them a bigger aid package.
The British system seems more student centered, while the current American one is based more on College marketing schemes. I am also a fan of the gap year. Whether it's spent working or traveling, a gap year can't help but widen a student's perspective.

Nick of ME 2:03PM August 31, 2009

After being away for a while, I came upon Grose's article 10 days after it was posted. Surprise of surprises, the article had no comments from readers! Now, that would be perfectly understandable if what Grose had to say were common knowledge or gobbledegook--in either case useless. The article, though, is chock full of useful information and should be read by college and university administrators, government officials, and the parents of college-bound students about to spend far more on higher ed than they should have to.
My recommendation is that Grose's posting be re-tooled for broader dissemination through US News and World Report's monthly hard publication. With tuition creep, mind-boggling admissions processes, and discouraging barriers put in would-be students' paths, there's no reason at all to assume higher ed in the U.S. needs no improving. Until all who can and want to benefit from education beyond high school are given full opportunity to do so without being derailed by procedural hurdles and the prospect of high interest indebtedness, the system NEEDS improving.
At least that's one retired college professor's take on the matter!

Ron W. Smith of UT 7:20PM August 29, 2009