cigol

Hello. I'm 16 and have been living in Italy for 6 years now. I'm currently studying Computer Science in secondary school in Fermo, Marche and am into my third year now. In two more years I would have graduated and I will have to choose where to go to university. But I'm kind of undecided whether to go back to Britain or stay here to do it and I'm wondering whether any of you may know more about the subject of university in Britain and Italy and may be able to give me a hand here seeming as I know little.

Now I speak fluent Italian and personally love Italy and Britain almost equally but both for different reasons. And I would have no problem moving back there for a few years to do university if it would be more advantageous. So the main questions for those of you who may be able to answer them are.

1 - Are either Italian or British University diplomas worth more than one another. And if so in what way? I've been told by some that British ones are more internationally recognized.

2 - Can you get student loans here in Italy? I keep forgetting to ask this to someone. And if so do they pay more, less or the same then the British ones?

3 - Is it true British universities are easier than Italian ones?

4 - Also, I plan on studying something in the field of computer science or information technology and was wondering if anyone knew if the quality of teaching of computer related subjects was maybe better in Britain or Italy.


All answers are much appreciated, even if you maybe don't know much.

Margaret M

I can't help you from personal experience, but I had friends here who returned to the UK with the daughters specifically because they felt they weren't getting the education they needed her to enable them to go to a British University. From memory I think there elder daughter was maybe a year or two younger than you at the time. Like you they had been here for quite a few years and were fluent in Italian. Not much help, but maybe a start.

cigol

Well this is new to me. I know two girls who did secondary school here and then did University in England. One was here and the other Naples. I'll have to ask them about that.

37100

UK. You'll be fine, though it does depend on the type of secondary school you attend. Here Uni takes 3+2yrs plus 1yr for your thesis. A lot of work is in English. Son went to To Poli. Which Italian Uni are you thinking about?

Pulaski

I suspect that British universities/ degrees are more in widely recognised globally, and a degree from a British institution would imply fluent proficiency in English, which might open doors (at least to interviews) that a degree from a non-English speaking country might not.

duffer

Really depends which university in Italy you were thinking about because it's likely you would need to spend more time completing your course and still not be able to get a job. Also, you are 10 times more likely to encounter cases of nepotism in Italian universities than any other organisation for the hiring of staff, leading to accusations of poor standards. This was highlighted by a famous case where a PhD student committed suicide a couple of years ago because he felt there was no chance of progression for him at his uni. Having said all this, I have a couple of colleagues who know kids that found jobs in London after graduating with computer science and related degrees in Italy. One of those is working for Dreamworks UK for very good money. I will try and find out what course and/or where they did it here. I think Padova or Torino.

Take a look at these rankings from two very respectable sources -

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.u.../world-ranking

http://www.topuniversities.com/unive...=false+search=

modicasa

All the young'uns I know do university in the UK unless they are planning on going to the Sapienza. Its also shorter - 3 years in the UK for a degree that would probably take you five years here. Its not that they are necessarily better in all cases, but more is packed in in a shorter time and the courses are structured differently, taking account of alot of students who take 6 months out to earn enough to do the next part of their degree and so on.

Patty

If I were you I would do Uni in the UK. My eldest tried Uni here and then gave up and took up a place at a Uni in the UK. Much better organised - more meritocratic and probably much less stressful (no queuing for exams and all that)
I'll tell you a little story (Max Bygraves .....anyone remember) a student of mine was doing his thesis. He wanted to do a certain topic but was strongly dissuaded by his Professore- who then went on to tell him that it would be better to do a research on this soldier in a certain infantry. My student said he then had to go down to Naples (at his expense) and do lots of research. The Professore then takes each piece of work from every student (which he requested) and makes a book out of it - obviously getting all the credit. My student said if you are lucky your Professore might put your name in the foreword thanking you for your input

giuliana

Hi,
My son is attending uni in the UK, he did his schooling here in Italy and came out with 98/100 which is equal to 3 A level grade A's.
To get in you must apply in January even though you don't know your grades.( you have to guess)
In my opinion British Universities are much better although very expensive.
It's 8 to 9 k depending where you go and what faculty you do. You pay the same as a British student although they do have some bursaries and benefits .
Plus you have living costs on top unless you stay with relatives.
You can get a loan being an EU student at 3% which you start to pay back when you earn 21k a year, if in 30 years you never earn that amount the loan is extinguished.

I don't think they are easier than Italian unis just more organized , plus if a course is 3 years you do 3 years not like here where you repeat the year.
The UK unis are more equipped, they have computers that work!!!!
Start looking at the courses they do in a uni of your choice. I believe in Scotland uni fees are less than the UK around the 3k mark. Also the uni will want proof you speak English like a Cambridge FCE or higher IELTS is also accepted, then they interview you on the phone.
Think I answered your questions but feel free to ask me anything else .

cigol

This is very informative. Thank you.

The only questions I still have are, how much money can you receive from student loans and are they enough to cover just living expenses or living and maybe a bit extra?

And how difficult did your son find it. Changing back to learning in English after he had spent so much time studying in Italian?

giuliana

I think the student loan just covers the uni fees, but as we didn't take one out I'm not 100% sure. https://www.gov.uk/student-finance ( this should help).
Well he is in his second year, and his first year he found very difficult away from home although he lives with my mum and all my family are there.
The worst thing is the weather! He comes home in summer for 4 months and at Xmas and Easter so it's not too bad. He feels the uni in the UK is better although finds that his classmates don't study much culture as in Italy just the subject they do for A levels, or what they've learnt in school.
Anyway the year you leave school here, in the January you need to pay 25 pounds to a web site ( can't remember the name now but will look it up) and choose 3 unis and faculties you hope to be able to enter with your grades you get here. Then in August you start phoning round to see who will accept you, also need to do the loan thing in time, so start gathering info now.
Have you any family in the UK? If so you could look at unis in that area, it would be better to have a base.

Garbatellamike

giuliana my understanding is there are 2 different types of loans, which are generically referred to as student loans:

1. for the tuition fees to the university

2. for living expenses, which is called something like a "maintenance loan"

Jim73

You could consider universities in Scotland which I believe are free to EU residents (other than from the rest of the UK)

giuliana

As an EU student you can only apply for a tuition fee loan up to 9k, the maintenance loan is only available to UK students and it is not repayable .
Scottish Unis are not free but cheaper than English unis around 3 to 4 k.
Cigol
you said you lived in the Uk until you were 10, my son lived there until he was 8 therefore his English was that of an 8 year old, he has struggled with some things and he finds difficult idioms !!!
Although con un po di volenta' si puoi superare anche questo!!!

Jim73

You learn every day! I work at a Scottish university and thought they were free for EU students! They all seem to charge £1820 per annum, which is good value compared to their English equivalents. For what its worth there has been a massive influx in Italian undergraduates, postgraduates and staff in my institution.