Why don't American Somalis study abroad?

[Devilsadvocate]

I was recently wondering why more American Somalis don't study abroad, particularly in the UK. I'm from the UK, and while there are many international students from various countries, there don't seem to be many of Somali descent. The UK might also be more affordable for university if you have a college fund. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but are scholarships or grants transferable for studying abroad? And if undergrad fees are too much, perhaps it could be an option for master's courses. I feel like London would be a great choice, especially with universities like Imperial College London, UCL, and LSE. The city is incredibly diverse, there's halal food everywhere, great public transport, and many Somalis study at these universities, so you wouldn’t feel isolated.

 

[peterpeter]

As someone who did attend the LSE there are Somalis there I used to attend the somali society functions there during my masters there were a couple almost all doing there postgraduate degrees, the Somalis there were very privileged and straight from the motherland, costs meant nothing to them.

 

[Devilsadvocate]

As someone who did attend the LSE there are Somalis there I used to attend the somali society functions there during my masters there were a couple almost all doing there postgraduate degrees, the Somalis there were very privileged and straight from the motherland, costs meant nothing to them.

I’m talking about the Somali diaspora from Western countries like Australia/America/Canada, and yeah, those students from Africa are extremely privileged.

 

[CABDULWALI XASAN.]

Because American colleges are better, theres no point studying abroad, loads of paperwork, more money, unfamiliar stuff like that. there are very few program that do actually require students to go abroad, mostly in business. But even then, why would anyone go to university in the UK?

Most people in America already have very good benefits and have their payments and everything in order, why would they mess that up.

Also theres tons of somalis especially from nairobi who come over here to america to study, way more then the UK, where public transit is the only way to get around unless you want to save for 5 years to get a smart car

The only benefit I can see from this maybe the experience of it.

 

[Internet Nomad]

I wanna go to America. The capital of the world. The heartland of individualism and freedom. Guns, Glory and Burgers. First nation to put their flag on the moon.

 

[Devilsadvocate]

Because American colleges are better, theres no point studying abroad, loads of paperwork, more money, unfamiliar stuff like that. there are very few program that do actually require students to go abroad, mostly in business. But even then, why would anyone go to university in the UK?

Most people in America already have very good benefits and have their payments and everything in order, why would they mess that up.

Also theres tons of somalis especially from nairobi who come over here to america to study, way more then the UK, where public transit is the only way to get around unless you want to save for 5 years to get a smart car

The only benefit I can see from this maybe the experience of it.

I’ve just mentioned three institutions that are in the top 10 global university rankings. Many American Somalis tend to stay in their home state for university, and there are some excellent universities there too. However, they aren’t in the global top 10. Also, it might be easier for you to get into Oxford or Cambridge compared to Harvard, so why not consider coming to the UK? Oxford and Cambridge are highly regarded universities as well.

As for transport, public transport isn’t the only option in London. Many families also own cars. Why would you save up for five years to buy a car when the UK is known for having affordable vehicles? I could easily buy a functioning car for £1,000 if I wanted to, but personally, I prefer using public transport. I love taking the train everywhere and avoiding traffic. It makes student life much more enjoyable when you can walk everywhere and hop on a train to get to any part of the city.

 

[Kisame]

For most stem degrees it's way better to just stay in america. Especially if your able to attend a decent school in america.

We got pretty lucky too. Most of us got settled in states with great public universities.

 

[Vividlaaiznimo]

I wanna go to America. The capital of the world. The heartland of individualism and freedom. Guns, Glory and Burgers. First nation to put their flag on the moon.

Me too!! which Somali kang here wants to tie the knot so I can get a green card @CABDULWALI XASAN.

 

[hayran]

That’s for rich white kids, we don’t have these luxuries. Americans don’t really study abroad much compared to Europeans and UK students in particular

 

[Kisame]

I’ve just mentioned three institutions that are in the top 10 global university rankings. Many American Somalis tend to stay in their home state for university, and there are some excellent universities there too. However, they aren’t in the global top 10. Also, it might be easier for you to get into Oxford or Cambridge compared to Harvard, so why not consider coming to the UK? Oxford and Cambridge are highly regarded universities as well.

As for transport, public transport isn’t the only option in London. Many families also own cars. Why would you save up for five years to buy a car when the UK is known for having affordable vehicles? I could easily buy a functioning car for £1,000 if I wanted to, but personally, I prefer using public transport. I love taking the train everywhere and avoiding traffic. It makes student life much more enjoyable when you can walk everywhere and hop on a train to get to any part of the city.

Most Somalis that are smart enough to get into Oxford have no need to leave America. In fact Oxford isn't even on the radar for most our top students nationwide.

In america our smartest students are only interested in getting into tier 1 and tier 2 Universities. The tier 1 Universities mainly consist of all the ivy league schools. Oxford is basically on the same tier as these schools.

I was recently wondering why more American Somalis don't study abroad, particularly in the UK. I'm from the UK, and while there are many international students from various countries, there don't seem to be many of Somali descent. The UK might also be more affordable for university if you have a college fund. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but are scholarships or grants transferable for studying abroad? And if undergrad fees are too much, perhaps it could be an option for master's courses. I feel like London would be a great choice, especially with universities like Imperial College London, UCL, and LSE. The city is incredibly diverse, there's halal food everywhere, great public transport, and many Somalis study at these universities, so you wouldn’t feel isolated.

"The UK might also be more affordable for university if you have a college fund."

Most Somali American households are low income. With financial aid and access to grants a lot of somalis have been able to graduate debt free. Studying abroad just for a cheaper education seems like a waste of time.

You could probably make the case for somalis interested in becoming doctors. You guys in the UK can start med school after you finish high school. Only downside is that the good residencies are usually given to med students from prestigious American schools.