======= Date Modified 15 May 2011 15:53:17 =======
I am an American looking to study in the UK. I was accepted to University of East Anglia, University of Bath, and Newcastle. I narrowed it down between University of East Anglia and University of Bath. I would like to go to UEA since their International Development Department is in the top 3. But I have been turned off by them as of late. When I ask questions, its like pulling teeth and the questions never really get answered. Its like I am speaking a different language (one they don't understand). However, as an international student who is going to be paying cash ($25K to be exact) I should be entitled to ask questions and have them answered. If this is the way they are treating me now, how will they treat me when I am there?

Someone help!

First of all, congrats on the acceptances! Well done!
Secondly, are you dealing with the administration of your university or the people who will be supervising your PhD? If it is the administration, don't let that colour your ideas of what the PhD in the department will be like--two different branches, and if admin drives you mad, doubtless it drives everyone mad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=momD3XyV2a8

Sometimes there is more truth in this video than anyone might care to admit....I had a surreal experience being sent around to get the blue formed signed, only to be told that the orange form had replaced the blue form, and given a white form to get the orange form, and then the people who should have had the orange form did not know that the blue form was obsolete....etc....!

Universities everywhere--the US and the UK for sure--can have maddening complex and unresponsive bureacracy. But then that is the very definition of bureacracy.

I am an American who came to the UK to do my PhD, and can say, no, the British are not rude, and no they do not act superior.

But there are vast differences in how ( ok big generalisation, of course there are exceptions) Americans and British culture communicates. In some respects what is "normal" behaviour to Americans can come across as rude, direct and brash to British. There is a need to learn to bridge the communication gaps. I find that British people are far more indirect than Americans--so a meaning that might be perfectly clear to them can be mysteriously unclear or even missed to an American.

There is a large premium placed on formalities in communication-- I say a lot of please and thank yous--one time I counted to myself as I was buying a coffee, and a very normal exchange had about four or five thank yous in it. Formal politeness is far more a part of every day conversations than I have experienced in America.

I am not sure whether you have been dealing in writing or by phone, but you might find a short phone call will get you further than emails, if you know someone that you might be able to reach by phone.

And again, depending on who you are trying to reach, they might not be around. This is generally exam time in most universities, and whilst that is going on many academics might either be away or busy trying to mark exams.

And then sometimes it helps to know just how to phrase what you need---I know you might feel you do not need to finesse communication, but it can work wonders for getting what you need, if you just know the "British" form of asking... A British friend told me a few key phrases. "I am very dissapointed" seems to work wonders...as saying that to someone delivers a very different message than it would in America--it is a big no no ( again a generalisation) in Britain to dissapoint, and this is a culturally charged statement that seems to move people to action. Another statement that works is "I do not understand why you are not trying to help me."

Responding as sometimes happens in American culture, by being more direct, or more demanding, only brings the shutters down here. It does not work.

A delightfully accurate and helpful book to understand English culture is a book called "Watching the English". I read it and after that understood how to respond for instance, when someone was having a moan about the weather...

The UK is a delightful place, with many friendly and helpful people...at the same time its a very complex culture with many unwritten rules that can be hard to navigate at first. Try a softly softly approach, and see if that might not change the response you are getting....

You will love your experience in the UK--its a marvelous place. Its just a matter sometimes of standing back and figuring out how to navigate in a different culture ( and do not under estimate how different it is). In my own experience, it can take people awhile to "let you in" so that you stop being an "outsider", but once

======= Date Modified 14 May 2011 18:32:50 =======
I find it annoying and hard work when people don't do their jobs correctly and provide information in a timely manner. I had that with the central admissions office at my last uni and I it continued on in the school and dept right to the very end including long delays getting my certificate. So I personally would not choose a uni that starts off on that foot as it's unlikely to get better once you're actually studying there.

I think it's a bit odd that you would make a rather insulting statement about English people being rude and superior though. Every nationality in the world has their fair share of rude people that's just down to individual characteristics. To write off an entire nation as being of the same ilk seems rather unfair.

Hi Mlle007x! Just to add to what has already been said- we do have quite a different culture here, but that does not mean that we are rude or have a superior attitude! I think it will just take a while to get used to how we operate over here- not to say it is in a better or worse way than in America- just that it is different. I visited America for the first time last year and also really noticed a huge difference in what is normal or acceptable- behaviour that to me (and my colleagues) appeared quite rude, offensive and shocking on some occasions seemed to be a regular occurence and completely acceptable in America, and I'm sure we acted in ways that were unfamiliar and perhaps not acceptable to the Americans as well (again, hugely broad and sweeping statement!). I have also found this with people from many other cultures who study in our department- it can take a while to 'get' each other, but in the end and with a bit of effort we all benefit from getting to know each other and learning a bit about other parts of the world. It's great to be a part of such a multi-cultural environment and the people in our department form different corners of the world have all been warmly welcomed and are enjoying their time with us. Anyway, I am hoping to visit a different part of America for a conference later this year, and am looking forward to it! I hope you get the admin stuff sorted out! Best, KB

[quote]Quote From olivia:

First of all, congrats on the acceptances! Well done!
Secondly, are you dealing with the administration of your university or the people who will be supervising your PhD? If it is the administration, don't let that colour your ideas of what the PhD in the department will be like--two different branches, and if admin drives you mad, doubtless it drives everyone mad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=momD3XyV2a8

Sometimes there is more truth in this video than anyone might care to admit....I had a surreal experience being sent around to get the blue formed signed, only to be told that the orange form had replaced the blue form, and given a white form to get the orange form, and then the people who should have had the orange form did not know that the blue form was obsolete....etc....!

Universities everywhere--the US and the UK for sure--can have maddening complex and unresponsive bureacracy. But then that is the very definition of bureacracy.

I am an American who came to the UK to do my PhD, and can say, no, the British are not rude, and no they do not act superior.

But there are vast differences in how ( ok big generalisation, of course there are exceptions) Americans and British culture communicates. In some respects what is "normal" behaviour to Americans can come across as rude, direct and brash to British. There is a need to learn to bridge the communication gaps. I find that British people are far more indirect than Americans--so a meaning that might be perfectly clear to them can be mysteriously unclear or even missed to an American.

There is a large premium placed on formalities in communication-- I say a lot of please and thank yous--one time I counted to myself as I was buying a coffee, and a very normal exchange had about four or five thank yous in it. Formal politeness is far more a part of every day conversations than I have experienced in America.

I am not sure whether you have been dealing in writing or by phone, but you might find a short phone call will get you further than emails, if you know someone that you might be able to reach by phone.

And again, depending on who you are trying to reach, they might not be around. This is generally exam time in most universities, and whilst that is going on many academics might either be away or busy trying to mark exams.

And then sometimes it helps to know just how to phrase what you need---I know you might feel you do not need to finesse communication, but it can work wonders for getting what you need, if you just know the "British" form of asking... A British friend told me a few key phrases. "I am very dissapointed" seems to work wonders...as saying that to someone delivers a very different message than it would in America--it is a big no no ( again a generalisation) in Britain to dissapoint, and this is a culturally charged statement that seems to move people to action. Another statement that works is "I do not understand why you are not trying to help me."

Responding as sometimes happens in American culture, by being more direct, or more demanding, only brings the shutters down here. It does not work.

A delightfully accurate and helpful book to understand English culture is a book called "Watching the English". I read it and after that understood how to respond for instance, when someone was having a moan about the weather...

The UK is a delightful place, with many friendly and helpful people...at the same time its a very complex culture with many unwritten rules that can be hard to navigate at first. Try a softly softly approach, and see if that might not change the response you are getting....

You will love your experience in the UK--its a marvelous place. Its just a matter sometimes of standing back and figuring out how to navigate in a different culture ( and do not under estimate how different it is). In my own experience, it can take people awhile to "let you in" so that you stop being an "outsider", but once[/

Just to highlight something I've noticed about Bath MBA is that Bath has a very high level of MBA graduate employment. I've been following the school on MBA news and networking site BusinessBecause and the last three articles have been of students who were either headhunted or talked their way into companies creating jobs that didn't exist for them. Very fascinating! You can have a read here yourself on the site!