More British school-leavers are heading to American universities to avoid a culture that produces exam junkies, according to a leading headmaster. The “Obama effect” has also been credited for encouraging record numbers of British teenagers to begin studying in the United States this autumn.

America is the most popular foreign destination for British school-leavers but Britain is also the No 1 choice for American teenagers studying abroad.

The British Council has just announced that it will contribute $500,000 (£300,000) to facilitate partnerships between universities in the two countries because of the Obama Administration and a change in US foreign policy.

A spokesman for the council said: “In recent weeks, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has emphasised education and higher education partnerships on her visits.”

New figures show that 8,700 students from Britain studied in America in the last academic year, a 4 per cent rise on last year, and a 3 per cent increase in those taking undergraduate degrees. The most popular universities were Harvard, Central Florida, New York, Columbia and Pennsylvania.

The data, which was released by the Fulbright Commission, showed that more than 33,000 American students were studying in Britain in 2008-09 — one in seven of all those at a foreign university.

Lauren Welch, the commission’s head of advising, said: “With attendance soaring at our USA College Day fair in recent years and a record number of applications for our UK Fulbright Awards, we have anticipated this increased interest in US study for some time.

“In addition to improvements to the US visa application process and expanding international recruitment efforts by US universities, we suspect there has been a so-called ‘Obama Effect’ on international student interest in the US and a growing recognition among UK students and parents of the value of a more international education.”

Wellington College, an independent co-educational school in Berkshire, organises conferences on applying to American universities. Anthony Seldon, the head teacher, said: “The attractiveness of US universities is becoming more and more apparent to British families and students. The US system is appealing because it’s better resourced, has a lower pupil-teacher ratio, and there’s far greater celebration of achievement."..>> read more

Source: The Times Online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/student/article6922049.ece