Applying to graduate school in the UK from the US
The practicalities of moving across the pond
This September, I will start my Masters in Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technologies at the University College London.
This is my journey including all the nitty-gritty details of real-life choices I had to make. This isn’t a general guide for all parties but rather a case study that you can use to understand the steps you may take to pursue your education. Remember, this is my experience, process, and reasons.
Why the United Kingdom?
This is the simplest question to answer: because it’s easy.
English: I grew up in the United States so my main language is English. Although I could look for universities or programs that taught in English in other countries, I knew I could reliably find English-speaking programs here. Also, it means there are fewer hurdles to jump through as I will not need language certificates to apply for or attend a school in a foreign language.
Time: In the United Kingdom, it takes one year full-time to complete a master of science. In the United States, it usually takes two to three years full-time, depending on the program and school.
Programs: I started my casual search for different master’s programs that fit into my interests right after my college education. I knew I wanted to go back to school but I never read a curriculum that I thought I would enjoy. I settled on “Biomedical Engineering (BME") MSc programs in a variety of schools (Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Duke, etc.) but they still felt too general. I was casually browsing masters programs in the U.K. one day and found multiple programs that I was truly excited about (UCL biomechanics, UCL rehabilitation engineering, Kings tissue engineering, Imperial neurotechnology). It was the first time I was excited about the prospect of going back to school. I caught myself daydreaming about going to lectures, working in labs, and creating devices for patients.
Cost: On average, graduate school in the U.S. can range from $10,000 to $70,000 per year. The schools and programs I looked at specifically were about $60,000 - $70,000 a year. Then multiply that by the number of years it takes. It was a cost I was not willing to pay to pursue programs I was not interested in. The programs I found in the UK though were about £40,000 for the year full-time. Is that absurd? Most likely for those from the U.K. because they could get the same education for £10,000 for being a national student. But then look at how much I needed to pay for a less interesting, longer program in the US.
Visa: I was already working in London when I found these programs and schools thanks to the High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa. I had already gone through the visa process so the thought of transferring it to a Student Visa didn’t deter me. However, without doing the HPI Visa previously, the thought of going through a Student Visa process was daunting. Funny how the mind works.
How I did it: the timeline
Oct 2023: Start researching universities and programs for fun
Nov 2023 - Jan 2024: Compiled a comprehensive list of all the prospective programs with the following details.
Program Name/School/Departments
Requirements (fees, references, transcripts, personal statement, etc.)
Thoughts (pros/cons)
Why (what attracted me to the program)
Degree (MSc/MRes/PhD/MPhil)
Learning/Research (I found that many MSc programs had a ratio of classroom hours to research hours)
Application Due Date
Cost
Length of program
February 2024: I narrowed it down to four programs that met my specifications then wrote a list of tasks necessary for each part of the application process. For each program, I needed a personal statement, the application, and references (1 or 2). I wrote down all the due dates and got down to work filling it all out. These were the programs I chose:
MSc in Biomedical Engineering at Queen Mary
MSc in Biomedical Engineering (Neurotechnology) at Imperial
MSc in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering at UCL
MSc in Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technologies at UCL
Mid-February 2024: The letters of recommendation were not due until March-April. But by early February, I sent an email to my professors who would write letters of recommendation for my application and let them know the due date for each school and program. This is to ensure that
[1] they would want to write one for me (otherwise I would need to ask others)
[2] they could ask for any requirements from their side (a professor asked for a copy of my thesis for their reference)
[3] they have time to write a good letter of recommendation
[4] technical difficulties could be resolved early.
February 2024: I focused March on writing my Personal Statement for each program. Thankfully, most of my programs were very similar so I focused on creating a good backbone and added a personalized touch for each one.
March 5, 2024: Submitted all my applications! This was the first deadline out of all my applications but I just submitted all other applications early as it was already filled out and done. It also helped my professors since they got links to submit their letters at one time.
Results!
April 8, 2024: Accepted for MSc in Biomedical Engineering (Neurotechnology) at Imperial
April 13, 2024: Accepted for MSc in BME Queen Mary University College
March 26, 2024: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering at UCL
July 17, 2024: Accepted for MSc in Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technologies at UCL
At this point, I have accepted my unconditional offer to start my MSc in Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technologies at the University College London for 2024-2025
