What City Is Best For An International Student?

For international students wanting to study in an American university in particular, there is a lot of attraction to large universities in famous cities. These are the cities and universities that are known across the globe, and because of that, many assume that they offer superior education to their counterparts. However, this isn’t necessarily true - not only do you get the same level of education in a smaller city, but sometimes you learn even more, even faster - and more importantly, you get it for a much lower cost than you would at a university in a large city.

There are several reasons that a university in a smaller city maybe more ideal than a large one.
First, there is the consideration of class size. If you have one teacher in charge of 50 or more students, then those students are bound to get little to no one-on-one time with the teacher to answer any questions they may have. However, at a smaller city, the student to teacher ratio is much smaller, meaning that getting questions answered is much easier. The larger your classes are, the less attention the teacher will be able to pay to you - and if you’re having a hard time in the subject, you certainly will not want to be ignored.

Next, there’s the fact that if a university is located in a smaller city, then the tuition is generally proportional to that size. While many well-known universities have a reputation that precedes them, the amount that you pay for college is in no way proportional to the quality of education that you receive.

Another, final reason that international students tend to flock to larger cities is because they believe that they will be better taken care of by the international student services there than they would be at a university in a small city. However, most, if not all, universities in smaller cities provide the same services with the same level of expertise and professionalism that is present at larger universities. One of the best indicators to determine if the university is right for you is to check to see how many international students the university has. A large population of international students means the university takes good care of those students.

To put it simply: in many cases, going to a big city is the equal to you paying much more for exactly the same care and service. While they do have perks of their own, for international students in particular, a university in a small city may be the way to go when studying abroad.

By: Dennis Dunham PhD

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Dennis Dunham, PhD is the Executive Director of International Services at the University of Central Oklahoma. He is credited with helping over 16,000 international students come to the United States. Dr. Dunham has received many awards in the field of international education. Dr. Dunham holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Technology and Masters of TESOL. Dr. Dunham, a former Peace Corps Volunteer, speaks Korean and French. Visit the UCO International Office to learn more about studying abroad in the USA at www.uco.edu/ioffice.