Growing numbers of bright teenagers are rejecting British universities in favour of those in the United States amid claims they no longer represent value for money, a leading headmaster has warned.
Students are being forced to seek courses on the other side of the Atlantic because institutions in this country are stuck in a “malaise”, according to Anthony Seldon, Master of Wellington College, Berkshire.
He said cash-strapped British universities provided less contact time with lecturers and displayed only a “perfunctory interest” in sport and the arts.
The comments – in a new book published by The Good Schools Guide – come as figures show a surge in the number of pupils applying to study in the United States.
According to data, the proportion of students taking the US college entrance exam in Britain increased by a third last year compared with 2008. In all, more than 10,000 applicants sat the main admissions test, it was revealed.
The rising interest is believed to be driven by pupils from independent and grammar schools seeking to escape annual tuition fees of up to £9,000 in Britain from September.
But writing in the new book, Uni In The USA, Dr Seldon said theexodus was “down to far more than economics”.
“American universities in particular celebrate breadth of achievement far more than those in Britain, where only a perfunctory interest is shown in sporting or artistic prowess, or whether one held positions of responsibility and contributed to charitable activities,” he said.
Dr Seldon said that one-in-10 Wellington students were now applying to universities outside Britain compared with just the “occasional pupil” a few years ago.
Other independent schools have reported a similar increase in recent years.
According to the Fulbright Commission, which promotes links between US and UK universities, demand is highest for places at elite Ivy League institutions.
Applications to Pennsylvania University jumped by 50 percent last year, while demand for Harvard was up 41 percent and Yale reported a 23 percent rise, the Commission said.
The new guide includes reviews of more than 65 US universities, as well as information covering the applications process, entrance exams, fees, scholarships, visas and lifestyle issues.
一位名牌中学校长警告说，越来越多的优秀英国中学生拒绝英国大学，转而选择美国大学。人们认为英国大学已不再物有所值。
伯克郡威灵顿学院的校长安东尼•赛尔顿说，英国学生们被迫到大西洋的另一边求学，因为英国的高校陷入了萎靡不振的困境。
他说，英国大学由于资金紧缺，使得师生间的联系时间较少，对待体育和艺术课程也是敷衍的态度。
这些评论来自《好学校指南》出版的一本新书。此前有数据显示，申请美国学校的英国学生数量猛增。
数据显示，去年英国参加美国大学入学考试的学生比例相比2008年增加了三分之一。据透露，共有1万多名英国学生参加了美国高校的这一主要招生考试。
据认为，对美国高校感兴趣的英国学生增多是由于很多私立学校和文法学校的学生想逃避从九月份起一年高达9000英镑的英国大学学费。
不过，赛尔顿博士在新书《美国大学》中写道，引发这一出国求学浪潮的远远不仅是经济因素。
他说：“相比英国大学，美国大学特别重视全才的培养，而英国大学对于培养体育或艺术才能兴趣淡薄，对于学生有无领导能力、是否参加慈善活动也不关心。”
赛尔顿博士说，现在威灵顿学院有十分之一的学生申请了国外的大学，而在几年前，很少有学生这么做。
近年来，其他私立学校也报告说申请出国读大学的学生大大增多。
根据富布赖特委员会，英国学生对常春藤盟校的名额需求最旺。富布赖特委员会致力于加强美国大学和英国大学之间的联系。
委员会称，申请宾夕法尼亚大学的英国学生去年增加了50%，申请哈佛大学的英国学生增加了41%，耶鲁大学增加了23%。
这本新指南书包括有关申请流程、入学考试、大学学费、奖学金、签证和生活方式的信息，以及对65所以上美国大学的评论。
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