Study abroad

I have been living and studying in Australia for 15 months now, but I am originally from the United States. I grew up in Minnesota where my family were avid outdoors-people. Like classic Minnesotans, summers were spent going on nature expeditions - hiking, fishing, camping - where I developed an appreciation for nature and wildlife.

Gate 86 of Stansted Airport was where my Sutton Trust journey started and now ends. One year ago, I was headed to the US as part of the Sutton Trust US Programme to experience life at a US university. Suitcase in tow and anxiety and excitement at an all time high, I travelled alongside other Scottish Sutton Trust participants.

My name is Raphaëlle Soffe, and I am a dual British and French citizen. I currently live in Ewloe, a small village in North Wales, and I went to high school in the neighbouring village of Hawarden. In just a few short weeks, I will be cramming four months’ worth of possessions into two suitcases and flying over to Boston to start at Harvard University. 

University is a funny old place. Will there ever be another time in your life when you can make friends just by standing outside your bedroom? Any other place where you can learn to salsa dance and join a Harry Potter society while expanding your knowledge of your favourite subject?

Most people who have been to university or are currently at college would probably agree that studying at university has a steep learning curve. You will learn so many new things while you are there – some useful and some not so useful. 

The option to apply and study at a university anywhere in the world is an exciting one. The problem for most students is knowing where to start when choosing a university outside their home country. The US alone has more than 4,000 universities, so it’s essential to understand the different systems and what these overseas universities require from applicants. 

When I first told close friends that I was thinking of pursuing civil engineering at university, lots of them discouraged me.

Sixty-two British state school students from low and moderate income backgrounds have won places to study at a number of US universities this year. 

The students took part in the Sutton Trust US Programme run in conjunction with the US-UK Fulbright Commission. 

They will take up places at 37 top universities across 17 states including Yale University. 

By the time I finished med-school in Mexico, I felt like I was supposed to follow the path that every potential doctor has to take: prepare for residence entry exams (similar to the United States Medical Licensing Examination). But I was keen to continue my studies abroad, and having spent a few months in Spain as an intern in a couple of hospitals, I chose to go and give it a try there.

The top 50 universities by reputation 

The University of Toronto takes 24th place in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2017. It was the highest-ranked Canadian university and one of three institutions in the country to feature in the top 100.  

France has always been my first choice of country for study. This is due to the quality of education, culture and life in general. So when I was in my third year at Hanoi University of Sciences, Vietnam National University, I worked hard to pass École Polytechnique’s entrance exam.

I did not speak French at all in the beginning. With about 30 other students from all over the world (for example China, Cambodia, India and Russia), we went to stay with host families in the south west of France.