US vs. UK vs. AU

[Tia (:]

Okay, so!

I have a dilemma. My top choices are Smith College (accepted), University of Edinburgh (firm on UCAS) and the University of Melbourne. English literature is really my passion, I love writing and hope to eventually go into publishing.

Instantly, some people might wonder by Melbourne's on there- English literature in Australia? Truth is, Australia is where I'm happiest. The programs are still good and with the new breadth courses it's quite close to a liberal arts program, so I could still be taking a range of courses like I would at Smith.

My parents (one British, one American) and relatives are at a loss as to why I'm even considering AU when I've been accepted to "prestigious" universities. They're convinced that going to AU will limit my career opportunities and that if I wanted to go into a masters program overseas, I wouldn't be successful, simply because I'd gotten my bachelors in AU.

Do I go with family expectations/rankings/acclaimed courses, or do I choose the place that I believe will make me happiest?

[Ruan Chun Xian]

My parents (one British, one American) and relatives are at a loss as to why I'm even considering AU when I've been accepted to "prestigious" universities. They're convinced that going to AU will limit my career opportunities and that if I wanted to go into a masters program overseas, I wouldn't be successful, simply because I'd gotten my bachelors in AU.

Just out of curiosity, why? The University of Melbourne is a very good university, one that many who have plans to go to Australia for uni aim for. I work for the AusAID scholarship project in Vietnam and when we have university exhibitions, you just can't get the students away from unis like Melbourne, Monash and UQ. Of course Melbourne is not necessarily famous for Englist Lit, but I don't understand why your parents think it's so hard to get anywhere with a degree from Australia.

One thing to note as well, is that unlike British and American universities who are ranked according to the quality of their courses, Australian universities are regulated by the govt to have pretty much the "same" level of quality. The Group of Eight universities (which includes MelbU) is simply a group of unis that banded together, they're not really considered more high quality than more obscure ones, say Murdoch or Griffith. Students often mistake that they do, but not in reality.

Then again, where are you planning to work/what work are you planning for after uni?