Hey everyone, I need a little help and some advice... please?

Question

Hi, I'm a 15 year old student and I have to go overseas to study after 2 years. I'm quite nervous about it becuase no one is going to be with me, I'm left alone. And because I am a girl, and my mum and dad have the ability to buy me beautiful things so I'm kinda spoiled at this age. I live in Hong Kong and me parents are thinking maybe i should go to UK. But actually i wanted to go to america. But America seemed to be more dangerous coz everyone got a gun!!! And America is very free, they let anyone to do anything. So i'm quite scared to go to america but i love their acent more than uk... lol. So here is the first question, SHOULD I GO TO UK OR AMERICA?. And the second thing is becuase i'm spoiled, so i might not get on easily without anyone's help. Becuase in my home there is a maid, and she helps us everything. My mum and dad are starting to train me to be more indepentent, but I kinda like ignrore them becuase i really can hardly follow them. But well, I did improve, as my younger sister said i've improved alot, but i am still worried. Does anyone of you have already been to overseas studies? So you could tell me some experience and I can learn from your mistakes? So this is my second question: WHAT SHOULD I DO IN ORDER TO GET MORE USED TO INDEPENTDENT LIFE THERE AND TELL ME MORE EXPERIENCE SO I CAN LEARN FROM YOU ALL. Thanks so much for your attention and hope you can give me your best advice and answers. =]

Answer 1

since you have 2 years left, why dont you go to a boarding school in hongkong. that way, you will get used to being independent as well as making friends. it will be a solid foundation for you.  

Answer 2

Almost no one in America actually owns a gun, although people have the right to do so. There are certain areas of the country where gun ownership is higher, but others, such as NYC and Boston, where no one I've ever met, other than active duty military and police, have a gun.

There are some areas of the US that are safer than others, just as there are some areas of the UK that are safer than others. But it may kind of shock you to learn that NYC is one of the safest large cities - you'd never know that from what you see on television and in films!

Once you're at university in the US, you must do your own laundry, and clean your own room. You may also want to know how to cook simple things. You'd also want to learn how to manage money, if that's not something you need to deal with now. You can start learning to do these things now, so you'll be prepared.

Most US universities have people with backgrounds such as yours, but they naturally also admit people who've never had a maid and etc. So long as you're aware that you're privileged, and you prepare to do the basic housekeeping that all university students must do for themselves, you will be fine.

Perhaps, to make your parents feel better about you applying to some US universities in addition to those in the UK, you can apply to good universities that are in peaceful locations. So if your going to school in New York City would give your mom a heart attack, apply to Princeton instead of Columbia, as a compromise. Princeton is a train ride away from NYC, but it's in a beautiful, peaceful suburb; while Columbia is right in the city. In this way, you compromise.

In fact, to make your parents feel very comfortable with you going to the US, you could consider picking a university that's based in a religion, or an all-women's college. Those based in a religion are founded with a firm moral code, and are thus perhaps a bit less "anyone can do anything." Examples are Notre Dame or Fordham (Jesuit/Catholic). You don't need to be Catholic to attend a Jesuit university. In terms of women's colleges, you could look at Wellesley College or Smith.