Citing Cost, Tradition, and the Prince Factor, More Americans Earn Degrees in Britain

By BURTON BOLLAG

Donniell E. Silva's first choice for college was Georgetown University. But when she didn't get in, she took stock of her options. "I wanted to definitely do a year abroad, and I was sure I'd be doing international relations," she recalls. "So I thought, why not do it all abroad?"

The Huntington Beach, Calif., native is now in her third year at the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland, and says she has never regretted her decision. Studying at Scotland's oldest university is challenging and exciting, she says. And the location is ideal: Continental Europe is close enough for weekend trips. "It's so cheap and easy to do," she says.