<p>I am applying having finished high school back in June 2008 but narrowly missed out on AAA by 5 marks (out of 600).. therefore ending up with AAB. Do you think adcoms will look at this particularly unfavourably and will they even consider how close my B was to an A?
- Will they look at these grades in relation to my GCSEs (which were 10A*s and 1A) do you think??</p>
<p>Also, do you think that it is worth noting on the transcript that A*s have only been made available this year - and so were not available at my time of graduation?</p>
<p>Any thoughts please... :)</p>
<p>Hope everyone's applications/interviews etc are going well!</p>
<p>Your GCSE’s are great! AAB is fine. It isnt optimal, but it won’t kill you. Stanford does accept students though they might have hit an occasional snag. However, since you are applying as an international student, it may weigh more heavily on you application. Mention the bit about the A* in the additional information section in the Common App. Out of curiousity, are you applying to Oxbridge?</p>
<p>No I’m not; AAB just doesn’t cut it in the Oxbridge world!! If I’m lucky enough to get into one of the better Ivies (dream dream dream), I might look into doing a semester abroad at Oxbridge… which would be AWESOME as I have friends there 
Are you applying??</p>
<p>Are you international too? Whereabouts are you applying to? I’m only really looking into the top US schools which I know seems silly but I need a large amount of financial aid… I’m applying to unis over here in the UK and to the US on the off-chance 
So sadly not to Stanford but thank you for the advice!!!</p>
<p>Feel free to ask any questions if you feel I could be of any help!</p>
<p>AAB is absolutely fine :-D</p>
<p>Oh I thought I was in the Stanford section, but it doesn’t really matter. Actually, I think Yale is more generous that Stanford for international financial aid. Keep in mind that admissions in the US are MUCH more holistic than UK admissions. Extracurriculars, leadership positions, etc are expected and taken in to consideration. </p>
<p>AAB could work at Oxbridge! People with those marks seem to get in there occasionally. What is your intended major?</p>
<p>I’m actually an American applicant, but I’m very familiar with the British system because I wanted to go to Cambridge for the longest time. But I know realize that I’m not exactly sure of my major so I wouldnt fare well there. But I really want to study abroad at Cambridge in college. Yale has a cool program with Pembroke College at Cambridge that’s only for Yale students. If you are more of an Oxford person, Stanford has there own campus in Oxford, but I would never sink so low :P</p>
<p>Haha I am much more pro-Cambridge too! There’s just something about it isn’t there?! However my best friend is at Magdalen College, Oxford so I have to be nice for his sake 
Have you ever visited Cambridge though?! It’s truly amazing - even the pictures don’t do it justice 
And also all the Brits love be-friending Americans!! </p>
<p>I am applying for sciences in the UK but only really because those were the subjects I went with for A-Level. If I got into the US, I may look into majoring in something else! Thank you for the heads up admissions-wise… I’m hoping that the holistic approach will give me more of an advantage than in the UK; I’ve always been into a lot of extracurriculars but it doesn’t really give one much of an advantage over here unless you’re applying for med school. </p>
<p>How about you? Are you applying at the moment?? Or are you one of these scarily keen high school juniors/sophomores (which I so desperately wish I was)?!</p>
<p><em>waves</em> Hello fellow English person!!</p>
<p><em>Waves back</em>
Another Brit where are you applying to portugueseninja?! Are you applying to the UK as well??</p>
<p>P.S. Thank you for the encouragement collegedude12345!!</p>
<p>:D I am applying to YALE. And, yanno… some others. (Princeton, Brown, UChicago, Pomona, Oberlin, Grinnell, Mt Holyoke, Colgate, Vassar and maaaaybe Harvard) And you? I am also applying to the UK but I don’t really want to! I reaaally want to study in the US. America = love.</p>
<p>lol portuguese ninja im kind of the same except in another country.</p>
<p>could stay in australia and pay less than $AU8,000 a year (thankyou, Government demolishing full-fee paying places for all undergraduates) to study medicine or law straight out of school… would much rather go to Yale. Parents are most unimpressed. I think east-coast usa is the absolute furthest away from home I could aim for without going to the moon.</p>
<p>america wins because it has ben and jerry’s icecream, reese’s cups, swedish fish, and Aspen.</p>
<p>I just got to know that one of my subject teacher(I don’t know which…) predicted my a-level grade to be a B…(I seriously don’t know why. I mean, I got 5 A’s in AS exam) but there is also at least one A*'s. </p>
<p>Really worried.-_-!</p>
<p>I haven’t been to Cambridge, but I’m DYING to go!!! Hopefully I’ll be able to go this summer!!! I’ve looked at so many pictures it kind of scares me haha. If I studied abroad there I’d probably never come back. You should look into Harvard. It has a ridiculously tight connection with Oxbridge.</p>
<p>You should also make sure that you read up on how to write an essay for an American university. I’ve looked at some of the essays that you guys send in on UCAS and they are completely different that the essays we write for college. I think if you send in one of your Britishy essays to an American college, admissions officers you think its rather… bad hah. Also, did you take the SATI?</p>
<p>I’m actually a senior so I’m waiting anxiously for that early notification!!!</p>
<p>Haha yes the personal statement for UK universities is kind of all essays rolled into one - and so doesn’t require a great amount of literary skill. Are there any good sites/books you can suggest for helping with the essays? I took the November SATI and so am still waiting for the results… Also not sure about Harvard mainly due to the whole 3 subject tests, meaning that I’d have to do one in January and would all be a bit of a rush! And they seem awfully keen on early submission!</p>
<p>Oh good luck for the early action!! Is it December 15th?! Sooo close! And you should definitely go to Cambridge this summer :)</p>
<p>P.S. Sorry I forgot about you portugueseninja! Sounds like you have your list very well-planned out. I think it’s just going to be Yale and a couple of others for me… I’m rapidly losing the motivation with my applications due to having to do all the research and work etc alone 
Talk about an uphill struggle! Sorry to moan!!</p>
<p>But I so know what you mean about not wanting to stay in the UK; now that the idea’s been planted, everything over here seems inferior hehe. Even though it is more complicated in possibly every single way - with SO MANY forms!!! And visas and all these things that never even occurred to me before…</p>
<p>Whoops ;)</p>