Admissions at UK Universities

Applying to College
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<p>Well I don't know what it's like to study in the US so it's very hard to compare. Oxbridge has three terms a year which are only 8 weeks long, so during that time it's pretty intense. But then we get longer vacations to compensate. The uni is split into 30+ colleges and the college is where you live. Effectively your dorm (but a lot nicer and everyone has single rooms). Teaching is done centrally so the college doesn't really matter from this point of view, especially afte the 1st year. to start with a lot of tutorials happen in college. Most colleges only accept students if they have a teaching fellow in that subject. Some colleges are old, some are new, some have better food, some better sports facilities etc etc. many international students just make an open application so the college choice is assigned for them. As someone said above, you can be "pooled" to a different college, which happened to me.</p>

<p>There is a whole page on the Oxford uni website which goes into detail about how to apply from the US and what scores are needed. It has been linked on this board time and time again but no-one seems able to use it. Google is your friend.</p>

<p>Also try the student room
wwww. the student room .co.uk
remove the spaces.</p>

<p>The UK application process is idiot proof and just one form online at <a href="http://www.ucas.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.ucas.com&lt;/a>
There is an extra application form for Oxbridge. If you want to be interviewed in the US (rather than going to the UK) the deadline is about 20th September! Don't forget.</p>

<p>You know you have to apply for a specific subject in the UK and it's not very easy to change once you're accepted, right? And before someone chimes in with "You can change subjects at Scottish universities, they are just like the US" I can tell that they're NOT. In Scotland (and some English unis too. My sister did this at Lancaster) you can do several subjects in your first year then choose to specialise in one. You can't just choose any subject randomly. It has to be something that is related to your A-level subjects, so probably something you did an AP in if you are coming from the US system. There is a lot less choice.</p>

<p>If you can pay you will certainly get into St Andrews. They want your cash!</p>

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<p>Just to add if you have any specific questions I will try to answer them. but like I said, I don't have the experience of studying in the US to compare it with.</p>

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<p>How is campus life at UK unis? I understand it is much different than the US, where everybody congregates for certain activities, such as sports, etc... but how exactly is it? Do people throw parties often? Is there any form of community, or does everybody just keep to themselves and their studies? Also, how is room/food - you said that everybody lives in colleges, but I've heard that many students find off-campus housing especially as upperclassmen, and are there meal plans?</p>

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<p>Oxford and Cambridge (and most UK unis) don't have a "campus" as such. They are made up of lots of different colleges, which are the residential buildings, and lots of faculty/department buildings scattered throughout the town. Actually in the case of Cambridge in particular is it more like a huge university with a little town scattered between the buildings. If you want a campus (ugly and built of concrete in the 1970s) try York, Warwick or Lancaster.</p>

<p>Some colleges don't provide much cookiing facilities and expect you to pay in advance for a certain number of meals "in hall" provided by them. Others provide kitchens of palatial standard. It depends on the college. Some provide 3 meals a day but other don't do breakfasts. Most colleges have a "formal hall" which is a 3 course meal served to you, most nights. Depending on how rich the college is this costs </p>

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<p>for some reason I cannot post. sending you a PM</p>

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<p>The drinking age is 18 so there is quite a bit of partying etc.</p>

27

<p>As an EU citizen (but studying in an American system), I would only have to pay a maximum of 3,000p if going to the England or Wales, and nothing if I go to Scotland (it is paid by the Scottish something), so I'm really considering going there (3,000p vs. 30,000$ is quite a difference). A representant from LSE came to our school, and he told us that over there, they hardly even look at your SAT's, EC's (as it is the norm in most European universities), and even your high school record. As with most European universities, they only look at the grades of your final exams (A-levels, Bac, Abitur, Selectividad...), which they consider the AP's to be (an advantage for us). While the ignore the UCAS Tariff system (which awards the same number points for an 5 on an AP than for an A on an A-level, to the advantage of american stydents), they REQUIRE at least 5 or 6 AP's with grades of 4 or 5. So I think that in order to have a shot at LSE, you should have something like 9-10 AP's, with good grades in all of them. I've looked at the acceptance rates of some courses, and it is something like 5 %. Another thing that they consider REALLY important, the most important part of the application, is the personal statement (something like the college essay, but with UCAS you only need to write one, which is then submitted to all the universities you applied to). So what I say is: take the maximum number of AP's that you can (even if you think your GPA might suffer by taking the course, study hard for the actual exam and try to get a 4 or a 5), do well on them, and write one hell of a personal statement. AP are actually more useful in Europe than in the USA, were they are mostly only used for placement.</p>

28

<p>doctorx017,</p>

<p>I'm currently studying economics at Cambridge, so I can give you some ideas about the UK system. Answering your questions:</p>

<p>a) do you think I have a chance </p>

<p>Yes, you do have a chance at Oxbridge, judging simply from your stats. But, as you might know, the most significant element of your application is your interview. As you are an international applicant, and therefore, Oxbridge college tutors cannot interview you personally, you are at a disadvantage.</p>

<p>Overall (for all subjects and colleges) acceptance rate at Cambridge is about 25%, but the rate varies amongst different subjects and also different colleges. The easiest subjects are Anglo-saxon Norse and Celtic (who wants to study that for 3 whole years!? :P), and probably theology and classics. The most competitive courses are Economics, Law and Medicine (typical acceptance rates for these 3 are around 15%) and the most prestigious (hence competitive) colleges are Cambridge are Trinity and St. Johns. </p>

<p>The 15% acceptance rate might not seem too bad, considering Harvard, Yale, Princeton all have single digit acceptance rates, but remember that an applicant can only apply to Oxford or Cambridge. So really, to give a more accurate picture, you should divide the rates by two -- about 7.5% for the most competitive courses at Oxbridge (assuming that most students would apply to both Oxford and Cambridge, if they could). So Oxbridge is VERY competitive and their selectivity is comparable to HYPSM.</p>

<p>One more point, the difficulty of getting into Oxbridge depends on you -- are you a more academic oriented person? or more "all-rounded" guy with leadership? If you're the academic type, Oxbridge is easier, as both universities only consider your academic results.</p>

<p>b) where is the best place to apply; </p>

<p>Cambridge is the best university in the UK. This is the general perception in the UK and also backed up by results -- entrance selectivity (measured by UCAS points), world league tables, endowment size and also, number of nobel prize winners. UK employers also seem to prefer Cambridge. I understand why you prefer Oxford, as it has a better reputation in the US. But Oxford really is in decline and Cambridge is of a higher quality and more progressive (evidenced by the recruitment of Allison Richard, ex-provost of Yale and the ex-dean of INSEAD to run our business school).</p>

<p>and c) has anybody applied there (the application seems a bit odd, as I am used to US apps).</p>

<p>The application is really quite simple, compared to the US ones. You need to fill out the UCAS form, which needs a personal statement and a general school reference. There is also a separate application forms for Oxbridge, which need to be in by end of September.</p>

<p>Last piece of advice: work hard on your personal statement; love your teachers and make sure your UCAS reference is glowing; and beast the interview. Hope this helps :)</p>

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<p>I'm a junior in a US high school, and reading this thread has finally convinced me to apply to Cambridge. I was toying with the idea earlier in the year (I actually visited when I was younger and made it my dream to go there until reality came knocking), but I wasn't sure if I wanted to commit myself to one subject. However, I've since changed my mind about my future academic goals and know that if I were accepted at Cambridge, I would go without hesitation.</p>

<p>Cost is not a huge issue, nor are my grades/AP's/test scores (my SAT score is 2370, I've taken a scary number of AP classes and have gotten fives on all the tests, and I like to think that I'm a good writer). I just need advice on which college to apply to. I went to Cambridge's website and looked at individual colleges, but I've only been able to eliminate the women's-only colleges and the colleges for mature students. In other words, I'm feeling a little lost.</p>

<p>I know that the chance of getting in is very slim for a US student, but is there anyone who would be willing to give me advice about colleges to which I should apply? Which are best known in Medicine (I know, I know, I'm dreaming, but there's always a tiny chance! :) ). Which have the best housing? Which are most/least social? How is the support system in the colleges? I'm going to take the BMAT (I've actually done well on the practice tests on their website! I don't know if it's an accurate representation of the actual test, though...).</p>

<p>Sorry if this is long. I just have a lot of questions. I may even end up answering half of them myself by continuing to look through threads and exploring the Cambridge website.</p>

<p>Thanks,
Sheep</p>

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<p>CuddlySheep,</p>

<p>Try the Cambridge Alternative Prospectus. It is produced by CUSU (Cambridge University Student Union) and should provide more information about the university and also individual colleges.</p>

<p>The college best known for Medicine is GONVILLE AND CAIUS. The most friendly college is GIRTON -- mainly because its out of town centre location. About the choice of college, it doesn't really matter in the end as most of them are very similar.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much, evian. I'll check those right away :).</p>

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<p>
[quote]
As an EU citizen (but studying in an American system), I would only have to pay a maximum of 3,000p if going to the England or Wales, and nothing if I go to Scotland (it is paid by the Scottish something), so I'm really considering going there (3,000p vs. 30,000$ is quite a difference).

[/quote]

This is not correct. If you are an EU citizen AND live in the EU, you would qualify for home fees (or student support in Scotland). If, however, you reside outside of the EU, you would not qualify for home fees or student support. There may be an exception if you have diplomatic status. See the following web site for more info on student support in Scotland:
<a href="http://www.student-support-saas.gov.uk/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.student-support-saas.gov.uk/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

33

<p>Can you explain why Oxford has an acceptance rate or 7.5% , I really didn't get your explanation. =p</p>

34

<p>MSMDAD - That is slightly incorrect. I have seen many of my fellow EU and UK citizen classmates qualify for home fees even though they have never actually lived in the EU/UK. If you can prove that you are temporarily living outside the EU/UK you may be able to qualify for home status.</p>

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<p>Oxford's overall acceptance rate is about 25%. For the most competitive courses, 15%.</p>

<p>But I don't like the ppl bashing Oxbridge, saying we have a high acceptance rate compared to HYPSM. So my point is that to give a more realistic picture, one should divide the Oxbridge acceptance rates by two, because you are not allowed to apply to both universities, whereas in the US, you can apply to as many unis as you want.</p>

<p>Sorry about the confusion :)</p>

36

<p>inshallah, As one of your fellow EU citizens I looked into this for my DD, who is also an EU citizen. If you are an EU citizen, all the schools that we looked into (in the UK and Ireland) indicated what I stated in my earlier post. I would like to know how EU citizens who have never lived in the EU can prove that they are "temporarily" living outside of the EU? I can certainly understand that those who have diplomatic status would qualify, but are there others?</p>

37

<p>Sorry if my post was misleading but I am not an EU citizen. However I study in a British school and 99% of the graduating class enrol in a UK university, 90% of whom will be paying home fees. Most of my friends are in the process of doing this. Firstly your daughter has to possess an offer or acceptance from the university. Once this has been recieved you can call/e-mail them and say you would like to apply for a EU status or home satus (only for UK citizens). The wording is extremely important. The university should then post/fax/e-mail you a form of somesort with variuos questions. It is easier to recieve EU status if you have property or a telephone line in your country. The main requirement is some kind of letter from your employer stating that you are working on a temporary work contract and that you will be returning back home once you have finished your work. It is also helpful to have been travelling regularily (atleast once a year) to your home country. Many universities ask for photocopies of every page of the students passport (some since 2000) and ask for dates of travel to your home country since the beginning of mankind! Looking at my friends do all this makes me kind of glad that I don't have to but in the long run I'll be in shedloads of debt! lol Good luck with your daughter.</p>

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<p>inshallah, sorry, but when you enter the EU with an EU passport, passport control does not generally stamp you passport. The situations that you describe (telephone, property, and temporary work contract) do not apply to me. Good luck to you! And I hope that you get into the schools that you applied to, inshallah.</p>

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<p>about the application...</p>

<p>a) what is topic of the personal statement, and what importance does it carry in admissions?</p>

<p>b) how important are recommendations, and how many are necessary?</p>

<p>c) i see that materials science and engineering science have relatively high acceptance rates...are they actually easy (comparatively) to get into, or is the group of applicants simply more self-selective?</p>

<p>answers to any and all of the above would be greatly appreciated</p>