<p>I am a rising senior in the United States, and I have developed an interest in the University of Cambridge in the UK. I've heard that it is incredibly difficult for an American to be accepted, and that test scores and grades factor greatly into the admissions process. I am specifically interested in studying Economics at Trinity College, which claims to only give offers on the basis of APs rather than ACT/SATs, specifically for at least 5 5's in APs related to the subject of interest. I was hoping to find someone knowledgeable to assess my potential as a candidate for admissions:</p>
<p>APs (all earned 5's):
Calculus BC (w/ AB subscore)
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
Statistics
English Language and Composition
Psychology
Chemistry
U.S. History</p>
<p>Courses related to Economics, all of which were taken at the University of Montana despite my status as a high school student and in which I received A's (or Mathematics which may contribute to my ability to handle the mathematical aspects of Economics):
Principles of Microeconomics
Intermediate Microeconomics with Calculus
Intermediate Macroeconomics
Advanced Econometrics (Graduate-level)
Financial Economics (Taken at Columbia University)
Advanced Microeconomic Theory
Game Theory
AP Calculus BC
Multivariable Calculus
Partial Differential Equations
AP Statistics</p>
<p>Cambridge does only take a few Americans. Part of the reason is that they find Americans are not always well prepared for the UK system. Your UMontana courses will help - it shows some ability to deal with university courses.
Cambridge applications are due on October 15 - and that means that the non-electronic part must be in Cambridge then. And it has to be printed on A4 sized paper. So, start your work now. Go to the Cam. website which will show you how to apply.
Cam. won’t care at all about extracurriculars. They may require an interview and they may require that you do it there. This varies by both college and course.
You look like a solid candidate, and I encourage you to move forward with your application. (My child applied to Camb, got as far as being asked to interview, then withdrew because of an ED acceptance.)</p>
Trinity is one of the hardest colleges to get into, so keep that in mind.</p>
<p>What you’ve stated is NOT specific to Trinity, as most if not all schools in the UK give offers to US applicants based on AP scores. AP scores are considered the equivalent of A-levels.</p>
<p>Frankly, there is no such Oxbridge college that “hardest to get into”. I’m a member of the most prestigious Oxford college, and now have some insight as regards admissions at two colleges, and apart from the fact that many people are freaking out when hearing some college names, there’s no such a big difference. To be precise, there is no difference at all. I know people at Cam who got rejected from Queens (decent old college) and got accepted by Trinity next year. Depends on luck, I’m guessing…</p>
<p>Anyway, there are indeed not many people from the states studying for a BA, nor Cambridge or Oxford, although at a grad level, there are a lot at both places</p>
<p>Gerald I would dispute that there is such a thing as a prestigious college - all colleges are prestigious…you talk as though it is better to be accepted by Trinity than Queens’ for instance - what is the logic of that?</p>