<p>I'm in the midst of my college search, and am very interested in attending a college in the UK. St. Andrews University in Scotland is on my list, and I'm studying at Cambridge this summer (which I know is close to impossible for American students to attend), but it all seems to confuse me...I understand the system is very different. Isn't it 3 years instead of 4? Can you only study ONE subject, with no room to explore any other area? How do you decide what "college" of a university to apply to? Which schools are more open to accepting Americans? (I know St. Andrews is). I'm looking to pursue studies in drama/theater. Could you inform me of some great universities that are great in this subject? I understand you can only apply to either Cambridge OR Oxford, which I think I really would like to do. But please help me out! I know that the University of London/Durham/Warwick/Lancaster/York are also considered good? I've looked at the League Tables, but that just seems to confuse me more. Any help would be really appreciated!!!!</p>
<p>Take a look at Richmond in London: [Study</a> at Richmond, The American International University in London](<a href=“http://www.richmond.ac.uk/]Study”>http://www.richmond.ac.uk/)</p>
<p>You’re correct that the majority of programs in the UK are for 3 years unless you’re doing a joint bachelor’s/master’s or something. In the UK system students don’t “major” in an area and then take courses outside that major. Students select a course of study and basically do not take classes outside of that program. You can do a degree in, say, Economics and Political Science but there is no minoring and you’re basically locked into the program you select unless you transfer out. The system is much more rigid than in the US but the Scottish universities tend to a bit more “Americanized”.</p>
<p>Admissions is very simple. You pick the university or universities you are interested in and then apply to a particular course of study at those universities. You don’t just apply to the university…you’re either accepted into the program, waitlisted (essentially), denied OR offered a spot in a less competitive course. </p>
<p>There are many, many great universities in the UK. According to “good schools guide”, Warwick, Kent, Royal Hollaway at the University of London and Lancaster are strong in theatre studies. Drama students tend to go to conservatory type schools rather than the traditional universities. Keep in mind that while most schools will look at your SAT or ACT scores and GPA, your AP and/or IB scores are very important. Most universities require at least 3 APs and a score of 4 on those APs. This is because students in the UK are admitted solely on the scores of their GCSEs/ A levels and our APs tend to be analgous to those certifications. </p>
<p>Hope that was somewhat helpful. I’m originally from Wales and did a year abroad at Cardiff. What confused you about the league tables by the way? They’re essentially no different than the US News Rankings.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info. The only reason I didn’t find the league tables super helpful was because it didn’t specify which subjects each college was strong in; and because you only really study one thing, that’s fairly important!</p>
<p>I had the exact same questions when I applied. Fortunately, I am English but I live in America, so I had my family to help me out. </p>
<p>Universities in England are 3 years instead of 4, yes. However, Scottish universities, such as St. Andrews, are 4 years of study and not 3. </p>
<p>I believe you can only study one subject in the British university system unless there is a specified “double major”/“dual enrollment” program. A Minor is not really something that is offered in the system, so you would need to pick just one subject to focus on. </p>
<p>I chose to apply to my schools based on the Guardian list (and many others) of who was the best school with my program, English Literature. You can see the list here: [University</a> guide 2012 subjects | Education | guardian.co.uk](<a href=“http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/series/university-guide-2012-subjects]University”>University guide 2012 subjects | Education | The Guardian)
In the end, I applied to Durham University, the University of York, Warwick University, University College of London, and the University of St. Andrews. I was unconditionally accepted at St. Andrews, conditionally accepted at York, and rejected from the rest. </p>
<p>Good luck :)</p>
<p>Well SillyStockey92 beat me to it with the gaurdian link. That should give you a pretty good idea of what universities are strong in your field of study. Also check out Edinburgh and Glasgow if you’re interested in studying in Scotland. In the UK as a whole, the Russell Group universities have good reputations. </p>
<p>Good luck! UCAS opens in August so you could start preparing your application soon.</p>
<p>Also congrats, Silly!</p>
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<p>I don’t want to burst your bubble but you’ve been misinformed, it’s very easy for Americans to attend these things - nobody else wants to. Cambridge summer programmes, like all summer programmes in Europe are just a way of universities making money from unsuspecting Americans and other internationals. These programmes aren’t affiliated with the university; the company that runs them simply rents Cambridge’s classrooms and accommodation for the summer.</p>
<p>The best places to study drama and theatre are as drg0nz0 said the conservatoires, but they’re even more restrictive than British universities. Yes, British universities are certainly more restrictive that American colleges, but lots of places offer drama/theatre degrees in combination with other subjects. </p>
<p>Here are some names to consider:</p>
<p>Central School of Speech and Drama (part of the University of London)
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
University of Bristol
University of Glasgow
University of Warwick
Goldsmiths College (part of the University of London)</p>
<p>Also forgot to mention that you can apply to both Oxford AND Cambridge. I’m not sure where you heard that it was either one or the other? These are two, separate universities in two, separate towns- despite what the term “Oxbridge” might lead some yanks to think.</p>
<p>ETA: Richmond, The American International University in London has a pretty bad reputation. Thought that was worth a mention too.</p>
<p>^ NO; you cannot apply to both Cambridge and Oxford for undergraudate level. You can only apply to both univesities when you are applying for grad/postgrad level.</p>
<p>Sorry about that! I just realized that I was mistaken and came back to edit my post. I tend to think in terms of post graduate admissions by default since that is the level at which I am applying.</p>
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All internationals are held to the same standard. I think it’s something like 5 in 3 AP tests for those in the AP system.</p>
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Yes, unless you go to St. Andrews, which I heard is 4 years?</p>
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You apply to for a course and study only that. You may only apply to 5 courses. You may apply to more than one course in one school. There is only one personal statement.</p>
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You can check various online resources, like other forums or the alternative prospectuses that are published. </p>
<p>Trinity College in Cambridge is really competitive. </p>
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For the upcoming year, St. Andrews will accept the CommonApp and the UCAS application. If you are ONLY applying to the University of St Andrews within the UK, and you are definitely classed as Overseas for fees purposes then you should make a Direct application.</p>
<p>St Andrews has long-standing and extensive ties with the United States and Canada and currently around fifteen percent of our undergraduate student body is from North America (including our Study Abroad students).</p>
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Yes this is true. I’m not quite sure what you would apply for in Oxbridge since you’re interested in drama/theatre which Oxbridge doesn’t have.</p>
<p>Be sure you can afford this, the exchange rate is poor with the weak USD and there will be international fees added to your tuition in most cases, you can expect to see a cost of $40-50k USD. Can you family afford that? And are you certain enough about what you want to do that you are comfortable choosing this option? UK universities are not set up to easily change majors as US ones do.</p>
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<p>All internationals are held to the same minimum standard BUT different students will obviously receive different terms of acceptance if their offer is conditional. For example, the minimum requirement for Oxford is all 5’s on 3 AP exams but student X might be offered acceptance only if they obtain all 5’s on 4 APs. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that minimum requirements vary from university to university. While Oxbridge wants, say, 5555 on APs, Kent only requires a min. of 2 APs with a score of 3 on each. </p>
<p>Just make sure you’re up on the requirements for each university so that you can line your schedule up accordingly. </p>
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<p>And you’ll also have to narrow down your choices even further to a firm and an insurance (your backup) if you apply to multiple courses. </p>
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<p>If ** abcdefg1 ** is competitive for Oxbridge, he/she could do a course in a complimentary subject and still participate in the world class theatre clubs/other ECs these two universities offer.</p>
<p>Wow, a lot of information. I really appreciate it; and Dionysus58, I didn’t mean it was competitive to get into the summer program I’m doing; I meant that it’s close to impossible for American undergraduates to get into Cambridge. I guess I didn’t realize Oxbridge didn’t offer drama, but because I’m more interested in performing rather than studying theater/theater literature as a whole and am interested in other subjects, it might be alright for me. And is it really possible to double major in England? I would absolutely love that…</p>