What it says in the title. Figured I can’t be the only one. Would love to see what you all have to say as well as to know I’m not alone. If you’re an American applying to UK unis for 2024 entry, say hi!
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My son graduated from Edinburgh a year ago. I remember your situation very well, and the thread on CC at the time gave me much-needed info to help him regarding UCAS and other such things. If you have specific questions, I’ll do my best to answer. Good luck to you!
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I think my daughter will be applying. She’s interested in Hartpury University for their equine program.
so cool! good luck to her 
My S24 submitted his UCAS this week. He will take Maths Admissions Test for Oxford this month.
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My son is very interested in going to school in the UK but the process is confusing. I don’t even know when applications are due.
Here are the application deadlines according to UCAS, https://www.ucas.com/advisers/managing-applications/application-deadlines#:~:text=Deadlines%20for%20UCAS%20Undergraduate%20applications&text=5%20September%202023%3A%20Completed%20undergraduate,%3A00%20(UK%20time)
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I note the St Andrews rep we spoke to suggested they basically have rolling admissions for US applicants. It really depended on the course, but you could potentially get decisions pretty early if you applied early.
Good luck to him. The Mathematical Institute has lots of resources to prepare for the MAT.
https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/study-here/undergraduate-study/maths-admissions-test
D24 plans to apply to University of Edinburgh and possibly 1-2 additional UK universities.
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Thank you. He has used the site for his practice. They are very challenging.
Anyone else gearing up to apply at or before the upcoming Oxbridge deadline (10/16)?
Hi! I’m applying to the University of Glasgow, Queen’s University Belfast, University of London Institute in Paris, Stirling University, and University of Kent (all for International Relations w/ French).
I have some questions if anyone might have answers.
Does anyone know how the education section works? I’ve entered my AP scores (5, 5, 5, 5), but can I choose not to enter my SAT score? It’s a 1300 which I don’t like very much. ALSO do I have to enter every single class and grade since freshman year under the high school diploma qualification? Do I even have to put the high school diploma as a qualification? I’ve heard conflicting answers. Please help me out if you know anything.
Also, I’m okay applying as an independent applicant, right? Not through a “school” or “centre” because none of that exists over here.
Lastly, are my expectations too high/too low? My AP scores mean that I meet the entry requirements for much more prestigious/selective universities than the ones I’m applying to, but I also don’t want to be rejected by multiple schools (hence my choices).
Please respond if you have insight on any of my questions.
UCAS requires you to report ALL test scores. You can’t pick & choose what to report.
When my son applied to Oxford, he did indeed put all his classes and all his grades under the High School qualifications.
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Ok, thanks. Also, do you remember how the reference section worked for your son? I’m confused on whether I should ask my history teacher (who knows me way better and could speak more relevantly to my chosen courses), or my guidance counselor (who doesn’t know me very well but has access to my transcript and more context for my school). Some people online have said to ask a teacher, some have said the guidance counselor, and others have said to ask multiple teachers to send their responses to my guidance counselor so that she can consolidate that into one letter. I’m very lost. 
Also, did your son have to get predicted grades? Because that’s of course not familiar to any of my teachers or counselors in the US. If so, who predicted them for him?
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My S18 got his history teacher to do the reference (he was applying for PPE). He was fortunate that this teacher had done a masters at Oxford so knew what was needed. Whoever does this needs to be willing to write a custom reference in the style UCAS require, which is very different from US references. That is more important than exactly who writes it (FYI in the UK these are typically written centrally by the school, drawing on individual teachers’ comments as needed). Since it’s expected you will be predicted all 5s if applying to Oxford, that’s what his teacher put down.
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My son was lucky in that his math teacher in 11/12 grade was an Oxford grad who had taught at one of the largest Oxbridge feeder schools in London before coming to the US. She knew the LoR drill cold.
I agree with @Twoin18 on using the history teacher as opposed to the guidance counselor. This is an academic reference letter, not the generic US school letter that a guidance department sends out.
My son had all of his necessary scores in hand by the time of his UCAS, so no predicted grades were needed. Your LoR writer should predict any necessary grades in their letter.
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With 4 AP scores already done, you should not need predicted scores. Check the requirements for the program you seek at each uni (under the USA applicant section) and it will tell you what you need. With four “5’s” I suspect you’ll be all set.
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So yesterday S24 submitted his St Andrews application via Common App. We will see how it goes . . . .
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how is everyone approaching the “personal statement”? What do UK schools look for with this?