<p>Thank you Oldprep for sharing your experience! What course is your daughter study?</p>
<p>My American son is a first year student at Oxford. His experience mirrors everything Oldprep wrote. My son also observed that the typical UK student has an extra year of high school compared to American students. The UK students often attend a “6th form college” in grades 12 and 13, where they prepare for A level examinations. As a result, the UK students enter Oxford with a strong preparation for rigorous coursework. Compared to my own US college education, I think my son’s Oxford coursework is more difficult, faster-paced, and more theoretical. Despite the challenging workload, he has made friends and enjoys the experience. SFBayareaParent, best wishes to your son!</p>
<p>REJ, I think that Oxbridge students start at the same age as Americans, 18. I believe it is just a difference in how they are numbered - kindergarten is called 1st grade. The difference is that the curriculum in Europe is more clear and standardized. My d did high school in France, which culminated in the bac exams, and Cambridge took it as equivalent to A levels. Compared to my American friends, her educational base was more comprehensive, and this is what they build on at Oxbridge, a direct continuation. (In Italy, they do go until they are 19 in high school.) However, I believe you are correct that Oxbridge course is more like sophomore year in an American uni. </p>
<p>I am surprised that more Americans don’t attempt to go to British unis. My d was ready to specialize and revels in the intensive work. Another web site that might interest you is <a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■.co.uk/”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■.co.uk/</a>. </p>
<p>Contact me if you’d like to dialogue as our kids are the same age.</p>
<p>The best way to go about would be to send them an email and get the conversation going. American students going to UK to study is not rare but its not common either. So for the most authentic info, email them and ask your questions and concerns.
From what I know, some UK universities have a fixed quota for international students. So if you get lucky and apply when there are more seats then applicants, you won’t have to go thru that stringent admission criteria.
Good luck!</p>
<p>I think American students are rare is Oxbr. At Camb, I have seen estimates btn 6 and 20 as fully matriculated (i.e. not exchange students). </p>
<p>That site, by the way, is the student room. </p>
<p>Except for medicine*, I don’t think that UK unis have quotas for international students- indeed, most are delighted to have them, as they pay extra fees. Oxford and Cambridge, as alcibiade points out, do not have very many US students, and some of that may be due to a latent superiority complex (American educational standards are not generally well regarded in the UK, with a handful of places such as Harvard seen as outliers). I suspect more of it is that it requires students who are thinking ahead. They need to know what they want to study, and be taking advanced courses by grade 10 (for Oxbridge/LSE level unis). But beyond that, anybody with three good APs (that cluster around a subject area) and a solid SAT by the end of grade 11 has a good shot of an offer from a good UK uni. I also suspect that simple psychological distance is a factor- for both students and parents.</p>
<p>*for medicine, there are very tight limits, which have to do with clinical placements</p>
<p>Alcibiade, thanks for explaining about the different grades in the US and UK! That was very helpful. Thanks also for the suggestion to look at The Student Room website.</p>
<p>My son has found that in math and engineering, the UK students have covered slightly different topics in preparation for Oxford. AP Calculus BC is not identical to A-level Maths and Further Maths. Since math tends to be very sequential, my son’s gaps are periodically exposed. The tutor might say something like, “Based on Smith’s theory, we can see that x=y” and the UK student next to my son will vigorously nod his head in agreement, while my son has never heard of Smith’s theory. As a consequence, my son will need to research Smith’s theory and learn it on his own before he can tackle that day’s assigned problems. My son has managed to catch up, but he definitely works very hard to do so. I’m not sure if this same issue occurs in other majors. </p>
<p>Conversely, my son feels he’s had more computer programming experience than his UK peers, so that’s freed up precious time to work on his math.</p>
<p>Based on my son’s experience, I would encourage other Oxford-bound students in math and engineering to consider taking a couple of math classes at community college in the summer prior to matriculation. It might make the transition easier for others. </p>
<p>Or your kids could just be smarter than mine. That would help, too! :)</p>
<p>REJ, glad to help. My wife is a Brit, so knows the system (though it may have changed some, of course). Pls feel free to contact me directly. We are in France, so closer. What part of the US are you in? (I am from Chicago, but am also Irish.)</p>
<p>My daughter is doing archaeology/anthro, also challenging in terms of content. She has worked on digs, so is more experienced than her cohorts. But the anthro is pretty new to all of them and a very dense field. </p>
<p>They are learning what hard work really means, but with incredible contact with profs thru tutorials. </p>
<p>Collegemom, I think that anyone who gets into Oxbridge would also get into the Ivies. I agree that there is condescension regarding American degrees, but it wd depend on the school - admission professionals do take it into consideration. They certainly respected French degrees. I also do not think there are foreign quotas, though acceptance rates of American are about half those of EU students. </p>
<p>My d, who has an American accent (that she is losing rapidly), feels completely accepted socially, indeed I have never seen her so happy. But Cam may be socially more easygoing than Oxf.</p>
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<p>Chicago, Ireland?</p>
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<p>Oxbridge and the Ivies have pretty different admission standards. There are lots of people who would get into Oxbridge but not the Ivies, and vice versa.</p>
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<p>Agree with keepittoyourself. I’m an alum interviewer for an Ivy other than HYP. I interviewed a candidate who did not get in–and I knew it was unlikely, based on stats. She got into PP&E at Oxford. I also predicted that.</p>
<p>She was very good in things related directly to her interests, but grades in other areas weren’t high. Was commended on NMS. ECs were good, but not great–but all related to her proposed major.She had good AP scores in relevant areas.</p>
<p>Most importantly, she was one of the best interviewees I’ve ever talked with. Interviews don’t matter much for Ivies; my impression is that they do at Oxford. </p>
<p>It’s just a dfferent process. </p>
<p>long time no see, jonri and alcibiade- welcome back! </p>
<p>The overlap is high between Oxbridge and Ivies, but as jonri points out, there are significant differences. The students are probably equally clever, but I know people who were rejected before interview by Oxbridge who are currently attending Stamford, Princeton, and Yale. Equally, I know people currently attending Oxbridge who were turned down not just by Ivies, but colleges a cut below those. There is an element of horses for courses. </p>
<p>The math difference is worth noting- our children have moved around through different schooling systems, including the UK/Irish and the US, and the only challenge they have had is the order in which math in particular, but also languages are taught. So, some units they are in the same place, some they are ahead, and in some they have to do some instant learning. It works out in the end, but it is less stressful if you know that it is coming.</p>
<p>I see Jonri’s point and it relates to the respective styles of schools. Oxbr is very much about specialization and focus at 18, US is more open and “well rounded”. </p>
<p>I wonder, though, about the differences in acceptance rates. The Ivies get so many more applics vis-a-vis available places, at insanely preposterous rates with many never remotely in the running. In the UK, there is more self-selection due to grades and simple numerical limits in UCAS. It seems to me that, to stand out, qualified applicants to Ivies need to either have connections/legacy, fit into some kind of desired non-academic category, have done something extraordinary, or are simply lucky. </p>
<p>Alcibiade, I’m sorry, but I’m a newbie and don’t know how to contact you directly! But we live in the Silicon Valley area of California. Good to know that you are both Irish and from Chicago, perhaps someday you can explain to me how they dye the river green for St. Patrick’s Day!</p>
<p>I don’t have Jonri’s insider view of the US admissions process. However, my son’s experience with the Oxford admissions process is very consistent with what Jonri noted. Based on the example tests on the Oxford website, they appeared to be screening for highly creative thinkers in math and engineering. Solving the problems appears to require a novel application of math principles. Additionally, Oxford’s interview process favors people who can think on their feet and articulate their solutions. I think these skills are entirely appropriate for their tutorial system. </p>
<p>If you like to mull over ideas before solving a problem, you might not shine in a 30-minute Oxford interview, even if your final solution is more elegant. To me it seems that the US and UK admissions processes screen for slightly different skills, and it’s nice that students can choose the system that matches their strengths.</p>
<p>REJ, that is interesting. My d applied to schools in the US and Canada, got into all of them, incl Ivies. But Cam was her first choice all along, a goal from age 12. She oriented herself to it. In terms of work intensity, I think it is a lot like Smith (where I had imagined she’d go when she was very young). In the interview at Cam, they did exactly as you say - made her think on her feet, but also observed that she could “shine” as they say in GB. I guess Jonri is correct. </p>
<p>I send you a message.</p>
<p>I’m planning on majoring in European history and never really considered going out-of-country as a possibility. Instead, I always thought of taking a study abroad semester rather than going to a foreign university. However, my parents suggested I look into it, so I’m trying to collect some information to possibly apply. </p>
<p>I see that AP and IB classes seem to be quite important, but what about dual enrollment? I’ll have my AA degree before I finish high school, and so far have a perfect 4.0 in my college courses and a weighted high school GPA of 5.5. I’ve taken AP Human Geo, AP US Gov, and AP Microeconomics with 5s in the first two and a 4 in micro. I’m taking AP French and AP Art History senior year, which I plan to do very well in since those classes are right up my alley. A lot of my dual enrollment classes are geared towards history and humanities. </p>
<p>I know class rank isn’t overly considered, but I am the expected valedictorian, so I don’t know if that holds any weight. My ECs are also geared towards history, although I know that isn’t that important either. Are SAT scores or something similar required?</p>
<p>Do I have any kind of chance? </p>
<p>Actually, it’s only ECs connected with your subject that British universities including Oxbridge are interested in. I suggest you contact the universities directly to ask about dual enrolment in lieu of APs; it might depend on the college they’ve been taken at. The reason UK universities prefer AP scores to GPA is that it’s a less subjective measure of your abilities, so dual enrolment courses might be regarded with the same concern unless they’re from a really good university. Your local community college probably won’t pass muster from that perspective. Can you take the AP exam in at least one history?</p>
<p>Oxford want 2100+ SAT or 32+ ACT plus 5-scores in 3 APs in history and related subjects; Cambridge wants 5 APs with a score of 5 and good SAT scores.</p>
<p>I am interested in applying for law at Cambridge but most of my APs are completely unrelated (Calculus AB+BC, Physics B, World History, Japanese–non native). </p>
<p>Would this look ridiculous to admission officers? I go to a non-AP school in Canada so I self studied and got all 5s, if that would help at all. </p>
<p>My ECs are mainly Model UN (quite heavily involved) and humanitarian/community work. </p>
<p>Do they care more about your scores (AP, SAT) or relevance to intended subject? </p>
<p>For law, there isn’t a specific set of APs to offer. History is definitely good, because it involves using evidence to support a case, which is highly relevant for Law. But I don’t think you’ve disqualifed yourself from consideration.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I’m a junior in high school here in the US and my dream school is Cambridge. I don’t know that much about applying for schools overseas (and neither do my school counselors), but I would really like to be in the know 
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<p>By the end of this school year, I’ll have taken six APs, not all of them related to what I want to study in the future. Does that mean all my other AP scores will be disregarded? And if only ECs that are related to the field of study are taken into account, do volunteer/service hours count for anything? How about having a job? Teacher recommendations? Does Cambridge have a preference between ACTs and SATs?</p>
<p>I’d appreciate any answers 
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<p>Hi there, lemon. (My d is American and applied from France, to be clear.) I have described the process as we saw it here, you can find it if you look into my stats.</p>
<p>I suggest you go to the Student Room, where there is a ton of info on British Unis. This might also help:</p>
<p><a href=“So who is good enough to get into Cambridge? | University of Cambridge | The Guardian”>http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/jan/10/how-cambridge-admissions-really-work</a></p>