<p>As an American student, the first thing you’ll need to know is that the English and Scottish university systems are different. If you study at an English University, you’ll study ONE subject for three years. This is radically different than a U.S. four-year liberal arts degree, and as a result few Americans pursue full time undergraduate degrees in England. </p>
<p>Many American students do apply to Scottish Universities, however, which were the original model for the American system. The degree is four years and you study multiple subjects in your first two years, specializing in 1-2 subjects in your last two years. </p>
<p>If you are interested in Math AND Science and other areas, you’ll want to look into Scotland given the greater flexibility.</p>
<p>The University of St. Andrews (Scotland) and McGill (Canada) are the two most popular 4-year destinations for Americans based on applications. I know this school better than the others so will comment on it primarily. </p>
<p>St. Andrews has so many Americans attending (1000 with 600 full time) that it’s become a reasonably main-stream decision in the last few years, particularly among private/boarding schools where it’s popularity has soared. Edinburgh, Aberdeen and others are also attracting increasing numbers of Americans, among some others. See a New York Times article on the topic here:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/education/01scotland.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/education/01scotland.html</a></p>
<p>Well known UK rankings place St. Andrews third, fourth, fifth and seventh in the UK overall, depending on which you consult. The school ranks first in Student Satisfaction. The U.S. Fiske Guide is the only American college guide to discuss St. Andrews, and they rave about it, ranking it 4 1/2 stars academically and saying it is roughly equivalent to Tufts and Emory in terms of admissions difficulty for an American, i.e. about 1 in 5 Americans are accepted. It’s more difficult for UK students to get in, where 1 in 10 are accepted.</p>
<p>The Times Online Good University Guide will give you ratings by subject area. They rank St. Andrews 4th in Math after Oxford, Cambridge and Warwick. Find it here:</p>
<p>[University</a> Rankings League Table 2010 | Good University Guide - Times Online](<a href=“The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines”>The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines)</p>