British Student Seeking Starting Advice

Student Lounge International Students
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<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I have recently decided to research US universities to see if it is a viable option for me to study in the US, and so I thought I'd post with a few questions to point me in the right direction of what to look into.</p>

<p>I am currently 18, and am taking a gap year before university due to having resat a few of my A-level modules. This may require a little explanation, I don't know. There are 6 modules in 1 A-level, so I took 24 modules. You typically take 12 at 17 and 12 at 18. I resat 5 of those I took at 17 at the same time as I took the 12 at 18 due to family circumstances having affected my performance.</p>

<p>I took the normal number of GCSEs and A-levels; your GCSEs are the kind of general all subject knowledge and the A-levels are chosen to be alot more specific.</p>

<p>I received the results in June, and so my academic record is as follows:
GCSE - 10 A* (Highest grade possible is A*)
[Biology, Chemistry, English Language, English Literature, French, German, History, Mathematics, Physics, Religious Studies]</p>

<p>A-Level - 4A (Highest grade possible is A)
[Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics]</p>

<p>I played basketball and lacrosse at a high school level (Although I was an average player on both teams rather than someone who would be able to play at university level) and have done around 300 hours of voluntary work over the past year or so. I am a member of MENSA. Oh, and I have ridden practically every good mountain biking trail there is in Britain.</p>

<p>So, my questions:
I was wondering what my GPA would be, and if there was a standard conversion from UK grades into a US GPA.</p>

<p>Also, what are my chances as my results stand of acceptance to a top US university without sitting the SAT (I'm a little reluctant to take the SAT because it seems so many people have tutors for months in order to get a high score, and I haven't taken English as a subject in 2 years (Though this is quite normal in the UK).</p>

<p>I am considered by the high school that I have just left to be a strong candidate for Oxbridge (The portmanteau referring to Oxford and Cambridge), and was wondering if the same would be true for Ivy League US universities?</p>

<p>Finally, I have heard the term diversity used a lot with reference to non-US students filling required quota. I presume the Ivy league universities don’t have any issue achieving the required number of international students, so being a foreign citizen wouldn’t be of any benefit to me in terms of possibility for acceptance?</p>

<p>Thank you in advance,</p>

<p>James</p>

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<p>Oh, and I've also done some research into granular materials at Cambridge University.</p>

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<p>I think it is possible not to take the SAT I for MIT, as long as you do take the Toelf and SAT II's.</p>

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<p>Do you still have to take the SAT II etc even if you have full A-levels (Rather than an AS which is just the aqard after the 1st 3 modules of each subject).</p>

<p>If I were to take the SAT and SAT II etc, would I be at a disadvantage having come from an education system not focused towards these examinations or is the US and UK educational material very similar in content?</p>

<p>Also, there was a US student at my high school who had no academic qualifications because apparently in the US there is no set examination in each subject, just the APs and standard achievement tests. Is this the case, and if so would my GCSEs and A-Levels count as APs?</p>

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<p>
[QUOTE]
Do you still have to take the SAT II etc even if you have full A-levels (Rather than an AS which is just the aqard after the 1st 3 modules of each subject).

[/QUOTE]

If these tests are required for admission, yes. I'm not sure if you have to take the TOEFL though, because you're from the UK.</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]
If I were to take the SAT and SAT II etc, would I be at a disadvantage having come from an education system not focused towards these examinations or is the US and UK educational material very similar in content?

[/QUOTE]

Just buy some, or a lot, of SAT preparation books. That's what most people do. Every international student has to take the SAT and people from countries where English isn't the official language are far more disadvantaged than you are, but they still get goods results ; )</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]
Also, there was a US student at my high school who had no academic qualifications because apparently in the US there is no set examination in each subject, just the APs and standard achievement tests. Is this the case, and if so would my GCSEs and A-Levels count as APs?

[/QUOTE]

Not exactly as APs. But schools will probably give you extra credit for your GCSEs and A-Levels. Just check with the university you want to go to.</p>

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<p>[James88] SAT-IIs are much easier than A-Levels. Just make sure you buy a good practice book to familiarize yourself with the test format and you should do fine.</p>

<p>Based on your qualifications though (AAAA in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology), I would definitely apply to Cambridge or Oxford which are BTW much easier to get into than the U.S. Ivies. Cambridge's acceptance rate for example stands around 25 % compared to less than 10 % for Harvard (that percentage BTW is even lower for internationals). Besides, as a UK student, it is far cheaper to study at Oxbridge than in the US (even if you get financial aid from HYP). In case you want to study in the US though, you can always finish your first degree in the UK and then go to graduate school in the States.</p>