<p>What subject would you want to study at Oxford or Cambridge? Acceptance rates vary from course to course dependent on the number of applications.</p>
<p>Some of the courses require pre-admission tests PAT, BMAT, HAT etc at Oxford ( I’m not as up on the Cambridge admission process ) but know that the STEP papers are important for Maths. Do well in the tests and you book yourself an interview, do well at interview, you get an offer and your predicted grades seem to suggest that will then be a walk in the park.</p>
<p>You probably already know that EC’s are completely irrelevant for Oxbridge, the Tutors who will interview you chose those with the potential to excel in their subject -and thats it! They’re not interested in your sporting prowess, they’re not going to be teaching you tennis!</p>
<p>However I have to say your achievements list is excellent and you seem to tick the boxes for the Ivies in that you appear well rounded and at an incredibly high standard. </p>
<p>LSE should definitely be considered in the league of HYPSMCO, but since you’re probably one of the best applications I’ve ever seen I think you have really strong chances at all of them and I’d be surprised if you didn’t get into at least half of those.</p>
<p>Hey guys. Thanks for all the chances. They have been very very useful (not to mention boosting my ego :D, just kidding). Can someone please tell me about the need-based financial aid policy for the top schools (HYPSM)? For example, do you fill it out at the same time as the normal common app and supplement. Is it a different form than the supplement? When’s the deadlines for financial aid forms? Do you get information about your aid package during getting admission results? I went to the websites for the individual schools but I can’t seem to find information on tidbits like the ones asked above. </p>
<p>Also, one more question. I have already mentioned I’m an American Citizen but live in India. Thus that mean my application gets stockpiled with International Applications or does it go with domestic applications. I had lived in Georgia when I was in America so does it go with the Georgian applications (I don’t think it does but I feel it would be safe to check with ya’ geniuses)? Or am I completely wrong and being a big oaf? Thanks guys. Once again you people are AWESOME.</p>
<p>Hey mate! I’m an IGCSE/IB lad as well, and so this is what I have to say about all the non-US universities(can only speak for the UK):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You have brilliant IB predicted scores, and this will get you an offer in all besides Oxbridge, where the interview rules.</p></li>
<li><p>You only have 8 IGCSE subjects. Most candidates to Oxbridge have 12-14 (I)GCSEs. This sets you at a disadvantage against the other application pool. Cambridge gives 1.0 points for an A*, and 0.6 points for an A and totals them up.
<a href=“Cambridge Admissions Office |”>Cambridge Admissions Office |;
<li><p>For the purpose of UK universities, your extracurriculars, (apart from the internship) do not matter. You heard me. They do not matter. That is, the presence of them doesn’t matter. Admissions to LSE and the other Londonians as well as Oxbridge is 80% numbers-based. What WILL BODE WELL is if you write your personal statement on these achievements, as that would make for an interesting read.</p></li>
<li><p>Cambridge Outstanding Achiever awards don’t rank the whole country, and all the UK universities know this. The US doesn’t, so that bodes well for you. The “Top in xx” awards are given to 10 people, and are only out of the ones that took IGCSEs IN THAT SUBJECT, IN THAT COUNTRY. For ICT, the number in my host country(China) is around 5,000 people. Still impressive, but wouldn’t hold any ground on a UCAS form.</p></li>
<li><p>You can’t give an “acceptance rate” for LSE and Oxbridge as a whole universities. This is because the acceptance rates in those universities are 100% dependent on the course. This is unlike US universities, where everyone is admitted into the same pool, the freshman pool. I, for one, know that in Cambridge, Art History has an acceptance rate of 40%. PPE in Oxford, on the other hand, has it below 4%. Certain programmes at LSE are highly selective; those for Economics and Econometrics have them at less than 1%. IR at LSE is around 5%. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>For Oxbridge, your scores will DEFINITELY(maybe not, if they use GCSEs as a tiebreaker this year) get you an interview; but then the interview decides all. </p>
<ol>
<li>Generally speaking, most colleges have the same deadlines for the main app and the fin aid stuff, though some of them differ on this; check your schools’ websites again because this information **can **be found there. In any case, every university has a fin aid application deadline that you need to adhere to.</li>
</ol>
<p>You must apply for financial aid in advance, or at the very least indicate that you intend to do so; I have heard of people who neglected to fill submit the fin aid app, but informed Harvard of their financial situation after being accepted and still received aid, but that is an extremely unusual occurrence and only the richest schools would contemplate doing such a thing (and they don’t have to! So don’t just assume it will happen). Most universities will not be able to offer you aid post factum. So no, you can’t apply after being accepted; you have to stick to the deadlines.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You will not know your fin aid package until you get accepted.</p></li>
<li><p>You are not an international applicant and will be treated as a domestic applicant. In fact, being an American expat can only boost your chances as one of CommonApp’s new questions pertains to living abroad, which implies that people like you are highly valued by universities for the unique perspectives they can bring to campus.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I think you should stop asking for responses. Your continual basking in praises and demanding more is sickening. You know damn well how good your credentials are; you don’t need people to “chance” you. You’re just doing this to exemplify the typical CC prick that everyone associates CC as. But in the end, it all boils down to whether you do get accepted into the universities you want or not, and hopefully a university will see your present personality reflected in your essays and reject you.</p>
FALSE. Admission rates are not calculated based on how many place students “fight for” but on how many admission offers the university makes to fill in all of its places. LSE does not release that information, as far as I know.</p>
<p>^^ let’s face it, you will get into pretty much all of them. Your various achievements give a variety of amazing essay topics for you to chose from. Your work in Microfinance, IMO would make for an amazing essay title. So unless you fail IB the UK universities are honestly safeties. As for the Ivy league University, I’d say Dartmouth College, Cornell and Brown are safeties, and the other five are matches.</p>
<p>Thanks a ton Noragon, urberville, and even 2012. First of all 2012, I think you’re right. But I attribute this rightness to an innate human tendency. We all sometimes like to increase our self-esteem by listening to compliments. Let’s face it, everyone to some extent, welcomes them. Yet, I was “fishing” for them. I simply was looking for candid responses to my question:that of getting into my target universities. Nevertheless, thank you for your opinion.</p>
<p>@urberville are you sure?</p>
<p>@Noragon thank you very much but I would like to remind you that ivy’s are crapshoots for anyone, even the most qualified candidates. Your statements inspire confidence, and I thank you for that again, but I don’t think Ivy’s are ever safeties for anybody.</p>
<p>Haha Kieran, I didn’t know myself until now. But now that it has dug out, best make use of it. Kieran, what if you’re taking economics as a major? Do you still need science SAT 2’s?</p>
<p>And guys, for my common application, I have about a total of 36 hours spent per week on extracurriculars. Based on the information given in the chance me posts, I know its accurate and the truth. But me knowing the veracity of it isn’t going to be any help. Its the admission officers that count. Will they think 36 is too high. This is how I’ve divided it.</p>
<p>Eutopia (Microcredit)- 7 hours a week, 50 weeks, Standards 9,10,11, and 12
Project Synergy-11 hours a week, 50 weeks Standards, 9, 10, 11,12
Research on Microcredit in Urban Areas, 4 hours a week, 35 weeks, Standars 11 and 12
Head Boy duties-2 hours, 30 weeks Standards, 9,10 (Junior Head Boy),11, 12
Captain of Tennis Varsity Team-7 hours a week, 40 weeks, Standards 11, and 12
Economics Club President- 4 hours a week, 30 weeks Standards 10,11, and 12
Editor in Chief- 3 hours a week, 30 weeks Standards 10,11, and 12
Internship at Kotak Bank-40 hours a week, only 3 months during the Summer, In the summer of Standard 10</p>
<p>What do you think? I have not inflated any information, but what will colleges think?</p>
<p>Like I said before, Oxbridge don’t really care if you play tennis and the other EC’s relevance will depend on the course you apply for. If its Economics then maybe but you can’t waste many lines on your personal statement on ECs. If you mentioned the hours per week you spend on them that would be a turn off for them. The workload with just 3 x 8 week terms is incredibly intensive and they want you focused on their work/lectures/tutorials. Are you aware that Oxford colleges do not let students hold part time jobs during term times because of this?</p>
<p>For Oxford you really have to show passion for your subject in your personal statement and in the interviews. That’s really all it takes once you have the grades. Don’t even mention the EC’s.</p>
<p>I have and older brother at Oxford, all he had was grades. There were a few economics related EC’s but that was it. No leadership whatsoever. I personally think that if you get 45 points in IB (offer is conditional) your in; 45 points is just crazy. (my bro got 3A* and As and he is in Said business school). Ofc your personal statement has to stand out too but it is far more straightforward than the US commonapp essay; it’s better if you write your personal statement from a more objective stance.</p>
<p>Thank you guys for your replies. However, I would like to clarify that my main preference is attending college in the United States. In terms of these colleges, can any of you comment on the hours question? Thanks a lot for the info CC’ers!</p>