<p>Hi, I am a student from the United Sates of America (although born in Asia), and I wanted to ask the community if I would be a strong choice to be accepted into the University of Oxford or University College London. I have heard that British colleges tend not to look at GPA, so I won't bother listing it. Also since I will not recieve the results for my AP Calculus BC, and AP Phyisics B & C exams until after applications are due, so I took the SAT II subject tests. I am currently a Junior in high school</p>
<p>SAT I: 2300 (all parts above 700, as required)
SAT II: Math I: 730
Math II: 740
Physics: 760</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars (not counted for much but I thought I would list them):
Orchestra
FIRST Robotics Team member
Student Council Treasurer
I have a Private Pilots License (PPL)
Mu Alpha Theta member
Science Honor Society member
Founder of Astronomy club at my school
National Honor Society member
I can speak Hindi and English fluently, I know Morse code, and am learning Ancient Greek
I took French for 3 years in High School</p>
<p>At school I took the most rigorous classes available (and will be next year), including all AP courses offered (except AP Psychology), and made a 5 or 4 in all of them. What chance do I have of getting into Oxford or University College London? I plan on studying Physics (later getting a Ph.D in Theoretical Physics). Also I will be able to afford going to these universities, so money is of no concern. If you all can inform me on which college (in the university) I should apply to, how to get a student Visa, and how the interview will be, it will be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>UCL physics entry requirements are lower than those of Oxbridge so with your states I think you would be able to get to the interview stage (not sure how it is for Internationals though so I apologise). In regards to Oxbridge, it really depends on who you are competing with. You have a great SAT, perhaps your SATIIs are on the lower side but it won’t affect your chances that much. If you manage to get a lot of predicted 5s for your AP classes then that will definitely get their attention. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got interviewed. However, that said, I also wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t get interviewed so I apologise if my answer is a bit vague. Just think of it as applying to Ivy League schools in the States. It’s fairly similar. </p>
<p>You’ll get into UCL if you do well on your interview I wouldn’t worry about it. Have you tried Imperial? Also, why are you applying to the UK? Why not the States as your record states that you may well qualify for many great colleges there?</p>
<p>BTW I got accepted at UCL this year (natural sciences… so kind of physics but not entirely) and I plan to attend if I don’t get accepted in the States so I base my statements on my knowledge on UCL admissions. Don’t know much about Oxford but it’ll be similar to Cambridge, where I got rejected post-interview.</p>
<p>AlexSon, thanks for the information! I am also going to try at Imperial College London, but Oxford is my dream school so I wanted to see my chances there. I am applying to schools in the UK because I have always wanted to study and live there, but I will also apply to US schools like MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, etc. Also since applications in the US are due later then in the UK, my AP test scores for Phyisics and Calculus won’t come until after the deadline n the UK. That’s why I’m sending my SAT II scores instead. What is the main difference between Imperial and University College London?</p>
<p>Ok firstly, note that Oxford will use predicted grades if your scores aren’t in yet. Based on that, they will give you a conditional offer (probably for the Physics and Calc that you mentioned). Of course, if you have your scores and they’re good that’s better, but you have to state all your classes nonetheless. Oxford is a great college town, in my opinion, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. They have regular bus services to other cities such as London etc. that are convenient. I know you didn’t ask but I just wanted to mention that haha. </p>
<p>Anyway, I think you’ll have just about as much of a chance for Oxford as you have for MIT. That’s mainly because you’re an international student so that’ll work against you. Will you be self-financed btw?</p>
<p>Imperial and UCL are both great universities. Location is virtually in the same area. I’d say Imperial is in the more “posh” area whereas UCL is in a more lively area of London (note, though, that you can travel from Imperial to UCL within 10mins so it won’t make much of a difference anyway). In terms of reputation, I’d say that they’re basically the same. I mean, if you take rankings, you’ll always see them very close to each other. However, I would say that Imperial has a slight edge on Physics considering that it’s a more technology-sciency school. Sadly I got rejected there as well… but it’s a great school. It’s somewhat smaller though. It’ll probably cost more to live in that area as well. It really depends on your taste. You can’t go wrong with either university here considering that they’re both well known (well in the EU area. I’ve heard not so much in the States). Of course, Oxford would be your priority.</p>
<p>I just want to check that you have some US safety schools? You might be accepted everywhere you apply - or rejected from all of those schools you have listed so far. This is not because you’re a bad student - clearly you are a great student - but because all of those schools are very competitive. </p>
<p>As you are applying for physics in the UK, the only things relevant from what you have mentioned are</p>
<p>SAT I: 2300 (all parts above 700, as required)
SAT II: Math I: 730
Math II: 740
Physics: 760
AP Physics
AP calculus</p>
<p>FIRST Robotics Team member
Science Honor Society member
Founder of Astronomy club at my school</p>
<p>This was obviously posted a while ago, but I thought I’d reply anyway, because there seem to be a lot of misconceptions about Oxford.</p>
<p>Your SAT scores are pretty good - mine were much lower and they accepted me anyway. Keep in mind that if they like you, they will almost certainly set conditions, which could be based on your SAT scores, so you’ll have another chance.</p>
<p>Don’t think AP’s matter that much to Oxford, they’ll take SAT II’s just as well.</p>
<p>What they’re really looking for is strong evidence of an “Oxford student”. You have to score well on their admission test if there is one for your course and you have to evince strong interest in and knowledge of your subject. In the interview, you have to be engaging and confident and pretty much reason like Oxford people do.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars don’t count for much, but they do like languages. </p>
<p>I think you should go for it! UCL is also a great school, but if you like the Oxbridge thing (tutorials, formals and all) then Oxford will be very special experience.</p>
<p>If you are applying to become a Physics student, you will need 5’s in AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C (Mechanics and E/M). Those are mandatory. You will also have take Oxford’s own Physics Aptitude Test and, if you are selected, probably go through an interview with college tutors (which will be the deciding factor in an admission/rejection decision).</p>
<p>Imperial is considered to be a better university than UCL, though both are considered to be very good. Imperial is a short step down from Oxbridge (I personally decided not to go there, because it would probably be too rigorous for me). UCL is also a really great university though, about the same level as KCL (King’s College London). Imperial is also more science-oriented, so most of the students are studying sciences or maths. UCL has some more diversity in terms of subject.</p>
<p>
This is true for all universities, not just Oxford.</p>
<p>OP, you will need to predict your scores. Providing us with predicted scores would help us a lot, but if you feel it’s too early for you to predict, it might be better for you to post this thread again at another time.</p>
<p>I believe Imperial and Oxford both require you to go through extra testing for Physics. Check the admissions websites.</p>
<p>ECs have virtually no impact on UK admissions. At most they will take up 4 sentences on your personal statement. Don’t worry about them.</p>
<p>One thing I will say is that UK admissions is also very funny. I got strange results. I’m guessing its because some universities care more about personal statements then others, and some care more about admitting international students (who pay a lot more) then others. I got rejected from Queen Mary (my UK safety, so to speak) and from two courses at UCL (one of them said they didn’t like my personal statement, I don’t remember which). Both Imperial and KCL gave me offers.</p>
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