Chances at Oxford/Princeton/NYU/Georgetown/Columbia

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Oxford University is my first choice college, but my guidance counselor is new and knows nothing about admissions in the UK. </p>

<p>I heard that Oxford put more emphasis on GPA/Test scores. The university's main site states that they hardly consider ECs at all, which is good for me because my ECs are really weak.</p>

<p>Background: Chinese/Japanese student living alone with a single mother (who is unemployed). I attend a highly competitive public school.</p>

<p>Grades:
GPA: 4.0 (unweighted), 4.81 (weighted)</p>

<p>Freshman Year:
-Health 1: A+
-PE 09: A+
-Art Foundation: A+
-Lang Arts I Honors: A-
-Geometry Honors & Accelerated (G&T): A-
-Biology Honors: A
-World History: A+
-Spanish II: A+</p>

<p>Sophomore Year:
-Drivers Ed: A
-PE 10: A+
-Drawing I/Painting I: A
-Lang Arts II Honors: A+
-Precalculus Honors & Accelerated (G&T): A-
-Chemistry Honors: A
-American Studies Honors: A+
-Acc Spanish 3: A+</p>

<p>Junior Year:
-AP European History: A+
-AP US History: A+
-AP Lang&Comp: A-
-AP Calc BC: A+
-PE 11: A
-Health: A+
-Spanish 4 Honors: A+
-Physics Honors: A</p>

<p>Senior Year (pending):
-AP Spanish
-AP Lit&Comp
-Multivariable Calc H&A (G&T)
-AP Government
-AP Biology
-IPLE
-AP Psychology</p>

<p>Test Scores:
SAT I: 2310 (800 Math; 800 CR; 710 Writing)
SAT II Math II: 800
SAT II US History (took it twice): 1st time 710, 2nd time 790
SAT II Biology M: 770
SAT II Spanish w/ Listening: 760
AP scores: pending... expecting 5's in Euro and Calc BC, hoping for at least 4's in US and Eng Lang&Comp</p>

<p>EC/Achievements (ugh, weak):
-Spanish Honor Society (I might run for an office position since they haven't been filled yet)
-Published essays in newspapers/magazines
-President of Art Club (2 yrs)
-Secretary of GSA (1 yr)
-Community service at a senior citizen facility (1 yr)
-Tutoring at local library (1 yr)
-Job at a daycare center (a few months)
-Rec Squash (7 yrs...school doesn't have a squash team/club)
-School doesn't have class rank, but I have a very good chance of being valedictorian</p>

<p>I have a legacy at Stanford, but I'm not planning on applying there. I am close friends with an interviewer at Princeton who knows me very well and plans on writing a strong recommendation for me. I'm also getting recs from my AP Euro and AP Calc BC teachers. I know them well and they love me, but I'm not quite sure if they are good writers.</p>

<p>What are my chances (BTW, I'm applying for a history/politics/law major)?</p>

<p>Thanks! :)</p>

2

<p>I hope this question isn't out of line, but have you considered Oxford's cost? British universities aren't known for being generous with financial aid at all, and considering the current exchange rate I'd expect Oxford to be extremely expensive. Certainly far more than schools of similar caliber in the US. </p>

<p>Anyway, I think your scores are good for Oxford, it just depends on how you do on your interview. Depending on how you portray yourself your chances at Princeton are about average, probably. NYU you'll probably get in, Georgetown I'd say you have a good chance at, and Columbia is probably decent.</p>

3

<p>Q: I hope this question isn't out of line, but have you considered Oxford's cost? </p>

<p>A: Yeah, I've definitely considered that... But, although I'm under my mom legally, my dad is well off enough to put me through 4 years at Oxford (thank goodness).</p>

<p>Anyway, thanks! :)</p>

4

<p>Your dad is well off enough to put you through four years at Oxford? Interesting.</p>

<p>What school at Oxford are you applying to?</p>

5

<p>Q: What school at Oxford are you applying to?</p>

<p>A: I'm not quite sure yet... I'll most likely apply 'open application' to the schools that have my major.</p>

6

<p>I would not do that...unless you are 100% sure that you want Oxford over any other. The reason? Well, Oxford is not just Oxford...it IS the college that you are in. It IS the mentors that you work with. The Oxford/Cambridge education system is not like anything you have probably ever seen before...the college is the most important part of the education. You are taught a lot, if not mostly, by mentors...and it really effects how you do and how you are perceived afterward. For example if you are good enough to get into Princeton/NYU/Georgetown/Columbia then you might want to take those over a poorer college at Oxford, especially since no matter what you hear US students aren't given preference and they aren't looked at as overly special. So you could very well be placed into a crappy school...and unless its just an arrogance/self-esteem booster to apply/be accepted at Oxford the college you choose will be the most important choice. Also, I think you need to realize that when you go to Oxford, at least I have been informed by those who I know who have attended, that it is much more difficult to transfer back into the states before graduating and coming back over here for graduate school. Why? The education system is totally different. I mean hell you dont even have tests really! So that all said, I can give you more info in PM if you'd like, you probably dont want to "open application" it. Because Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, G-Town, and even NYU are better than some schools at Oxford, and if you dont know that before you go over there you could actually look worse, or end up in a situation that you dont want to be in.</p>

7

<p>Thanks, Jman21. You are more helpful that my guidance counselor will ever be. I hope you don't mind if I PM you... from time to time, lol.</p>

8

<p>PM whenever you wish.</p>

9

<p>Bump, please! :)</p>

10

<p>I am actually at Oxford and I think exactly the opposite of Jman.</p>

<p>You apply for a specific college for a specific course of study, which no doubt you already know. But the choice of college doesn't matter all that much. Lectures for every subject are held on a university wide basis, so the course content is the same for everyone, in every college, doing the same subject. The exams are the same obvious, and that's what counts. You will do essasys for your tutorials but these are basically practice for exams. They don't count towards any grade.</p>

<p>So on top of lectures you have tutorials in your college. These may or may not be given by fellows of your college. it depends on your subject really. In smaller subjects there may be very few fellows across the whole university so you could be taught by anyone. In my first year most of my tutors were in colleges, after that they were from all over. You can request specific tutors too, and sometimes they will change. eg if you are studying a specific topic, you might have 1 tutorial only with a specialist in that small field. It doesn't really matter who the tutors are as long as they are good enouigh to help you achieve. It certainly doesn't affect any job prospects. I mean I don't even remember who half my undergrad tutors (at Cambridge. I am a PhD student at Oxford now) were, and certainly no-one asks. Also, no-one who didn't themselves go to Oxbridge really knows the names of any of the colleges or cares. You get a degree from Oxford or Cambridge university whatever college you go to. People only ask you about your college if they went there too, so you can have the "Me too!" conversation. Outside the UK people won't even know what the term "college" means in this context.</p>

<p>There is a table (Norrington table, google it) which rates the colleges based on the number of students who get 1sts (the UK grading system is 1, 2.1, 2.2, 3, pass without honours and fail) at each college. So by all means choose a college at the top of the table if you want. But the differences between colleges are really tiny and once you leave no-one will care. There are plenty of people in top colleges who still get 3rds, and vice versa. It is much more about you, and how hard you study, that it is about the college. Every student who gets in is very inteliigent. The rest is up to them.</p>

<p>UCAS</a> Home Page
This is the site you need for UK applications. One common app.</p>

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<p>Incredible GPA, grades, and SATs. Really really strong on that front. And as a side note I wouldn't list PE and the grade you got bc no college will take that seriously and they'll factor it out of your GPA. My school doesn't even include it in students' GPAs. And your ECs are not weak. They're not your forte, but they're not weak. You said your applying to be a politics/law/history major so you should find some ECs that focus around those majors. </p>

<p>I'm applying to Wharton, could you chance me?
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/534608-applying-wharton-there-any-chance.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/534608-applying-wharton-there-any-chance.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

12

<p>I emailed Oxford (or Cambridge...can't remember) last year to inquire about financial aid, and it turns out that if you're from the US, you're expected to pay the full price - i.e. around $100,000 a year.</p>

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<p>we have the same GPA! O_O
Yup...I have agree with the above posters.</p>

14

<p>It's nowhere near $100,000 per year. Maybe $40,000, depending on subject.</p>

<p>But the bottom line is you will have to pay, yes. There is no real concept of financial aid in the UK like there is in the US. Effectively all schools are state schools, so if you haven't been paying tax to the UK government, they're going to fleece you. UK schools want your money. Overseas students subsidise the others. Some internationals do have scholarships but these are usually from their home countries (often home governments). Oxford will give you nothing. Some richer colleges give out yearly awards for books, maybe accommodation if you're really lucky. But not tuition fees. That is the way it works.</p>

15

<p>Oxford is always a crapshoot...it's arguably the best school in the world. With your connection i think Princeton could work; NYU depends on what school. If it's anything but Stern i'd say you will get in no problem (stern you could get in but it's much more competitive); Georgetown most likely; and columbia's tough but u have a good shot.</p>

16

<p>Bump, pleaseee :)</p>

17

<p>Bump! </p>

<p>Also I got inducted into Math Honor Society, and I'm working as a teacher at a daycare center now and have an internship at a corporate law firm now!</p>

<p>My AP Scores were:
Euro: 5
Calc BC: 5 (AB sub section: 5)
Lang&Comp: 5
USH: 4</p>

<p>Thanks! :)</p>