<p>I'm an American and am interesting in applying in the UK! Here is my schedule for all of high school:</p>
<p>Freshmen year:
English
Ancient History
Biology
Honors Algebra 2
French 3</p>
<p>Sophomore year:
English
AP World History - 4
Honors Chemistry
Honors Precalculus BC
Honors French 4</p>
<p>Junior year:
English
AP US History - 5
AP Chemistry - 5
AP Calculus BC - 5
AP French - 5</p>
<p>Senior Year:
English
Honors Economic Policy
AP Physics C - 5
AP Biology - 5
AP Statistics - 5
AP Computer Science - 5
Post-AP French</p>
<p>GPA: 3.8
SAT I: 2020
SAT II: World History: 740, Math II: 800, US History: 760, French: 770
ECs: Played trumpet in orchestra, programmed light shows for theatre productions, worked in a medical research lab for 3 years to develop gene therapy to treat cystic fibrosis and spent my entire summers there (I will be entering Siemens), varsity cross country and swimming, involved in Young Politicians club</p>
<p>Would I have a chance at being accepted to these universities? I think I want to major in physics.</p>
<p>Well I can tell you immediately your chances at Oxford are very low at the moment- they require an SAT score above 2100. Do you happen to have taken the ACT, or are you planning on retaking the SAT?</p>
<p>It’s also, as I understand it, a bad idea to apply to one of these universities without being /sure/ you want to major in physics. It is very difficult to switch.</p>
<p>Most of what you have written, UK colleges and unis don’t care about at all.</p>
<p>They don’t care about your “schedule for all of high school”, they don’t care about your course grades, they don’t care about your GPA, they don’t care about your unrelated EC’s.</p>
<p>The care about your grades on tests–the SAT and the SAT subject tests. If you have taken AP tests, they care about your grades on those as well. (Have you actually taken AP tests? Or are these just the grades you got from taking the CLASSES?)</p>
<p>I agree that Oxford is probably not possible with an SAT lower than 2100.</p>
<p>You claim to be interested in physics, but I see very little related to physics. Why did you work in a medical research lab for three years if you are in fact interested in physics? None of your ECs are related to physics at all.</p>
<p>If you are really interested in physics, you are probably going to need either an AP test or an SAT subject test in physics, at least.</p>
<p>There’s no such thing as “thinking” that you want to major in something in the UK. You apply for one subject (or sometimes joint honours) and stick to it - it can be very difficult to switch, and often you will have to start again from scratch if you are making a radical change. </p>
<p>UK universities pay very little attention to non-relevant ECs - they want someone who loves their subject, rather than someone who plays the violin. Your medical research is relevant, but precious little else. </p>
<p>You’ve picked a set of universities where entrance can be something of a lottery. I’d suggest swapping your least favourite for another from the Russell Group with slightly lower entry requirements (say, A Levels grade AAB or ABB) - no less rigorous or well respected academically, but at least you’ll have a safety choice.</p>
<p>You guys are being a bit harsh. If those are indeed AP TEST grades, 5’s in BC Calc, Stats, Phys, and the other sciences should count for something. I find it very hard to believe that Oxbridge would make a decision based on the SAT alone… In that case, US applicants are being unfairly privileged over people who actually have to take a rigorous A-level/IB courseload in school and submit results that reflect something more substantial than eight-grade level math competence.</p>
<p>You could also swing your theatre production stuff and medical research in your SoP. The kid’s in HIGH SCHOOL - do you want him to have worked with Stephen Hawking on string theory or something? At this point, it’s just as relevant to show that he can work in a lab setting at all, regardless of what that lab is testing.</p>
<p>That said, the rest of your record is irrelevant. You have a chance, I suppose, so good luck. I would apply to Cambridge over Oxford just because they interview everyone so that gives you an additional chance. </p>
<p>P.S.
Oh please. OP’s intended unis fall very neatly into three categories: Imperial and Oxford, UCL, and then the rest of them. Edinburgh hard to get into? Are you ****ting me?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your advice, I really appreciate it! By the way, I’m a girl, not a boy. Would it help at all that I’m a girl since less girls go into the fields of math and science?</p>
<p>I think it would be realistic for me to retake the SAT and score a 2100 since the first time I took it I hadn’t studied at all. With some substantial reviewing before the test I should be able to score higher. </p>
<p>I would have done something beyond school work with physics, but at my school there were no opportunities to do anything else with it. However, I did have the opportunity to do medical research, and I have learned an incredible amount from my work in the lab. </p>
<p>I’ve heard that it is FAR more difficult for American students to be accepted to Cambridge than to Oxford. They both have equally strong physics departments so I think I will apply to Oxford as I will have a higher chance of being accepted. </p>
<p>I’m curious though, do I have a decent chance of getting into UCL if I don’t get into Oxford or Imperial? I’m relying on going to UCL if I don’t get an offer from those two, so I wouldn’t want to be rejected from UCL as well!</p>
<p>The only thing that would help besides excellent grades is having your name on a 13th century building.</p>
<p>I mean, you’ll be full pay at any of those universities, so that adds something to your chances. Besides that, I honestly don’t know. I haven’t heard incredible things about UCL’s physics dep.t, so idk, it might be easier. If you don’t have access to qualified advice on this topic, I would cast a wide net.</p>
<p>Before, we didn’t understand what your list of AP subjects and numbers meant. If all of these "5"s are indeed your scores on the actual AP tests, (and NOT your grade for the course given by your teacher) then yes, you have a very good shot at admission at just about any college or uni in the UK. If you can get that SAT up to 2100 then you also have a good shot at Oxford or Cambridge.</p>
<p>What we are really worried about is your statement “I think I want to major in physics”. To get into the better UK colleges or unis you really need to be certain of your choice of major (they don’t use the term “major”, instead they say 'I am reading [subject]".), and you must be absolutely passionate about it. You are going to be studying that subject pretty much exclusively for three years–some schools in the UK have room for “electives” but nowhere near what US schools do. And you very probably would not be allowed to change your major after you start. It’s quite different from the United States, where a college student has the freedom to just “dabble” in a lot of widely different subjects for a year or two before settling on a major.</p>