chances of getting into King's College London

Student Lounge International Students
1

Right, so everyone I’ve seen here has pretty good stats-- which is why I need an answer for someone like me who has only decent scores. Granted I have a great personal statement, how does the rest of this hold up?
SAT: 2100
ACT: 30
GPA: 3.2 (hopefully 3.35 by the time next semester rolls around: unweighted) and about 3.7 weighted

AP classes/scores: Psychology(5), European History(4), U.S. History(5), Literature(5), Language and Composition(5), and Environmental Science(5), Statistics(4)

So, as someone who wants to study psychology and/or computer science (I took AP computer science, but not the test- not as dedicated to it as I am to psychology) at King’s College coming from the U.S., how are my chances?

2

Hi, I applied to King’s College for computer science. I know that they focus a lot on scores. If you manage to secure an interview, you will have to fly over to the UK and take a couple tests and be interviewed-this is also important. As an international, we already have very low chances of getting in. It’s about 25% acceptance rate for citizens; for internationals, I’ve heard anything from 1-10%. Knowing that, even someone with perfect stats would have a very hard time getting in. Having a higher GPA and ACT/SAT scores will definitely help, but anyone would have a slim chance. Hope that helps.

Edit: oops, for some reason I thought you were talking about king’s college in Cambridge. My bad. Anyhow, I’m not as well informed about King’s College London so I hope that someone will come along and help, but the fact that it is more difficult for internationals still stays the same. I’m pretty sure they focus a lot on scores as well, due to the grading system in the UK. Good luck!

3

So, first, your GPA and ECs that don’t relate to the subject you are applying to study are entirely irrelevant for most UK universities, including KCL.

Second, to get in to psychology you need:

A score of 5 on 3 APs, including at least one of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology and a 1950 on the SAT. You have those.

You might be asked for an interview, but you will not be asked to go to the UK for it.

So, (assuming decent recs & appropriate personal statement- UK style, not US style*) you have a very good chance of admission.

BUT. You can study Psych OR CompSci, but not both. If you go for psych, this is what you will study each year:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/structure/name/psychology/alpha/P/header_search/

Look at that carefully, b/c the program is very specific. It is NOT like the US where you can have majors / minors / electives, etc. In the UK you apply to, and are accepted to, a specific course, and it is very hard to change later without re-starting.

*that is, it demonstrates your serious interest in, and aptitude for, the subject, as demonstrated by things you have done beyond the classroom.