<p>i want to do a phd at either yale, harvard, cornell, stanford (yes i know it's not an ivy) or chicago. </p>
<p>i have a first class degree, the equivalent of a 4.0 undergrad record (i also got the best overall score of anyone graduating that year in English), and excellent grades on my masters. i have research experience, will have strong recommendations and good proposals for study. </p>
<p>but... both my degrees are from the university of Reading, UK. it's quite far from being oxford or cambridge, and i have no idea how well a US university will recognise it.</p>
<p>their masters program is very well rated, which is why i stayed to do it there rather than going somewhere else... but for the undergraduate it's not the best in the country or anything</p>
<p>could something like that spoil my chances?</p>
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but... both my degrees are from the university of Reading, UK. it's quite far from being oxford or cambridge, and i have no idea how well a US university will recognise it.
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<p>My undergrad degree is from Cambridge and I often find Americans have never heard of it. (Nearly everyone seems to have heard of Oxford though. For some reason it's more famous) So basically it's unlikely anyone will have heard of (or be able to pronounce) Reading. But this could work to your advantage. Sell it as a great place!</p>
<p>Try posting this is the "What are my chances" section where more people will see it. Or in the parents section. The parents are very knowledgable. Add your A-level results and module/dissertation results plus any other info which will help people know a bit more about you. Extracurricular activities are very important too. </p>
<p>You might have to take the GRE test in order to get into grad school in the US. </p>
<p>Will you need financial aid? That is very competitive for internationals. As is getting a study visa. </p>
<p>Search Google for "Fulbright Scholarships" which are scholarships available to UK students to study in the US. Oxford careers service has a whole section in their library about them and they help people apply. Reading careers service can probably help you. (if not, pop on a train and come up to Oxford. You are allowed to use the careers library at any UK uni if you are studying here.)</p>
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I often find Americans have never heard of it. (Nearly everyone seems to have heard of Oxford though. For some reason it's more famous)
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I guess they know about Oxford because of the Rhodes scholarship?</p>
<p>Don't know about Americans but in India and most of commonwealth, Cambridge as well as Oxford are very well known and regarded as equal. Many of the ministers in our central government are Cambridge/Oxford graduates....</p>
<p>I'm sorry Louise. I read the post you made in "graduate study" and I see you didn't get any really helpful replies yet. Maybe try emphasising INTERNATIONAL STUDENT in the title or something? Or try the parents forum? </p>
<p>I think you really need to try to "sell" your university experience as something which makes you unique. It's all about diveristy because everyone applying to those colleges will have perfect grades. I don't think people on this board appreciate how much rarer it is to be a straight A student in the UK compared to the US. Hopefully admissions people will though :)</p>
<p>Note that what i think isn't very valuable since I am studying in the UK.</p>