<p>Some of my friends at my school are talking about trying to get into Oxbridge, LSE, or UCL. I just thought they were crazy...but... What are the stats of a typical applicant to these colleges?</p>
<p>Also...how do I shape up? (outta curiosity) I'm a 2nd semester Junior in the US. I'm a full IB candidate. I will take one SL this year. I've had one B so far. And if it matters...I don't need financial aid.</p>
<p>AP's as sophmore:
AP Calculus: 5
AP US History: 5
Will take bc this year.</p>
<p>SAT II's:
US History: 740
Math II: 750</p>
<p>ACT: 30
I will be retaking this 2 more times this year...and maybe once next year. I received a 25 in English the first time (despite a 10 on the essay) and am sure I can pull at least a 32.</p>
<p>Edit: I have pretty good ec's...but idk if they care...</p>
<p>Oxford requires at least a 38 on the IB (and a 32 on the ACT) to consider you for admission at all.</p>
<p>And if you seriously consider applying, start preparing for your interview (i.e. read up as much as you can on the subject you want to major in).</p>
<p>Not really. UK unis love the IB. If you're strong academically, i.e predicted 39+/42 (no bonus pts) and write a good personal statement, you have a pretty good chance of receiving a conditional offer from Oxford, LSE etc.. They don't really care about EC's but you can incorporate it into ur PS.</p>
<p>English unis and SAT? Never even heard of them asking for the score. :S</p>
<p>What are your subjects? I hope you have some strong HL's. LSE loves Mathematics HL.</p>
<p>Financial aid - doesn't exists so you wouldn't get any. Since most schools need a certain percentage of full fee paying foreign students to subsidise the rest, outside the top 5 or so your're probably in as long as you can pay, no questions asked, unless you apply to an extremely competitive subject (see below).</p>
<p>In the UK you apply for a specific subject when you apply and it's very difficult to change later. Admit rates for different subjects can vary hugely within the same school. Unpopular subjects are much easier to get in for. APs are only really relevant if they are related to the subject you are applying for. For example, if you apply for history, they will ignore your calculus.</p>
<p>If you're doing IB almost certainly you would get a "conditional offer" based on IB grades. This is the norm in the UK. It means they say "you're in, if you get these grades". Don't think they won't reject you if you fail to make the offer grades. Almost certainly they will (but school desperate to have you will make a low grade offer).</p>
<p>GPA and SATs are often meaningless.</p>
<p>Funnily enough, all UK schools have web-sites and you too can use them!</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
SAT 1 scores of at least 1,400 in Critical Reading and Mathematics and preferably also 700 or more in the new Writing Paper, giving a combined score of at least 2,100. OR ACT with a score of at least 32 out of 36.</p>
<p>AND</p>
<p>Grades 4 or 5 in two or more Advanced Placement tests in appropriate subjects OR SAT II in a good spread of three or four subjects at 700 or better.
[/QUOTE]
Depending on the subject you apply for, you may have to send written work/do an extra test. If you meet the criteria above and any extra stuff is good, you would be invited for an interview in the case of Oxbridge. Other schools don't usually do interviews except for the most competitive subjects (namely medicine, which is a 6 year undergraduate course in the UK).</p>
<p>Thank you cupcake, but I was told those entrance requirement are far below what is needed to be considered for US applicants. I'm guessing from your post you do not believe this is true. I also do not really want to consider schools outside the top of england, since my parents would not see the point of studying abroad then.</p>
<p>I think I have strong HL's, they are:
History of the Americas
English
Biology
Math</p>
<p>I'm expecting a 6 or 7 predicted in all of those, but I am worrying about language. I can only expect a prediction</p>
<p>Last 2 questions...I know they quiz you on your proposed area of study, but what does that entail? And since you are not told your IB grades until you have to turn down all other colleges, what happens to you if your scores are low?</p>
<p>A "well-rounded" academic profile is not as attractive to English universities as to American ones. From what I do know about English universities I would have to conclude that you would be better off with HLs related to your intended major, e.g. Math, Physics, Chem or History, Politics, Economics rather than subjects across the academic spectrum. I don't know if this is possible under the IB curriculum though.</p>
<p>I guess you should cut down on ECs and concentrate more on academics if you Really want to go to the UK. The good point about UK admissions is that it is fairly predictable, if you got good grades, you wont be kept out. The bad point, one that you should give serious consideration to, is that you will have to declare a course of study Before you enter university, and making any changes is not easy.</p>
<p>Ok, taking the ib score out of the equation. How much higher then the minimum requirements are needed to be accepted? I.e. the only ap/ib tests i am planning to take at this point are calc bc/ib econ sl. Should I sign up to take ap econ macro or bio as well? (or a third sat ii?)
Thx for all the replies!</p>
<p>not to worry lookingforwhat you have great potential, but u'll nid to do some additional preparation in order to reach Oxbridge as an international...its hardly as simple as S33D has commented, simply becoz all of those entry requirements are mainly for british students (i.e. if you get >39 for IB, you're probably in IF you are a brit, assuming other parts of the apps are decent)</p>
<p>for internationals, the general requirements are much higher....in my country which does the A-levels, less than 5% of the applicants get in (rough gauge here, actual % might be much lower) even though ALL of them have 4As or better, and despite many of oxbridge's courses requiring 3As only. </p>
<p>in order to have a better shot, u should to buff up your academic credentials...not the grades here, but international science olympiads, writing or debating competitions, math and tech competitions etc.</p>
<p>there are also other requirements like the submission of written work, written tests, standardised tests and interviews depending on the course u're applying....all which shud be duly prepared for</p>
<p>all the best and i'm sure u'll find out soon enough why they're among the best unis in the world =)</p>
I think this is complete rubbish. Since you can only apply to 6 school maximum, British students don't apply to Oxbridge unless they are likely to get the grades, otherwise it would be a waste of their application, and still only 1 in 5 gets in. It's more about the additional work and interview than the grades. Everyone who applies is going to get amazing grades.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
for internationals, the general requirements are much higher....in my country which does the A-levels, less than 5% of the applicants get in (rough gauge here, actual % might be much lower) even though ALL of them have 4As or better, and despite many of oxbridge's courses requiring 3As only.
[/QUOTE]
What country is this? As far as I'm aware internationals have only slightly less chance of getting in than UK students. </p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
in order to have a better shot, u should to buff up your academic credentials...not the grades here, but international science olympiads, writing or debating competitions, math and tech competitions etc.
[/QUOTE]
I don't know anyone who has been to an international science olympiad or any of the above. </p>
<p>
These are the minimum grades you need to get an interview, and for most subjects nearly everyone is interviewed. Once you get to interview, the rest is up to you. At You seem to be asking for a list of US candidates who got in and exactly what their grades were. No such list exists as far as I'm aware (at least not publically). The number of such applicants is small and the number of US applicants for any one subject is likely to be in single figures. Also, without knowing which subject you intend to apply for, any grades are meaningless. eg if you're applying for English, Biology and Maths are unlikely to be considered.</p>
<p>
It's almost exactly like tutorials are when you're actually enrolled. </p>
<p>I don't think there are any for Oxford, but Cambridge has some videos of interviews on their web-site, which give you some idea of what it is like.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
And since you are not told your IB grades until you have to turn down all other colleges, what happens to you if your scores are low?
[/QUOTE]
In the majority of cases, you're rejected. They make 11 offers for every 10 places for exactly this reason. if you just miss your grades, or have special circumstances, phone up and plead your case. But don't bet on it. They will probably reject you. If you have applied to other UK schools you can nominate one of these, which asks for lower grades, as your second choice. You will then automatically be offered a place there if you fail to make your first choice grades.</p>
<p>lol thank you for substantiating my "rubbish"...indeed ONLY 1/5 UK students with amazing grades get in, while in Singapore, less than 1/30 gets in despite all of those applicants having at LEAST 4As (which is precisely my point that says such entry requirements apply mainly to british students, for internationals the mark is much higher)</p>
<p>
<p>well i wouldnt deny that British unis are increasing their international student intake in recent years, mainly to boost their funding....but it is a fact that in the top unis, international students' average U-entry grades are higher than the locals students....ALL of the top unis HYP, oxbridge etc. will definitely favour their own local students to some extent, thereby restricting the entry of internationals in one way or another (quotas placed on internationals are there for a reason)</p>
<p>
[quote=cupcake]
I don't know anyone who has been to an international science olympiad or any of the above.
</p>
<p>well you cant blame me for your own ignorance right? and besides, i offered it only as a suggestion so as to further boost lookingforwhat's credentials, although i believe he already stands a very good chance as of now</p>