<p>Eh I don't think Harvard's that elitist, I mean they go out of their way to find underpriviliged high school students. There's the elitist element of course, but it's not just a school for the rich and powerful.</p>
<p>Princeton's historically been known as a big elitist school; they used to go after a lot of priviliged private school students, not sure if they still do that.</p>
<p>Yup. There was a kid at my school, dumb as a post with no teachers who like him who got into Princeton. Rich legacy. :)</p>
<p>GuitarMan - Cambridge is no way near as elitist!! heheh - well, in some senses it is elitist, in that it only selects the best of the best. But your parenting/background will have nothing to do with it. Good luck, if you have an interview that'll be pretty much where they decide whether or not you get in. Also Cambridge is known to be slightly lefty (definitely more so than Oxford which is traditionally more right-wing) if that makes any difference. What are you applying for?</p>
<p>The private schools (as in, the kind of school you go to from 13-18) are the elitist ones (and not for dropouts either like they are over in America apparently). I go to one of those ;)</p>
<p>Actually, I didn't have one. I applied to Emma and they don't request interviews of overseas students. I think I'm pretty thankful for that :p haha. Where did you apply, besides H?</p>
<p>I applied for Physical Nat Sci, btw. I made it clear I'll be doing the third year astrophysics option, too.</p>
<p>Oh, I haven't applied yet.. I've still got a while to go. In the US I'm thinking of Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, UC Berkeley and maybe Brown and Columbia? In the UK I'm thinking of Oxford, LSE, SOAS and... don't really want to go to any others.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>What is the proper way of referring to universities in America - university/college/school? And isn't the Harvard undergraduate place called 'Harvard College' or do we refer to that as 'Harvard University' as the forum does?<<</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>In the US:</p>
<p>School is the generic term for any institution of learning. Could be anything from a kindergarten up to the fanciest post-doctoral university in the world. It could be the place where you learn to drive your car or how to do yoga.</p>
<p>College/University. In the US all universities are colleges, but not all colleges are universities. Thus "college" is often the generic term for a post-high-school place of higher learning. In general, a college is place that grants bachelors degrees that usually take about 4 years post-high school to earn. Universities do that too (which is why they are colleges), but they also can award higher graduate degrees and professional degrees: PhD, MD, etc. And universities also conduct a lot more academic research.</p>
<p>Harvard College/University: The entire institution is called Harvard University. The portion of Harvard University that enrolls undergraduates and awards the bachelors degrees is Harvard College.</p>
<p>Oooh, ok. Good luck with all the apps!! :) What course are you interested in?</p>
<p>A question, out of curiosity. Why Oxford, not Cambridge?</p>
<p>And coureur's got it right. None of that 6th form college stuff or whatever it's called here in the states, hehe.</p>
<p>"Why Oxford, not Cambridge"</p>
<p>I believe you are only allowed to apply to one.</p>
<p>I know. Which is why I'm curious, what factored into his choice. I chose Cambridge because it's got the better sciences, namely astronomy.</p>
<p>Yeah I'd be interested in why you're set on Harvard (if you are) as oposed to a British Uni, as an American currently trying to choose.</p>
<p>Ahhh. American and European unis are VERY different. Most British students, by the equivalent of their junior year of high school, are taking only courses in their chosen field (natural sciences, psychology, law, etc.), and that continues into university. They are VERY specialized. If you go to a school like Cambridge, you will not be taking any "electives" outside of your field. If I go there, let me show you what my schedule will look like:</p>
<p>Year 1: Physics, Chemistry, Math, Geology
Year 2: Physics, Math, Advanced Physics
Year 3: Astrophysics
Optional Year 4 (Master's degree): Astrophysics</p>
<p>Of course, just about every American school is built on a strong liberal arts core that's basically the polar opposite of this. Even a school like Caltech requires you to take a number of humanities courses as a science major. So if you don't know for sure what you want to do with your life, don't go to a British school. Even if you are sure, but still want to take classes in other subjects (as I am), don't go to a British school. I applied to Cambridge to have the option, but it isn't high on my list, for that reason. I find it to be the type of place much better placed as a graduate school, where you'll specialize heavily anyway.</p>
<p>Personally, I'm set on Harvard primarily because it has the ideal combination of an amazing astronomy program with an eye-popping number of research faculty (over 300 Ph.D.s, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophys. is the world's largest astro research center--the research opportunities, they're endless :D) with a strong liberal arts core, the option to take courses in non-science things that fascinate me. I can think of very few places where I can get that level of astronomy education (and the research opportunities) and also take courses in elementary Sanskrit! And on top of that, it's just given me that feeling. I love the campus, the feel of it, the diversity of the student body, I love the area - both near (Harvard Square) and far (Cambridge/Boston area). Basically just a confluence of factors that really told me, Harvard is the place for me :)</p>
<p>Yeah I know how the British system works a little bit. I realized today that doing a British undergrad degree would mean an excuse to stop my parents from pushing me towards grad school (and in 6 yrs I'd be able to, say, have a JD). I liked Cambridge, Mass and thought I wanted a big school. But since I got into Oxford, it has been growing on me. I don't really know nearly as precisely as you, guitar, what it is that I want, but 3 years, more directed, with tutorial teaching and a lot of depth into -in my case- 3 subject areas (PPE) sounds very appealing.</p>
<p>A British perspective on it would be nice. Ace of Bass (heh) I just noticed that you are also a rather active member of The Student Room, a site I only found this week.</p>
<p>"Oooh, ok. Good luck with all the apps!! What course are you interested in?</p>
<p>A question, out of curiosity. Why Oxford, not Cambridge?"</p>
<p>Guitarman: Thanks - reason for Oxford is because a) they do PPE and Cambridge don't b) I've been there and liked it c) they accept double the amount of people from my school than Cambridge do d) they won't bite my head off in the interview for having <em>ahem</em> 'right-of-centre' views e) of the Oxbridge people I know, I prefer the Oxonians f) Cambridge has the highest suicide rates of any university in the country (whether this has any bearing on the actual university is anyone's guess heh) g) frankly, I think you probably have to be better to get into Cambridge so I stand a higher chance applying to Oxford. I think Cambridge is ultimately the better place of the two (and the people there know it), but both have equal reputation, and Oxford is supposed to be the place to go for the artsy subjects which are what I want to do - not interested in sciences like you are :)</p>
<p>"Yeah I'd be interested in why you're set on Harvard (if you are) as oposed to a British Uni, as an American currently trying to choose."</p>
<p>Ali G (must be one of the funniest people around right now): I like the idea of a liberal arts course as it means, as Guitarman said, I don't have to specialise now and can take a range of courses. I also like the idea of going to the best university in the world :cool:, and I've liked all the Americans I've met (despite the obvious stereotypes). I'm also going for PPE like you - which year you applying in?</p>
<p>Yeah I was using TSR first and then SlyPie told me to come over here for some info on American universities. Looks pretty good. Who are you on the other forum by the way?</p>
<p>My name on the other forum is Max G - all of 5 posts.</p>
<p>I received an offer from Queen's Oxford for '06 entry and got into Harvard EA and I've been lurking the boards this past week trying to help settle the decision in my mind.</p>
<p>I actually wasn't so serious about Oxford at first, my dad's friend suggested it a couple of weeks before the app deadline. But after interviewing (in NY) and learning more about it (I've actually been to the town once, last year before I was considering it - toured Christ Church and saw the museums and w/e), I now have to decide in about a month, and it's looking rather good.</p>
<p>...sorry to hijack the thread</p>
<p>Ali G--Wow, congrats on getting into Oxford!!!! :) That's so great. And Harvard EA, damn, that's really impressive. Envy, man, envy :p Why do you have to decide so soon?</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, by the way, was it a conditional or unconditional offer? And have you applied to any other schools?</p>
<p>And I'm on TSR, too, but the people there are MUCH different than they are here. They weren't very friendly to me :p lol I tried posting a decisions thread in the Cambridge forum very much along the lines of the ones in all of the college forums here, thinking it might be a nice idea, and they spent two pages attacking me for it! Either anti-Americanism or the idea just doesn't fly well in that crowd, I don't know, I felt it was a much less friendly forum...</p>
<p>And don't worry, every thread here gets hijacked at some point ;)</p>
<p>conditional on 4s on two of my APs this year, not a difficult condition</p>
<p>The Queen's College letter just says they want a decision by mid January (I think it actually says 'inform us if you will not accept the offer) because they report to UCAS Jan 31 and if anyone declines a place they offer more. Than again w/ the whole condition system they really can't complete their class yet anyway, but I'd rather not get on the bad side of either Uni.</p>
<p>Really, I may try to visit in late January and decide right then on gut, if I feel well enough informed.</p>
<p>One specific question I can think of: I'm sort of curious whether British students who aren't in modern languages still tend to keep up in languages theyve been learning, and if so how.</p>
<p>I'm surprised on your take on TSR - the Oxford room seemed fairly nice, polite, and ppl had a little more humor than here - especially in the wake of EA decisions when CC seemed pretty tense.</p>
<p>Oh, other schools - well I had LSE on my UCAS form (Econ & Gvt) but apparently they havent found a need to get in contact w/ me (as of Dec 24, i've been away from home) - I also kept my Columbia App in, though I may eventually pull it. I didn't end up submitting any of my other apps, except one I withdrew.</p>
<p>Personally, I'd recommend going with Harvard. Oxford is amazing but when else will you get the opportunity to take courses in a wide variety of things, outside your chosen subject?</p>
<p>And sorry, TSR seems generally friendly, but to me personally I detected a lot of animosity that seemed to stem from a little clash of cultures. The things that we take for granted as normal in America are very different in England. For example (besides the decision thread thing), after I made national finalist in Siemens, I posted in TSR to ask how I should go about informing my college (Emmanuel)'s admissions counselor about it. I got mobbed with replies of people accusing me of bragging, showing off, etc. Here, this is the kind of thing that you're expected to put on an app and will significantly help you--after all, my apps focus on my passion for my research and winning Siemens helps validate the quality of my research and demonstrate that I really do have potential to reach the pinnacle of my field. It's viewed very, very differently over there, and people were NOT friendly about it. People were even attacking me on the number of schools I'm applying to (which is high, but not completely unusual in the states, but I believe UCAS limits you to six). It just seemed like every little thing I said, I was bombarded about.</p>
<p>Heh, yeah I sort of figured you'd recommend Harvard. You tend to be up front about things,</p>
<p>which may have been what hurt you on the other board. Then again, I really just haven't seen anything like that over there - though I enterred it shallowly and cautiously. Seems to me they have an offer thread, just ppl don't post their rejections - okay this is not true, just went over to the cambridge room and it seems to run totally different from the oxford room - crazy science ppl.</p>
<p>I don't know how many schools you're applying too, but yeah I feel unusual for CC in that my final US list was only to be 7 colleges, and another 2 British (though LSE was essentially less than an afterthought). Admissions systems and mindsets are very different, both with their drawbacks.</p>
<p>They have an offer thread but people took large issue with, above all things, the detail I put into it. lol I used the model of the CC threads, which are much more detailed than what they have which is "College, subject, offer". And then I put an example of what it should look like, taking care to make sure it was so inconceivable no one would think it was real, and they called me a braggart. I just can't find love there :p</p>
<p>Yeah, but if a newcomer came on CC board, right about decision time, adn tried to introduce a whole new system there'd be some consternation. I went and read your little exchange and I'm guessing it's about what would happen here.</p>
<p>You just have to take your lumps I guess.</p>
<p>Yeah, I don't know about all that "informing them of siemens" and "i sent a resume stuff" - luckily for oxford I interviewed and didn't have to worry about fleshing myself out w/o one. But Oxbridge in general seems to take more of an approach of 'we know how pick the brightest - you don't need to demonstrate your dedication instead we want the same data from each student,' we throw it all in and the decisions come out (I'm surprised no one commented 'wt* is a hook'.</p>
<p>Still, I'd say good scores should get you in, and to me your US list looks aa little bit ridiculous, seeing how strong your qualifications are - you sure you want to be making that many decisions in April, itd be easier to make some now?</p>
<p>This thread has kept me up, (I'm on the west coast for the week so not way late) - now I'm wondering where in suburban NY you're from (im not from there but have family in the area and w/e).</p>