<p>There are LOTS of big cities in the UK other than London. The fact that you don’t know that (and also that Oxford and Cambridge are small. Population of Cambridge only around 100,000) worries me as the decision as to where to go to college should not purely be based on a 1 week holiday in a place you loved. Living in London will be very different to being a tourist. </p>
<p>Other cities you could try are Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Bristol, and Newcastle. In most of these places there will be more than one university. The traditional (old) university will be called “University of City”. This will be the hardest to get into. There will also be new universities in the same city, which are much much easier to get into. They will be called “City Name University” in mosr case or “Region University”. Eg Manchester Metropolitan University, Liverpool Hope University, Northumbria University (Newcastle), University of West of England (Bristol I think). There are more than 100 universities in the UK and you can easily find league tables using Google.</p>
<p>As already mentioned above, you have to apply through UCAS</p>
<p>[UCAS</a> - Home](<a href=“http://www.ucas.com%5DUCAS”>http://www.ucas.com)</p>
<p>This is one common app through which you can apply for a maximum of 5 universities (not “schools”. School is for under 18s in the UK).</p>
<p>The easiest way to roughly compare entry requirements is to look at the A-level requirements for UK students. You will need twice as many APs in related subjects. Eg if the requirements are AAA in Biology, Chemistry, Maths or Physics, you need approximately 6APs grade 5 in science subjects. I am saying approximately as it is always wise to email any university you are applying to to ask specifically their requirements for a course for a US applicant. They often have vague general requirements on their websites but you really need to know the specific requirements for the course you are applying for.</p>
<p>As also noted above, you apply for one specific subject or “course” and it is extremely difficult to switch (ie you would have to drop out and reapply to change course). there are no general requirements. If you apply to study Chemistry, that is the only subject you will study (with perhaps some related Maths or Physics) for 3-4 years. In Scotland there is slightly more flexibility as there is a general first year (and most courses are 4 years, compared to 3 years in England) but this is in NO WAY as flexible as is found in the US. The UK is a bad choice unless you are sure of your “major”. </p>
<p>Do NOT assume anything is going to be the same when applying to study/actually studying abroad. Like I said, you are going to be living there. It is not a vacation. Even though everyone speaks English, things will be different (Do you know what a “jumper” is in England? How about a “rubber”?). Are you going to be happy in January when it’s freezing cold and as black as night at 4pm? Do you realise there is a big drinking culture (drinking age is 18)? As far as the teching is concerned, it is different to the US because you are usually much more on your own. An arts student will only get 8-12 hours of contact time with a lecturer/Prof/teacher per week. The rest of the time you are expected to work on your own. Are you self-motivated? After the first year in “halls” (that is like US dorms but all single rooms), in most cases you will be expected to “live out” in privately rented accommodation, shared with friends probably. </p>
<p>I don’t mean to be negative but these are some things you need to think about. thousands of foreign students study in the UK with no major problems. But you have to be realistic about the experience. </p>
<p>QwertyKey - not you don’t have to have A-levels to graduate in 3 years. There is no such thing as advanced placement in the UK. If a course lasts 3 years, you spend 3 years doing it. During those 3 years you takes exams and do courses work which counts towards your final grade. Everything in cumulative. There is no option to take more classes and graduate quicker or fewer classes and graduate slower (not when full time. part time students can do this). If you fail, you might get one re-sit and after that you would probably have to re-sit an entire year of the course. </p>
<p>ITA with romanigypsyeyes. In order to get a UK student visa you have to prove you already have enough money to fund your entire course. Saying you will get a job in future once in the UK does not help. Once you have a student visa this allows you to work up to 20 hours a week. But such a job would no doubt be minimum wage so don’t expect this to bring you riches.</p>
<p>ITA with Metallika about costs. You would probably be in at a mid-ranking UK university easily because they need your money.</p>