<p>I am a rising american senior who is very interested in applying to the University of Edinburgh in the fall. My biggest concern with the university is not being able to switch fields within the specific colleges. If a student applied for say, International Relations as a field in the School of Humanities, would it be easy to take an english class on the side? Or if a student decides at the end of their freshman year that they don't particularly like the field they applied for, what is the process for changing fields, if there is one at all. </p>
<p>My second concern regarding the university refers to the social life on campus. I am assuming that dorm living and social interactions are very different than the experiences that one might have in the states. I am open and excited to better understanding this, but I was wondering if there are any american students either currently at the university or alumni in the past who have an opinion on the social life and how it compares to what you would get at an american school. </p>
<p>My d is in Cambridge (she is American, but also European). British universities want you to declare a specialization in your application. It can be changed, but it is difficult and different depending on the university. Some have flexibility built in, as HSPS at Cam, which is everything from archaeology to hard core political science. You can switch to a new field entirely, but if you want the “liberal arts” experience, I would not recommend applying to a Brit U. </p>
<p>I do not see how you can generalize about social life, even taking into account how different they are within the US. In general, Europeans are more reserved, but when you are thrown together in a new place, there is an opening. My d is very happy socially at Cam and is moving with most of the people in her hall, to a new location to be together. </p>
<p>With these factors in mind, I would recommend British U’s wholeheartedly for cost, quality, and student life. </p>
<p>I’m afraid that this is false, or at least a massive overgeneralisation. Scottish universities (in general) operate a system closer to the American one, where a variety of courses are taken in the first years. It doesn’t really make much sense to talk about the ‘British’ university system.</p>
<p>As to your specific question about taking classes in different schools, OP, I think you’d be best advised to contact the university directly.</p>
<p>OP, my son is a rising senior also interested in UK uni’s (ICL, Exeter, for ex.) ,because knows exactly what he wants to do (math) and he wants the Bsc degree in three years. From our research, Scottish unis are more like the American system, as the prev poster said. For uni’s in England, we heard it’s pretty difficult to change fields without incurring a “start over” penalty.</p>
<p>I have a question for you, because we are having so much trouble figuring this out: Do you know how an offer conditional on AP results works? If you apply for autumn 2015 entrance, and they want all your APs from senior year, then you will have to wait until July 2015 for scores, but the American universities will require you to commit by about May, right? What happens if you don’t make the AP grades that were projected?</p>
<p>If you don’t make the grades that are required, then you can negotiate with the uni in question. Often the uni will say no, and then you may have to go to your ‘insurance’ choice through UCAS (not required, but normally another university that has accepted you with lower grade requirements). There is also ‘clearing’ where students who failed to make their grades will scramble for places. People who screw up their grades and are unable or do not want to get another (normally lower-ranked) place through UCAS will often take a year off.</p>
<p>This is not risky at all. My daughter is in her final year at Edinburgh and she and I can’t praise her experience enough. To answer the poster’s specific questions: in Scotland (although not in England) you pick a subject when you apply and are admitted to that program. In your first year, you take three courses- one in the subject in the program to which you are admitted (let’s call it A) and two other subjects. (Let’s call them A, B, and C). At that point you can switch to either of the other two programs. Then in your second year, you continue two of those subject and try out a third (A,B and D). At that point you can stay in A or change to B. Then in your third and fourth year you take your three classes in the subject you have finally settled on. </p>
<p>UK applicants receive “conditional offers” contingent upon obtaining final test scores at the end of their secondary school program. For US applicants, you will probably receive an unconditional offer based on your SAT or ACT scores and satisfactory recommendation from your high school. They expect a 600 on each section of the SAT and a 650 on two SAT subject matter tests or two 4s in AP classes which you probably have already satisfied by the beginning of your senior year. They do rolling admissions and it takes only about four to six weeks to hear. My daughter revived her offer before Christmas and was the first in her high school graduating class to receive a college offer. She also revived offers from St Andrews (not anywhere as good a university as Edinburgh, and a bit of a snob school), Kings College London and Trinity College Dublin ( which because it is in Ireland has a separate application and is not part of UCAS). Edinburgh did not care about extracurricular activities or athletics for admissions purposes. </p>
<p>As to social life there will not be fraternities or sororities and everyone lives off campus after first year- (they don’t let you stay in the dorms). There are thousands of great flats. My daughter shares one with two other women in an old townhouse, each with their own large bedrooms with fireplaces a short walk from academic buildings. Her share of the rent is about $8k a year, about half of what NYU charges to share a room. As to fitting in- we are talking about Scots here! These are the most outgoing, friendly, social, bawdy, casual, ironic, witty people on earth ( the Irish come close, but they are a Celtic people as well). The rich or “posh” kids from England at the university are sort of off on their own, but the local kids welcome everyone with open arms. And about 30 percent if the kids are international students as well, and my daughter has friends from around the world. The bar in the Teviot student center, called the Library Bar, is gorgeous and old and you should google pictures of it. </p>
<p>I didn’t get a chance to see this until now! I absolutely loved Edinburgh University when I visited, but I was hesitant about applying to a major. Your advise was honestly extremely helpful- I hope to be applying soon! </p>
<p>I assume this won’t apply in other areas of graduate work but If you have any thought of eventually going to medical school in the United States, you should research admissions criteria. It as been a few years since my daughter applied but at the time most american medical schools would not consider an application unless a certain amount of course work had been done at a college or university in the US.</p>