Hi, UK student needing your help!!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi everyone! I am from Oxford, England, and as such I'm not really up with this whole applying to American Universities thing, so I was wondering if you could help me? Basically I am applying to Cambridge, Durham, Bristol, St Andrews here so I think that equates to Ivy League and the ones below that (sorry don't know what those might be). Anyway, I was wondering in general about what my chances were at getting in to the Ivy Leagues - whether it's worth my while to take the SAT and have a shot at it. So here is about me:</p>

<p>I'm in year 12, which I think is the same as 11th grade/Junior, I'm in a private all-girls school which is really (top 10 in the country) academic/selective -- I don't really know where I am in the year group but I reckon probably top 15/90. I want to major in English Literature.</p>

<p>10 GCSEs:
English, English Lit, Maths, Biology/Chemistry/Physics, German, French, History, ICT (All A*) Art (A) -- I've also done Latin, Geography and Religious studies but couldn't fit them into my timetable for GCSE.</p>

<p>5 AS levels: English Lit, History, French, Maths, Critical Thinking predicted AAAAA
Will take English Lit, History, French, Maths A levels.</p>

<p>Activities in School: CCF (combined cadet force, RAF section), Run an English club for year 7s, 1st XI field hockey team, cello to grade 5 standard (that's average/good), Gold Duke of Edinburgh award, charity work for school charity, Prefect (voted to position by girls, staff, old prefects)</p>

<p>Activities out of School: Ballet, Modern and Jazz dance to grade 8+ standard. Work part-time in the office of a primary school, babysitting.</p>

<p>Work experience: Oxford University Press, Literary Agent, Blenheim Palace (each for 1 week)</p>

<p>School/Academic Prizes: Commendation in British Physics Challenge, 1xGold and 2xSilver awards in British Maths Challenge, School Headmistress's award for endevour in years 7, 8, 9 (until they changed the rules and I can't get them anymore lol!), School prize for Academia in years 8 and 10.</p>

<p>Um, what else do they ask you? Does it matter what your parents do, if it helps then my father is an Oxford Don and my mother is a physicist. </p>

<p>Anyhow, I was just wondering whether it is worth (seriously) me having a go at the Ivy League, considering that there are so many people who are absolutely amazing who try. I know like grades/ECs aren't everything, and there's essays and forms and SATs and all, but what do you (honestly please) think? Also, what other Universities should I consider?</p>

<p>Thanks! All your help is appreciated! Monty xxx</p>

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<p>Yes. You should however take SAT exam. You could also apply to Unuversities like UCLA and University of Boston etc.</p>

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<p>To apply to the Ivy league school requires both the SAT I (which has three parts), and at least 3 different SAT II subject tests.</p>

<p>If by 15/90 above you mean that you rank 15th out of the 90 people in your class, you will have a hard time getting into an Ivy league school. Ivies usually take only the top 1% to 1.5% of any high school class. But then maybe you are exceptional in other ways--and maybe that's not what you meant by 15/90.</p>

<p>There are lots of good schools besides the Ivies in the US. Check out the US News and World Report site for America's best colleges 2006. Here's the list for best national universities:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/natudoc/tier1/t1natudoc_brief.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/natudoc/tier1/t1natudoc_brief.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Most of the top schools like to have people from all over--usually at least a few people from every state and from a lot of different countries. Accordingly, almost all of them give details on international admissions. Check out the website for each school for details. Usually most will want to you to take the SAT I, give your GPA (grades), and sometimes, like the Ivies, want you to take some SAT II subject tests.</p>

<p>Good luck to you.</p>

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<p>Calcruzer, about 35% of the kids from my high school go to ivies every year. The admissions process assures that almost everyone is ivy material. This is the same at probably 2 dozen of the very top schools in the Country. If her school is indeed on of the top in the UK, being top 20% may be just fine.</p>

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<p>---monty---
Is your college a SAT testing center?</p>

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<p>well, truthfully, i dont know how youre going to cram sat I & three SAT IIs. isnt that impossible? i guess you can take them in october and november, but i dont know if they're worth it. if i were you, i'd rather focus on my apps for uk colleges rather than straining through to take sat's. (they're not easy =_=;)</p>

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<p>Un less her high school is an SAT testing center she dose not have to have SATI and SATII's. Three SATII or simpily the SAT should do even if her highschool is a SAT testing center. </p>

<p>Harvard University :SAT I
Prinston University :SAT I or Three SATII + A-levels.
Yale University: <a href="http://www.yale.edu/admit/international/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.yale.edu/admit/international/index.html&lt;/a> From:
The Office of International Students and Scholars
Yale University
421 Temple Street
New Haven, CT 06511
U.S.A.
To: International Students and Scholars
If you are applying from a school outside the United States or Canada, the application procedure and timetables are essentially the same as for candidates applying from schools in the United States. That goes for the testing requirements as well: either the SAT I and three SAT II Subject Tests, or the ACT, is required. There are two exceptions. Students whose home countries (e.g., mainland China) do not have a testing center are, of course, exempt. In addition, students enrolled in A-level programs may use completed A-level results as a substitute for the SAT II Subject Tests on a one-for-one basis provided o∞cial test results arrive at Yale by February of 2006. No other substitutions are acceptable
Columbia University:<a href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/isso/admit/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.columbia.edu/cu/isso/admit/&lt;/a> First year bachelor's degree applicants - must supply academic records for the last four (4) years of secondary school, all national examination results (such as "0" levels, "A" levels, Baccalaureate, Abitur, International Baccalaureate, etc.), and a diploma showing proof of graduation, if available at the time of application.</p>

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<p>Monty -
Hum, if you can substitute A-levels for SAT II's it would be a lot more managable. However, you've got a good background, and you're only young once. I would suggest that you concentrate on Brown, Dartmouth and Barnard.</p>

<p>Other US schools - Bowdoin, Amherst, U of Chicago, and Georgetown. Note that you could apply to Bowdoin with just your transcript, and to U Chicago with just the SAT.</p>

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<p>For the person who was wondering about my 15/90, yes that is the top 16th percent, however that's just me guessing because our school doesn't do class rankings. I said top 15 because I can name 5 people with better GCSEs (the elusive 10A*s, if only I hadn't taken art!) and 10 people with the same GCSEs. However, if you count the “whole package” – grades, ECs, service to the school, I am probably top 4 or 5 -- being a prefect is the mark of that, they vote you in based on your personality, how much you help in the school, your grades, whether you are nice to year 7s (!) etc -- and I am I reckon 2nd/3rd most academic prefect.</p>

<p>I am pretty much 1st/2nd in all my classes at school, but across the year group there are other clever people but who are not doing the same subjects as me (e.g. a huge number of medicine/science people who are very good) -- so we all kind of equal out at being good at what we are good at, like I'm top in English and History, whereas another person might be top at Biology or Chemistry. Also, my school is very competitive, with this year 30% Oxbridge entrance.</p>

<p>Anyhow, from what you have said it sounds like SATs are a bit of a nightmare! I think my school does training classes for SAT but we have to go to an outside centre to take the test, if that sounds possible? I am interested by this replacing-by-Alevels thing (like on the one from Yale posted above) does this mean I would have to do SAT I and then my SAT II's can be replaced by English, History, French, Maths AS levels?</p>

<p>Thanks to you all xxx</p>

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<p>The SATs aren't really a nightmare. They're just one day of testing. A lot of people on this site advocate reviewing with study books and even paid classes, but that's really unnecessary and, in my opinion, contrary to the spirit of the test. You only need to be familiar with the format.</p>

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<p>Check for some American schools in your area (I know there's one near London). I go to school on an American air force base, and there are always German kids coming on base to take the SAT... so you should be able to, too.</p>

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<p>You should be able to order Real SAT's from Amazon - you want to be able to practice the sections so you are familiar with the format. There may be some sections of the math to review if its been a while since you have covered it.</p>

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<p>Full A-levels not AS's are what can replace SATII's.</p>

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<p>Right...so would I have to apply post A-level (September 2007) and take a gap year...oh this is all too complicated, I think SAT IIs here come lol!!</p>

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<p>--monty---:</p>

<p>UCLA: N/A (out of state)</p>

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<p>
[quote]
flopsy
UCLA: N/A (out of state)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>monty is from England I do not understand what you are getting at.</p>

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<p>I was about to say that...Je ne comprends pas...</p>

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<p>i'm from england too and applying this year next year...but i'm applying post-A-level. you've got better GCSEs than me :) is your school boarding?</p>

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<p>no, it's a private day school. What A levels are you doing and Unis are you looking at? Oh and any more advice would be appreciated xxx</p>