<p>I want to study Business and Economics at a UK uni. Do you have to send in your transcript? What is the minimum GPA requirement for Oxford?
My choices:
Reach
Oxford
LSE
Cambridge
UCL</p>
<p>Match
King's
Imperial</p>
<p>Safety
King's
Manchester</p>
<p>Well you can only apply to 5 and you cannot apply to Oxford and Cambridge in the same year so you need to start over with your list!</p>
<p>Forget everything you think you know about college admissions. The UK is basically about focus on your subject. All other issues are irrelevant.</p>
<p>You apply using UCAS</p>
<p>www,ucas.com</p>
<p>You also need to to learn how to use websites. It took me less than 30 seconds to find the Oxford admissions requirements for Americans.</p>
<p><a href=“International qualifications | University of Oxford”>http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/international-students/international-qualifications</a></p>
<p>GPA is meaningless and no transcripts unless specifically requested.</p>
<p>Given that Oxford doesn’t have a business and economics course (and neither does Cambridge, but it does have pure Economics), you may not wish to apply there.</p>
<p>Here is the list of courses.</p>
<p><a href=“A-Z of courses | University of Oxford”>http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses-listing</a></p>
<p>If you plan on applying for 2015 entry, the deadline for Oxbridge is 15th October 2014, so research, research, research.</p>
<p>Agreeing completely with cupcake, and adding that admissions for <em>most</em> UK univerisites is based almost entirely on standardized test scores in subjects that are relevant / apprproriate for the subject you are planning to study, with your Personal Statement ( an essay that all the universities you apply to see, that makes your case for why you want to studey that subject, and why you are a good candidate for that specific course ) and your guidance counselors rec rounded out your application. As a rule of thumb, a “5” on an AP or a strong 700 on an SAT II counts as an “A” or “A*” on an A-level (there is some variation- look on the international pages. </p>
<p>For Oxford or Cambridge, only 5s will be considered, and the standardized tests only qualify you to move on. Many subjects also require an aptitude test. If you pass all those hurdles, you get invited to interview ( in person or by Skype). The interview is similar to an oral exam, in which the interviewers- who are typically tutors (professors) that will be teaching you at some point- assess your aptitude for both the subject and the tutorial format. It is not an exam in the sense that you can study for it- usually you are given material that is deliberately chosen to be unfamiliar to you, and they see how you learn.</p>
<p>Every course at every university in the UK has very detailed information available on the website- sometimes you have to dig a bit, but it is there, right down to want subjects you take each year of the course, and what (if any) electives there are. Spend some time digging around.</p>
<p>Agreeing completely with cupcake, and adding that admissions for <em>most</em> UK univerisites is based almost entirely on standardized test scores in subjects that are relevant / apprproriate for the subject you are planning to study, with your Personal Statement ( an essay that all the universities you apply to see, that makes your case for why you want to study that subject, and why you are a good candidate for that specific course ) and your guidance counselors rec rounding out your application. As a rule of thumb, a “5” on an AP or a strong 700 on an SAT II counts as an “A” or “A*” on an A-level (there is some variation- look on the international pages).</p>
<p>For Oxford or Cambridge, only 5s will be considered, and the standardized tests only qualify you to move on. Many subjects also require an aptitude test. If you pass all those hurdles, you get invited to interview ( in person or by Skype). The interview is similar to an oral exam, in which the interviewers- who are typically tutors (professors) that will be teaching you at some point- assess your aptitude for both the subject and the tutorial format. It is not an exam in the sense that you can study for it- usually you are given material that is deliberately chosen to be unfamiliar to you, and they see how you learn.</p>
<p>Every course at every university in the UK has very detailed information available on the website- sometimes you have to dig a bit, but it is there, right down to want subjects you take each year of the course, and what (if any) electives there are. Spend some time digging around.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! I did find the international admissions undergrad page, but I really just wanted to know if a transcript was required. Thanks for your replies!</p>
<p>I have a friend who applied to cambridge for his engineering degree. The interviewer randomly threw a helicopter part on the table and asked him to describe it’s function. The interviewers weren’t looking for correct answers; they were looking for someone with a keen thought process. I’m not sure if Cambridge holds any of it’s interviews through Skype because my friends who were shortlisted were required to go to specific places for their interviews. Oxford, however, does it’s interviews through skype for candidates who can’t make it to the university or to an agreed location (I’m currently a student there, starting in October)</p>
<p>Adding on to Thompsonliane’s transcript question: we don’t understand the “tariff” system. (Some of the UK uni’s use these, not Oxford or Cambridge). Will that point system apply for US applicants? Like, there were some categories such as personal extenuating circumstances (death in family) and others that normally have a place on the US common app that (through UCAS?) get extra points added to the points for AP’s and/or SATII’s. Bottom line, just wondering if that tariff system applies to foreign applicants such as us.</p>
<p>Different universities give different weights to UCAS points v. A level (or AP) results; in general I have heard (note:hearsay!) that the more highly ranked the university the more A levels > UCAS points. That said, there is a handy-dandy table for calculating your UCAS tariff points here: <a href=“http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/explore-your-options/entry-requirements/tariff-tables/app”>http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/explore-your-options/entry-requirements/tariff-tables/app</a>. Although there is a place for putting down ‘extenuating circumstances’ I am not aware of specific extra points being added because of them. </p>
<p>I am a little confused about your linking the Common App and UCAS: they are two completely separate systems. There are about half a dozen UK universities to which you can apply via the Common App <em>or</em> UCAS, but for the vast majority of UK universities you can only apply via UCAS. </p>
<p>Thanks. I wasn’t trying to link the UCAS to Common, but I now see that it reads that way. I was trying to ask if there was something on UCAS similar to the CA for personal circumstances. But, going back to the original question – the tariff point system DOES apply to foreign applicants, and it is not just for British applicants?? In other words, there is not a different system for evaluation for foreigners?</p>
<p>No, there isn’t a different system for foreigners, just conversion mechanisms (like the link in the previous post). Again, most of the higher ranked unis (and thus the ones that are most likely to be worth going overseas for) seem to emphasize exam grades (AP / SAT subject test) scores more than the tariff. </p>
<p>For extenuating circumstances, typically the person writing the recommendation notes them. The personal essay might mention it but only in a sentence or two at the end, where personal interests and activities might be noted- it is expected to be about why you want to study that subject, and why you are a good candidate for it.</p>
<p>Higher ranked universities such as LSE, Imperial and UCL emphasise AP results and not SATs.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/informationForInternationalStudents/countryRegion/northAmerica/USA/entryRequirements.aspx”>http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/informationForInternationalStudents/countryRegion/northAmerica/USA/entryRequirements.aspx</a></p>
<p><a href=“Imperial College London”>http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/entryrequirements/undergraduate/academicrequirements</a></p>
<p><a href=“United States of America | International Students - UCL – University College London”>http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/international/countries/north-america/united-states</a></p>
<p>@Leyland , if you don’t mind my asking, what does it take to get into Oxford? How did you qualify? Thanks so much! I’m sorry for the lame questions you don’t have to answer them if you don’t want.</p>
<p>Hi @thompsonliane, I think you mean to direct your question to tomatoespotatoes.</p>
<p>Right, sorry @Leyland . @tomatoespotatoes , if you don’t mind my asking, would you tell me more about the admissions process that you went through and info about the UCAS? Also I’d like to know if Oxford requires a high school transcript. Thank you!</p>
<p>OP, if you are more interested in the side of business and economics, you could apply to Cambridge for the Economics course and take Part II in Management Science, continuing a fourth year in MPhil or just Masters in a Business area you’re interested in. </p>
<p>That said, I’m also in @thompsonliane 's shoes of applying to UK universities. About that high school transcript, does it mean your GPA plus classes? </p>
<p>@thompsonliane I’m going off memory right now, but I do remember sending in my transcript. </p>
<p>And also, if you’re thinking about Oxford, you should probably look into Economics and Management. It seems to be the best fit for what you are thinking of studying, but it is sadly one of the most competitive subjects to get into. I believe it’s slightly more so than PPE and definitely more so than History and Econ. </p>
<p>And have you looked at TSR? They’re like the uk equivalent of CC.</p>