I am looking for some information about the United World College especially the one in Germany which offers the IB. If you are strong academically with a desire to study medicine at an Ivy league university, is it advisable to stay with A-levels? My daughter is very excited about applying to UWC, however I keep reading that they do not focus as much on academics? Can anyone advise?.
I can’t give you an specific information on the UWC in Germany but one of my friends happens to go to one of the UWC colleges. They do place heavy emphasis on community service, extracurriculars etc, however, the UWC colleges are definitely academically oriented too. With that being said, my friend did mention that all the temptations did distract her in the beginning but she quickly got focused again on her academic work once the school year was in full swing. I wouldn’t be worrying about the quality of education at UWC colleges, if I were you. The experience (as cheesy as it sounds) is quite life altering as it gives most students a different perspective on life.
Re: A levels vs IB. I had to make that decision last year and ultimately choose to do the IB program because of the fact that it’s a very well rounded program. This is especially beneficial if you are interested in applying to universities in the US as you’re required to take a course from each subject group (as students in American high schools do) and to take part in extracurricular activities (really important for US unis). However, if your daughter isn’t keen on the idea of continuing on with English, social science or whatever then she should probably do a levels. If she does a levels she can take the subjects that pertain to her strengths and that she’s interested in and won’t be forced into taking a subject that she isn’t interested in.
BTW, you can NOT study medicine straight after high school in the US. Medicine is a graduate program in the US so if you’re daughter is interested in studying medicine right after high school she should apply to unis in the UK, rest of Europe etc. If she isn’t interested in colleges in Europe then she’ll need to get a bachelors degree (any major but will also need to take some required pre-med classes) before applying to medical schools.
Thank you pink997. Actually she wants to do Medicine in the UK. Do you know if UWC is highly regarded at UK colleges such as Oxford and Cambridge? Your post was very helpful.
Your question specifies medicine at an Ivy League, but your reply says medicine at Oxbridge.
A-level v IB for medicine at Oxbridge:
Cambridge:
IB: 40-41; no specific grade requirements are given for HL/SL. Three sciences at HL is recommended; individual college have more specific requirements.
A levels:
GCSE: grade C or above in GCSE (or equivalent) Double Award Science and Mathematics, or two single awards in GCSE Biology and Physics may be substituted for Double Award Science
AS or A Level passes in Chemistry and two of Biology/Human Biology, Physics, Mathematics; at least one pass must be at A Level.
Most applicants have at least three science/mathematics A Levels; some Colleges require this and/or ask for particular A Level subject(s).
Oxford:
IB: Total 39; Higher Level: 7 6 6 including Chemistry and either Biology or Physics or Maths plus one other subject.
OR
A levels: A*AA, in three A-levels taken in one academic year, excluding Critical Thinking and General Studies. Chemistry (compulsory), plus Biology and/or Physics and/or Mathematics to full A-level.
Both require the BMAT and of course some work experience.
Be aware that if you (as the parent/legal guardian) have not been tax-resident in the EU for the 3 years running up to entry, then your D will be applying as an international student, for which Oxford has a legal max of 14 places (including graduate entry places) - and last year they only took 4. The same applies at Cambridge. Of course, if you are EU resident, then it is just normal-hard to get into medicine!
A lot will depend on how your daughter works- which format she does better in, whether she is an all-stem all the time or more all-round student, etc.
@Zazu2015 I’m not exactly sure about that. The caliber of students at UWC colleges is really high so I’d imagine they do really well in university admissions but getting into medicine in the UK as an international student (as highlighted above) is extremely difficult ( not to mention very expensive (upwards of 30K pounds/year)), regardless.
I honestly think she should strongly consider taking a levels if she’s serious about applying to British universities. The a level requirements are quite a bit lower than IB requirements. A Kings College London representative came to our school at the start of the academic year and explicitly stated that IB requirements in the UK are higher than a level requirements and for that reason she mentioned that they’ve lowered all their requirements to around 35-36 points, down from 38-39 for courses that require A*AA/AAA/AAB in a levels. They’ve finally realized how unfair it is on IB students. Lets hope other UK universities follow suit!