I’m a sophomore at a small high school in California, and I’m really looking at university in the UK (especially University of St. Andrews, and University of Edinburgh). I’ve heard on other forums that AP’s are really important, but my school only offers a total of 5 throughout all 4 years. I am planning on taking APUSH next year (the only AP offered in Junior year) and the other 4 AP’s (AP English, AP Calculus, AP Spanish and AP Biology) in senior year if my school allows it, considering my school doesn’t want us to push ourselves too hard and often limits how many advanced classes we can take. Do you think this would be considered enough to be able to get into these prestigious schools? I know I don’t really have to be thinking about it seriously until next year but I am trying to start now so I can be as prepared as possible. I’ve also taken the PACT and I got 30 on it, and it suggested that I would get around a 32-33 when I actually take it. I have not taken the PSAT yet though. I’m planning on visiting the UK to visit some universities during the summer between junior and senior years. Is there any advice for this or for UK universities in general?
You’d have to decide on what you want to study before you enter a UK uni, generally, and it’s tougher to change than at many American colleges. In English unis, as they are 3 years, you only study what you sign up for. At Scottish unis, roughly 3/4ths of your classes will be in what you read and you generally can only switch majors to a similar subject.
Compare to American colleges where a major (outside of professional majors like engineering, nursing, etc.) usually only take up 1/3rd to 1/2 of your classes and you don’t have to settle on a major for many majors until later.
So do you have a rough idea what you want to study?
One way to think about this is that American elites look for leaders who will make their mark on society in many fields while UK unis look for scholars who will make their mark in their field of study.
Most UK universities are happy with three APs, but which ones can be important as some subjects may have specific APs you must have as a prerequisite, and others in similar areas are helpful. If you really can’t get the APs you might need, there’s always the possibility of an access course/foundation year, but that would add an extra year on at international fee prices.
So let us know what you would like to study and we can advise better. The Scottish universities have a little more flexibility than most of those in the rest of the UK, but not nearly as much as the US.
Also be aware, it is the SCORE you get in the actual AP exams which matters, not just taking the course. Any offer you get from a UK university is going to be conditional on the results of at least some of your senior year APs.
When you’re planning your trip to check out possible universities, try to fix your travel dates so you’ll be there for the official open days.
Good luck with your search!
As @Conformist1688 says, in the UK it is your AP Scores that matter as their education system is more centered around a big evaluation at the end of the school year/class, where as the US is more interested in your AP class grades as the US does more evaluation throughout the grade/class/school.
@PurpleTitan @Conformist1688 I’d either want to do International Relations or pre-med. I’m not quite sure how medical studies work in the UK - do you a specific medical course or do you do a pre-med course like in the US, where you can basically major in anything as long as you meet the requirements for med school? I think AP Bio would be good for pre-med. For International Relations, I’m doing a program this summer with the US State Department where I study abroad in Tajikistan to learn Tajiki Persian. It’s a really rigorous course and was a really hard program to get into so hopefully that could help me get into an International Relations program, along with taking both French and Spanish next year.
I’ll try to fix the dates on open days but since I live in CA I can really only go in the summer. I get out pretty early in the summer so maybe I could go before school is out for the summer?
If you are planning on coming back to the US for med school you may want to reconsider going pre-med in the UK.
Another school that you may want to explore is Trinity College in Dublin.
It’s more like the Scottish than English curriculum (4-year vs. 3-year) and has strengths in IR and Languages.
Have a look at the admission requirements for UC students at each of the schools you’re potentially targeting.
They are very clear about the tests and scores that are needed for entry.
You’ll note that for many, SAT Subject tests scores can be used in lieu of AP test scores,
so it really doesn’t matter as much how few your school has on offer.
You can study an ap subject independently and take the AP exam without the taking the class. FYI
Medical school in the UK is predominantly for undergraduate entry. It’s exceptionally difficult for international students to get in, and only advisable if you wanted to end up practising as a doctor in the UK. If you want to be a doctor in the US, do med school there - and US med schools like you to have done your undergrad degree in the US, at least the prerequisite courses, so studying IR in Europe means you would be ruling out all chance of a US medical school later. If you want to keep that option, stay in the US. You do have a significantly better chance of getting in for IR.
If you were going to apply for medicine in the UK, AP chemistry would be a must, even more so than biology. As you mentioned Edinburgh, have a look at their website for requirements for medicine:
https://www.ed.ac.uk/medicine-vet-medicine/edinburgh-medical-school/medicine/applying/selection
https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/international/country/americas/united-states-of-america
If you want to enter medicine in the US (and if you are only an American citizen, that’s really your only realistic option), you really should study as a pre-med in only the US or Canada.
Remember that you can always study-abroad even if you go to college in North America.
If you are premed, forget the UK. You cannot get into medical school without taking AP Chemistry, which your school does not offer, and if you major in something else, you will not be able to take the core courses required for US medical schools since the UK curriculum is extremely rigid and does not allow students to wander off from their specific field of study. So the UK is highly impractical. Of course, if you can self study for AP Chemistry, in addition to your AP Calculus and AP Biology courses, you may have a shot, but it will be slim since medical schools always favor their own citizens.
If you wish to major in International Relations, the APs on offer at your school should suffice. APs in Calculus, English, History and Spanish should set you up nicely. St Andrews has become extremely selective ever since a commoner named Kate went there and fished herself the heir to the British throne! 
Edinburgh has very reasonable admissions standards. You should be able to get into their International Relations program with an SAT score of 1300+ and/or 3 APs with scores of 4 or better.
@Alexandre He can take the ap chem exam on his own self study. That’s the only way. Plenty of kids do it. But really difficult.
Agreed privatebanker, and that was my suggestion at the end of my second paragraph. Marylynnrose can take AP Chemistry on her own. But even then, it is extremely unlikely for a non-UK citizen to get into a UK medical school.
@Conformist1688 Yes, I would like to keep med school in the US as an option, though honestly if I do study medicine, I think I would go and work in the UK.
@Alexandre Good to know about AP Chem. I have lots of extracurriculars and sports already so I probably won’t do AP Chemistry on top of all that, in which case I’d apply for international relations instead of a pre-medicine path. Yeah, I doubt my acceptance to University of St. Andrews but I might as well try!
@marylynnrose, do you have UK citizenship or a UK passport? How will you work in medicine in the UK without that?