Looking at dates and deadlines, there is a major flaw with my Oxford admissions plan. October 15th is the due date for the Oxford admissions, but the only date to take the required PAT is November 3rd. Is it possible to tell them that I’m going to take the PAT soon, or would it be better to cut my losses with Oxford, and look at my other applications.
Just realized that you would have taken the PAT for engineering, not physics. St Andrew’s doesn’t have engineering, but of course any number of Scottish and English universities do.
They will tell you exactly what scores they want to see on their websites (if in doubt, just substitute APs for A-levels and look for programs that accept at least one B in their typical offers, such as AAB). You can create a list of up to 5 universities to apply to. Adjust accordingly as your junior year scores come in. This will make for great safeties fir you, nicely within budget.
You take the PAT after applying, all applicants do. Thats not a problem.
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You’re right – if you are borderline it probably doesn’t make sense. If your GPA gets more within range, it might be an easy “extra” application for you since it is a very quick application. No essays, no short answer questions. Just fill in your courses and grades and tell them a few things like how many hours a week you devote to your ECs.
It’s not like the SATs or the ACT, which really test 10th grade maths for college bound high school students. Not having taken a high level physics class is your problem, because every UK student you are competing against will have started A level physics in junior year and have almost 1.5 years of it under their belts.
Ok, that fixes the deadline problem. I’ll study for the PAT over the summer, and take a mock test afterwards. If I have a competitive score from that & have all 5’s from my junior year AP’s, I’ll apply. If either of these goes off the rails, I’ll end up not applying.
I’ll recalculate my GPA once I finish this year and I am around midway through 1st quarter of senior year. It will go up, and if it raises significantly I’ll apply to Cal Poly SLO
Good idea! Just note that they have an earlier application deadline than most. Usually they don’t accept any applications after Nov. 30 (they extended it a bit this past year due to Covid).
Also, I’m sure you have already thought of this, but it is very helpful to make a spreadsheet with a) all the deadlines and b) all the required supplemental essay topics (ie, not the Common App essay) and all the short answer questions and see where they overlap. That will help you plan how much effort is going to be needed for your eventual final slate of choices, as many will overlap to some degree – although the word counts may vary between the different colleges.
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For the 2021-2022 school year my 1st quarter ends Oct. 14th. This is really good, I can use those grades to boost my GPA, I could go from a 4.11 to a 4.14/15 because all of my courses are AP. The spreadsheet idea is really good, right now I just have the deadlines circled on my calendar. Thank you for your help!
That is a good plan for Oxford - to apply or not to apply. I’d still look at other UK universities, since their straightforward admission requirements and fee schemes make for good safeties. Best of luck!
@collegemom3717 @bouders @eyemgh @HazeGrey @SJ2727 @parentologist @MMRose @Tigerle @MYOS1634
I wish I could @ everyone who has helped me, but I can’t. I’ve come up with a plan and if I could get everyone’s opinion on it, that would be amazing.
After talking with my parents, we have come up with a compromise. For undergrad, I’ll go to a Florida college, and use Bright futures to save money. With the money I saved, I’ll go to a good grad school, and get a good degree. This way, employers won’t care as much where I got my undergrad, and I can save a considerate amount of money. What do you guys think?
This plan is contingent that I don’t get into any college deemed more respectable than UF/UCF/FSU respectable for undergrad. It also relies on the hope that Florida lawmakers won’t make any major changes to Bright futures.
Also, this thread is getting really long, and I’m sorry about that. A sincere thank you to everyone who has helped me out, I now have a good plan on what to do and how to apply.
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Lots of schools open applications in July/August. Lots of them have early application programs:
- EA or early action: you apply by an early deadline, college may give a decision by an early date (December/January) or defer you to the regular date (usually March). Some schools want you to agree not to apply to certain other early programs (varies by school, so check details carefully); this is sometimes called REA or restrictive early action.
- ED or early decision: like EA, except that you agree to attend the school if admitted and the cost is ok with you (“binding”). You can have only one ED application outstanding at any one time. Note: if you get deferred to the regular date, it is no longer binding.
- Rolling admission: school is likely to give you a decision shortly after you apply. In general, it is preferable to apply to rolling admission schools as early as possible, since they (or specific majors) may become more selective later as they fill up early.
- Early deadline for scholarships: school has an earlier deadline for applying for scholarships than for admission, or may give scholarships on a first come first served basis. It is advantageous to apply early in this case.
Don’t be sorry for a long thread if it allows you to get answers.
Planning for UF or FSU honors or UCF Honors if nothing else pans out, getting a high GPA, research experience, leadership activities, then grad school, is a very good plan - keeping in mind that you could get into other colleges.
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I think that sounds excellent!
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This makes a lot of sense. You get the degree and the education you want/need, inexpensively. Your father agrees, because he’s consoled with the possibility that your master’s will come from MIT or the like.
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That’s a super plan: realistic, affordable, keeps all your options open.
Don’t apologize for looking for help- it is the raison d’être of these forums! You have a lot of very experienced posters on here, who really are here to pay it forward from the people who helped us along the way.
Take time to craft your list:
*UK- pros are (except for Oxbridge/LSE/Imperial/ maybe UCL) pretty predictable admissions, and decent potential to stay and get a work visa- talk to your parents about which unis they feel tick their prestige meter
*Canada- almost as predictable entry as the UK, and good potential to stay and get residency- again, talk to your parents on which unis they feel would be “worth it”
*US- Do your homework and ID programs that you would like and that fit in your budget. For programs that you like but that your parents might not realize are as good as they are (such as CalPoly SLO or Purdue) put together a pitch sheet: stats of incoming students, employment outcomes, companies that actively recruit there, rankings in engineering circles, resources available, etc. For the programs that they like but are improbable (such as MIT or Stanford) have them do the cost estimators on the websites.
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I do agree that you should apply to safety, match, and reach in Canada, too, because you will find it easier to get Canadian residency than US.
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Thank you everyone for all of the help and the suggestions. I’ll be sure to come back to this thread when acceptances come out and let you guys know what I chose!
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I was traveling, so late to the party, but GREAT plan!
Plus, for what you want to do, Florida is very solid, even if you decide grad school is warranted. My son works in a very niche, complex area of fluid mechanics. His boss is a widely respected name with lots of impressive industry experience under his belt. He has a BS only from a school I guarantee is not on your radar that you probably haven’t heard of. Companies don’t hire school names. They hire proven experience.
To that end, learn for knowledge sake and mastery before worrying about the grade. Do the former, the latter will follow. Reverse them and it might not happen. Get club and/or research experience. Start looking for internships during your first year, but don’t be bummed if you don’t land one until your third. It’s an uphill battle when you have little to offer. Lastly, do anything and everything you can to build your network. Referred candidates have a MUCH higher likelihood of landing a position over and equally qualified cold applicant.
Good luck!
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Any update?