Hey everyone. I am a french immigrant that moved to the United States 4 years ago, and currently a junior in a pretty competitive public high school. I was wondering what my chances are in competitive schools like Oxbridge, UCL and LSE. Here are my stats:
- SAT
1500 superscore (1470 first try, 1480 second try)
- SAT II
Math II: 800
Physics: 780
French: 800
-APs
Sophomore year:
French - 5
Junior year:
Statistics - I will receive my scores during the summer but I am expecting a 4
Computer Science A: Same as stat but expecting a 5
Senior year (APs I plan on taking):
Literature
Microeconomics
Macroeconomics
Psychology
Physics C Mechanics
Physics C EM
Calculus BC
European History
Computer Science Principles
And Maybe:
Physics 1
Physics 2
I plan on applying to the universities above in subjects related to economics. What SAT score should I aim for and it is worth it to take this many APs my senior year? Also since I will not have the 3 5’s many universities require, do you believe I can still get a conditional offer based on the number of APs I am taking senior year?
Thanks everyone.
A conditional offer is certainly possible. What subject are you interested in?
You can’t take that many APs in one year and it doesn’ make sense to take physics 1 and 2 AND C and E/M. Also, ia believe CS principals is easier than A which u have already taken. So whats the point?
It is not worth it to take that many AP’s for any reason.
I am interested in economics/finance. Also I can take that many AP tests in a single year I’ll just have conflicts and will have to make some tests up. But my goal was to get as many APs as possible to give me a better chance because I know that I didnt take that many before senior year.
Definitely take Calc BC, whatever else you drop. Physics and History would be good. Econ, oddly enough, is not essential as it isn’t one of the most respected AP courses. I agree that CS Principles is redundant for you, and I would drop Lit as well.
Don’t forget that if you get a conditional offer, you would then have to get the scores required, most likely 5s for the universities you’re interested in. What would be the point of getting an offer, but then not being able to fulfil it because you’ve taken on too much?
The 4 you’re expecting in Stats is likely to be a red flag btw.
@Conformist1688
Ok so yeah I’ll probably drop CS Principles, also because I would have to self study it anyway, and I’ll probably keep Lit bc it helps with American colleges. But how competitive of an applicant would I be for schools like LSE or UCL?
In the UK five 5’s is better than 15 4’s
Faulty logic, and totally misses the point.
The Economics department will care about your ability and interest in their field. From their point of view, if you are really, truly interested in econ, why are you taking all those other exams?
From your point of view, can you really get a 5 in all of those subjects (and if so, why couldn’t you in Stat, not known as one of the trickiest of APs)?
FYI, Econ at Oxford is always a joint subject (+ History, Management or Philosophy & Politics - the last 2 being 2 of the most over-subscribed subjects on offer). If you want HisEcon, you will need the European AP, and you will have to sit both the HAT & TSA exams. For Econ+Mgmt & PPE you only need the TSA.
It is normal for offers to be conditional. They will have your SAT and your Subject Tests and your Predicted AP scores to work with (and Oxford will have the TSA/HAT). I agree with @Conformist1688 that a 4 in Stats will be problematic for Oxford and LSE; Edinburgh maybe not so much, esp if you get a 5 on BC.
Also, the only difference your French citizenship will make is that you won’t need a visa.
Your teacher recommendation, predicted scores, and personal statement (where you explain why you want to study econ) are all important parts of the application. As I said, only getting a 4 in stats (assuming that is the case) will be a concern for the top universities you’re considering because it’s a quantitative subject (and easier than calculus). All the universities you’re looking at are on the mathier side of economics. So I think it’s quite a big reach, based on the info you’ve divulged so far.
Also in the US self study for an AP in senior year will not help with admissions at any college. It might help a tiny bit prior to senior year. But they will admit you long before you get an AP score.
@VickiSoCal
Yep I know I was doing it only for the UK universities. But it was CS Principles which is extremely easy being it is mostly vocab based so it would not have been much of a burden anyway.
CS Principles will not be useful for UK admissions.
You probably have the best shot at Edinburgh of the unis you mentioned. Honestly, I think you have an uphill climb to get in to Oxbridge or LSE or even UCL. I think you’d have better success at the UK unis a step down like St. A’s, Durham, KCL, (and maybe Warwick, though they would want to see 5’s in the highest math) if you meet the minimum requirements (those are easy to find online).
Note that the 5 biggest feeders in to the City are Oxbridge, LSE, UCL, and Warwick.
UK universities will look down on all these APs, showing lack of focus - when want to see Academic focus.
They’ll want predicted 5s in calculus bc, literature, and euro. Micro/macro is a plus but not necessary. Everything else is a distraction.
Your 4 in AP stats is a problem. I’d advise you take a sat subject in history in order to have a relevant sat subject score beside math.
AP CS, and AP physics are a negative for them because they seem to point to a thwarted stem applicant. AP psychology is seen as a weak AP and of no use. Drop them.
For a US college, AP physics 1 OR 2 is sufficient.
Finally, you’re not going to get the European discount because it’s linked to continuous presence in a eu country for the past three years and you won’t be eligible or financial aid. Are your parents ok with these costs ?
Also I have heard that taking both the AB tests and the BC tests might be a plus because some unis apparently like to see that. Is that true?
And if for example for Oxford I had a very high TSA score, would that help counter the fact that my grades are on the lower side?
You cannot count on a high TSA score - even students who’ve been preparing for two years with dedicated tutors can’t.
The BC test INCLUDES the AB test. You’ll receive two scores.
@MYOS1634, note that A-Levels Maths (or Further Maths, can’t remember which) includes a physics section, so I doubt AP Physics would look bad.
CS probably doesn’t hurt, either. In general, they seem to like analytical rigor for everything (for the Cambridge Asian studies course, doing well in A-Level Maths/Further Maths is seen as a plus).
But getting 5’s in a few tougher AP’s is better than just taking a ton of AP tests and getting 4’s.
Taking 4 physics APs and 2 CS APs would. One of each is plenty. Op already has one CS AP, which is why I recommended taking one Physics AP (1or 2 but C is okay if op can get a 5) but not more. Getting 3-4 5’s is WAY more important, and euro, bc, and lit are all seen as ‘strong’ APs so op needs to focus on getting 5s in these rather than taking everything.
The universities the OP is targeting will undoubtedly want at least A in Economics A level if that is the chosen course. No amount of re jigging the portfolio of AP classes will make up for the fact the candidate does not have a strong enough background in economics to be a competitive candidate at any top UK university. Finance will be a different matter in which case take the most rigorous high school mathematics courses available.