<p>Is there a minimum GPA to apply? I know there is a min IB mark and min SAT, but what about school GPA?</p>
<p>thanks in advance</p>
<p>I don’t think they really care about school internal grades, but you need to do well enough for your (academic) reference to say good things about your academic ability and your subject teachers to predict you very good IB grades. So there’s no distinct cut-off but it will likely influence other factors that they care about (hope this makes sense).</p>
<p>Do you know what is min IB score for oxford/ cambridge, cause im doing ib right now.</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Yup. Thanks Agne</p>
<p>and I think it’s 38/39, but I’m not sure. Why don’t you go to their website and see?</p>
<p>It depends on your course. For Oxbridge it’s usually a 38+. Don’t bother applying if you have a 37, it’s just a reason for easy rejection. The British system is ridiculous…</p>
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<p>How so? I think it is a lot simpler than the American one.</p>
<p>IB Offers stuff:</p>
<p>Oxford’s (university) website says: “A total score of at least 38 points including core points, with 6s and 7s in subjects taken at the Higher level”.</p>
<p>For Cambridge it differs more by college. Say you want to study philosophy. For example Trinity will offer 41 +‘7s in relevant subjects’ whereas Selwyn ‘only’ wants 40+776/766, so if you’re predicted less than 777 in your HLs it may be better to avoid Trinity where you are below the stated requirement and go for Selwyn, thus this will take a bit of website-checking or emailing to find out. </p>
<p>(obviously the more puntos the better, but seeing as you have to get those marks in IB exams to be able to attend it makes more sense in all ways to avoid the colleges wanting more points than you are predicted)</p>
<p>Hey, say if our teachers just completely hates us and predicts 1s in everything, but on the real exam we get a 45?</p>
<p>Is it possible to apply then? Or maybe transfer/take a Gap year and apply again?</p>
<p>Yes, you can certainly apply after you have the results. Then, if the university wants you, you will get an unconditional offer which means you’re definitely in. If you are applying on the basis of predicted scores before you have completed the IB course you will be made a conditional offer, which is dependent on you getting whatever scores they ask for. That means that if you fail to get those scores they are under no obligation to accept you (and probably won’t).</p>
<p>If your teacher hates you and say predicts you a 24 there is probably no point applying in IB2 (to start uni right after HS). But if you get excellent marks on the real thing then you can try taking a gap year and applying then to start the <em>following</em> fall. Oxbridge don’t take transfers AFAIK so a gap year to work/travel/do stuff would be good, though of course don’t take a gap year solely because of Oxbridge since more applicants get rejected than accepted.</p>
<p>In my very limited experience (I toyed with the idea of UCASing) US teachers who aren’t used to this ‘predicted grades’ thing tend to be rather ‘unprincipled’/unaware of the importance of this; all my teachers were like “I’ll just predict you a 7 so you have a better chance” even in the classes where they knew there was no way I would get one.</p>
<p>Username, the IBO monitors predicted grades and final results. So, if there’s a huge discrepancy (like the example you mentioned) that teacher or school will be monitored for the subsequent years. Predicted grades that are way off reflect badly on your teachers and school, no matter if they predicted you much higher or lower. It’s in everyone’s best interest to give out the most accurate predictions as possible. </p>
<p>SamualUK, the British system is ridiculous for several reasons (oh I could write a book about this…). The entire admissions process is based on whether or not you pass 7 tests at a certain score. Basically, if you can memorize stuff you’re in, if you can’t you’re out. The exception is Oxbridge and a select few schools and courses with their rigorous and excellent interview process. The US system is more complicated but it evaluates applicants holistically, through countless reasons. Think of it this way. A brilliant kid who suffers from some anxiety receives a conditional offer to study chemistry at Cambridge. He gets a bit nervous and instead of AAAA he scores AAAB. Boom he’s done. This kid might be smarter than all the others who got in but because he got a B instead of an A, no Cambridge for you.</p>
<p>Also, you can only study one course (sometimes two), which provides for a narrow education that is inflexible in a modern world where you MUST be flexible. For example, my friend who applied for management science at LSE was shocked that a basic psychology/decision-science class wasn’t required. Foreign languages are rarely a requirement in the UK. </p>
<p>It’s a shame that a US education is so expensive. Britain’s only selling point is the fact that it’s cheap.</p>
<p>What!!! Britain is cheap!!! dude, Oxford is like x2 harvard price, and offers no aid while harvard gives needbased financial aid or w/e it was called, right?</p>
<p>And imo the tests make more sense because they’re more objective while the US system depends too much oh the teacher giving you an objective score while that’s not true in many cases.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses everyone, but I’m still unclear as to if it’s at all possible to apply right after we get the scores for the following year, not the one after it/</p>
<p>Well the UCAS predicted grades are different from IBO predicted grades, and teachers aren’t accountable for UCAS predictions. (in the long run admission tutors may be skeptical of the school’s predictions, but US applicants are sufficiently rare I suppose)</p>
<p>British education is very cheap for domestic/EU students regardless of how much their parents make. For example for Harvard if your parents earn more than 250K you pay the full fare, whereas in the UK if your parents earn whatever 250K is in pounds you are still charged only a little more than 3000 pounds tuition. The annual cost would likely not exceed 10K pounds. They’re all state-funded institutions so understandably can’t give a lot of money to foreigners (though quite a few rich Oxbridge colleges are very generous with overseas aid anecdotally). Besides, many degrees are only three years too.</p>
<p>There are two ways to apply for UK uni entrance. Lets say you start IB2 in Fall 2010 and graduate in spring 2011.
- Apply in October 2010 with predicted grades by teachers. If you get an offer and meet it you will go to uni in fall 2011.
- Wait until you sit your real IB exams and get your marks in July 2011. Then you apply in October 2011 and start uni in fall 2012.</p>
<p>okay, thanks for explaining. </p>
<p>Is it possible to say do a year of University, then apply to Oxford/Cambridge as a freshmen?</p>
<p>bluebubbles: References and the personal statement are just as important as your final grade. What’s wrong with a university demanding a set academic benchmark for admittance, its no more ridiculous than American schools judging applicants by their extra curriculas.</p>
<p>A narrow education? You could just as easily argue we have a more specialised education; we go deeper instead of broader. If somebody wants to major in Geology why should they have to take a Spanish class just to fill a requirement? It certainly isn’t inflexible, employers want graduates who understand their subject - not someone who has dipped their toes in a bit of everything.</p>
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<p>On the other hand, what about the typical Asian boy with a perfect 2400 SAT score and 10 AP courses who doesn’t get into an Ivy school because some (non-academic) admissions official believes he is not “well-rounded” enough or won’t add “diversity” to the freshman class ? </p>
<p>Meanwhile, other far less qualified kids, perhaps with a 2000 or lower SAT score, much lower GPA, and only regular HS courses, get in because they are URM’s, athletes, or even worse, on the the flip side of the coin, are admitted despite their not-so-stellar academic qualifications because they have legacy parents or come from wealthy and influential families ! </p>
<p>If you ask me, the American “holistic approach” is the one that should be considered “ridiculous”, not the other way around.</p>
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<p>Your friend could take both [Decision Analysis](<a href=“http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/courseGuides/OR/2008_OR304.htm”>http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/courseGuides/OR/2008_OR304.htm</a>) ** and ** [url=<a href=“http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/courseGuides/ID/2008_ID200.htm”>http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/courseGuides/ID/2008_ID200.htm</a>] Organisational Theory and Behaviour <a href=“US%20spelling:%20Organizational%20Theory%20and%20Behavior”>/url</a> as electives to fulfill the requirements for the BSc in Management Sciences at LSE. Those two (full-year) courses would probably give him/her a much more solid background in the area than any “basic psychology/decision-science class” taken as an undergrad in the US.</p>
<p>You are right, however, when you say foreign languages are rarely required in the UK. Several LSE programs allow you though to study a foreign language as a non-compulsory outside option. Moreover, many UK students also take a foreign language as a contrasting A-level subject before getting into a university.</p>
<p>SamualUK, any major in the US which requires 12 classes will give you the exact same depth as an English course will. I’m not saying that British colleges are bad, on the contrary, they’re very good, that’s why everyone from all over the world wants to go there, just like in the US. I’m just saying they should revamp their admissions process and allow students a little more freedom in terms of class selection. It’s no attack on the British. I live here and I love it. </p>
<p>The personal statement can either be 500 words of sincere enthusiasm or 500 words of bullcrap. Same with references. I don’t see it as a good way to choose candidates. The interviews are the way to go. </p>
<p>Bruno123, yes AA is a *****, but I think it gets far too bad of a rap, and I say that as a whitey. It’s a case-by-case basis and what I’ve seen a lot of times is that an applicant who might not have that great of scores makes up for it in other ways. We don’t know the extent of those applicants’ applications. And sorry, I think having a college filled with nerd-drones who just study all day is a terribly un-enriching place. Diversity can teach just as well as any college professors, sometimes even better.</p>
<p>Username, yep, you can do a year of university and reapply.</p>
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<p>Nevertheless, how common is it for a U.S undergraduate major to require 12 specialist classes ? My guess is that it is not very common.</p>
<p>Take for example the [S.B degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science]( <a href=“http://web.mit.edu/catalogue/degre.engin.ch6.shtml”>http://web.mit.edu/catalogue/degre.engin.ch6.shtml</a>) at MIT.</p>
<p>In order to graduate, a student must first fulfill the general MIT science requirements, i.e. two semesters of calculus, two semesters of physics, one semester of chemistry, and one semester of biology, most of which corresponds to material that is covered in the UK in A-level Maths/Physics/Chemistry and in first-year university courses for engineers/natural scientists. The additional departmental requirements then include two extra semesters of Math/Statistics, plus two Intro to Engineering classes, 3 “foundation subjects”, 3 “header subjects” , 2 “advanced undergraduate subjects”, and one lab/design class. </p>
<p>Taking out the additional Math classes (again, material routinely covered in the UK at A-level and first-year uni level) , the Intro to Engineering classes (which don’t really count) and the required lab class, the specialist compulsory EECS content in the MIT curriculum boils down then to 8 one-semester classes only, as opposed to 12. Note that, as part of the “general education” requirements, an MIT EECS major is required to take ** an equal number of classes <a href=“i.e.%20eight%20classes”>/b</a> in Humanities and Social Sciences! Then, there are 48 units (roughly 4 classes) of free electives, which a student could use to further his/her engineering education (to match the 12-course threshold that you mentioned), or take further science/math classes, or simply study something completely unrelated to science/engineering.</p>
<p>Please note that I am not implying that an MIT undergraduate education is “bad”. Quite the contrary, I am pretty sure MIT is the world’s top engineering school offering very rigorous undergraduate courses that provide excellent preparation for further graduate studies in the area. I am implying though that, as a result of the way they are structured, US bachelor’s degrees are not quite as deep in specialist content as their UK counterparts. In fact, I would dare to say that a 4-year engineering or science degree in the UK is probably comparable to a 5-year integrated BS/MS or, equivalently, a standard 4-year BS + an MS in the US.</p>
<p>Oh dear, you do your research well. But then comes the question, how well prepared are A-level mathematics students for rigorous engineering courses such as those at Imperial or Cambridge? </p>
<p>If someone really wanted to specialize at MIT, they could just use the remaining 4 electives to take the last 4 EECS classes which would equal the 12 courses that I was talking about. Some people could choose not to do that and instead, say, take a business class which would prepare these electrical engineers for the days when they would, say, own their own firm. Students at Imperial don’t have the flexibility to do that. All I’m saying, whether you choose to specialize or not, the US gives a valuable amount of freedom to its students to choose. </p>
<p>I had a friend who did business at a uni in the UK but hated it and eventually dropped out to do a film course. He lost one and a half years and 7000 pounds. In the US, he would’ve simply had to change his major. </p>
<p>I understand that a 4-year engineering degree equals an integrated 5-year BS/MS but there’s no way it would be recognized as a master’s in the US, or maybe even the UK.</p>