At the moment I’m considering studying either law or neurology, and I’m a student in the U.S. planning to go to England for all of college. I’ve taken AP classes since freshman year of high school and I’m currently completing a capstone project. I’ve passed the aps I’ve taken so far and I’m expecting to get 4s and hopefully 5s on the aps I’m taking this year and next year. I know Oxford is a long shot, but I’d be happy going anywhere in England for sure.
The short version: do you understand how prescriptive universities are in the UK? you will only take classes in your subject. The admissions tutors will be looking for evidence that you have a fair understanding of the subject are and that you are suited to the subject. Given that you don’t have a clear preference, it’s hard to see how you would have that deep of a commitment to either. And even at the less pressurized unis, if you don’t love your subject it is very painful to be doing it all day, every day.
The requirements for the law and neuro/biosci courses for all your unis are available online. Do some homework, and you will be able to find what classes you take each year of the program (note that ‘elective’ modules will still be in the same subject) (I’ve posted Oxford Law below).
For all UK universities (applying through UCAS- there are some you can apply through the common app) you write one essay (Personal Statement) that all the unis see. Your will have to demonstrate why you are a good candidate for that course. It is very hard for me to imagine how one essay would be equally successful at persuading both an admissions tutor on a law course and an admissions tutor on a biomedical sciences course that you understand what the course is and are well suited to it. At UK unis, it is the department that you are applying to study in that makes the admission decision, not a central AdComm.
As for Oxford:
Oxford has no neurology course- closest is biomedical sciences, for which the minimum requirement is 5s in 2 of Bio, Chem, Physics or Calc BC, and in real life you will need three of them. You will also have to show that you have taken honors level in whichever you don’t have an AP in (unless you have an AP in all 4). You also have to take the BMAT (info [here](http://www.admissionstestingservice.org/for-test-takers/bmat/about-bmat/)) and that score is used to short-list candidates for an interview that is a cross between an oral exam and a tutorial.
Law at Oxford has no required APs, but there is an expectation that some of your exams will be in essay-based courses. You will have to take the [url=<a href=“http://www.lnat.ac.uk/%5DLNAT%5B/url”>http://www.lnat.ac.uk/]LNAT[/url], and again, it is used to short list for the interview.
For example, for Oxford Law you take
Terms 1 & 2 of Year 1: A Roman Introduction to Private Law, Constitutional Law and Criminal Law, plus a Legal Research module.
Term 3 of Year 1 through the end of Year 3: Admin, Contract, EU, Land, Tort, Trusts and Land Law, Jurisprudence, another Legal Research module and 2 electives chosen from this [url=<a href=“https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/admissions/options?year=All&programme=7907%5Dlist%5B/url”>https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/admissions/options?year=All&programme=7907]list[/url].
For assessment, you take ‘mock’ (they don’t count for your final grades, but they are on your transcript) exams at the end of Year 1; over the summer break after Year 2 you write a long-form essay that counts towards your final marks; at the end of Year 3 you take a series of exams over a couple of weeks that cover all of the work you have done over the last 3 years. Those exams, plus your essay, determine your final mark. In between you write an average of 3 research papers every 2 week during term time. It is extremely intense: you will read and write more, faster than you ever thought possible.
Thank you! All throughout high school I’ve taken APs that could be geared toward Law and government, and I do have an enjoyment for it so I suppose going toward law would make the most sense in this case even if I’m not required to take APs for it.
Thank you! All throughout high school I’ve taken APs that could be geared toward Law and government, and I do have an enjoyment for it so I suppose going toward law would make the most sense in this case even if I’m not required to take APs for it.
Sorry for the lack of clarity: you still need to have a minimum of 3 APs with a score of 5- it’s just that Oxford Law doesn’t require that they be in any specific subjects.