<p>Forgive me if this is the wrong place to post this question. I am from the U.S and am interested in applying to these UK schools. How difficult would it be for me to get into these schools since I am out of the country? I am not exactly sure if this puts me at a disadvantage. Additionally, I know that these are very famous and selective schools, but I am not exactly sure how selective they are. To help me out could you give me an equivalent? For example, are these schools as difficult to get into as an ivy league school? Thank you for any information!</p>
<p>Additionally what scores would I need to be a competitive applicant at these schools?</p>
<p>Now I read through these a couple of weeks ago (prospective app here too lol), and I came to a very solid conclusion: Americans are screwed. However, this is fine, as we have a plethora of other great universities to apply to in our own country. That is in contrast to the Brits, who can apply to a maximum of 5 universities through UCAS…</p>
<p>Now, an interesting bit of info - UCAS only allows you to apply to Oxford OR Cambridge… Not Both. </p>
<p>Now I myself, as a prospective engineer/scientist/mathematician, recommend Cambridge with the highest of honors. However, if you want to go into writing or humanities, then both schools are great. (Cambridge #1 woo)</p>
<p>Now honestly, humor aside (assuming anything I said was at all humorous), these schools are just as difficult to gain admission to as the top Ivy League schools are (HYP, and Columbia (cause lets face it Columbia is pretty awesome)). If you do not think you have great chances at HYP here, then the chances are probably mirrored over at the UK’s top colleges…</p>
<p>However, if my negativity still has not put you off yet, then I recommend you apply. The only way you will not get accepted for sure, is if you never apply.</p>
<p>@UMTymp2015 Thanks, I would also apply as an engineer so I was leaning towards Cambridge. It sounds like it would be quite unlikely for me to get accepted but I might apply anyway if it is not too much of a hassle.</p>
<p>“If you do not think you have great chances at HYP here, then the chances are probably mirrored over at the UK’s top colleges”</p>
<p>What makes Oxford and Cambridge different from HYP is that admission to the latter is highly influenced by your achievements outside of class (as much as inside it), while the former pays little attention to ECs and the sorts. In admission interviews at Oxford, which are extremely important for admission (unlike in the US), the interviewer actually grills you about what you know about the subject you’re applying for. You should be ready to extrapolate your understanding to completely new situations and to speak clearly and ‘cleverly’.</p>
<p>Anyway, there are other websites that deal with admission to British universities. CC may not be the best place. How you interpret American college admissions statistics is not useful when it comes to statistics of British universities.</p>
<p>Cambridge asks for a minimum of high SAT scores, 5 scores of 5 in AP exams in relevant subjects, which for engineering must include Calculus and Physics. Some colleges want to you to their own mathematics test as well. Your ECs should have some engineering relevance. You will also need to be able to fund the course yourself - almost no FA is available for overseas students.</p>
<p>Cambridge for engineering.
To reiterate what people have said - they will literally not care at all about anything non engineering related, unless it is literally an INCREDIBLE achievement.</p>
<p>I actually never knew about that fact. This is actually pretty good for me, cause my EC’s are really weak, but I am the captain of my schools STEM olympiads and have a lot of knowledge when it comes to the modern physics and engineering world…</p>
<p>UK unis are all about being focussed on the subject you wish to study (you have to apply to study a a particular “course”, effectively your major, and in many cases to switch would require dropping out and re-applying). This is the opposite of the requirement to be “well-rounded” for US college admission. </p>
<p>The deadline for Oxbridge admission October 2015 is 15 October 2014. So if you are serious about this you need to start filling in the forms. see UCAS <a href=“http://www.ucas.com”>www.ucas.com</a> This is the UK equivalent of a common app. You can only apply to Oxford or Cambridge for undergraduate in any one year, not both. You are extremely unlikely to get any form of financial aid. You application should be very focussed on the course you are applying for. ECs are only mentioned if they are directly relevant to your course.</p>
<p>‘are extremely unlikely to get any form of financial aid’</p>
<p>A common myth, in reality both universities give away a tons of money in the form of financial aid. For the fact of matter, both (or rather, their colleges) give money to undergrads to pursue often obscure extracurricular activities, to travel, etc. </p>
<p>Also, switching a course does not require readmission at Oxbridge. And you can also have more that one course (maths/philosophy, etc) though that depends on what are you studying. </p>
<p>‘A common myth, in reality both universities give away a tons of money in the form of financial aid. For the fact of matter, both (or rather, their colleges) give money to undergrads to pursue often obscure extracurricular activities, to travel, etc.’</p>
<p>Does Oxbridge give $$ to INTERNATIONAL students, i.e non-EU students? Please post links to general, non-country-specific funds available at this these two schools for undergraduate studies.</p>
<p>College scholarships can be found on the individual college websites. Some colleges list but a fraction of their scholarships as there are several for which there’s no direct application - they’ll consider the eligible candidates automatically. </p>
<p>GeraldM - if you have ever actually looked at the scholarships attached to the link you posted, you will find that the vast majority of them are for graduate degrees only (for example, if you select “US” as your country, you get 21 choices. 20 are graduate only. I have just checked. Clearly you didn’t. The only one which doesn’t specify a graduate degree is the St Edmund’s Duke of Edinburgh Scholarship. However, since you have to be a graduate student to get into St Edmund’s in the first place, clearly this is limited to graduate students only in any case. Plus it is only £2000, which is about 10% of what you need). So your link proves your own “myth” is true. There is no substantial financial aid for overseas undergraduates at Cambridge university.</p>
<p>I reckon less than 1% of UK overseas undergraduates get full funding from a UK source. The UK business model is that overseas students subsidise the rest. The universities would all go bankrupt otherwise (maybe not Oxbridge, but probably the rest). Graduate funding is much, much easier to find.</p>
<p>To get a UK student visa you have to prove you have full funding for all the years of your course already in your bank account. A £300 book grant (and this is what “financial aid” often means in the UK) is not going to convince immigration. To suggest otherwise is irresponsible. For all intents and purposes, no meaningful financial aid exists in the UK for foreign undergraduates.</p>