<p>Hey guys-</p>
<p>my school told us today that if we wanted to apply to British schools, the deadline is early september. That thought had never crossed my mind but, essentially i have 2 questions:</p>
<p>Assuming I get into Oxford/Cambridge--></p>
<p>Is the education comparable (better/worse) than say ... Columbia?
How practical is it to come back to the US to get a job?
And objectively from a education standpoint, Oxford or Columbia?</p>
<p>First off, the education at British institutions like Oxford and Cambridge are much more specialized than at American institutions. You have to make a choice: liberal arts base, or specialized education. This is articulated much better in the Fiske Guide to Colleges. As a matter of fact, Cambridge is said to be "particularly blunt about 'the possible mismatch between the broad liberal arts curriculum of the North American high school and the specialist emphasis of British degree courses.'" Make a decision on whether or not you want a specialized education. That's all I can say.</p>
<p>I totally agree with NathanTX07. In the UK you have to apply for a specfic subject. It's very difficult to change this once you start. (usually to change subject you would have to drop out and reapply) There are no minors or general education classes(there are some in Scotland but only in the first year. So a degree in Scotland takes 4 years but elsewhere it's 3 years only).</p>
<p>The deadline is only in September for Oxbridge. For everywhre else it's about June 2007 or something. There is one common app which you can fill in online (<a href="http://www.ucas.com%5B/url%5D">www.ucas.com</a>) for up to 6 schools at no extra charge. So you can either add 5 others now, or go back and add then later if you want to.</p>
<p>Oxford, Cambridge and Columbia are all awesome schools. Oxford and Cambridge are very similar in that they follow a similar system and are both located in old college towns. Columbia follows a very different academic system and is located in a huge urban jungle. What do you wish to study? If you are interested in the humanities, you cannot beat Oxford. On the other hand, if you wish to study Engineering, a science or Economics, Cambridge and Columbia are a better choice than Oxford.</p>
<p>I'd say your education would be very good at either of those two schools. Probably better in your major field, although if you're looking for broad-based curriculumn - you're not going to get it. </p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that British admissions is a VERY different process than American. Your GPA and Test Scores will make or break your application. Also, keep in mind that British schools make 'offers' which are dependant on your exam scores. For Oxford/Cambridge you will need to have 5-6 APs minimum with scores of mostly 5s and maybe a 4 thrown in. If you have the IB, it is usually 38-40 points - not including TOK/extended essay. Oh yes, and one more thing that often gets overlooked - you cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge. It is not like the ivies in the US - you can only pick one. And, there is no financial aid for internationals.</p>
<p>I'm not going to pretend like I know everything about oxbridge, Aside from you can only apply to both schools under and organ scholarship and that You have to apply to one of the specific colleges under a certain major. I do know of something things that may help. <a href="http://forums.fictionalley.org/park/showthread.php?threadid=84413&highlight=oxbridge%5B/url%5D">http://forums.fictionalley.org/park/showthread.php?threadid=84413&highlight=oxbridge</a>
<a href="http://forums.fictionalley.org/park/showthread.php?threadid=64490&highlight=oxbridge%5B/url%5D">http://forums.fictionalley.org/park/showthread.php?threadid=64490&highlight=oxbridge</a></p>
<p>I applied this year to Oxford (yeah, tough decision whether to apply to Oxford or Cambridge) and I was accepted to the Engineering, Economics, and Management major. </p>
<p>At the end, however, I decided on Princeton over Oxford, simply because I felt that my overall education would be better at Princeton. Crucial to me was also the fact that I'm undecided about a major (I might go CS? Operations Research/ Financial Engineering? Econ?...I don't know). At Princeton, I have more time to decide. I also visited the two places and felt more at home at Princeton. But hey, to each his own.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also, keep in mind that British admissions is a VERY different process than American. Your GPA and Test Scores will make or break your application.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Actually, not quite. Not sure how Cambridge does it, but Oxford doesn't look at GPAs. Instead they ask for a recommendation from someone asking them to assess your performance in a certain areas, a statement written by you (unlike most university essays here, this essay is entirely academic), and most importantly, your entire testing record. My understanding is that they don't trust the varied American grading system; unlike US universities that have kept tabs on high schools long enough to know what a "good" student from that school is, Oxbridge don't have that luxury.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also, keep in mind that British schools make 'offers' which are dependant on your exam scores. For Oxford/Cambridge you will need to have 5-6 APs minimum with scores of mostly 5s and maybe a 4 thrown in.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Very true. My interviewer particularly noted my high test scores (1590 Old SAT, 800/800/800/790, and 5s and all five APs). It also helped that the vast majority of my exams were in the math/science area. Fair? I don't know. But that's how they do it.</p>
<p>The interview, by the way, is unlike any US college interview. There's no talk (or close to nil, anyway) on you as a person. I was given a piece about p-n junctions in semiconductors and for the beginning of my interview, my interviewer tested (a) how well I internalized that, and (b) how well I could use that base for even higher level thinking. I'm a fairly math/sci person and read science journals frequently, so I didn't find it to be a problem, but I can definitely see it being one for others.</p>
<p>Good luck, and PM if you have any questions!</p>
<p>^^^that is awesom. for me atleast. </p>
<p>Ive heard that students at Harvard can easily transfer to Oxbridge. It is the same for students from Oxbridge to tranfer to harvard/</p>
<p>You can come a study at Oxford for a year abroad while still registered as a student at you US institution. However, there is NO concept of transfer at British universities in general. It just doesn't exist. If you want to enrol at Oxford you have to apply to start in the first year again. (If you have already completed a BA in some cases you would be allowed to start from the second year. But why would you want to do two undergraduate degrees). I haven't got a clue if Harvard allows Oxford students to transfer there, but Oxford certainly doesn't allow transfers of any sort from anywhere.</p>
<p>what about Cambridge?</p>
<p>Transfers just don't exist in the UK anywhere. It's a completely different system. Read the second and third sentences of my post above. How is that not clear?</p>