I started my college search a couple of years ago, as of now I am focused on a couple of American Universities, but recently I became interested in colleges and universities in the UK. I became interested because I don’t want to be swimming in debt for the rest of my life and I heard UK schools are a more affordable option. I also plan to attend for the Fall of 2021
I am looking to major in either political science, finance, or economics along with Spanish, as I am interested in working for the US gov’t in the future.
So far I have looked into the University of Cardiff, ICL, UCL, Edinburgh, and Manchester.
My stats
GPA 4.1
Honors Courses
Highest Honor Roll
AP Biology --3
AP United States History – predicted 4/5
AP English Language and Comp — predicted 4/5
Next Yr
AP Psychology
AP Literature
AP European History
SAT 1190 Essay 13
ACT predicted around a 30
My SAT score was pretty low so I am planning on taking the ACT in the Summer.
As of now, I attend a private boarding high school that is home to many international students and I will receive an accredited diploma next year once I graduate. I do not know how the application process is different comparing the US and UK. Besides my grades, I focused on a lot of extracurriculars, volunteer hours, and athletic awards because those are looked at in the USA, but I do not think those matter for UK applications.
I just wanted to know if I have a chance of getting into the schools listed above, how the application process is different, if the degree is accredited, and is it a more affordable option than attending American Universities?
Most UK unis are accredited and many are eligible for FAFSA.
Some courses may be more affordable than some US courses, but it’s not super cheap. Estimate $45K/year, with no real financial aid (except University of Aberdeen, which has a tuition discount based on SAT score on admission and grades after that). Most humanities courses in England (not Scotland!) are 3 years long. So, it can be more affordable.
Admissions is based on test scores: there is often an SAT or ACT baseline, but the real metric is APs (or, for some universities, Subject Tests).
The APs/Subject tests need to be in the subject you are applying to studying, or the most relevant options. Offers are based on 3 subjects. Applying with predicted scores is fine- but if you aren’t predicted high enough scores to qualify for an offer you won’t get one, and if you are made an offer but fail to get the scores specified you will lose your place.
You typically study one subject, or a pre-set group of subjects. So you will find “Economics + Spanish” is a different course than Politics + Spanish, and at most places you will have few (if any) electives in year 1, a short list of options in year 2, and a longer list in year 3. You can see exactly what modules you take in each course for each year.
I’m pretty sure that without math you have pretty much no chance of an offer for Economics from any university. Imo (based on the above) you have 0 chance for Imperial, which is a STEM uni and doesn’t offer the courses you are talking about. I don’t know quite how much “looking into” these schools you have done, but clearly there is more looking to be done!
You can chance yourself by looking at the ‘standard offer’ for any course at any university. In general, you can figure that an “A” at A level means a 5 on that subject in an AP or a 700+ Subject test. At some unis it may mean a 4 / 600+ - you will find the exact correlation on the “international” pages. Pay attention to specific required classes- if Maths or Further Maths are specified, you will need at least AP Calc AB and for the better unis AP Calc BC will be needed.
Out of all the other universities, Manchester might be the next easiest and I would be surprised if you don’t need a minimum of 444 at APs and at least 1250 in SATs.
And that is a minimum; if other applicants have higher scores, you might not get a place.
The other 3 universities you listed will be a big stretch with your current scores.
My daughter is a senior this year and was unconditionally accepted to Durham University, King’s College London, and University of York and conditionally accepted to UCL (they wanted two more 4s on AP exams). Her major is International Relations. Given the situation, she has committed to a school in the US, but I can tell you that she got really good support from a website called AcrossthePond. They have online counselors that can help with all aspects of your application into UK schools. It’s a very different system, so they may be able to guide you into the schools that you already might be able to get into. You apply to the major within the school. Just for a frame of reference, she had 3 5s on AP US History, World History, and Language and Composition, and a 1490 SAT.
You apply via UCAS - see link below. You can pick up to five universities, but it is advisable to apply for the same subject at all five, as they all get to see the same application. You need to write a Personal Statement, which is based on your academic suitability for and interest in the course. You will need to get one of your teachers (preferably of the class most closely related to your degree subject) to write a recommendation, which should include predicted scores for any AP or SAT Subject Tests you haven’t yet taken. Any offer is likely to be conditional on achieving those scores. for finance or economics you will need Calc BC AP.
Thank you so much! If I apply for a degree in other social sciences such as international relations or something relating to business, would I need AP Calc?
As far your GPA, UK schools could not care less. They don’t have anything comparable, so it can’t be interpreted fairly. They won’t even see it until after you’ve been admitted. I’d definitely say your chances at UCL, ICL and Edinburgh are very slim without at least three firm 5’s. Only use your EC’s in your personal statement IF they are very relevant to your chosen course, otherwise they are of no use. From most to least likely to get into, I’d say 1. Cardiff 2. Manchester 3. UCL. 4. ICL. 5. Edinburgh