<p>I am a US citizen living in the UK. Last year, I was rejected from all 4 colleges I applied to: Cornell, Northwestern, WashU, Rice (not smart, I should have been more realistic and didn't put any safeties). Now I am taking a gap year and have already applied to UK universities. However, after going back and forth considering it for a while I am not thinking I should also apply to the US. My dream has always been to go back to the US, but after being rejected last year I thought the door was closed and I shouldn't reapply. I am hoping for some insight into whether it would be worth applying again to the US.</p>
<p>A levels: 3 A* (Biology, Chemistry, Maths)
AS levels: A (History) + A* EPQ
GCSEs: 9A*, 2A
SAT I: 2140
SAT II: 770 (Math), 760 (Biology M)
I'm going to be doing an internship in Shanghai during my gap year (although I'm not sure where I would include this in my application?)</p>
<p>I'm pretty late getting started now, I was finishing my UK applications. I know my SATs aren't great and a lot of my application is pretty average. I'm aiming for schools such as Vanderbilt, Emory, Tufts, Notre Dame, Wake Forest. I know they're not really safeties, but they're the lowest I would probably go in the US - it wouldn't be worth it to go to somewhere lower in the US rather than somewhere higher in the UK. I know it will be a lot of work, but would it be worth a shot? If I don't even have a decent chance, I won't apply. It might be more realistic to apply as a transfer next year.</p>
<p>My safeties are technically the UK universities I’ve applied for which I know I’ll get into.
Since I’m a US citizen, I qualify for financial aid (did the whole process last year too) but generally that’s why I’m applying for private universities and should look at need blind really. What makes transfer financial aid different?</p>
<p>There’s very little financial aid for transfer students; most of it is awarded to incoming freshmen (and hopefully guaranteed for all four years, but that’s another story.) </p>
<p>If you really want to study in the US, I think you should apply to more safeties. “Lower schools” is subjective; in the western US, for example, a lot of employers haven’t heard of Emory - or Tufts for that matter. </p>
<p>Remember that there are 3,700 universities in the US. In the top 50 for universities and LACs, + top 20 in regional univesities/Northeast and Top 10 elsewhere, (so, about 150 universities), you’ll have plenty of excellent options. And even far the Top 50, you have very academically serious (if not sometimes intense) schools, such as Gustavus Adolphus, Ohio Wesleyan, Wooster, Lawrence, Beloit, Earlham, Goucher. If you look slightly outside the top 50, schools like Rhodes or St Olaf would be plenty stimulating for a very smart student (Rhodes for biology/premed, St Olaf for Math/science). If your parents have a sufficient budget, you can also apply to most of the top public universities and, starting at #10, to their Honors College. (look up USNWR Top Public Universities).</p>
<p>There’s a space in the CommonApp where you can discuss a gap year. An internship in Singapore would certainly be important to mention.</p>
<p>Really, it depends on where you want to work and live after graduation.</p>
<p>If it’s the US, there are literally 100+ American universities/colleges who would offer more opportunities/name-recognition/impressiveness (some in certain fields only) than any UK university below Oxbridge & LSE (and maybe some of the ancient Scottish universities and Imperial, though even Imperial is virtually unknown in the States).</p>