So I am a freshman who is attending a rather small high school in Houston suburban area,the school quite sucks and it does not offer many AP classes, should my family move to Houston City to attend a better school? However, I have heard many people saying transfering high school is tough, i will get isolated and many more. Yet I dont have many friends at my current high school. So psle advise
What do you mean by “sucks”? If by that you mean that it just doesn’t offer a lot of classes, I wouldn’t worry too much. Colleges take that into account during admission and won’t hold it against you.
@Dax123 What I mean by sucks is it doesnt offer a alot of classes at first but also has a crap college counselling and friends and teacher
I checked around the area of Houston City and found Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District which is the best one in Houston City according to:
https://www.niche.com/k12/rankings/public-school-districts/best-overall/m/houston-metro-area/
Of course you can transfer easily. The only people I know have a hard time transferring are students from other countries.
It shouldn’t be that hard.
I see A LOT of schools in that area and they are still not the best schools according to the map found on the page if you click on number 9 (which is Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District). I don’t know if you should use this City or just move to another city and do school there, but that’s up to you.
Try going to an IB school and a school that is very good.
Because Texas admits by rank, you shouldn’t actually transfer as you’d shoot any chance at guaranteed admission to a state school.
What you need to do is figure out how to be top 10%, taking all AP classes offered. The fact it doesn’t offer many doesn’t matter - you will be compared to those in your high school (whether by top schools or state schools).
As for advising : if you’re top 10% you’re guaranteed admission to one state school, except UT and no guarantee of major at TAMU, but still it’s a nice guarantee. Then for oos colleges and private universities, use college confidential, the resources here are excellent.
What classes are you currently taking, what’s your GPA, and what are you thinking of for next year?
@PlayWithPropane I am currently going to Klein Oak High school in Klein ISD, the school does not offer AP Physics: C, and i think HISD is kinda better in my point of view but i am not sure
@MYOS1634 I goal is to MIT or Cambridge in the UK not Texas public universities and my classes are:
biology honour, Athletics, English 1 honours, Algebra 2 hounour AND pre cal honour, Comp Sci 1 Pre-AP, AP world history. I am taking Chemistry and Human geography credit by exam in April. again, my goal is to MIT or Cambridge univeristy in the UK thank you
@PlayWithPropane BTW my school is an IB world school though, but it forces me to do English HL and History of america HL, and it DOES NOT offer further maths, howver my 4 HL i want are: Physics, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, English
I don’t know why your school would not offer many AP classes especially since it’s an IB school. IB is known internationally and if you want to study abroad I would recommend that you stay at that school.
On comment #5 you say that you want to go to a college in the UK and for that, I recommend IB classes because they are known internationally. I believe that AP classes will most likely not earn you credit in overseas colleges and universities (I might be wrong).
I would say move to another IB school that offers the IB classes you want.
Why Cambridge (which admits few Americans) rather than Oxford?
In any case, for Cambridge you need 38+ and the subjects they ask for. Course rigor won’t matter as much as how well you do on the written exam and/ oral exam.
But indeed you’ll need HL Maths and a HL science if you’re aiming for STEM.
For MIT you’ll be judged on your high school 's context too.
Also, before thinking of your dream schools, you need to think of everything else.
- Run the NPC on MIT and Cambridge, show the results to your parents : can they afford that from income and savings? You may find out that your parents can’t or won’t pay for MIT. Better find that out now than senior year as it happened to a poster just two weeks ago (another one, also got into MIT EA and his parents changed their mind about paying over Winter Break.) Calculate your EFC.
- Think of your safeties. They’re hard to find because they need to admit 45-50%+ applicants and be good for you, offering your major, affordable, and that you like. For you to like them, they need to resemble your dream schools in some ways, except selectivity. Identifying the criteria which most matter to you is hard, too.
Still not sure how transferring will be beneficial to you. Your school seems to be fairly good, IBD candidates have automatic 'most rigorous ’ for us colleges, and it seems your rank doesn’t bother you, while it’s for sure tank if you transferred since you’d start from scratch with different rules.
If you’re looking for rigor, here is the scale from least rigor on top to most rigor on the bottom:
- standard
- honors
- IB SL
- AP
- IB HL
A lot of people say that IB SL is equivalent or about the same rigor as AP.
@MYOS1634 first of all sorry but what is NPC and EFC? The only reason that I chose Cambridge over Oxford is that I have heard people saying about Cambridge is better than Oxford at Engineering. I am actually a Vietnamese who just moved to the US last year (I went to a British School in Vietnam) so I am more keen towards Cambridge or Oxford. My safeties currently are Rice at Houston, or UT at Austin, I don’t if that’s is considered “safe” for many people.
Oh and I am actually planning to make a Government Loan for my studies, I think that they let me borrow money even if I am going to Cambridge or Oxford (in another country). Can you give me some reasons why I should choose Oxford over Cambridge? My school is not very bad, however, as I have said, it forces me to do History of America HL (I am only allowed to choose 4 HL) and it does not offer AP Physics C: MEch and Elec.
@PlayWithPropane My school just forces me to do things I am not interested in and thks for your answers
The government will only loan you $5,500 (if you are an American citizen or permanent resident) and Cambridge I’ll cost you $30,000+ so if your parents don’t have about $25,000+ you can’t go.
It’s the same for any public university in Texas.
If you’re lower income, look into 'meet need’colleges look for merit scholarships (the psat in particular is a giant scholarship competition foentop students, only the top 1% get a scholarship) and if you’re upper middle class focus on hunting merit scholarships.
Neither UT nor Rice are safeties. Rice is a reach for everyone like Oxford or Cambridge. UT is a safety only if you are Top 7% of your class AND do not apply for Business or Engineering.
A safety is a university that admits 50% students where you are in the top 25% applicants that is affordable and shares some characteristics with your favorite universities. It could also e a university that admits 40% applicants where you are top 10%. UTD is not a safety if you are not top 10% but a likely if you are close to top 10% and have high test scores.
An example of a safety for you (not for everyone) would be UT Dallas IF and only IF you rank top 10% and score 1450 on the sat. If you don’t meet these parameters it gets fuzzier for you.
You should buy, or borrow from the library, the book 'Fisk guide ', or to start with something simple 'Princeton Review’s best colleges '. It’s a book introducing top colleges (PR) or describing them in depth (Fiske).
For engineering, the top British university is Imperial actually alongside either Oxford or Cambridge.
The Cambridge /Oxford distinction is about 30 years dated, nowadays such distinctions aren’t true.
Cambridge /Oxford admit students with AP classes and it sounds like it may be more flexible for your plans.
Remember however that you’ll need to have honors or AP classes in English, History/social science, science, math, and foreign language, regardless of school. The difference is that you’ll be able to study more sciences with AP’s. You can also take dual enrollment classes at a local college (often a community college as it’s less expensive. These compress one AP class into a semester so you can accelerate by taking two a year in math and science, rather than one a year.)
@MYOS1634 Thank you very much, and btw i just want to make sure that UT Austin does not admits applicants top 8% for engineering right? And for the foreign language, my 2nd language is already English, I just intended to do 2 years of French only and no AP, is that okay? Thank you very much, u were very helpful for me 
You’re admitted to the University (so if you’re top 7% you’re sure to get into the University) but then admission to the major is holistic and competitive within all admittred students; in other words, you need to e among the top applicants within the top 7% to have a real shot; some top 10% with top course rigor and sat scores also have a shot if there are spots left in some majors; all elements are taken into account. Engineering is the most selective college at UT meaning you can’t count on it as a safety. You have to choose two engineering majors and if you don’t get into those, you can be denied or cap 'ed.
Also, Run NPC 's. UT or any public university in Texas do not 'meet need '. The only university in Texas that 'meets need ’ (IE., that worried about giving you enough financial aid so you can attend if they admit you) is Rice, and it’s super selective.
How about Texas A&M, is it considered safe?
And should I take 3 years of a foreign language even though it’s gonna be my 3rd language?
Do you have any information about British Universities scholarship or financial aid for American students?
The College Board NPC does not have any British Universities on it so what should I do?
Will Oxford makes a better chance for me to attend rather than Cambridge?
Thank you very much @MYOS1634
There’s no financial aid for British universities.
You’d be full price.
Oxford likes American candidates better than Cambridge. So yourbodds would be relatively better but still one in ten at best.
Can you get an external certification of your level
In Vietnamese such as a lower secondary school Certificate from Vietnam?
@MYOS1634 I have Cambridge Checkpoint from Vietnam when I was 7th grade, I moved to the US now so it does not really matter, the only thing I am confused here is that about taking 3 or more years of foreign language (French) because that would be my 3rd language.
What do you mean by external certification?
On the FAFSA website, it says that it can lend me $20,000 a year for studying abroad, does it?
That applies to students who are enrolled full-time in the US, and then take a term or a year ‘abroad’. If you are studying full time in the UK, you are only eligible for the standard ~$5K/year loan.
Admissions to engineering at Oxford requires 40 IB points (including core points) with 776 at HL (with 7s in HL Mathematics and Physics) and the Physics Aptitude Test.
Admissions to engineering at Cambridge requires between 40 and 41 IB points, with 776 in Higher Level subjects, (with 7s in math and physics) and the Engineering Admissions Assessment (ENGAA), and they ask for some experience in technical work. Most colleges like chemistry, comp sci, or engineering as the third subject, and most accepted students will have a 7 in the third subject.
Further maths is helpful for either, but is definitely not required. Many schools don’t offer it, and Oxbridge know that.
You can only apply to Ox or Cam, and admission to either is contingent on an interview in which your aptitude for engineering is examined.
By external certification, I meant an exam in the Vietnamese language in addition to French, because it’d mean you know three world languages.
@MYOS1634 ohm, i think you are in a wrong post but yeh, there is a test but IELTS like but no school course is offered.