Should i complete A-levels before applying to US universities?

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>I changed from an amercian system to school to a british one when i was small. So I'm already kinda a year behind (well 3 months really). If you don't know A-levels are during year 12 and 13.</p>

<p>I can apply to community colleges (then transfer), CSUs and Umiami after Year 12. As well as probz not have to take SAT. This will save me a year of my life as well.</p>

<p>Or I can apply after Year 13 to UCs, USC and other big unis. I'll have to take the SAT. However if i dont get into a big uni that'll be a year i wasted just to get to a weaker uni that i could've got into after Year 12. But if i do Year 13 and complete my A-levels, then i'll get transfer credit in college that could help me a lot.</p>

<p>Basically i dont know if i should risk a year for the chance at top unis or just settle with smaller unis.
I'd appreciate any help or advice.</p>

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<p>It sounds like you’re trying to take the easy way out because A levels are hard. A year is nothing, who cares if you start college a year later than other people? Your future employers will see you attended a British school on your CV/resume and they will see you left school in the middle of your A levels, even if you have a degree that sends out all the wrong messages and you may live to regret it.</p>

<p>A levels are much harder and more advanced than anything an American education can provide so in a sense you won’t be a year behind at all, in fact you will be ahead academically.</p>

<p>What do you actually have to gain by dropping out of school before completing you A levels? Nothing.</p>

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<p>What are your long term goals? Where do you want to be in, say, 10 years? 20 years?</p>

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<p>I think a university degree is highly more important than high school for employers. Plus I’m still gonna have completed 12 years of school.
The reason I’m considering going after year 12 is because I don’t wanna be behind as I’ll be 19 years old if I go to university after year 13.
I will also not need to do SATs if I go after year 12. But won’t have any college credit.
My goal is to become a doctor mainly, or a biologist/maybe engineer if that doesn’t work out.</p>

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<p>Think what you like, but you’re mistaken. I simply do not understand why starting college at 19 opposed to 18 matters to you? Nobody can tell you what to do, you will do what you want to do.</p>

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<p>…there is something wrong with this picture. You want to be a doctor (or maybe a biologist or engineer), but the SAT is intimidating to you, and to avoid it you would consider going to a community college? That approach is not going to get you into medical school (no disrespect to community colleges- they are the unsung heroes of the US 3rd level system). If you are in any way a strong enough student to be serious about medical school or engineering you are more than capable of taking the SAT and several SAT subject tests now and getting into a very good US uni after year 12. </p>

<p>But then, I’m not sure why you want to go to uni in the US, where you would have 4 years of uni <em>plus</em> 4 years of medical school, instead of the UK where you could do it in 5 or 6 years, at a vastly lower cost. Especially given how concerned you are about being ‘behind’.</p>

<p>The unis you mention are curious as well- California and Florida…hmmm…</p>

7

<p>Your right. But the thing is good unis in the US require completed A-levels, which means I can’t apply after Year 12 but have to apply after Year 13.</p>

<p>Maybe I am overreacting about just one year. It’s just cuz the road to becoming a doctor is so long, I felt like I didn’t wanna lose more years. That’s probz a stupid excuse though.</p>

<p>The reason I also chose those unis is because I’m preferably aiming to go to California for uni, and Umiami was just the best uni I could find that didn’t require completed A-levels.</p>

<p>I’m just afraid of risking that one year and not getting into a good/top uni, then I’ll have to go to an average uni that I could have got into after Year 12 and didn’t need to study that extra year. I hope you can understand why I kind of am fearful because if that happens its really a bummer.</p>

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<p>Will you complete your AS levels? Because honestly, going to university with only GCSEs (I assume you took GCSEs if you’re in Britain) would be a long shot, especially if you want to be a doctor.</p>

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<p>Yeah I’ll complete my AS levels in Year 12, which is half of A-levels.
If I stay for Year 13 then I’ll complete my A-levels.</p>

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<p>Alright, well I don’t know much about community colleges, but I know that less selective places are fine with AS Levels, especially since you wouldn’t be able to give A Level grades anyway, only the predicted ones. However, there are some schools which require completed A Levels to begin with, eg. Northwestern, and the only way to apply there for A Level students is to take a gap year. So I don’t think these schools would admit you merely with AS Levels, even as a transfer.
You mentioned USC and I can help you with that, I think: USC has some agreements with Californian CCs, so it would be possible to transfer, even with AS Levels only. However, it’s still an extremely competitive school, so I would advise doing your A Levels.
Oh, and one more thing. Pre-med. Because if you want to be a medical student, you ought to consider pre-med, and I don’t know how that’s feasible with transferring and CCs.</p>

11

<p>Still not clear on why, if you are so worried that “the road to becoming a doctor is so long, I felt like I didn’t wanna lose more years” you are going to the US, where the road will be 8 years vs 5 or 6 in the UK? (not to mention the cost differential, but that may not be an issue for you). Are you thinking that it is going to be easier to get into medical school in the US than the UK? If so, please do some homework on the admissions requirements for medical school before you commit yourself to this path.</p>

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<p>JonasGe - Unless money is not an issue for you it would be advisable to think of the cost of attending college in California. Here’s a link that will give you an idea of annual expense.</p>

<p>[Nonresident</a> tuition & fees | UC Admissions](<a href=“http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/paying-for-uc/cost/out-of-state/index.html]Nonresident”>http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/paying-for-uc/cost/out-of-state/index.html)</p>

<p>Consider also that it may take five years to get your undergraduate degree since many of the University of California courses are impacted. After this you will need to pay for medical school which is very expensive.</p>

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<p>JOnas, are you an American citizen whose parents moved when he was little and is trying to get back to the US for college?
NO matter what, remember that Year 12 really is 11th grade, NOT 12th grade. Also, applying to community colleges means you’ll have 2 cheaper years but then you won’t be able to get scholarships to finish your 4-year degree.
Very few 4-year universities (even “average” ones) will allow you to apply during Year 12 and enroll at the time that would have been the Fall of your Year 13. Your best solution is to apply during Year 13, presenting your AS results and A-level predicted results, to take the SAT (which is a multiple choice test, nothing like ALevels), and apply to a variety of universities.
Finally, you don’t speak about cost. Do your parents have $50,000 per year at their disposal to pay for your education? If not, you’ll need scholarships, so the UCs are out.</p>

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<p>The cost is not the problem that’s why I didnt mention wanting to be doctor at first, cuz i knew I would be ambushed with comments about whether I can afford it or not. The thing is that I would be an international in UK and USA. So it doesnt make a major difference for me. And money is not an issue just to be clear and put ur minds at ease.</p>

<p>I just wanna know your views on whether I should go a year early after doing AS to either a community college or a normal mediocre not-top university (as i mentioned before such as Umiami, CSUs are some that accept after AS).
Or go after A2 (complete A-levels) to top competitive universities.
My worry might sound childish but I don’t wanna fall a year behind, as people my age in america would go to uni a year before me.</p>

<p>I will repeat again that I am just afraid of the risk. Risking one year and not getting into a good/top uni, then I’ll have to go to an average uni that I could have got into after Year 12 and didn’t need to study that extra year.
I am not afraid of taking A2 and SATs. I am only afraid of what i mentioned might happen.</p>

15

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I am in a similar situation. I am a British Citizen but most of my family live in America and I plan on going to university in the US. Whilst I do not aspire to be a doctor, I hope to have a career as an actress - and it is similarly important to start training early as younger actresses are favoured by the industry (however I will point out that I do not think it matters so much as a doctor, my Dad being a family doctor). </p>

<p>Despite my reservations about being a year behind and most of the other students being younger than me, I have decided to spend an extra year studying for the following reasons:

  • There will be other students the same age as me. Some students take gap years (admittedly not many in America do compared to the UK) and there will be those that have missed school due to illness so are starting late.
  • My dream has always been to attend a top university (Yale, NYU, Carnegie Mellon etc.) and I know that I would ultimately regret it if I settled for a “mediocre” university as you put it.</p>

<p>Additional factors:

  • You are more likely to “get ahead” as supposed to “fall behind” if you attend a good university. Doctors who have a degree from USC, for example, would be far more likely to have a better career in the long run than those with a degree from UMiami (and earn more money - I know you say money isn’t a concern but it can sometimes be seen as an indicator of success).</p>

<ul>
<li><p>And, even if after an extra year you still don’t get into a top university, at least you will know that you have done everything you possibly could and tried your best - as supposed to settling for the easier option. </p></li>
<li><p>Also, having A levels is not just useful for university admissions but for your future as well. They look impressive when listed on a CV under qualifications and are recognised globally. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>Hope this helped! :)</p>

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<p>What you get with that one year of ALevels: a huge choice. Only a handful of decent 4-year universities admit students with AS levels only. ALL of them (elite, excellent, good, above average, and mediocre) admit students with complete A-Levels. So the odds are very low that you’d end up at the same university with only AS levels and with A Levels.
If you are not a US citizen you cannot go to medical school in the US (there are exceptions but they’re few and far between, such as going for a MD/PHD to be a medical researcher).</p>

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<p>MYOS1634, you are wrong about non-nationals not being allowed to go to medical school in the US. I did a random check of 4 schools. It is true that there are often requirements / preferences. UVa requires at least part of the undergraduate work to have been done in the US, Canada or the UK, and makes it clear that no scholarship money is available, but international students are allowed. Harvard wants a minimum of 1 year full time undergraduate school in the US, preferably including a majority of the required prerequisites. Georgetown med school is explicit that admissions do not consider nationality. Tufts gives a ‘strong preference’ to applicants who have done their undergraduate in the US, but otherwise is agnostic on nationality. There are medical schools that require you to be a citizen or permanent resident (such as Eastern Virginia), but it is by no means an absolute.</p>

<p>Given the very specific med school pathway in the US it is not a huge surprise that the US schools would prefer students who have been trained up the way that they like them, but nationality is not the issue. </p>

<p>As for the OP, he keeps emphasizing that he doesn’t want to “lose” a year, but since the UK system would get him through faster, I’m guessing that he thinks he won’t get into med school in the UK, and that’s the bigger push about getting to the US. </p>

<p>Note to OP: have you done the homework on ‘accelerated’ programs? there are schools/unis in the US & Canada that offer 6 or 7 year combined programs. But, you would have to have good A levels in science/math for them.</p>

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<p>I really feel like these days you will find that a HUGE number of medical students in the U.S. (maybe even most?) are foreign students.</p>

<p>I dropped out of school before I took A-levels. It did mean that I could not aspire to the best, most exclusive colleges and unis in the U.S., but settled for a “Big 10” university.</p>

<p>Nowadays I don’t mention the fact that I didn’t take A-levels on my resume/cv. You don’t have to put “negative” things on your resume/cv, just leave it off. I have my B.A. and my J.D., what happened when I was 17 was in the past.</p>

<p>I am curious as to why Zoe is coming to America to study acting. She is obviously looking at the top American acting programs, but most people would say there are acting programs in the UK that are even better than those. And they would cheaper because Zoe is a EU citizen! Once you have gotten your top-of-the-line acting training in the UK, then you can come to LA or NYC where your skills will be in very high demand!!!</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

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<p>Sorry - I meant: public med schools rarely if ever accept international students, some prohibit it (and it’s very hard to get into a state med school being domestic, OOS) AND many private med schools will not accept international students unless they have a very large amount of money either in a bank or in escrow, sometimes 4 years’ worth.
Accelerated programs, MD/PHD programs, and exceptions for exceptional international students educated in the US exist, but studying in an American med school for an international student is very, very difficult to nearly impossible.
This is a pretty good summary of the situation:
[Internat’l</a> Students & Medical Education](<a href=“Computility Association Portals > Home Page”>Computility Association Portals > Home Page)
<a href=“https://www.aamc.org/students/aspiring/303912/applyasaninternationalapplicant.html[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/students/aspiring/303912/applyasaninternationalapplicant.html&lt;/a&gt;
This is also a straightforward summary: [Can</a> International Students Attend Medical School in the USA? | Hope College](<a href=“http://hope.edu/admissions/apply/international-students/can-international-students-attend-medical-school-usa]Can”>http://hope.edu/admissions/apply/international-students/can-international-students-attend-medical-school-usa)
At med schools with typical policies, public or private, the international medical student must pay for all expenses and must demonstrate that s/he has more than is required for the I20. For most people, that challenge is daunting.
<a href=“http://med.stanford.edu/md/admissions/international.html[/url]”>http://med.stanford.edu/md/admissions/international.html&lt;/a&gt;
Duke offers financial aid to all applicants, domestic and internationals. However, I’m not sure how well the odds would play for an applicant who stopped at AS Level and went to community college, considering the caliber of the “average” Duke admit, by which you can extrapolate the caliber of the “financial aid” admits.</p>

<p>I’m not sure why OP thinks he’ll “lose” a year since Year 13= 12th grade (Year 1= K, Year 2= 1st grade - although British pupils attend public nursery school and universal PK is taken for granted so Op may consider that Year 1 isn’t “real” K so Year 13 isn’t 12th grade?)</p>

<p>I think that the main problem isn’t one of prestige (although it may apply a little, depending on how competitive the post-undergrad plans are, it woudn’t be a deal breaker). I think the main problem is one of choice. Few “well-known” 4-year universities accept students who followed the British-patterned systems without complete A Levels. Until the Bologna Agreement, A Levels, Abitur, Bac, etc., were considered as equivalent to one year beyond high school. Now, it’s not necessarily the case, although students do get credits.
There are some 4-year universities where OP could go (examples below) but it’s difficult to discern whether they’d be the best for OP or not.
For example, OP can apply right away to Indiana University or Nebraska, (they require only GCSEs although they take ALevels into account); Penn State requires GCSE’s + AS (and gives credit for AS), Lindenwood, Butler, FAU also… but many universities, especially the top 30 national universities and national LACs, will not even consider his file without AS results and enrollment in A2 courses.
Financial matters do not factor in (OP said his family could pay) - if they did, there just wouldn’t be a choice.</p>

<p>So really the question is: OP, do you want to attend one of these universities or would you rather apply to a wider variety of schools? If OP is fine applying to Indiana, Penn State UP, Miami, etc, and can pay for wherever he’s admitted, then it sounds like he doesn’t want to do Year 13 and would rather start at an American college. If OP wants more choice in where to apply, he must finish his ALevels
Note: an excellent school for med school admission rates in Juniata College - and it’s fairly easy to get into relative to its med school success.</p>

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<p>Pop your head into a classroom in any med school in the United States, public or private. There will be TONS of foreign students. Maybe they all have rich parents who put up all the money, maybe their governments pay for them to come here, I don’t know.</p>