<p>So I've been looking online at the sites of various British schools, but I still find the application process pretty confusing.</p>
<p>For an American student attending a school that has honors and AP classes (no IB program), how do you go about applying to top British universities like Oxford, Cambridge, the London schools and et cetera?</p>
<p>What do their admission programs care about? Grades? Class rank? SATs (or SAT IIs)? AP tests? ECs? Teacher recommendations?</p>
<p>Or are there other tests/things that they expect you to do to apply?
Anyone who has any information (first-hand maybe? There must be some Americans on this site who applied to UK schools), please enlighten me and give your input.</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, admissions into British colleges is mostly a numbers game. I’d say that a person with a 2400 SAT has a significantly higher chance at admissions than, say, someone with a 2320, whereas in the US both scores would certainly be qualifiers and admissions would more heavily depend on other aspects.</p>
<p>Oh, and from what I’ve heard, they downplay your GPA.</p>
<p>Without an IB diploma, for most of the major (more well known/prestigious) British schools you will need to have 3-5 AP exams (with top scores). SAT II tests (with high scores) might also work.</p>
<p>Wait that’s insane, how do they expect semi-normal high school students to have taken 3-5 AP exams before senior year? (3 I can see maybe, but 4-5 is definitely pushing it…)</p>
<p>So is it harder to get into Oxford or Yale/Pton with good SAT’s &SAT 2 but a so so GPA (3.79 ish)?</p>
<p>Im seriously considering going to Oxford or Cambridge if i dont get into a top 10 (i have good EC/ leadership 700 hrs of Volunteer work at Hospital(clinical with patients) and Research (labs and cells and microscopes)).</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about the APs so much. My school only offers 1 fundamental AP in junior year and none before that (there are 1-2 AP electives before senior year as well). And yet we’ve had students attend top British schools before; one girl in the graduating class is going to Cambridge in fact.</p>
<p>The problem is im concerned about their financial aid. I know countries are not exactly too kind when giving money to foreigners — Look at how the US treaty Internationals who bubble “yes” for financial aid lol… REJECT!PILE!</p>
<p>Yeah if you’re not pretty well-off you probably can’t go abroad to the EU CC’er, sorry. The British government pays for all their citizens’ college education but doesn’t pay that highly, so often the schools like foreigners more because they pay much higher tuition. And also what with exchange rates (everything costs double) and the cost of living in England… yeah, it’s expensive.</p>
<p>It would be really great if someone who has first-hand experience applying to the British schools would give some input in here.</p>
<p>Ray please, I go to one of the top schools in the continent where the average student goes to an Ivy and where our normal classes are supposedly “AP-rigorous”, so it’s logistically impossible to take more than 3 or 4 APs junior year. You are silly coming in here with your AP-elitism</p>
<p>-you can only apply to Oxford or Cambridge, not both (there is an exception for organ scholars, but unless you are an exceptional organ player, this doesn’t apply to you)</p>
<p>-deadline for Oxbridge applications is 15th October. Pretty much everywhere else is rolling admission with a final application deadline in January (but late apps still accepted up to June some times)</p>
<p>-as noted above, no financial aid for international students (occassionally a £200 book grant or something, but nothing better than a drop in the ocean of tuitition fees I’m afraid)</p>
<p>-ECs are utterly irrelevant to the admissions process unless they are related to your course of study eg if you are applying to study English, acting or drama ECs could be methions (but these are a very minor part of your application)</p>
<p>-you apply to study one particular course or subject and that’s it, changing very difficult. It’s very important that you are sure, and focussed on your subject.</p>
<p>I recommend a UK board similar to this
<a href=“http://www”>www</a>. the student room .co .uk
Remove the spaces for the link to work.</p>
<p>Logistically impossible? Hah. I self-studied for 3 APs that year, kiddo. Obviously your school didn’t teach you the fact that you don’t need to take the class to take the test.</p>
<p>And I’d like to just point the irony of you taking about “semi-normal people” and then pulling the “top school in the continent” card. Ho ho ho. The point is that normal people like me who go to normal schools can take more than 3-5 APs before senior year. Save up your elitism for somebody who cares.</p>
<p>wow cupcake. I just went to that site… the top two threads on that list are “Gay Muslims” and " I had sex with a man. Oh nooo!" and I saw “I Kissed My Cousin” farther down… :\ They certainly have an odd method of getting into college over there, lol.</p>
<p>NealJ2K, yes the Student Room has some weird forums, but its college admissions forum is very, very good.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that your personal statement will matter immensely. I had top, top, top scores and grades yet I was rejected from fairly easy courses that should’ve been a cakewalk to get into. Bad personal statement. It is advisable that you spend weeks on it, have multiple advisors read over it, and literally make it perfect if you’re aiming for a top course.</p>
<p>cupcake - thanks for that post, and yeah I’m looking over that site, but the problem with UK sites is that they are for British students, who would probably be unfamiliar with the American system.</p>
<p>I mean, they’re mostly talking about their A-Levels over there. I doubt they have any knowledge of how British admission departments factor into account SAT scores, American GPAs, class rank, AP tests and all that.</p>
<p>Rayray - seriously now stop talking and side-tracking this thread, you clearly no nothing about the topic. Obviously your school didn’t teach you the fact of what irony is, or how to form sentences. Ho ho ho. The point is that… seriously now though, leave.</p>
<p>Plus, you’re telling me to stop side-tracking when all I did was respond to YOUR assertion. IRONY. For some reason, my demonstration of the feasibility of more than 3-5 APs before senior year (contrary to your claims) is taken both as a elitist remark and a pointless interjection. But hey, being from a top school means you don’t have to justify yourself, MIRITE?</p>
<p>“SATs and Advanced Placement Tests
Prospective applicants from the USA studying SATs and Advanced Placement Tests should note that offers are usually made on an individual basis. In addition to a high pass in the High School Diploma and the SAT, successful applicants are normally asked to obtain three Advanced Placement Tests, in specific subjects where appropriate, at grades 5,5,5 or 5,5,4.”</p>
<p>SAT 1 scores of at least 1,400 in Critical Reading and Mathematics and preferably also 700 or more in the new Writing Paper, giving a combined score of at least 2,100. OR ACT with a score of at least 32 out of 36.</p>
<p>AND</p>
<p>Grade 5 in three or more Advanced Placement tests in appropriate subjects OR SAT II in three appropriate subjects at 700 or better.</p>