<p>2340 - 800 on Math and Writing, 740 on CR. I probably won’t retake.</p>
<p>How were your Subject Tests?</p>
<p>Nice score!</p>
<p>Subject tests went well - I got full marks.</p>
<p>Lol, you guys are too smart. :P</p>
<p>^^Nicer scores! (lol :))</p>
<p>@cdover: Gee, thanks. :D</p>
<p>Um, just a little word of advice for the Brits talking about places like Colgate and such being safeties;
As an American I applied to both US/UK schools, my five UCAS schools were: Oxford, LSE, St Andrews, Edinburgh, and King’s - I was given offers from all of them (some higher than others of course, 2 were unconditional and 3 were conditional on APs)
I also applied to many top American schools; I was rejected at Yale and Princeton (didn’t apply to Harvard) and Columbia and was waitlisted at Dartmouth and Brown and Amherst College. This came as a bit of a surprise, not Yale/Princeton but the others because I got into oxford/LSE which are supposedly the toughest schools besides Cambridge of course to get into in Britain.
So the advice is not to be too complacent about getting into top US schools because even those with an Oxbridge offer in a particularly popular subject (PPE) might not get into any Ivy League et al schools</p>
<p>Thanks pinkpineapple - it’s probably good to have someone saying memento mori around here. I know that HYP etc have much lower admission percentages than oxbridge. I think that this depends a lot on the individual student: for British universities grades (plus interviews, in oxbridge’s case) are the be all and end all, wheras US colleges seem to take a more holistic approach. That said, my impression is that international students (in the US or the UK) tend to have a slightly easier ride, admissions-wise.</p>
<p>The other thing to bear in mind is the financial side: I (and many other international students) wouldn’t be ably to pay anything near full fees, and only the top tier of colleges seem to offer generous need-based aid. So Cogate etc. are out, whether we like it or not.</p>
<p>By the way, I applied for PPE last year and got rejected, so maybe I’m just bitter ;-)</p>
<p>Anyway, thanks for dropping by. Where are you studying now, by the way?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Imperial most likely won’t require any English qualification higher than a ‘C’ in GCSE English. It shouldn’t be a problem really for any A-level student.</p>
<p>I am considering UK universities , but i have no idea which 1 is good for an undergraduate in Mechanical engineering . I have a few queries :-</p>
<p>1) how is the standard of education as compared to the Universities in the US
2)Selectivity - how selective are they ?
3) Which universities should i be looking at ?
4) Internships , costs , scholarships ?</p>
<p>I am an International student.</p>
<p>I am an Indian currently studying in an Indian ( CBSE curriculum School) School .</p>
<p>My Stats :-</p>
<p>Grade 9 - 76.5 %</p>
<p>Grade 10 [ CBSE Board Exam ] - 78 %</p>
<p>Grade 11 [ I know this is too low , but I just screwed up] - 59 %</p>
<p>Grade 12 - I am in grade 12 now</p>
<p>SAT 1 - 2030
Maths - 700
CR - 700
CW - 630</p>
<p>E.C.'s - School teams - Soccer [2 Years]
2) All other are average and some are just participation certificates </p>
<p>Where should i be applying</p>
<p>Big up the Brit massive!</p>
<p>I’m a fan of PG Tips myself. Milk, no sugar.</p>
<p>To the above poster, your stats are good. You could probably apply to Oxbridge level but it’s so selective for everyone that you’d be better off applying to some others as well.</p>
<p>I don’t know about Mech Eng specifically but I know Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, and Nottingham would be worth looking into.</p>
<p>There’s a lot of differences between US and UK university education. Here you apply for one course, and it’s very difficult to change once you’re accepted to a particular course. So make sure you know exactly what you want to study before you apply here.</p>
<p>There’s very little financial aid available in the way of scholarships. Our fin aid comes from the government and it’s mostly from loans. If you require financial aid you’d most likely have to get that from your country of residence. Or look at websites of universities you might be interested in, they might have their own scholarships you could apply for.</p>
<p>Not that I know much, but portugueseninja’s advice seems solid to me.</p>
<p>To be honest, I have no idea what all these percentages mean, and they probably won’t be a huge factor as far as UK unis are concerned. I don’t know what exams are required for international students - look at a few university websites’ “international students” sections. I know that for US applicants, AP tests are the main factor, but I have no idea how things work for those from other countries. However, I’d imagine that it’d be reasonably straightforward - many thousands of people (particularly from south Asia) study in the UK.</p>
<p>The following rankings are worth checking out, though they can be a bit dodgy (a bit like USNews):
[University</a> guide 2010: Engineering: mechanical | Education | guardian.co.uk](<a href=“http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2009/may/12/university-guide-engineering-mechanical]University”>University guide 2010: Engineering: mechanical | Education | theguardian.com)</p>
<p>[University</a> Rankings League Table 2010 | Good University Guide - Times Online](<a href=“The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines”>The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines)</p>
<p>I know that Imperial (ICL) is very strong on engineering: it’s kind of the British MIT. One of my best friends is studying Mechanical Engineering at UCL, and seems to be really enjoying it. He’s Sri Lankan, but counts as a domestic student. Bristol, KCL, Edinbugh, St. Andrew’s, Glasgow, Southhampton, Sheffield, Warwick, Birmingham and Bath are some other high profile unis, though I have no idea what their ME departments are like.</p>
<p>wrt the “standard of education” I don’t pretend to know. To be honest, structural differences (for instance, as portugueseninja said, you will only study engineering for your 3+ years) are likely to outweigh any difference in the quality of teaching. However, I do know that UK universities have fewer “contact hours” with professors than do their US counterparts (simply because they’re not as wealthy). By the way, Scottish Universities (eg. Edinburgh, St.Andrews, Glasgow) are a bit more “liberal artsy” in their approach. </p>
<p>In terms of selectivity, the standard is likely to be broadly similar to the US, or maybe a bit easier: UK universities are quite keen on getting international students, as they (/you) pay fees, wheras British students don’t. However, different aspects of your application will be weighted differently here than in the US: in my limited experience UK unis put more emphasis on grades than those in the US. Additionally, here the only essay on your application will be your UCAS “Personnal Statement”, which is primarily to explain why you want to study your chosen subject. Obviously, this is different to the US, where most people decide on a major after a year or so of study.</p>
<p>With regard to internships, things should be roughly the same here as in the US, though that would obviously depend on where you’re studying: London obviously has far more potential employers than, say, St. Andrews. British universities seem to have longer holidays than American ones, which might make things a little easier.</p>
<p>Cost-wise, tuition fees (for international students) are similar in the US and UK, as is the cost of living (at the moment - the pound is crazy weak). However, British universities have far more limited financial aid programmes than their US peers. On the other hand, the standard bachelor’s degree in the UK is only three years long, which cuts all the costs by a quarter right off the bat. So, broadly speaking, the UK will be cheaper if you’re rich, and the US cheaper if you’re not.</p>
<p>The other thing worth considering is which cultural environment you would feel comfortable in - obviously this could be tricky to decide unless you’ve visited both countries, and is one of several reasons that I’d recommend that you do so.</p>
<p>This forum is worth checking out, though some of the people can be a bit unbearable:
<a href=“http://www.s_t_u_d_e_n_t_r_o_o_m.co.uk/%5B/url%5D”>http://www.s_t_u_d_e_n_t_r_o_o_m.co.uk/</a></p>
<p>Anyway, good luck, and I hope that helped,
Jo</p>
<p>Thanks A lot for the Help … </p>
<p>I am looking at - Warwick , UCL , Kings college london , St. Andrews , Imperial college London . </p>
<p>Can you people edit it according to my Stats… .</p>
<p>Money is not at all a problem for me … and I want to go to a university … where the education quality is excellent ( now this is limited because of my grades ) and so that i can get a good job or make good connections … I am also looking at good internships … all this is optional … My main concern is a good reputation and a very good ME degree… can you people help me out with my list based on my stats ? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance</p>
<p>I have been to the UK … no offense … but a few people seemed … so friendly and very helpful … but then I was across one of the most racist and cheap people(this was i guess in Bayswater … where I stayed)</p>
<p>To be honest, I have no idea what standing your stats would put you in. Check out that forum.</p>
<p>I take no offense to your comment, but I must admit that I’m a little suprised: I don’t think British people are any more racist than Americans. I know that British people have their faults, but I honestly don’t think that racism is one of them. Then again, I’m probably biased ;-)</p>
<p>I guess so … I have been to Australia … and what i found out was , that the most racist people over there are the Indians . And I am not surprised when i see the news channels … I too believe that being a racist is not a fault … but provoking people and hurting them on the basis of their color , religion or race is the problem … </p>
<p>Thanks a lot … and BUMP … i need few more suggestions</p>
<p>It’s funny - I’ve heard people in the UK say that Indians can be quite racist. I guess it’s a problem that most nationalities have. Ah, well…</p>
<p>Anyone watching the Ashes?</p>
<p>brit here :)</p>
<p>pg tips for me aswell, lots of milk 2 sugars!</p>
<p>applying to usc and uc riverside for 2010, business major hopefully</p>
<p>how hard are the SATs? and when would i need to take one to fit in with my applications? </p>
<p>becky :)</p>
<p>Hi Becky! The next SAT testing date is October… 6th, I think. If you’re applying early you’ll need to do it in October. If you’re applying for the regular decision then you can do it in October or November, December might be cutting it a little fine… but then again I’m doing a test in December so I can’t really comment.</p>
<p>Also check out your individual college requirements in case they need you to do subject tests.</p>
<p>If you go onto the College Board website you can do some practice questions and that will help you guage the difficulty of the test.</p>
<p>think i’ll just be applying regular. thanks, i printed a full practise test from college board last night, and its scared me to death!! </p>
<p>thanks :)</p>
<p>You’re welcome! If you have more questions we’re happy to help.</p>
<p>Don’t freak out over the test at first, when I did my first one it was SO bad. There’s plenty of time for improvement though.</p>
<p>Yeah, I second portugueseninja - practise makes a big difference on the SAT. Do you know if those colleges require SAT subject tests?</p>