UK A levels Student applying to UCBerkeley, UCLA, Lehigh U Pre Med (Neuroscience/Neurobiology major)

Student Lounge International Students
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Hi everyone,

So this is my first thread, and I’ll start off by introducing myself.
I am a Year 13 (senior) in a UK Boarding school, and I have been studying in the UK for some 7 years. I originally come from South Korea, and I am also a U.S. Permanent resident (California). UC Berkeley is my dream school, and I was wandering if I could get some objective criticisms from any of you out there possibly seeking for a place at Berkeley.

SAT: 2080 (CR 650 M 700 W 730 [Essay 10])
SAT II: Chem 670. <not planning on taking any more, and I am not aiming for colleges that REQUIRE these scores.

UK IGCSE: 4A* 5A 2B
UK A Levels (Predicted): AAA in Maths, Chemistry and Spanish, and possibly A* in maths (A2s have only just started, so although I scored highly in AS, teachers are avoiding to predict me anything higher than an A)

College Essays: Prompt #3, my experiences from summer internships and volunteering in the Philippines (for more info, DM me)

I am planning on taking the SAT in two weeks time, and hoping to boost up my score to a 2200. I have been prepping for the SAT over the summer holiday but the UK curriculum doesn’t give me enough leeway to study for the SATs during school terms. In practice tests, I have been achieving mid 2100 and managed to get 2200 in my latest one. Furthermore, I was ill on the test day and overslept so only managed to arrive on time; I realize that this might be a factor to consider for my recent SAT score.

In terms of Extra Curriculas and Leadership positions, I have a handful, but I wanted to see how far I would go without them being taken into consideration. If anyone here understands the UK system, or Pre- Med applications, or the UC schools it would be great to hear some advices and criticisms.

Thanks in advance, and good luck to you all.

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There are a bunch of regular posters who are experts on the UCs, so I will defer to their specific info. Key question though: are your parents currently tax-resident in California? b/c that is what will count for in-state v OOS admissions & fees.

Second question: Lehigh?! If you are good enough to get into UCB/UCLA and are interested in neuro, there are a LOT of schools that would come to mind before Lehigh.

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Thank you for your reply @collegemom3717.

My parents and I currently live in California, hence the home address that we write on legal documents (Common App, SATs, etc.) is that of California. I don’t think that they pay tax to the state, however. Would this qualify me as an OOS applicant?

As I go to a school in the UK, where only one or two students choose to study in the US, I only have limited information of the colleges that I will apply to. Even with the current SAT score, though I will retake in November after much preparation, Lehigh seems like a good match. I have heard that the school is small (v different from UCB and UCLA), which sounds appealing for someone like me who would like to have the best recommendations from teachers for medical school application. Do you have other schools that you recommend for a possible Pre med with Neuroscience?

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For your information, I also have a California ID card.

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Your parents live in california now but send you to BS in the UK? Why LOL? For sure try the UC boards because with a GC and parents who live in cali (they physically LIVE in cali, vs have an address?), you will be cali for the UCs. When did you last enter the USA? When will you get citizenship?

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Anyone can have a California ID card. My dd has one when she’s in Canada.

The UC’s are extremely strict about physical presence because they want their money. Your California ID doesn’t help if you haven’t been physically present in the state for 366 days in a row, and if your parents have not paid taxes.

You would be considered OOS because of your presence and non-payment of taxes. It would run $55K per year.

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So it sounds as if you are California resident, which (unless they are diplomats) probably means your parents are paying local taxes, which makes you in state,

One other question, of course is $$: what is your budget for university fees?

I don’t know how much you know about the US system, so apologies if you know any/all of this. Also, before I get beaten up, all of this is in generalities- there are exceptions, variations, sub-points, etc!

Broadly there are two groups of third-level institutions: universities, which also give fourth-level degrees (Masters, PhDs) and colleges which essentially give third level degrees (Bachelors). Liberal Arts Colleges (LACs) are not necessarily liberal and not just arts in the UK sense- it refers to ‘arts and sciences’. LACs are typically smaller (under 5K students) and generally residential (that is, most of the students live on/around campus). Although they are relatively similar in structure to each other, they tend to have distinct personalities, and ‘fit’ is considered important (especially given how small LACs can be). Students interested in LACs typically like the sense of community, the individual attention, small class sizes, etc. The majority of LACs are outside of big cities - frequently waaaaay outside! When US students start looking for colleges some of the base line questions (after finances!!) are do you want large / medium / small student body; urban/suburban/rural; area of the country; greek (fraternity/sorority can be a very big element, completely absent or anywhere in between). The next layer of questions is about selectivity: what do your stats (test scores, grades) make a high reach, match, or safety school.

For medical school admissions what will matter are your overall GPA, your grades in the required pre-med courses (which is relatively standardized across the schools, though there are some variations) and your MCAT. So the usual advice is to choose a school where you can shine. There are virtues to both universities and LACs in preparing for med school admissions. Universities (and many colleges) will have ‘cut classes’- typically the intro level classes in bio, math, chem and organic which are typical pre-med reqs- in which the standard is deliberately hard in order to cut the ones who aren’t going to go the distance, whereas most LACs do not take that approach. Since you know that you are interested in neuro, universities (such as UCLA & UCB) will have tremendous research opportunities, and great breadth and depth in the classes you can take. LACs will have some classes and some research opportunities, and a lot of individual attention.

As for other LACs than Lehigh…give some hints about what suits you! Budget first, then anything else. Are you sporty? cold tolerant? what kind of social life do you like?

You A level predictions obviously put you in line for top-tier UK schools- are you going that route as well?

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If I could choose between med school in the UK and the US, it would be the UK all the way. If your residential status is EU enough to 9K a year uni you should be all over that. Obviously though, the competition is brutal and any issue with your UK immigration status is probably going to exclude you from English medical school.

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@Alfonsia I started studying in the UK and seeing that many of our relatives live in the US and how the market is ultimately bigger in the US, they then decided to apply for a green card. I think its because they wanted to give me a wide pool of options to choose from.

I also think that it would be wise to contact the UC in order to get the concrete information of 1)what qualifies me as an In-State applicant, and 2) In state tuition. Without both of these, I may have to reconsider my UC options…

In order to maintain the Green card, I visit California once every two years, and I was there for two months of summer this year (2015). As far as Im concerned, I will apply for a citizenship once I get into college. Would the fact that I set foot in the US once every two years prove my physical presence?

Thanks for your help.

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@auntbea I spend at least 30 days in the US every two years. In fact, last summer I was there in California for around two months. Is this not enough to prove my physical presence? 55K for tuition seems more than some private colleges??

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@auntbea and in nowhere does the UC explicitly and exclusively state that I, or my parents, have to be tax paying residents in order to be qualified as In state? Could you confirm this?

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@collegemom3717 thank you for your advice.

In terms of budgets, my parents are willing to pay as much it requires for my education. Though I also think that money should not be the ultimate factor in applying to colleges, I would love to go to UCB or UCLA, if I can qualify as a Cali resident. What more can a student want than almost half the tuition of rival private schools for equally internationally renown education? :slight_smile:

In terms of the student body, I think that I would prefer a medium/small size student body. I understand that both UCB and UCLA (and majority of public ivys and UCs) are large in terms of student body, but UCB especially is appealing enough for me not to consider the class size. Also, in terms of the location, I currently live in a countryside boarding school so it would not matter too much if I decide to go to a college in a rural environment. I personally heard some great things about going to urban colleges, too, especially in NY and San Francisco, so I am open to all suggestions!
Dartmouth college, if I can manage to boost up my score on the Nov SAT and retake SAT IIs (currently 670 and 600 but took them at the start of junior year), is somewhere I aspire to go to one day, since its emphasis on the outdoors and the ski course is very attractive IMO.

The greek society, which seems to be an important factor to decide for many US students, is something that I have never experienced, nor heard of. Though I’ve watched movies which epitomise the greek life as the haven for partying and drugs, I also heard that the basic intentions of these frats and sororities are to work toward a common goal, whether it be fundraising for a charity, etc. The people who come out from these frats and sororities tend to have gained lifelong friendships amongst the societies, so I see the greek life as a good thing. I will be open to Greek life, and not make that the limiting factor in my college decision.

Because I have mentioned budgets already, I will skip this question. In terms of who I am.

In terms of sports :

1st team player of school Tennis team (I guess this is called varsity level in America (?)), coming 2nd in a local doubles league consisting of 10 schools
Represented 2nd team Soccer and captained two junior soccer teams,
participated in the unbeaten season of the school’s junior level rugby team (where we played multiple national leagues and did not lose a single game)
At my school I have been awarded a tennis half colours, and Im working towards a full colours in summer.

Sports is a big part of my life, but I understand that being a Pre med will hinder some opportunities to get involved in sports during college. I think that it’ll be good to participate, however, especially in Dartmouth College (if I apply), where I would like to trial for the ski team :slight_smile: .

In terms of leadership roles:

Head of house at a boarding prep school (age 8-13)

Head of house at my current school (age 14-18). I was elected by my peers and teachers and represented a house of 62 boys. I also helped raise around 500 GBP for Cancer Research UK by running an in-house snack bar.

Public Relations prefect at my current schools, organising tours and promoting the school to prospective students.

Leader of the science society (which meets once every two weeks), where I organise student talks on novel science concepts and publish a monthly newsletter of what we covered during that month.

In terms of ECs:

Volunteered in a SE Asian country over the summer where I helped physicians providing medical care to the public and the disadvantaged.

Interned at a company (which partnered with a university) where I worked as a translator for their project regarding accessible medical care.

Grade 5 ABRSM Cello examination, Grade 2 Trinity Guildhall Drums examination, did Bronze, Silver DofE and currently doing Gold.

Performed in two bands as a drummer and a ukulele player, consisting of my peers, where I helped one of them come top three in a popular school event.

I apologise that I unloaded so much information to you!
8-| but I hope this will give you a basic idea of who I am :slight_smile:

Thank you, @collegemom3717 !

P.S. I am no applying to any universities in the UK since I personally think that its better to do well in one way rather than doing meh in two ways. I am already slightly struggling with all the writing requirements and SAT prep, if I were to apply to the UK, too, I fear that I won’t be able to aim higher this way.

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You really need to do some groundwork on your residential and visa status, visiting  the USA every 2 yrs far from maintains your GC status and you should look at recent information re GC holders who might be considered as having abandoned their GC. There is no guarantee that you will be allowed entry to the US on such tenuous grounds. It just takes one immigration guy to look at your details and ask about 3 questions to establish you don't live in the USA. So your parents don't live in Cali or even the USA? (sorry, I cannot tell if you answered that) You need clarity. Where do you live outside of school time? You cannot apply for citizenship until you have been constantly in the USA for 5 yrs, your absences reset the clock every time you are out for a certain period of time. At best you can get in the USA and are a GC holder but unless your folks live in Cali you are OOS.
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From the link I cited earlier:
University of California RESIDENCE POLICY AND GUIDELINES
Page 22

http://www.ucop.edu/general-counsel/_files/ed-affairs/uc-residence-policy.pdf

from page 14:

If your parents have not paid CALIFORNIA taxes, you will not be considered a California resident for tuition purposes. You/your parents have to pay state taxes somewhere if you plan to use the benefits of a state-funded education. Otherwise, it is $55K per year for the UC’s.

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@MYOS1634 please refer to this thread for extra detail. thank you!