<p>A number of kids in our community have either been accepted or plan to apply to universities in the UK. In all cases these are kids who transfered out of the local public HS into private schools (day and boarding) in 9th or 10th grade. These kids were solid but not exceptional students, and while they were varsity athletes they were, at best, Division III prospects. It is unlikely that these kids would have been serious candidates for American Top 25 colleges and universities, yet they expect to be admitted to some of the best schools in the UK. Does anyone know what the admissions standards are for American HS students who apply to schools such as the University of Edinburgh, University of Warwick and University College (London)? Are they comparable to the standards expected of successful foreign applicants at highly selective American universities?</p>
<p>The “top” colleges in the UK are generally considered to be St. Andrews and Oxford. Admission to them, as well as a few other UK schools is comparable to the top US schools. However, the schools you have mentioned, while good schools, are somewhat less competitive in terms of admissions. I have also noticed a trend at some US prep schools towards UK universities, which makes sense as financial aid for US students at all of the UK schools is extremely limited, so really you need a family that can afford to pay full freight in order to attend these schools.</p>
<p>Well I’ve had some experience communicating with Warwick, St Andrews, LSE and SOAS (interested in IR/Econ)…</p>
<p>Here is the gist of the email I sent them. I had previously talked to a rep from the University of Aberdeen - Tom Hall. Incredibly nice and informative guy. Same goes for the University of Glasgow US rep, a guy named Ian Thomson. They encouraged me to just email the various admissions departments and ask if it was worth applying.</p>
<p>IB Diploma candidate, Extended Essay on topic of economic development
GPA: Cumulative -> 3.4, with a huge upward trend since last January (3.2 -> 3.7), just completely realized the true meaning of school…
AP: Macroeconomics - 5, Microeconomics -5
IB: Economics SL - 5
SAT: 2210 total, 800 Critical Reading, 700 Maths, 710 Writing
ACT: 33 total, 33 English, 34 Maths, 35 Writing, 30 Science
SAT Subject Tests: Took Math II and Physics today, will receive scores on November 20th (These ended up being 690 and 740, respectively. Irrelevant).</p>
<p>I will be taking the following IB tests in the spring:
IB 20th Century Topics HL
IB English HL
IB Physics HL
IB French SL
IB Math SL</p>
<p>As well as some AP tests (haven’t decided yet).</p>
<p>I also took a undergraduate-level course in International Relations at Lewis & Clark College this past summer, and received a final grade of A-. </p>
<p>Reply from Warwick (The others were kinda eh):</p>
<p>The scores that you have provided are very similar to those applications that we receive, so you would certainly be considered by the University of Warwick. Please be aware though of the differences between the personal statements in the UK and the USA. The British Council website offers good guidance on how to complete your personal statement.</p>
<p>So there it is, around those scores.</p>
<p>Carolyn – One of the young women we know has been admitted to St. Andrews. Her GPA may be a bit higher than bkrstic’s but her SATs were nowhere 2200 (probably in the 1950-2000 range). I believe the family is going to be paying the full cost of attendance.</p>
<p>If you are paying full international fees, at 95% of British universities you will be admitted. They need your money. For foreign students, especially foreign students who speak English as their first langauage, they are not very selective. </p>
<p>Bear in mind that in the UK you have to choose a subject to study when you apply (even in Scotland, before someone posts you can study more then one subject in the first year. I know you can, but only 3 or 4, and you still have to choose when you apply. It’s not really like the US), so acceptance rates and selectivity can vary hugely between different sbjects at the same university. More popular subject are harder to get into (but not necessarily more difficult to study when you arrive I don’t think).</p>
<p>Cupcake – How difficult is it to change your major? Are you given the opportunity to change after the first year if you find another subject more intriguing?</p>
<p>I was at a college fair once and I asked the Oxford rep what he thought my chances were. I told him I’m predicted 45 IB with 4HLs and a 7 in an extra subject. He replied, “You’re pretty good, I think you have a very good chance… plus its not like you’re going to pay the outrageous tuition that Internationals pay (I go to school in the EU)”. I told him that I AM international, and he looked at me and said “you have a 99% chance of getting in”. </p>
<p>UK education systems are corrupt…no doubt about it, if your parents have 40k a year to spend on you (not including UK’s living costs), then its an easy way in to a top university. Its cheaper than paying your way into the Ivy league thats for sure.</p>
<p>BTW St. Andrews is just regarded highly by the US because of its golf course. In terms of the best academic experience the UK’s top schools are:</p>
<p>1/2: Oxford/Cambridge (Depends what you want to study)</p>
<p>GAP</p>
<p>3/4: LSE/Imperial (Depends on what you want to study)</p>
<p>BIIIIIGGG GAP</p>
<p>Then like 20 Tier 2 schools (which includes St. Andrews).</p>
<p>For more info about UK admission systems check out <a href="http://www..co.uk%5B/url%5D">www..co.uk</a>. Beware of the October 15th deadline for Oxford and Cambridge (you can only apply to one of the two schools).</p>
<p>EDIT: replace the bunch of stars (******) with “the[nospace]student[nospace]room”. I hate censorship; maybe this is CC’s way of making sure forum users don’t migrate somewhere else.</p>
<p>It looks as though the Times disagrees with you about St. Andrews:</p>
<p>[Cambridge</a> closes gap on Oxford in varsity league - Times Online](<a href=“Latest news & breaking headlines | The Times and The Sunday Times”>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article2267821.ece)</p>
<p>For this year, at least. I did notice that St. Andrews moved from 13th to the Top 5 so it is always possible it could move the other way next year. Its all part of the game.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Close to impossible in many cases. Basically you have to drop out and re-apply in kost cases. It can be done if switching from more competitive subject to less competitive subject, and if switching to closely related subjects. eg maths to physics. I’ve known about 2 people switch in 7 years, though i have known quite a few start again in a different subject. Some UK universities let students study more than one subject in first year. Others have courses where there are options as you go along, and what you study one year determines your options for the next eg Natural Sciences at Cambridge.</p>
<p>The bottom line is. DO NOT apply to the UK if you are not sure of the subject you wish to study.</p>
<p>
I don’t think they’re corrupt, just pragmatic. People in the UK are SHOCKED at the concept of legacy in the US and think that is the most corrupt and illegal thing ever.</p>
<p>in terms of paying for college though, you should remember that you might be paying $40,000 a year for the UK, but most degrees are only 3 years long…</p>
<p>not true for Edinburgh and St. Andrews though, which are in Scotland and the Scottish system is 4 years because it allows you to study other related subjects during your first couple of years as well. </p>
<p>I’ve heard that it’s basically impossible to change your subject. Which is really the only thing that is currently putting me off applying to the UK
I wonder…if you apply for say, history, but realize you want to do something else by the end of your senior year in hs (like, before you actually start college), could you change it?</p>
<p>Even that would be unlikely. As has already been said you apply for and are accepted for a specific subject. Therefore if you have been accepted for history, that decision will have been made by the history academic staff based on how you measured up against their criteria. If you then wanted to come to study, say, philosophy that would be a decision for the philosophy academic staff who will want to assess your application and who may already have turned down better qualified applicants.</p>
<p>I’ve compared the total costs between a US college(4 years) and a UK one(3 years). The US is slightly more expensive. </p>
<p>I agree with what cupcake was saying. Most international students with decent scores get into St.Andrews, Warwick, UCL, LSE and Imperial, but Oxbridge entries still need a bit of luck. Best of all, they only need one essay for all universities, which makes the whole application process much easier than in the US!–but I’m really not sure if one essay is sufficient to paint a comprehensive picture of one applicant.</p>
<p>
It’s not about painting a comprehensive picture. Admissions couldn’t care less about anything you do outside your academic work. Just start the personal statement “I am interested in studying subject X because…” and write about
-academic achievements at school
-relevant work experience
-academic awards
-personal reasons for interest in the subject
-a line at the end about your ECs
It’s all about being focussed.</p>