Interested in LSE and Oxbridge, could some members who have been through the application process for US students provide some insight and advice?
@bz1119 - I applied to Oxford. What do you want to know? I recommend that you start with “Applying to University and UCAS Deadlines - Complete University Guide”
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/universities/applying-to-university-and-u… As i recall, the deadline for submitting the application was mid-October, so you will need to contact your high school college counsellor to arrange to take the entrance exam, write a letter of recommendation and submit your transcript, SAT/ACT, AP/IB subject test scores and “Personal Essay” by then as well. What subject do you want to study? Why do you want to attend a British vs US uni? Best of luck!
Good news: system is pretty straightforward, and there is a lot of information on line.
Random info:
*you can’t apply to both Ox & bridge in the same year- you have to choose one
*for Oxbridge, the pre-reqs given online are a baseline: the first hurdle. Most courses have an additional test that you sit in November of the year that you apply (although Cambridge has some that you do at interview). Those, plus LoR, your PS (a subject-related essay), sometimes submitted school work, and your standardized test scores (AP/IB) in relevant subjects determine whether you get an invite to an interview, Interviews are crucial, and held in early Dec. Offers come in Jan and will be either ‘unconditional’ (less common) or ‘conditional’ (typical) on specific scores on exams (eg APs) you are scheduled to take in May.
*you apply to study a specific subject (or pre-set group of subjects). You will find very detailed, year-by-year breakdowns of what you study for every course offered online. Expect few options in first year, more as the years go on, but still much more structured than the US. Pretty much all w/in the subject area- and no GenEds, etc.
*Most people that I know with direct experience of LSE say that it is a better (& happier) place for grad than undergrad. Anecdotally, at undergrad it can set harder conditions for American students to meet than Oxbridge (other unis can guess if you have applied to Oxbridge b/c they have the earliest app deadline-Oct 15- so high-stats students whose UCAS form arrives in mid-Oct are assumed to have applied there)
You apply through UCAS, and can to apply to 5 *courses (at same or diff universities) on the same application.
From your other posts, it looks as though you might be at Choate or EHS. Choate will certainly know how to help you through the process; not sure about EHS, but wouldn’t be surprised.
Hope that helps you get started.
Thank you guys so much for all the information and resources provided! It has really helped me feel more comfortable about the process.
@collegemom3717 Could you expand or try and comment on why your friends enjoyed LSE more?
Enjoyed isn’t really the word, but if you mean why people have said that LSE is better suited for grad than undergrad, I can only tell you what I have been told- so it’s second hand and anecdotal.
Complaints that I have heard from people who did undergrad include: impersonal, little interaction / feedback from the profs, variable teaching quality, no college spirit / not much socializing, very heavy % of students from asia/se asia who do not mix much with other students, and so on. The new 4 year PPE course seems to be different- I don’t know anybody in it directly, but I met somebody with a student on the course who seems happy & says that the cohort (which is quite small- >50 I think) is quite social.
The grad students that I know/have known at LSE (none of whom went there for undergrad) also say that it is better at grad level than undergrad. Some of that is probably down to what you are looking for when you go to grad school, and the difference in stage of life.
I’m not rubbishing LSE- it is a top-tier school, you can get a great education, and I know that there are happy students there. But, you asked for perspectives, and that is one I have heard enough times that I thought it worth sharing 
Question for you all. I’m an American hoping to apply to Oxford’s medical program? Apparently there is a limit for the amount of international students (fourteen or so…). Oxford highlights the word “relevant” when describing the classes and AP exams that you take. What might it take in getting into a Oxford’s medical program? In other words, what EC’s and classes are considered “relevant” in its medical program?
Oh and can someone explain to me the BMAT process?
Bad form to hijack somebody else’s thread, @OctoBug22.
There is a lot of info about the course, requirements, proces, etc. on the Oxford website, so spend some time there & come back w/ questions. Be aware that although Oxford is allowed to take as many as 14 international students for medicine, they typically take around 6. Their comment is ‘if you think that you are one of the top 2 or 3 candidates in the world, go ahead and apply’.
I’m so sorry, I’m new here. I won’t do that again. Thanks for the information though.