Hello all, I am an American student with a strong interest in philosophy and am going to apply to Uni of Edinburgh. Are these scores good enough? I know the minimum requirements, but I have no idea where I stand with the average applicant.
32 ACT (retaking to see if I can get better)
1480 SAT (retaking to see if I can get better, as well as taking Math 2 and French subject tests)
3 AP tests: 4, 4, 5 (US history, World history, and English language and composition respectively)
^^I am taking 4 tests at the end of this year (my senior year) if that makes any difference^^
The tests I am taking this year are: Calculus I, Spanish, English literature and European history; I am confident I will get all above 4)
I have a 3.87 cumulative GPA (on my transcript) but it will definitely be above a 4.0 by the end of my senior year and will be above 3.9 by the end of my first semester.
Just wondering if that’s good enough. Should I bother retaking my tests before applying or just apply as early as possible?
I love the idea of studying in Edinburgh and can’t wait to submit my application in the coming days/weeks.
So, here’s the thing @steponsani. With the exception of Oxbridge, LSE & Imperial; and Medicine anywhere) as an international fee paying student if you meet the requirements, make a decent fist of the PS and have a good rec you are very likely to get an offer. There are some courses that are overloaded with Americans (IR at StAs & Edi, for example), where a stronger app is needed (vs just squeaking by), but I don’t think that philosophy is one of them, so for the most part, you & your $$ are likely to be very welcome. Edi is even more straight forward than StA’s, which has to some degree Americanized it’s admissions process.
I would urge you, however, to read the course descriptions carefully. Look at both unis (and other UK ones) to see exactly what you will study. Scottish unis (b/c their courses are 4 years) have more flexibility than English ones (which are only 3 years for philosophy)- but nothing like the choices and flexibility of a US degree. You want to be very sure that a steady diet of philsophy, philosophy and more philosophy (and a little bit of something on the side) are what you want to do for 4 years. Have you considered any of the dual honours (phil + x) courses?
@collegemom3717 sorry if this is ignorant, but what is/are the “PS” you referred to?
Sorry! & not an ignorant question at all.
PS = Personal Statement. For UCAS you write one essay and all of the college you apply to see the same essay. It’s about why you want to study the course you are applying for, through which you demonstrate why you are well suited to it. There is a lot of info on writing the PS online- general searches, the UCAS site itself, and the UK version of CC, the student room (.co.uk).
Plan on 75% being about the topic (ie, philosophy) itself. It is common to reference things that you have read, for example. You want to show some level of thoughtful, mature understanding of the subject .
It can (but does not have to) indicate how you came to choose the subject. EC that do not relate directly to your course can be a few lines at the end, but in general the PS is not about you as a person- it is about your professional side. Think of it more like part of a job application than the usual US essay, where you might talk about hopes & dreams or childhood experiences.
Thanks so much for your help! @collegemom3717