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Americans applying to university in the UK

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adam0311
Haha you got it!

I'm from Atlanta. Using first year of US unviersity as my qualifcations. Could never get 5 5's on AP. I've spoken with the tutors at each of the schools and they range between asking for a 3.0 to a 3.8. So I'm hoping I'll get one offer. I'd be happy if I just got one.

With regards to NY state schools. They're fine I guess. You are right, terribly boring.


ATL??/Wassup dude...I did my undergrad at Georgia State.. I am currently in NY though...I will be in England by 2011 though...hit me up, we should hook up.......
Reply 101
Hey everyone! I'm so glad to see that there are quite a bit of people from the US looking to go to the UK.

I just wanted to get some advice from anyone who has the knowledge or experience.

Basically, my Universities of choice as of now are Oxford, St. Andrews, and University College London. I'm still trying to fill the other two spots, as there are a lot of choices, but the aforementioned three are definitely going to be on my UCAS application (in fact, they already are).

My #1 choice is Oxford (how typical, I know), and I've spent the past month and a half or so constantly trying to learn as much as I possibly can about the University, and what courses I want to take, in addition to what I need to do in order to meet the prerequisites.


So, now that I have the final list of my school schedule, I thought I would just show what AP classes I'm going to take over the next two years, and see if it's a "solid" schedule. So, here's the breakdown.

Primary University of choice: Oxford
Course of Choice: Either Biomedical Sciences OR Experimental Psychology (although I'm heavily leaning towards the former as of now). My main focus though is Neuroscience, so regardless of which undergraduate degree I choose, I'll end up in Neuroscience anyways (assuming I get accepted into the Neuroscience course).

AP class(es) completed: AP Psychology. Score: 5
AP class(es) taking this year: AP Calculus AB, AP Physics B, and AP Statistics.
AP class(es) taking the following year: AP English, AP Chemistry, AP US Government, and AP Microeconomics.

Unfortunately my school isn't exactly a good one. They don't really have high expectations for most of their students, and their curriculum reflects that. I wish that I could take AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C for example, but we just don't go "that high". And oddly, we don't provide an AP Biology course, which is another thing I would have liked to take.

But I can't really change any of that, so I'll just deal with it. So, aside from those three desired courses, how does my AP class list look? I want to be competitive on my Oxford application, and I'm hoping that this would be enough (I'm not going to assume that I'll get a five on everything though).

And of course, I'll have to take the ACT to meet the Oxford prerequisites and the BMAT to meet the Biomedical Sciences prerequisites, but aside from that I can't think of anything else that I need to do.


With that said, how do my courses stack up for my intended field of study? Please be critical with your response (that is, if you so kindly choose to respond :smile: ), and avoid just kind words. While I do appreciate people being kind and courteous with their responses, I would much prefer a realistic viewpoint over an ego-stroking one that makes me feel great, but doesn't necessarily give me a realistic outlook.

And I should also mention that University College London (UCL) is a CLOSE second, and will most definitely be my Insurance choice, with Oxford as my firm. So any insight into how you think my AP classes will stack up with UCL would also be greatly appreciated :biggrin:

Thank you to anyone who responds :yep: !
kristinaalovesu
Yeah haha.

I wont complain about what they ask and just give it to them! haha :mmm:

I know!!! Im relying everything on my own, well also because i dont want my mom to give me money not unless i really really really sort of need it. :biggrin: but other than that, if she ever help me in the end like what your parents did, i might not take a lot of her money, she needs her money more than i do. im gonna just find a part time job or at least SAVE money from my job right now. Its kinda hard to save but im still trying you know. :-) I think what i know is that UK unis dont offer much scholarships to international students, because they are getting money from us since the UK citizent students dont pay anything at all (Thats what i heard here in TSR)

Thanks lacey! :smile:


UK students have to pay for university. Although it does vary around the UK.

Scottish Students in Scotland = Don't have to pay at all. :mad:
Scottish Students outside Scotland = Up to £3290 per year.

English, Welsh or Northern Irish in Scotland = It's less than if they went to Uni in ENgland and Wales but not free.

I'm not sure about going to uni in wales or Northern Ireland but it's definitely not free there either.

Most universities in England charge the maximum £3290 fee per year and they are trying to get the cap raised so they can make UK students pay more. Figures of £5000 per year have been mentioned..... :eek3:

I know it's not as expensive as the US but most students here come out of Uni at least £20,000 debt, unless they have rich families.

The UK government funds each university place and gives the university money for each student, and the universities get heavy fines if they take more students than they've been given money for. (I've heard like £3000 per extra student taken.)

Sadly I'm English not Scottish and I'm going to have to pay £3290.00 per year for my ENglish course. :frown:
dangermouse00
UK students have to pay for university. Although it does vary around the UK.

Scottish Students in Scotland = Don't have to pay at all. :mad:
Scottish Students outside Scotland = Up to £3290 per year.

English, Welsh or Northern Irish in Scotland = It's less than if they went to Uni in ENgland and Wales but not free.

I'm not sure about going to uni in wales or Northern Ireland but it's definitely not free there either.

Most universities in England charge the maximum £3290 fee per year and they are trying to get the cap raised so they can make UK students pay more. Figures of £5000 per year have been mentioned..... :eek3:

I know it's not as expensive as the US but most students here come out of Uni at least £20,000 debt, unless they have rich families.

The UK government funds each university place and gives the university money for each student, and the universities get heavy fines if they take more students than they've been given money for. (I've heard like £3000 per extra student taken.)

Sadly I'm English not Scottish and I'm going to have to pay £3290.00 per year for my ENglish course. :frown:

Oh wow, that makes more sense. Thanks for that :smile:


Oh the other hand, am i the only one here who is applying with no AP scores at all? I mean, i know a few of other american people who got in without AP scores but they are now in the UK having the time of their life. :P My ACT test is gonna be next next week, my SAT I is going to be next month and the SAT II is on november. So im just wondering. :smile: Im really impressed at the people here who did aps and the likes.
EcstaticMuse
Hey! :biggrin: That's really exciting! I do actually have a question or two... or 19057484. How's the finance thing going? Not that I'd be scotch free for paying tuition here (everything costs a fortune) but how is just affording to live in the UK like? Secondly, was it easy to integrate and make friends?


Finance is not too bad; I had enough money in my college account to pay my full tuition for the first two years, so I'll only need loans for my last two years.

In general, some things are more expensive here, whilst other things are less expensive. My rent isn't too bad (~£270 a month including bills), and then I usually spend between £10 and £15 a week on food. I think last year overall, I spent about....£2400? That included a trip to the continent for interrailing, which was a good £350, at the very least.

I've made loads of friends here; I experience no culture shock at all. That may or may not have to do with the fact that I'd spent loads of time in the UK before moving here for uni. It obvioulsy helps that everyone is already speaking the same language. :p:
int_applicant
ATL??/Wassup dude...I did my undergrad at Georgia State.. I am currently in NY though...I will be in England by 2011 though...hit me up, we should hook up.......


Hell ya bro. What are you going for?
adam0311
Hell ya bro. What are you going for?

check profile....PM me......graduated in 2005....
psychout
Primary University of choice: Oxford
Course of Choice: Either Biomedical Sciences OR Experimental Psychology (although I'm heavily leaning towards the former as of now). My main focus though is Neuroscience, so regardless of which undergraduate degree I choose, I'll end up in Neuroscience anyways (assuming I get accepted into the Neuroscience course).

AP class(es) completed: AP Psychology. Score: 5
AP class(es) taking this year: AP Calculus AB, AP Physics B, and AP Statistics.
AP class(es) taking the following year: AP English, AP Chemistry, AP US Government, and AP Microeconomics.

Unfortunately my school isn't exactly a good one. They don't really have high expectations for most of their students, and their curriculum reflects that. I wish that I could take AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C for example, but we just don't go "that high". And oddly, we don't provide an AP Biology course, which is another thing I would have liked to take.


You are such an overachiever. : P Just joshin'! I don't myself have any expertise on applying, since I haven't applied yet (you schedule makes me think you're a junior, which I am too) but those look like some good APs, both in general and for your course. Better than mine, anyway. x D I mentioned it in an earlier post, but Oxford is my first choice as well and my course of choice is Modern Languages, maybe with Linguistics.

(My school is weird, you have 4 classes for 1.5 hrs every day each semester, and then 4 different ones next semester, it's not eight every day like most high schools I know.)

Taken: AP World History, I got a 4, probably because a) I can't do a CCOT for my life and b) because in one of the essays I wrote all about the Roman Republic...when it was asking about the Empire. Or the other way around, I can't remember. I'm such a fool! : P

This Year: AP Calculus AB (in my school we only have full-year calc, you can either take AB/I full year or ABBC/I&II full year, since I only nearly scraped an A in Pre Cal I went with the slightly less strenuous one), AP US History which is half-year (first so I'll forget it all), and AP Psych which is half-year (second so I'll only have half the time to learn it)

Next Year (tentatively): AP Composition, AP Latin, AP Physics, and AP European History. Also, depending on whether or not I a) want to ever touch math again after a full year of calculus, b) take Italian so I have some experience learning a spoken language or c) go to the community college for a period to audit Portuguese, AP Stat&Prob

Keeping those in mind, I'm probably not going to get 3 5s like Oxford requested, but I'm still going to strive for it. I'm also going to take SAT Subject tests and hope for over 700s on them. I also want to do Student Service Learning (a.k.a. be a teacher's assistant) my senior year, so I need to make that fit. I want to take Film Studies, but I might (assuming I get in) do a summer screenwriting class at Johns Hopkins, in which case I wouldn't take FS and it would all fit better. I'm so ludicrously indecisive.

Sorry to ramble. I pretty much gave you a brief answer and then spurted my own classes all over the place. : )
I fell into the trap of a typical American and am now applying to Edinburgh. Dropped UCL and switched it to Edinburgh for law and politics. Was just too worried that my offer was going to weigh on what I got on the LNAT. Also switched up another pick...I dropped QM and replaced it with Durham for Criminology...so now I'm applying to two courses at Durham.
adam0311
I fell into the trap of a typical American and am now applying to Edinburgh. Dropped UCL and switched it to Edinburgh for law and politics. Was just too worried that my offer was going to weigh on what I got on the LNAT. Also switched up another pick...I dropped QM and replaced it with Durham for Criminology...so now I'm applying to two courses at Durham.



Yay! Another Edinburgh applicant! :biggrin: I think all us Americans get caught in that at some point.
EcstaticMuse
Yay! Another Edinburgh applicant! :biggrin: I think all us Americans get caught in that at some point.


It would be hillarious if we all ended up there!
adam0311
It would be hillarious if we all ended up there!


Haha! There would be a big TSR get-together, for sure. From what I read on last year's American thread, most people heard back from Edinburgh within two weeks of sending in their UCAS forms. :eek3:
Reply 112
EcstaticMuse
Haha! There would be a big TSR get-together, for sure. From what I read on last year's American thread, most people heard back from Edinburgh within two weeks of sending in their UCAS forms. :eek3:

I would LOVE to apply there, it just looks really stunning. And actually I thought I was going to be the first kid in the surrounding area to ever go to the UK for university, but then I found out an '09 graduate from my town goes there!
The only thing is that its a 4 year degree. I think to my mother that defeats the purpose of going to the UK. The main perks of going to the UK are a law degree in 3 years and less expensive then a NY state school, but if I went to Edinburgh that would no longer be the case.
Awww man how fun it would be, though...:frown:
American TSR society @ Edinburgh haha
alygoots
I would LOVE to apply there, it just looks really stunning. And actually I thought I was going to be the first kid in the surrounding area to ever go to the UK for university, but then I found out an '09 graduate from my town goes there!
The only thing is that its a 4 year degree. I think to my mother that defeats the purpose of going to the UK. The main perks of going to the UK are a law degree in 3 years and less expensive then a NY state school, but if I went to Edinburgh that would no longer be the case.
Awww man how fun it would be, though...:frown:
American TSR society @ Edinburgh haha


You should go for it! :biggrin: I know it seems like it defeats the purpose but that's not necessarily true... First of all, there are lots of good scholarships there for American students the four years there isn't like the four years here. Here, we have to do general education and all those irrelevant requirements but at Edinburgh, the four years are spent studying your subject and you can CHOOSE to take courses around your subject that you might be interested in.

It certainly would be a blast!
Reply 114
EcstaticMuse


It certainly would be a blast!

Gah!!! Why can't I be in a flawless financial situation....? :frown:
I guess I could consider applying but I am already unsure of my choices.
I have already got
Cardiff, Exeter, SOAS, and then I do not know which two to choose out of this group:
Kent, Sussex, Swansea, York, and now Edinburgh!
alygoots
Gah!!! Why can't I be in a flawless financial situation....? :frown:
I guess I could consider applying but I am already unsure of my choices.
I have already got
Cardiff, Exeter, SOAS, and then I do not know which two to choose out of this group:
Kent, Sussex, Swansea, York, and now Edinburgh!

:frown: Unfortunately, none of us are.

I've been dealing with the whole choices thing and I'm always changing my mind! I really like the look of York and would apply there if they had my subject, which they don't. Not fair! They're really good with international students. And the city is beautiful!
Reply 116
EcstaticMuse
:frown: Unfortunately, none of us are.

I've been dealing with the whole choices thing and I'm always changing my mind! I really like the look of York and would apply there if they had my subject, which they don't. Not fair! They're really good with international students. And the city is beautiful!

Dahhh yeah I just wish UCAS would finally accept apps because the longer this takes, I think the more undecided I will become!
alygoots
Dahhh yeah I just wish UCAS would finally accept apps because the longer this takes, I think the more undecided I will become!


I know what you mean! I keep switching out Exeter with a few others and then I put it back in and it's just a mess.
alygoots
Gah!!! Why can't I be in a flawless financial situation....? :frown:
I guess I could consider applying but I am already unsure of my choices.
I have already got
Cardiff, Exeter, SOAS, and then I do not know which two to choose out of this group:
Kent, Sussex, Swansea, York, and now Edinburgh!


The problem with York for law is that its a very new programme. Started in either '07 or '08. This doesn't make it bad. In fact they have an awesome teaching philosophy for law. Just an issue for employability,

The problem with going to Scotland for law is that they do scots law. So you would need to do a qualifying year/conversion course. Nothing is wrong with this, but it's going to cost you that much more time and money to do it. I would stick to England for your situation.

Honestly with your stats you can do better. Cardiff, Exeter, and SOAS are solid. I would just say look into your 4th and 5th picks a bit more. Swansea, Sussex, and Kent aren't worth it with your stats.
EcstaticMuse
I know what you mean! I keep switching out Exeter with a few others and then I put it back in and it's just a mess.


Exactly! I think I've gotten everything finalized now. The last thing I'm considering is my 5th choice. I feel set on 1-4. I don't want to do Bristol anymore because too much is going to be riding on the LNAT. I'm thinking of either putting QMUL back in, or playing with the idea of Exeter. I haven't done much research on Exeter yet. I really wish they had a Law and Politics degree. Then it would be a much easier decision. Apparently Exeter is a beautiful city. I have about a week and a half to get this fifth choice figured out.

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