Americans applying to university in the UK

Kind of related to what cricket123 said...

Do Unis want you to take AP Language...or like can we take 2 years of both( I need two to graduate)...

Like I am taking Spanish II now(sophomore), and I probably can take AP Spanish in Senior year...or shud I take French 1 and 2 for the next two years(shud make the work load a bit low)

Any suggestions?

Kind of related to what cricket123 said...

Do Unis want you to take AP Language...or like can we take 2 years of both( I need two to graduate)...

Like I am taking Spanish II now(sophomore), and I probably can take AP Spanish in Senior year...or shud I take French 1 and 2 for the next two years(shud make the work load a bit low)

Any suggestions?

I'm most likely asking really stupid questions, but to be honest, I have no idea about how the unis in the UK work. I'm not even sure if I even want to study in the UK or go to Canada or Australia, etc. But I think it's always great to have all of the options out there, especially since I'm strongly considering the UK (the woes of wanting to major in the medical field; I don't think I'm ready to relearn all of the scientific terminology in Spanish!).

Does it matter if you haven't taken any Honors courses or APs until junior year, i.e. Does the school take into account that you simply haven't had the option to takes Honors/APs until junior year? My school doesn't offer Honors, period. They also don't allow you to take APs until you're a junior, and steer you away from taking more than two/three per year.

Which school has a strong medical program? I know that Oxford and Cambridge are two extremely prestigious unis, but honestly, I don't think I have a very big chance of getting in.

Do unis in the UK have a preference for SAT over ACT or vice versa?

Which APs or courses would you recommend for someone wanting to study in the medical field in the UK?

I should just apologise for all of the questions here. XD I'm brimming with questions (so I could really pester you guys with more), but at this point, these are the only ones I can think of. I just did my scheduling for classes a few days ago, but we have Add-Drop days where you can switch your schedule around if need be.

I'm most likely asking really stupid questions, but to be honest, I have no idea about how the unis in the UK work. I'm not even sure if I even want to study in the UK or go to Canada or Australia, etc. But I think it's always great to have all of the options out there, especially since I'm strongly considering the UK (the woes of wanting to major in the medical field; I don't think I'm ready to relearn all of the scientific terminology in Spanish!).

Does it matter if you haven't taken any Honors courses or APs until junior year, i.e. Does the school take into account that you simply haven't had the option to takes Honors/APs until junior year? My school doesn't offer Honors, period. They also don't allow you to take APs until you're a junior, and steer you away from taking more than two/three per year.

Which school has a strong medical program? I know that Oxford and Cambridge are two extremely prestigious unis, but honestly, I don't think I have a very big chance of getting in.

Do unis in the UK have a preference for SAT over ACT or vice versa?

Which APs or courses would you recommend for someone wanting to study in the medical field in the UK?

I should just apologise for all of the questions here. XD I'm brimming with questions (so I could really pester you guys with more), but at this point, these are the only ones I can think of. I just did my scheduling for classes a few days ago, but we have Add-Drop days where you can switch your schedule around if need be.

@avash; Ah, that's great that you told me this before I had to find out the hard way. I was thinking that I'd have to do a sort of premed program anyway (or maybe they don't have those in the UK? This just shows how clueless I am, hah).

@cricket; Thank you so much for all the information! And that's actually a great thing — about the ACT, that is. I didn't like it much when I took PLAN (practice ACT test) and am aiming towards the SAT anyway. And yes, you were a great help. Thank you to both of you really for responding so quickly. I still have a bit to go before I actually need to start applying anywhere, but it's always helpful to know this stuff beforehand.

I'm most likely asking really stupid questions, but to be honest, I have no idea about how the unis in the UK work. I'm not even sure if I even want to study in the UK or go to Canada or Australia, etc. But I think it's always great to have all of the options out there, especially since I'm strongly considering the UK (the woes of wanting to major in the medical field; I don't think I'm ready to relearn all of the scientific terminology in Spanish!).

Does it matter if you haven't taken any Honors courses or APs until junior year, i.e. Does the school take into account that you simply haven't had the option to takes Honors/APs until junior year? My school doesn't offer Honors, period. They also don't allow you to take APs until you're a junior, and steer you away from taking more than two/three per year.

Which school has a strong medical program? I know that Oxford and Cambridge are two extremely prestigious unis, but honestly, I don't think I have a very big chance of getting in.

Do unis in the UK have a preference for SAT over ACT or vice versa?

Which APs or courses would you recommend for someone wanting to study in the medical field in the UK?

I should just apologise for all of the questions here. XD I'm brimming with questions (so I could really pester you guys with more), but at this point, these are the only ones I can think of. I just did my scheduling for classes a few days ago, but we have Add-Drop days where you can switch your schedule around if need be.

Although a few medical schools won't accept high school graduates, there are plenty of others that do. When you browse through the university websites, make sure you check the minimum requirements for North American apppicants. Those that don't accept high school diplomas (like University of Edinburgh, as avash21 has mentioned) will state there.

Does it matter if you haven't taken any Honors courses or APs until junior year, i.e. Does the school take into account that you simply haven't had the option to takes Honors/APs until junior year? My school doesn't offer Honors, period. They also don't allow you to take APs until you're a junior, and steer you away from taking more than two/three per year.

As cricket123 has said, it doesn't matter when you take the AP exams. However, unlike colleges in the States, British universities will not look favourably upon applicants with few AP scores regardless of how many are actually offered in their high schools... it's not that they're less considerate (although I did find the UK application system a little less forgiving) but some schools will simply not have your transcript and your school facts sheet when they consider you as a candidate. This is certainly not the case for universities like Cambridge (they require you to send them a copy of your transcript and a cover sheet), but the other three schools I'd applied to didn't request for a cover sheet... meaning they didn't know how many APs are offered at my high school, how many students take as many (or as few) APs as I did, or what are the average school scores for my AP subjects. Hence, if you truly wish to keep the UK as an option, ignore your school's advice (or tradition, trend, or whatever you might call it) and opt to take as many APs as you think you can handle (in relevant subjects, of course )

Which school has a strong medical program? I know that Oxford and Cambridge are two extremely prestigious unis, but honestly, I don't think I have a very big chance of getting in.

It's great that you're looking at the top of the chart, but you have to be more specific as you get closer to your application. Do you want to live in a city or the countryside? Do you wish to practise medicine, or is a career in research an option? Similarly, do you put much emphasis on the school's current research programs? What would you like to specialize within the field of medicine? All these, along with a billion others, are questions you should consider when you want to narrow down your list of universities. Do note that medicine is very competitive in the UK, even more so for international applicants because the number of places is capped by the British government. You can also only select 4 for your UCAS application, so choose wisely!

Do unis in the UK have a preference for SAT over ACT or vice versa?
SATs are more commonly accepted.

Which APs or courses would you recommend for someone wanting to study in the medical field in the UK?
You will first want to do all the science ones... specifically AP Biology, AP Chemistry and AP Physics. Chemistry is a MUST, and Biology and Physics are often required/suggested. Calculus is a must as well... or at least HIGHLY recommended. Others are what you make of in your personal statement / interview. I've read one that related AP Lit with medicine, although Psych and stats are a lot more common.

To add to all the good advice you've already gotten: medical places in the UK are extremely limited for international students. At the Oxford / Edinburgh road show the Oxford rep said that they they have a government imposed cap of 5, but would take at most 1-2 international students for medicine. The government cap relates to spaces for the clinical part of the training. So, although Oxford may be at the most restrictive end, all of the UK universities will have limits on their international students. You might consider looking at College of Physicians and Surgeons in Ireland, which is very open to international students.

As for tests, they don't care at all about honours courses: what will matter are: 1) national-level tests (for a US student: SAT (some will take ACT), SAT subject tests, and APs); 2) for medicine, experience in medical environments (as a volunteer, junior worker, whatever); 3) personal statement. Other e/c's will matter only to the extent that they demonstrate interest/ability in the subject area. Imo, you will want to have at least 3 APs or SAT subject tests in relevant areas when you apply (so by end of Jr year), and any offer you get will probably be conditional on several more, so you will want to consider what you put down in the way of planned testing for Sr year). Doubling up on an AP / SAT subject test is fine, but be prepared to have a strong range of science / math subjects by the end of Sr year. I would imagine Chem, Bio, and Calc would be essential, but you can look at the various college sites for specifics (they post requirements for A levels; I assume that you've worked out that a 5 on an AP is considered in the neighborhood of an A on an A-level).

Imo, you don't need to worry about the relative rankings of the medical program. They are all approved courses, and the differences between them won't be enough to jeopardize your passing the medical exams.

However, I would also ask why you want to study medicine in the UK. Is it b/c you think you have a better chance of being accepted? (may not be true) b/c you don't want to do 4 years of uni + 4 years of med school? (if so, you might check out 6 year programs in the US & Canada) b/c you want the abroad experience? (if so, have you checked out the requirements for getting licensed to practice medicine in the US if you have a foreign medical degree and/or have you checked out the requirements for getting a work permit if you are a non-national in Europe?). A lot of questions back to you!

These are all options for now, but I want to be as informed for this as I possibly can. There's an accelerated med program at this college/uni (I forget what the college is called), except I really don't know. Heh. I definitely sound really clueless here. XD But to sum it all up, this is just information gathering for me. I'm not set on anything yet, except that I have a rough idea of what I want to do when I'm older.

Any applicants/offer-holders for ESPS at UCL?

Finally heard back from all of my choices Does anyone have any input as to which unis are strongest for politics/IR? I have offers from St Andrews, Edinburgh, Durham, Bath, and York and am unsure which to firm (its may be worth noting that Bath is the only uni that has any significant conditions attached to the offer).

Finally heard back from all of my choices Does anyone have any input as to which unis are strongest for politics/IR? I have offers from St Andrews, Edinburgh, Durham, Bath, and York and am unsure which to firm (its may be worth noting that Bath is the only uni that has any significant conditions attached to the offer).

partly depends where you want to be after uni...English people seem to rate Durham as just behind Oxbridge & LSE in prestige, but outside the UK it isn't as well known. Americans tend to know Edinburgh and St. Andrews better. Suggest reviewing the course details, consider what the living arrangements are like, consider what the place is like (Edinburgh is a great uni town, some of the others are, well, less urban).

Durham. But I'm inherently biased.

-I'd certainly pick Durham over the scottish unis, if only to save the extra yr (3 yr degree vs. 4 yr degree). You could have a masters+BA from Durham in the same amount of time as an undergrad degree from a Scottish uni. Not only do you save time, but you'll save money.

I just got my first "UCAS Application Status Notification‏" email and I am hyperventilating. I'm scared to check :/




EDIT: It's a conditional offer to Durham!