[foiledagain]

What do schools mean exactly when they ask for certain scores in "relevant" APs? For example, a couple of the universities i'm looking at applying to want 4s or 5s in at least 3 relevant AP exams. But say I want to study English, my school only offers 2 APs for that subject, so how would I meet the requirement of having taken 3 relevant APs?

[sarahoo]

(Original post by foiledagain)
What do schools mean exactly when they ask for certain scores in "relevant" APs? For example, a couple of the universities i'm looking at applying to want 4s or 5s in at least 3 relevant AP exams. But say I want to study English, my school only offers 2 APs for that subject, so how would I meet the requirement of having taken 3 relevant APs?

They'd just mean not having lots of science/math subjects... You'd want to have APs in softer subjects, like history options, languages, psychology? Not that having science/maths would be bad, either way, but just have at least three essay-based subjects!

[I Kant Spall]

(Original post by sarahoo)
Queen Mary in the fall?

Not Queen Mary but SOAS. Wish I could join you in London, but I might be stuck here in the States for another year.

How are ya finding Queen Mary?

[sarahoo]

(Original post by I Kant Spall)
Not Queen Mary but SOAS. Wish I could join you in London, but I might be stuck here in the States for another year.

How are ya finding Queen Mary?

SOAS, that's a great school! Why stuck in the states, though?

I've not actually started yet, but will be starting in the fall. I'm mega excited :] I've been living in London for a year now, though. It's a gorgeous city.

[I Kant Spall]

(Original post by sarahoo)
SOAS, that's a great school! Why stuck in the states, though?

Finances.

It's an unconditional offer, but I feel like I never should have applied. I'm also more drawn to the sciences and math (quantitative subjects) nowadays, which most certainly is not what I applied for at SOAS, among other unis. I may be an idiot for turning down SOAS/St Andrews/Edinburgh/Leeds/Manchester and going to an American community college, but it appears to be my only option as of now.

Best of luck with your studies at QMUL. What degree are you pursuing?

[teamnoether]

(Original post by I Kant Spall)
Finances.

It's an unconditional offer, but I feel like I never should have applied. I'm also more drawn to the sciences and math (quantitative subjects) nowadays, which most certainly is not what I applied for at SOAS, among other unis. I may be an idiot for turning down SOAS/St Andrews/Edinburgh/Leeds/Manchester and going to an American community college, but it appears to be my only option as of now.

Best of luck with your studies at QMUL. What degree are you pursuing?

I hope this isn't too forward, but your posts have made me sad so I'm going to be bold at the risk of being presumptuous. Not that there's anything wrong with community college, but it doesn't seem like it's what you want to do.

I'm actually a graduate from a US university, but I've decided to change trajectory and am going to study in the UK next fall. In the three years since graduating, I started a tutoring business - the running of which is now my full-time job. Among other things, I get paid large sums of money to help people with their applications to American universities. If you're on waiting lists in the US, I'd be happy to take a look at a letter or two (or anything else) by PM.

[new123]

For those applying to both US and UK

US deadline is May 1. Most of the US schools say one should pay the deposit and hold the offer ONLY in that school.

So, do people withdraw all the UK offers before May 1 .. As the due date for Firm/insuring in UK is June 7 only for internationals.

Can someone please advise on the CORRECT procedure to go about this?

Thanks and really really want your advice.

[cricket123]

(Original post by new123)
For those applying to both US and UK

US deadline is May 1. Most of the US schools say one should pay the deposit and hold the offer ONLY in that school.

So, do people withdraw all the UK offers before May 1 .. As the due date for Firm/insuring in UK is June 7 only for internationals.

Can someone please advise on the CORRECT procedure to go about this?

Thanks and really really want your advice.

These may help:

http://theuniguide.tumblr.com/post/17041456481
http://theuniguide.tumblr.com/post/16875967115

[punctuation]

(Original post by thesmiter)
Sweet. I'm pretty sure my school will let me register to take it there though, because we're also a testing site for the SAT and proctor over 3000 AP tests yearly. I just need to talk to my counselor to see if we're registered or if we can register. In the unlikely event that we can't, I'll definitely use that tip about the public library! Thanks!

Hey, about the test, I took the TSA last autumn. In any case, I took it at a local "test center" - it cost about $100-200, but it was taken with several other applicants. For the TSA, I think 10-20 others were in the room. You may find it off-putting, but I personally found it very enjoyable to meet others with my subject and from my country applying!

(Original post by thesmiter)
Wow, that's tiny. I would take a place in History, but I guess my second choice after History and Politics would be History and Economics. Of course, frankly, I'd be happy enough getting into Oxford - getting the exact course I want to take would make me cry tears of joy. I'm going to ask my counselor about the HAT very soon and see what he thinks. I desperately need to take it at my school. The nearest open testing center is a 6-7 hour drive down to San Diego...

I will check out the Oxford 2013 forum, but I feel as though I might get lost there, since I'm not actually a British student...

Also, what's the interview like? How was it conducted?

Well, scratch what I said about the test center. I strongly recommend joining the Oxford 2013 thread! My experience with the thread of 2012 entry was very positive, and I'm sure they are very nice people there again this year.

Also, it completely depends on your financial situation and willingness to miss a few days of school, but I also recommend flying over there to have the interview in person. Trust me, it is an unsurpassed experience to stay in accommodation, eat in hall, meet other (wonderful, really nice!) applicants, visit the city, etc. It's really worth the money, and it's a great experience, even if your application isn't successful. If you go this route, joining the aforementioned 2013 thread will really bolster your sociability during interviews; you may even choose to meet those friends you make on the thread!

Best of luck with your application!

[DCDude]

(Original post by punctuation)
Hey, about the test, I took the TSA last autumn. In any case, I took it at a local "test center" - it cost about $100-200, but it was taken with several other applicants. For the TSA, I think 10-20 others were in the room. You may find it off-putting, but I personally found it very enjoyable to meet others with my subject and from my country applying!



Well, scratch what I said about the test center. I strongly recommend joining the Oxford 2013 thread! My experience with the thread of 2012 entry was very positive, and I'm sure they are very nice people there again this year.

Also, it completely depends on your financial situation and willingness to miss a few days of school, but I also recommend flying over there to have the interview in person. Trust me, it is an unsurpassed experience to stay in accommodation, eat in hall, meet other (wonderful, really nice!) applicants, visit the city, etc. It's really worth the money, and it's a great experience, even if your application isn't successful. If you go this route, joining the aforementioned 2013 thread will really bolster your sociability during interviews; you may even choose to meet those friends you make on the thread!

Best of luck with your application!

Second Punctuation's advice about going over for the interview- start saving now if you need to! Lots of people get in doing Skype interviews, but there really is nothing like the real thing.

[arra]

Second Punctuation's advice about going over for the interview- start saving now if you need to! Lots of people get in doing Skype interviews, but there really is nothing like the real thing.

I agree, and I don't. Between myself and my dad we paid about 5,000 each for an international ticket and accommodation. It is worth it - but it's an expensive rejection if you end up rejected. Luckily I was not, but you end up having a lot of free time of unstructured activity, which is nice, but it's expensive socializing.

Your milage will vary.

[mahassociates]

(Original post by DCDude)
Second Punctuation's advice about going over for the interview- start saving now if you need to! Lots of people get in doing Skype interviews, but there really is nothing like the real thing.

I agree- Oxbridge takes extremely few Americans as it is, and you don't want to put yourself at a disadvantage to begin with. Also, I have no idea if this is a factor- but logically, flying over to interview is kind of a way of proving that you can afford the school to begin with, since there are basically no financial aid opportunities, and strong US applicants are likely to have applied to big US schools that can offer huge scholarships. And from what I understand, Oxbridge hate getting turned down in favor of other schools.

[DCDude]

(Original post by arra)
I agree, and I don't. Between myself and my dad we paid about 5,000 each for an international ticket and accommodation. It is worth it - but it's an expensive rejection if you end up rejected. Luckily I was not, but you end up having a lot of free time of unstructured activity, which is nice, but it's expensive socializing.

Your milage will vary.

Yikes! Don't scare people off- we did it for under $2k all in from east coast U.S.. Mom/dad didn't come for a start- they can't be with you anyway- so we had a driver do pick up @ Heathrow and deliver to the college porter, where there was somebody waiting help. Meals and accommodation are provided, so just a bit of spending money was needed. I don't know this as a fact but I would guess that you are more likely to get multiple interviews if you are right there and it is easy for them to organize. You definitely get more of a feel for what you might be signing up for.

[thesmiter]

(Too many people to post a quote, yikes!)

I can't afford an international trip to England, as much as I'd love to. I'm traveling to China over the summer as part of an exchange program and might be touring East Coast colleges as well, so traveling isn't really a viable option. Money will be tight without financial aid, but we'll manage well enough, especially if I can at least get a part-time job to cover my own personal expenses.

Anyway, I talked to my school's dean, who runs the testing programs at school (SAT logistics, etc.), and he's willing to register the school if I can forward him the instructions and stuff. I'm so excited, I don't think many from my school have even applied to the UK.

[smarshy]

(Original post by sarahoo)
Ahhh, not to drop in and mess up all the Oxford talk, but I just wanted to see, on the off chance, if anyone here might be attending Queen Mary in the fall?

Not Queen Mary, but I'll be in London. I got an offer for UCL with fairly easy conditions.

[arra]

(Original post by DCDude)
Yikes! Don't scare people off- we did it for under $2k all in from east coast U.S.. Mom/dad didn't come for a start- they can't be with you anyway- so we had a driver do pick up @ Heathrow and deliver to the college porter, where there was somebody waiting help. Meals and accommodation are provided, so just a bit of spending money was needed. I don't know this as a fact but I would guess that you are more likely to get multiple interviews if you are right there and it is easy for them to organize. You definitely get more of a feel for what you might be signing up for.

Ouch! You're right, I meant to say that between the two of us it was about 4-5k. Not each! You're right, parents don't need to come but my Dad wanted to come check the place out as well - never been. So it depends on what you want, I guess.

[thesmiter]

Reading the Oxford 2013 thread makes me feel antsy. Can someone explain how my American grades stack up against UK students' GCSEs and A levels? o_o I *think* I've got the right grades going in, but I'm not really all that confident.

I guess my question is, if I'm applying for History/Politics, do my grades in other subjects factor into admissions? It makes logical sense that they wouldn't, considering the specialization of my course, but you never know...

History courses bolded for convenience

Grades:
9th Grade: (4.0/4.0)
English 2/1H - A/A
Geometry 1/2 - A/A
Biology 1/2 - A/A
Latin 1/2 - A/A
Intermediate Band 1/2 - A/A
Modern World History 1/2 - A/A
PE 1/2 - A/A
College and Career - -/A

10th Grade: (3.7/3.83 [a 4.0 without PE grade factored in!])
10th English 1H/2H - B/A
Algebra II 1/2 - A/A
Chemistry Honors - A/A
Physics Honors - B/A
PE 3/4 - A/B
Latin 3/4 - A/A
AP European History - A/A

11th Grade: (3.83/??)
Latin 5 - A
AP US History - A
Precalculus - B
AP Chemistry - A
AP Psychology - A
AP English LangComp - A
PE - A

[sixdaysinthesun]

(Original post by thesmiter)
Reading the Oxford 2013 thread makes me feel antsy. Can someone explain how my American grades stack up against UK students' GCSEs and A levels? o_o I *think* I've got the right grades going in, but I'm not really all that confident.

I guess my question is, if I'm applying for History/Politics, do my grades in other subjects factor into admissions? It makes logical sense that they wouldn't, considering the specialization of my course, but you never know...

History courses bolded for convenience

Grades:
9th Grade: (4.0/4.0)
English 2/1H - A/A
Geometry 1/2 - A/A
Biology 1/2 - A/A
Latin 1/2 - A/A
Intermediate Band 1/2 - A/A
Modern World History 1/2 - A/A
PE 1/2 - A/A
College and Career - -/A

10th Grade: (3.7/3.83 [a 4.0 without PE grade factored in!])
10th English 1H/2H - B/A
Algebra II 1/2 - A/A
Chemistry Honors - A/A
Physics Honors - B/A
PE 3/4 - A/B
Latin 3/4 - A/A
AP European History - A/A

11th Grade: (3.83/??)
Latin 5 - A
AP US History - A
Precalculus - B
AP Chemistry - A
AP Psychology - A
AP English LangComp - A
PE - A

The grades you get don't matter. The only thing UCAS will ask for are your AP scores. So long as you have all 4s and 5s, you should be able to at least land an interview.

[mahassociates]

(Original post by thesmiter)
Reading the Oxford 2013 thread makes me feel antsy. Can someone explain how my American grades stack up against UK students' GCSEs and A levels? o_o I *think* I've got the right grades going in, but I'm not really all that confident.

I guess my question is, if I'm applying for History/Politics, do my grades in other subjects factor into admissions? It makes logical sense that they wouldn't, considering the specialization of my course, but you never know...

History courses bolded for convenience

Grades:
9th Grade: (4.0/4.0)
English 2/1H - A/A
Geometry 1/2 - A/A
Biology 1/2 - A/A
Latin 1/2 - A/A
Intermediate Band 1/2 - A/A
Modern World History 1/2 - A/A
PE 1/2 - A/A
College and Career - -/A

10th Grade: (3.7/3.83 [a 4.0 without PE grade factored in!])
10th English 1H/2H - B/A
Algebra II 1/2 - A/A
Chemistry Honors - A/A
Physics Honors - B/A
PE 3/4 - A/B
Latin 3/4 - A/A
AP European History - A/A

11th Grade: (3.83/??)
Latin 5 - A
AP US History - A
Precalculus - B
AP Chemistry - A
AP Psychology - A
AP English LangComp - A
PE - A

You certainly seem to be taking all the right classes (and quite an AP load there!), but yeah, it really only matter what AP scores you got- apart from Cambridge and St. Andrews, I believe no other schools even request a grade transcript. Some schools might look at your SAT or ACT too, but AP's are really what matters.

[thesmiter]

(Original post by mahassociates)
You certainly seem to be taking all the right classes (and quite an AP load there!), but yeah, it really only matter what AP scores you got- apart from Cambridge and St. Andrews, I believe no other schools even request a grade transcript. Some schools might look at your SAT or ACT too, but AP's are really what matters.

Forgot to post my scores, haha.

Human Geography - 5, 9th grade; taken as a 'supplemental' class afterschool in the spring semester
European History - 5, 10th grade
--------
Junior year:
AP Chem - projected 5
AP US History - projected 5 - my teacher claims he will punch me if I don't get a 5
AP LangComp - projected 5, assuming they'll like my essays
AP Psych - easily projected 5

SAT: 2280 (top score - 790 CR 690 M 800 W)
ACT: 33, probably not going to send

Senior year courseload:
AP USGov/CompGov, AP World History, AP Physics CM, AP Calculus BC, AP LitComp, AP Macro/MicroEcon, AP Latin

(If you thought I had a lot of APs, wait'll I get to senior year!)