[wendymoira]

So I'm a junior in high school and just looking into colleges. My grandparents are British and they sort of turned me on to going to university over there. : ) I want to go to Oxford (I know, aim for the stars, right?) in Modern Language (Portuguese) and Linguistics at the moment, although I change my mind a lot so that might be different by the time I actually apply, but I've always wanted to learn Portuguese, and I want to become a translator or teach Brazilian kids English (and I don't particularly want to spend inordinate amounts of time reading Portuguese literature, as much as I love reading) so I figure it's the way to go. : ) I'm definitely going to apply come next year, whether I meet the qualifications for Oxford or not, and I'll probably apply to some other schools in England because while I want Oxford, somewhere in my head I could be happy with just a British education, super-prestige or just-prestige or not.

I'm getting on with my grade well, the only B I've gotten in high school so far was in Algebra 2 in ninth grade and it really was the teacher's fault, I'm not making excuses. : P If we're being honest, I'm probably going to get a B in AP Calc this year unless I double my effort, math is my worst subject. I'm taking Latin 3 next semester and then AP Latin my senior year, I'm fairly good at it and I picked it up really quick, I'm going to take Italian 1 my senior year to get a feel for an "actual" language. Taking AP classes, getting the SAT Word of the Day emailed to me, all that jazz. I also do stuff as well, whether the admissions think ECs are important or not, I like to think I'm not a bum. I think if I work really hard the next two years and get the 3 5s on my AP tests (haha) and a 2100 (hehe, or close at least) on my SAT and take some subject tests I should meet the standard academic requirements. Hopefully. I'm putting this in the American one because you guys know what I mean. : ) When I was talking to my British friend the other day about all of this I had to explain the American education system to him and I wasn't sure if that would be the case here.

ANYway, for my "course" I'd be starting at complete beginner (unless I can find a beginner's Portuguese class at my community college to take during my senior year or something, which would be fun whether I got into Oxford or not). Of course, I'm still supposed to have a basic knowledge of Portuguese grammar. The "pre-interview" tests are what I'm worried about--would I have to pass them? Or is it just to give the tutors a starting point? Because the Portuguese one is NOT for a completely new person, and the Linguistics one from 2010 looks fudging ridiculous, considering I've never taken a Linguistics class in my life, but I could probably figure it out if I had time. Just, if I can't, how much stock do they put in those?

And also, this has probably been addressed in the thread, but is it obnoxious to not go to England for the interview? "Pssh, it's not worth my time and money to go all the way over there if I'm not guaranteed a spot," or do they have interview places set up in the US? Because I totally would go to England if my family was up for it, my dad wants to visit his old boarding school and the relatives, but if I'm not able to, am I screwed?

Also, speaking of the interview, is there any place where I can get information on what it will be like? We don't have interview classes over here. Or first-hand experiences from an American's point of view? And I know in general, but personal statements...what should you include? What did you include?

I'm on a college researching kick right now, if you couldn't tell. : ) If you read all that, thanks.

[Ivana_jj]

(Original post by kristinaalovesu)
Oooh my!! That's horrible! I know it was really bad because i saw it on the news!
My friend, a friend of my bf was from Santiago, but they are living here in US. He said his family in santiago were okay but there house was just a total wreck.
You're lucky you werent in the city when it happened! Was pichilemu close to santiago?

Being there was unlucky Santiago was much better than Pichilemu. While in Santiago the earthquake was around 8.3, in Pichilemu it was around 8.6 AND it's a seaside town (it was the place where the tsunami was at its highest, besides Constitución).

It's usually around 3.5hours to the southwest of Santiago (closer to the epicenter), but we took around 7 hours to get back here because the bridges were full of cracks, there were rocks everywhere on the roads and it was the end of our summer holidays (so the amount of people trying to go back was huge, considering Santiago has a population of 6-7million people).

My flat in Santiago (6th floor) was in perfect shape, except for the elevator which didn't work properly for a week, a few broken dishes and a broken lamp. I had internet and the neighbourhood was apparently in perfect condition.. But in Pichilemu we saw cracked hills with cottages falling onto the cracks! Besides, the tsunami left the city pretty destroyed.

After a week, we went back there to help people who hadn't received help yet and found some other towns that were even more damaged, including one in which the sea level had changed and now the park and the beach were underwater. I had been there 2 years earlier and the change was impressive

Pichilemu is still an incredibly gorgeous town and the best surfing spot in south america, so i'll keep going.. to the same cottage over the hill, safe from tsunamis

http://youtu.be/-IfTMfKdJlI (pichilemu after the earthquake.. 2:20 on)

[EcstaticMuse]

(Original post by wendymoira)
So I'm a junior in high school and just looking into colleges. My grandparents are British and they sort of turned me on to going to university over there. : ) I want to go to Oxford (I know, aim for the stars, right?) in Modern Language (Portuguese) and Linguistics at the moment, although I change my mind a lot so that might be different by the time I actually apply, but I've always wanted to learn Portuguese, and I want to become a translator or teach Brazilian kids English (and I don't particularly want to spend inordinate amounts of time reading Portuguese literature, as much as I love reading) so I figure it's the way to go. : ) I'm definitely going to apply come next year, whether I meet the qualifications for Oxford or not, and I'll probably apply to some other schools in England because while I want Oxford, somewhere in my head I could be happy with just a British education, super-prestige or just-prestige or not.

I'm getting on with my grade well, the only B I've gotten in high school so far was in Algebra 2 in ninth grade and it really was the teacher's fault, I'm not making excuses. : P If we're being honest, I'm probably going to get a B in AP Calc this year unless I double my effort, math is my worst subject. I'm taking Latin 3 next semester and then AP Latin my senior year, I'm fairly good at it and I picked it up really quick, I'm going to take Italian 1 my senior year to get a feel for an "actual" language. Taking AP classes, getting the SAT Word of the Day emailed to me, all that jazz. I also do stuff as well, whether the admissions think ECs are important or not, I like to think I'm not a bum. I think if I work really hard the next two years and get the 3 5s on my AP tests (haha) and a 2100 (hehe, or close at least) on my SAT and take some subject tests I should meet the standard academic requirements. Hopefully. I'm putting this in the American one because you guys know what I mean. : ) When I was talking to my British friend the other day about all of this I had to explain the American education system to him and I wasn't sure if that would be the case here.

ANYway, for my "course" I'd be starting at complete beginner (unless I can find a beginner's Portuguese class at my community college to take during my senior year or something, which would be fun whether I got into Oxford or not). Of course, I'm still supposed to have a basic knowledge of Portuguese grammar. The "pre-interview" tests are what I'm worried about--would I have to pass them? Or is it just to give the tutors a starting point? Because the Portuguese one is NOT for a completely new person, and the Linguistics one from 2010 looks fudging ridiculous, considering I've never taken a Linguistics class in my life, but I could probably figure it out if I had time. Just, if I can't, how much stock do they put in those?

And also, this has probably been addressed in the thread, but is it obnoxious to not go to England for the interview? "Pssh, it's not worth my time and money to go all the way over there if I'm not guaranteed a spot," or do they have interview places set up in the US? Because I totally would go to England if my family was up for it, my dad wants to visit his old boarding school and the relatives, but if I'm not able to, am I screwed?

Also, speaking of the interview, is there any place where I can get information on what it will be like? We don't have interview classes over here. Or first-hand experiences from an American's point of view? And I know in general, but personal statements...what should you include? What did you include?

I'm on a college researching kick right now, if you couldn't tell. : ) If you read all that, thanks.

Sounds like you've got a good plan! My parents are both Brazilian (and I'm incredibly pale, go figure) and my mom is actually a translator! As a Portuguese speaker myself, I would advise picking up a few books, even if they're not required, simply because it allows you to immerse yourself in the language, which is important for any language subject. And, ready for the coincidence? My brother does linguistics! He's working on his Doctorate at the moment and is a college professor.

If you've got the grades, Oxford will take you. But you also have to have the charisma at interviews. I don't know whether you're planning on flying out next year or doing it over the phone but if you do it over the phone, you'll have to try 110% more than the others because while they might have a picture of you, it's not the same as seeing you in person, unless you use skype for your interview or something like that.

You've definitely got the drive so I say go for it! It's just that I was in that position last year of needing to get AP's so I definitely understand what you're going through right now. My advice? Worrying about college now (you're a Junior, correct?) is really pointless. I did it, so I know how stressful it can be to wonder what you're going to do and where you're going to go. The truth is, your mind will likely change plenty of times and in the summer before your Senior year is when you should really start getting serious about apps, recommendations, and all that. Kudos to you, though, for starting early. It's not a bad thing, and I was notorious for blabbing on about different schools so much that my friends who were unprepared got a bit miffed and with good reason. Enjoy your Junior year because Senior year is when everything about college and universities start coming at you from all sides.

[jacobcurtis]

Hello all! I am an American going to Oxford Brookes in September. I am currently living in Tampa Florida and I am going to study Motorsport Engineering!

[adam0311]

(Original post by jacobcurtis)
Hello all! I am an American going to Oxford Brookes in September. I am currently living in Tampa Florida and I am going to study Motorsport Engineering!

You should apply to Herfordshire as well, they've got a top 10 team.

[alygoots]

(Original post by adam0311)
No, I'm going for the LLB. Basically my plan is to get an LLB and then an LLM in the US. I don't want to limit myself to practicing law in the US. The LLM basically allows one to practice in every state and it only takes one year to obtain. 3 years for the LLB +1 year for the LLM is a much quicker process than 4 years undergrad+3 years law school. I would like to practice law outside of the US, but not ruling out the possibility of coming back to the states. NY for example allows LLB holders to practice without anything additional. Most states allow LLB holders to practice with an LLM. Ideally I'd like to work with an int'l firm. At 3 of the LLB schools I'm applying to, they offer a joint JD/LLB programme with Columbia and USC. 4 years and you end up with an LLB and JD. It's on a competitive basis, so I'm not banking on it. But the possibility is there.

Ah, I can breathe a sigh of relief! I live in New York, and this is the exact route I would like to take! Later on, I would like to get an LLM in Human Rights Law and work for a humanitarian organization or something. Hopefully all goes well! My family is extremely hesitant to have me go. My mom never went to proper college and we are financially not very well off, so it is really difficult for her to believe that going to the UK is the easier, more cost effective route.

[alygoots]

Hello everyone! I am almost finished with my UCAS application! I am just having my statement reviewed by the people on that personal statement forum, so I guess within the next few days I will be all finished!
I am applying for LLB Law/ Law with Politics/ Law and International Relations at Cardiff, Kent, Portsmouth, Swansea, and Sussex. How do these universities sound to everyone? I hope someone has more knowledge than me. I mean Cardiff is the only of out of those 5 that is in the Russel group, so I assume I will be most employable if I went there. I also recently heard that everyone hates Portsmouth so I am wondering if I should put something else it its place...???
I have a good SAT score and a ton of APs and but unfortunately no 5's in any of them, so I can only really get into to good schools, but probably not GREAT like KCL or anything. I think that is fine with me though!

Right now my mom is letting me apply, but when I get my results she may simply flat out refuse to let me accept any of the offers, so I am looking into a number of schools here in the states too. Anyone else doing this?

[jacobcurtis]

(Original post by adam0311)
You should apply to Herfordshire as well, they've got a top 10 team.

Hertfordshire was my insurance choice. I like the feel of Brookes better!

[adam0311]

(Original post by alygoots)
Ah, I can breathe a sigh of relief! I live in New York, and this is the exact route I would like to take! Later on, I would like to get an LLM in Human Rights Law and work for a humanitarian organization or something. Hopefully all goes well! My family is extremely hesitant to have me go. My mom never went to proper college and we are financially not very well off, so it is really difficult for her to believe that going to the UK is the easier, more cost effective route.

Awesome plan! Working at an international level is far more interesting than law in the states.

[EcstaticMuse]

(Original post by Rainfaery)
Hey peeps. I've finished my first year over here in the UK, and am going into my second, so if you lot have any questions, just let me know.

Coming over here was the best decision I've ever made. \o/

Hey! 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?

[alygoots]

(Original post by adam0311)
Awesome plan! Working at an international level is far more interesting than law in the states.

I hope you are right! My mom will need some serious convincing though, and who knows if I will be able to get a loan...

One of the only cons of going to the UK besides my family hating me is that I would not be able to study abroad. Well, obviously going to the UK is technically one huge study abroad experience, but if I stayed in the states I would be able to go to New Zealand or Africa or Norway, or anywhere really, for my sophomore year.
I just do not know if I should take the safe, conventional route, or go to England. That is if I even have the choice. My mom might be making it for me...
Anyway, I think once I get results, see what kind of financial aid I get (I have the Hispanic advantage in the US), it will be more clear to me what I want to do.

[adam0311]

(Original post by alygoots)
Hello everyone! I am almost finished with my UCAS application! I am just having my statement reviewed by the people on that personal statement forum, so I guess within the next few days I will be all finished!
I am applying for LLB Law/ Law with Politics/ Law and International Relations at Cardiff, Kent, Portsmouth, Swansea, and Sussex. How do these universities sound to everyone? I hope someone has more knowledge than me. I mean Cardiff is the only of out of those 5 that is in the Russel group, so I assume I will be most employable if I went there. I also recently heard that everyone hates Portsmouth so I am wondering if I should put something else it its place...???
I have a good SAT score and a ton of APs and but unfortunately no 5's in any of them, so I can only really get into to good schools, but probably not GREAT like KCL or anything. I think that is fine with me though!

Right now my mom is letting me apply, but when I get my results she may simply flat out refuse to let me accept any of the offers, so I am looking into a number of schools here in the states too. Anyone else doing this?

Your parents are going to probably have a problem with wherever you go. Not because they don't want you to go to uni, but because they want you to stay with them! For the past 17 years your mom has been with you 24/7, the thought of having you across an ocean all the sudden is probably frightening her. My mom is going through the same thing. They'll get over it. Just ease into the topic and don't get overly argumentative.

Now with regards to your choices. Don't sweat it if you aren't applying to top 5 unis. It isn't a big deal, particularly if you want to go into humanitarian type work. If you wanted to work in an international M&A firm, I'd say you probably should shoot for a top 10, but this isn't the case. Are your top 3 AP's in the range of 444 or 333? I could probably help you better with picks if I had an idea of your scores.

[adam0311]

(Original post by alygoots)
I hope you are right! My mom will need some serious convincing though, and who knows if I will be able to get a loan...

One of the only cons of going to the UK besides my family hating me is that I would not be able to study abroad. Well, obviously going to the UK is technically one huge study abroad experience, but if I stayed in the states I would be able to go to New Zealand or Africa or Norway, or anywhere really, for my sophomore year.
I just do not know if I should take the safe, conventional route, or go to England. That is if I even have the choice. My mom might be making it for me...
Anyway, I think once I get results, see what kind of financial aid I get (I have the Hispanic advantage in the US), it will be more clear to me what I want to do.

I mean when it comes down to it, UK is cheap as hell compared to the states. Think about it. Four years of undergrad is going to set you back at a minumum 35k a year if you go out of state. If you have some financial aid that might be closer to 20k. Add in law school, and that's 7 years of education at 35k a year. Add that up and compare it to only 3 years plus an LLM. Much cheaper.

Your going to get the study abroad experience anyway. Plus if you want to travel, traveling from the UK is so much cheaper. You can practically go anywhere in Europe for like a hundred fifty bucks.

[alygoots]

(Original post by adam0311)
your top 3 AP's in the range of 444 or 333? I could probably help you better with picks if I had an idea of your scores.

I am going to have completed 9 exams by the time I graduate, but so far I only have 3 3's and 3 4's, so I am hoping to get a 5 on something this year! Some schools say only "Group A" AP subjects count apparently?
I also have an 1850 on the SAT I, over 600 on every part except MATH
and then 670 and 680 on SAT II's, both history. Hopefully that helps.

[adam0311]

(Original post by alygoots)
I am going to have completed 9 exams by the time I graduate, but so far I only have 3 3's and 3 4's, so I am hoping to get a 5 on something this year! Some schools say only "Group A" AP subjects count apparently?
I also have an 1850 on the SAT I, over 600 on every part except MATH
and then 670 and 680 on SAT II's, both history. Hopefully that helps.

Okay that's much better than what you had implied haha. You can shoot a bit higher than what you've put down. Exeter would be a good place to look. Their US offer is 444. SOAS would be perfect for you, especially for your interest in humanitarian work. They offer 44, but prefer 444 which you have. They also look for 1800 plus on the SAT, which you have. That's two to give you a start.

[wendymoira]

(Original post by EcstaticMuse)
Sounds like you've got a good plan! My parents are both Brazilian (and I'm incredibly pale, go figure) and my mom is actually a translator! As a Portuguese speaker myself, I would advise picking up a few books, even if they're not required, simply because it allows you to immerse yourself in the language, which is important for any language subject. And, ready for the coincidence? My brother does linguistics! He's working on his Doctorate at the moment and is a college professor.

If you've got the grades, Oxford will take you. But you also have to have the charisma at interviews. I don't know whether you're planning on flying out next year or doing it over the phone but if you do it over the phone, you'll have to try 110% more than the others because while they might have a picture of you, it's not the same as seeing you in person, unless you use skype for your interview or something like that.

You've definitely got the drive so I say go for it! It's just that I was in that position last year of needing to get AP's so I definitely understand what you're going through right now. My advice? Worrying about college now (you're a Junior, correct?) is really pointless. I did it, so I know how stressful it can be to wonder what you're going to do and where you're going to go. The truth is, your mind will likely change plenty of times and in the summer before your Senior year is when you should really start getting serious about apps, recommendations, and all that. Kudos to you, though, for starting early. It's not a bad thing, and I was notorious for blabbing on about different schools so much that my friends who were unprepared got a bit miffed and with good reason. Enjoy your Junior year because Senior year is when everything about college and universities start coming at you from all sides.

Haha, thanks for the advice! It's weird about all the similarities between us. :P I don't really stress about college or talk about it constantly, I'm just a naturally excited person about education and I like to research them a lot. In the words of my sister, I'm a nerd. : P

I'm going to have to work on the charisma though. I'm an awkward person at times. : ) Thanks so much.

[EcstaticMuse]

(Original post by wendymoira)
Haha, thanks for the advice! It's weird about all the similarities between us. :P I don't really stress about college or talk about it constantly, I'm just a naturally excited person about education and I like to research them a lot. In the words of my sister, I'm a nerd. : P

I'm going to have to work on the charisma though. I'm an awkward person at times. : ) Thanks so much.

Nerds unite! Those are some super coincidences, though! And kudos to you for wanting to do Portuguese. I'm sure you'll do fine, as long as your passion for your subject shines through, they'll know that you're worthy of a spot there.

[alygoots]

(Original post by adam0311)
Okay that's much better than what you had implied haha. You can shoot a bit higher than what you've put down. Exeter would be a good place to look. Their US offer is 444. SOAS would be perfect for you, especially for your interest in humanitarian work. They offer 44, but prefer 444 which you have. They also look for 1800 plus on the SAT, which you have. That's two to give you a start.

Oh that is fabulous! Thanks! Now which two schools should I eliminate? I am guessing Portsmouth and Swansea...
SOAS's program looks terrific but London prices are approaching a danger zone, haha. I will probably apply just to see how it goes

NY state schools are not half bad, it it just horrendously boring and not a very good way to meet new sorts of people. I just gotta wait it out...

[alygoots]

(Original post by adam0311)
That's two to give you a start.

By the way, can I ask where you are from, and where you are applying while you are at it!

EDIT: Your choices are in your opening post. duh

[adam0311]

(Original post by alygoots)
By the way, can I ask where you are from, and where you are applying while you are at it!

EDIT: Your choices are in your opening post. duh

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.