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University Applications, SABIS System and Romanian Baccalaureate.

Hello! If you would take the time to read over the wall of text I have written, it would be very much appreciated! For some reason, I am not able to skip lines, so please excuse the lack of organization [mod edit: I've added paragraphs for you. Paragraphs are a wonderful thing].

SABIS System: I go to a private school in the capital city of Romania, Bucharest. It is called Cambridge School of Bucharest, despite the fact that its 'main' educational system is SABIS. Even so, we still sit international exams such as Checkpoints, IGCSEs, AS-Levels and A-Levels.

Thanks to the fact that the owner of the school has 'friends' from within the Romanian parliament, the last four years of school in CSB count as a Romanian Baccalaureate. The marks for these four years consist of an average of all quizzes, periodics and final exams we have every trimester. Every trimester we have, on average, 4 quizzes a week and one periodic. At the end of every trimester, we have a week in which everyday we have to sit two exams, each of two hours. Needless to say, this system can cause a great deal of stress, as every single quiz is rather lengthy and considerably challenging.

And so, I have to dedicate about two hours a day to studying, almost every day. An average is cooked up from all the hundreds of marks during the last four years of school, and that is considered a Romanian Baccalaureate Diploma.

My question is, should I simply move over to the UK and study in a good high school for my last two years of school (I'm in year 10 now, aka year 11 in the UK) so that I would be able to focus on the Cambridge system and thus on A-levels and AS-levels instead of having to stress myself with studying for two rather different educational systems?

Recently I've learned that a girl that has studied in CSB, my school, had managed to acquire straight A's for IGCSEs, AS's and A-levels, but failed to maintain a good total average mark for the last four years in school, which then led to her being refused entry to a very good university, even though she most certainly met the requirements for the international exams (ABB). She would not even be given the chance of an interview.

And so, in the application letter to universities, would it benefit me in any way to mention how challenging the SABIS system was, thus justifying a possibly lower total average mark (say, 90, which is the equivalent of a 9 in the Romanian Baccalaureate) than I could have achieved if, for example, I would not have been forced to study, for example, French. (My total average would be 97... only if French would be eliminated from the calculation. I believe 97 is a VERY good mark, considering how many hundreds of quizzes and exams I have to sit so very often, and considering the difficulty of these quizzes/exams)

If the minimum requirements for an university would be 3 A's in A-Levels, would I look more 'appetizing' than other applicants if I would meet these minimum requirements, while having a 9 in the Romanian Baccalaureate(while stating how challenging the SABIS system is)? If the university were to choose between me and a person with 1A and 2A*'s, given that both our application letters were just as appealing, would I have a similar chance of being selected? I know that it really does depend on the university, but I would really appreciate some of your thoughts on the matter.

I'm sorry for the lack of organization, and I would like to thank you for your time.
(edited 10 years ago)
:bump:

I've added some paragraphs for you!
I think the best thing to do might be to contact universities before you apply and explain your slightly unusual qualifications. The best time to email admissions tutors would probably be in the September of the year you are going to apply. It's good you're thinking about this early, but universities may well change their policies in the next two years, so you couldn't really rely on any answers you get now. However, if you're serious about moving to the UK, you could try contacting some universities you might be in now to see how they would consider your qualifications.

The personal statement is not really the place to explain your qualifications. It's strictly limited to 4000 characters, and most of this should be focused on why you want to study the subject you are applying for. Certainly talking about how hard you've had to work could be viewed negatively by universities. However, your referee should explain your qualifications, and explain how much work this has been for you.

Unless you are a 100% sure about another student's circumstances, it's not a good idea to make assumptions about why they were rejected. There are many factors involved in getting a university place- grades are just one. The reference and the personal statement are also important.

Does your school give good support to students applying to the UK? Do you have teachers who fully understand the UK system? The personal statement is something a lot of international applicants get poor advice about, and teachers do not always give the best advice. If you did come to the UK, a good school would probably support you through the process better. However, obviously lots of international applicants are successful each year, so hopefully this won't disadvantage you.
Thank you for your reply and please excuse the very considerable lag regarding my response.
Honestly it really does not seem to me as though the teachers over at my school would know enough so as to recommend to me anything of considerable use.
Would my e-mail be replied to if I would ask the university about said matter?

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