Will I get in??

Thats great, thanks for the help. When you say taking a break from A Levels, you are aware that I will only be half go the way through the course, don't worry; I'm not questioning your intelligence?

I will try to nail the essays, how long are they and how many have to be done for each university.

What is common application, how does it work?

Will I have to learn any new material for the subject tests over summer, or will I just have to practise the techniques?

1; Yup but AS' are not anything to laugh at (Although when you get to A2 you'll look back and laugh at ever finding it difficult from my experience, even though there doesn't feel like a huge difficulty increase)
2; Depends on the schools; they all have their own requirements. My worst were Stanford, Yale and Princeton. Yale wanted a big essay about "something you haven't already told us" or something and Princeton had an awful one with prompts. It's totally school-specific. Some don't have any. They vary from 100 words to like 1000 and schools have zero to loads.
3; Common App is similar to UCAS, just means you can apply to loads of unis without having to write your name, extracurriculars, address, and other redundant information thousands of times.
4; There'll be a bit in Math II and Physics you'll need to learn a lot of new topics but not to a very deep level; just deep enough to have a vague working knowledge and be able to remember and apply all equations (That's the worst bit IMO). Definitely get a test prep book for each SAT II you sit!

NYU, undergrad
Durham, Law degree
UChicago (pending) Masters

Columbia is indeed in NYC.

Okay, that makes sense. I probably asked you already, where are you going for college, was it Cornell?
How long can a 1000 word essay really take? Are they hard or can you get by just knocking them up quickly?
Are your essays attached to common app, or is it just test scores and financial need?
How about Math I, will AS knowledge get me through that or will I need a greater understanding?
Should I get tutoring for either the reasoning SAT or the subject tests, or do services like Khan Academy work as well?

I am beginning to form a bit of a list of ones I could see myself going to, to major in Economics, they are as follows:

Harvard
MIT
Princeton
UChicago
UPenn
Yale
Columbia
Brown
Cornell
Duke

Should I consider any others, is this a good start?

I'm still waiting for my decisions but I think I have an offer from Cornell (Although whether they give enough aid is another story)

They're very thought provoking and the admissions tutors will know if you put mental thought into them or if you just 'knocked them up quickly.' I would google supplement essays for the colleges you are interested in for a real look at them.

Common App handles it all really, score sending and financial reporting are done seperately though (Through CollegeBoard/ACT and the CSS Profile respectively, usually. Some colleges will want paper forms scanned/faxed/mailed for financial aid though)

I would advise doing Math II since you're doing maths and further maths. They might wonder why you only did Math I, otherwise.

Tutoring is definitely not essential. Again, test prep books are pretty much the best thing you can get. Stuff like Khan Academy and tutoring will go a long way to help clarifying any topics you're having issues in though, but test prep books, if you get a decent one, will cover everything you need to know thoroughly and clearly.



If you're set on the US definitely add some less selective colleges. If you're just aiming to go somewhere very good though that should be fine with the UK as a backup

I'm still waiting for my decisions but I think I have an offer from Cornell (Although whether they give enough aid is another story)

They're very thought provoking and the admissions tutors will know if you put mental thought into them or if you just 'knocked them up quickly.' I would google supplement essays for the colleges you are interested in for a real look at them.

Common App handles it all really, score sending and financial reporting are done seperately though (Through CollegeBoard/ACT and the CSS Profile respectively, usually. Some colleges will want paper forms scanned/faxed/mailed for financial aid though)

I would advise doing Math II since you're doing maths and further maths. They might wonder why you only did Math I, otherwise.

Tutoring is definitely not essential. Again, test prep books are pretty much the best thing you can get. Stuff like Khan Academy and tutoring will go a long way to help clarifying any topics you're having issues in though, but test prep books, if you get a decent one, will cover everything you need to know thoroughly and clearly.



If you're set on the US definitely add some less selective colleges. If you're just aiming to go somewhere very good though that should be fine with the UK as a backup

No, the SAT and usually SAT II subject tests are for undergraduate admissions.

Graduate testing, just an fyi, is, depending on your subject choice, the GRE, MCAT or LSAT.

NYU, undergrad
Durham, Law degree
UChicago (pending) Masters

Columbia is indeed in NYC.

I am only doing Maths, no further maths. My four are Maths, Physics, Economics and geography.
I think that the UK will be my backup, Cornell is the least selective out of these right?
I am going to take my SAT for the first time in around a year, and then will do the subject tests in year 13 when I have had the summer to do the work.
How often would you expect to come home? I think that once or twice a year would be good. And also would you expect to stay in the US after your course is over?

Another thing I wondered was how the whole Major system works.

1. Di I have to apply for a certain major on my application or do I choose it once I'm there.
2. Do different majors have tougher requirements.
3. I've heard that the first year is a foundation year, what does this cover?
4. What are minors, I understand that they are bits that go on the side of your degree, but how many do you do? Do they have to have a direct link to your course. And are they classed as a part of your degree, or just an extra?

Any help, as always, is greatly appreciated!

Ah, okay. Test prep books will still get you through it fine though

Most likely, but 'least selective' is subjective and when your list is full of elite schools it doesn't mean a whole lot.

I think most unis either give you aid for one return flight a year (Presumably Aug - Julyish) or none and expect you to fund it yourself. Things like this are very institution specific.

I wouldn't expect to stay in the US after a course is over. Getting green cards to immigrate or other visas isn't the easiest thing in the world from what I've heard though I'd imagine having a degree from a top US university would assist somewhat in getting e.g. a company to sponsor you.



This stuff is again very institution specific -- You need to do your own research in that respect.

GENERALLY, though,
1. They'll want you to list one or a few potential majors but won't expect you to stick to it.
2. Depends on the institution but I think in many each department will choose their own major requirements? If so, it'll vary, yes.
3. Most places you just choose to take courses. It's not like over here where we've got very structured courses. You'd probably be given a long list of courses and be faced with the decision of choosing some.
4. Generally unis allow you to do e.g. a major, a major and a minor, a double major or even in some cases I've heard of a double major and a minor or a triple major.

Essentially, to my understanding, a minor is like a baby major - it shows that you took a lot of courses relating to the subject and passed them but not as many as you would need to do to get a major in it.

They don't usually have to be related but it might make it easier to get one if they are.

You really need to do some independent research though -- This stuff varies across institution so we can't give any definitive answers.

Actually, international students are entitled to OPT which grants them a year in the states after their degree (provided they have a job or are starting a business). Graduates of STEM degrees can get this extended to up to 29 months. Afterwards, the company can choose to sponsor you for an H1B. 6 years into that you'd eligible to apply for a Green Card (permanent residency).

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Ah, okay. Test prep books will still get you through it fine though

Most likely, but 'least selective' is subjective and when your list is full of elite schools it doesn't mean a whole lot.

I think most unis either give you aid for one return flight a year (Presumably Aug - Julyish) or none and expect you to fund it yourself. Things like this are very institution specific.

I wouldn't expect to stay in the US after a course is over. Getting green cards to immigrate or other visas isn't the easiest thing in the world from what I've heard though I'd imagine having a degree from a top US university would assist somewhat in getting e.g. a company to sponsor you.



This stuff is again very institution specific -- You need to do your own research in that respect.

GENERALLY, though,
1. They'll want you to list one or a few potential majors but won't expect you to stick to it.
2. Depends on the institution but I think in many each department will choose their own major requirements? If so, it'll vary, yes.
3. Most places you just choose to take courses. It's not like over here where we've got very structured courses. You'd probably be given a long list of courses and be faced with the decision of choosing some.
4. Generally unis allow you to do e.g. a major, a major and a minor, a double major or even in some cases I've heard of a double major and a minor or a triple major.

Essentially, to my understanding, a minor is like a baby major - it shows that you took a lot of courses relating to the subject and passed them but not as many as you would need to do to get a major in it.

They don't usually have to be related but it might make it easier to get one if they are.

You really need to do some independent research though -- This stuff varies across institution so we can't give any definitive answers.

Yes, this is a good start, but you could end up with rejections from all of them. All of these are in the US top 15 and there's no guarantee of an admissions to any of them. Either you need to select some schools lower ranked as well, or apply to UK schools through UCAS as well.

UK employers will be aware of the top US universities, easily those that ranked within the top 35.

Of course, as you move down in ranking, need-based financial aid decreases, though merit scholarships begin to appear. For example, with good scores and a generally strong application, you could get a full-ride or near full-ride to NYU. And, NYU has no problem with name recognition, being moved up to #20 in the Times World Reputation Rankings.

This is a good resource: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities?int=994d08

With universities ranked #21-#35 carry a decent amount of international reputation, with the larger research universities obviously being more well known, but most universities in the top 50 will have some name recognition.

However, with UK tuition as low as it is, I would highly recommend attending a UK university over a US university unless the US university is much more prestigious.

UK employers will be aware of the top US universities, easily those that ranked within the top 35.

Of course, as you move down in ranking, need-based financial aid decreases, though merit scholarships begin to appear. For example, with good scores and a generally strong application, you could get a full-ride or near full-ride to NYU. And, NYU has no problem with name recognition, being moved up to #20 in the Times World Reputation Rankings.

This is a good resource: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities?int=994d08

With universities ranked #21-#35 carry a decent amount of international reputation, with the larger research universities obviously being more well known, but most universities in the top 50 will have some name recognition.

However, with UK tuition as low as it is, I would highly recommend attending a UK university over a US university unless the US university is much more prestigious.

LACs won't have the same international name recognition that research universities will though - something an international student who plans on returning to the UK needs to be aware of.

It largely depends on the employer. UK employers will potentially have never come across anyone from outside the top three LACs (Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore). Durham, a relatively large university, is virtually unknown to Americans. What makes you think a UK employer would know of Haverford?

What are the benefits of going to an LAC over a normal college?

More focused on undergraduates , more personal time spent with your lecturers, a tight-knit community where you'll be able to recognize and mesh with most of your fellow classmates. Etc. Etc.

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