Foreign equivalents of Oxbridge

I know how to add and find the mean...the confusion for me was whether you get points for the AS grade in each subject as well the A2, or just extra points for the one that you dropped.

For example I will be getting AAA in my A2 with a B in the AS I dropped...so is that (3 x 120) + 50 = 410?

That makes me rather worried for my York application...I've yet to hear from them and it seems as though I'm below the average. The same goes for Nottingham, but they only offered me ABB...so again it just seems rather high. Perhaps that is the reason for my initial confusion.


As is probably clear I'm not a maths applicant...

kidding right? economics A-level is a complete joke. All the rest right though. Maths A-level is so much harder, and often more relevant to a degree containing economics. Thats why most places (ie Warrick for PPE, all economics courses i have looked at) require maths but not economics. Oxford for PPE dont require maths, which is good, as i didn't do it, because it is very hard, and economics a-level is very easy, which i did do.

Glad to see history there, a lot of people criticise that A-level, completely unfounded, especially now with the AEA testing the best students even further

kidding right? economics A-level is a complete joke. All the rest right though. Maths A-level is so much harder, and often more relevant to a degree containing economics. Thats why most places (ie Warrick for PPE, all economics courses i have looked at) require maths but not economics. Oxford for PPE dont require maths, which is good, as i didn't do it, because it is very hard, and economics a-level is very easy, which i did do.

Glad to see history there, a lot of people criticise that A-level, completely unfounded, especially now with the AEA testing the best students even further

I quit maths for economics because im lazy, not stupid. My point is that one is a lot easier then the other, and the maths requires work in maths, which, however easy, is something i despise. Shame that they force it on you for PPE at oxford if you dont have it at a-level (ie through 'maths for economists' things i have read and been informed about), but i suppose you need to know it.

The last thing the LSE want is economics at A-level, they want clay fresh from the ground, not dryed in an albeit weak oven, so they can create the neo-liberals of the future.

Oxford prefers maths for PPE (recommended) - and not to sound rude or anything but single maths is accessible to anyone with a B or better at GCSE! After two years they expect you to be able to do basic integration, differentiation - that's as hard as it gets.

AFAIK nobody requires economics for anything - I'm willing to be proven wrong on that, but even at LSE they don't like economics A-level for economics, something about filling students' minds with stuff they then have to forget to learn economics properly.

I think that youve basically got everything neatly in perspective but are you sure LSE dont like economics (and i am aware that it is a bit of a doss)? They dont mention it in their supposedly comprehensive list of disgraceful a levels.

I have heard of the Karolinska Institute, but not of the others.
Lund sounds like some sort of unfortunate medical condition as in "Mr Smith, you have a serious Lund up your Psala and we need to operate to remove it."

The transparency of the system ensures that state schoolers and minorities are not discouraged from applying. If their UAI is high enough, they get in. Otherwise, even if daddy is prime minister or royalty, it makes no difference.

So, unlike the UK, where the worse universities seem to have all the minorities, in Sydney ethnic minorities predominate in the most competitive courses ( Medicine, Law, Commerce, Economics ) at the leading universities.

The transparency of the system ensures that state schoolers and minorities are not discouraged from applying. If their UAI is high enough, they get in. Otherwise, even if daddy is prime minister or royalty, it makes no difference.

So, unlike the UK, where the worse universities seem to have all the minorities, in Sydney ethnic minorities predominate in the most competitive courses ( Medicine, Law, Commerce, Economics ) at the leading universities.

There are several universities in Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is very good.
However, Monash University is only OK.

You've highlighted an important distinction: there's a difference between a world-class institution and a prestigious university. The former is recognised for the quality and quantity of its research, the latter for attracting the top students and the top researchers, thus securing its position as a world-class institution as well. In my opinion, UCL are already a world-class insitution, but until they recruit more high-flying school leavers they won't be regarded as one of the most prestigious universities. This is all just my opinion of course.

Well UC Berkeley is not that prestigious..Its very reputable and from what I know alot of their programs are phenomenal but in terms of practical wow factor/employment opportunities which is the only way to quantify prestige, it is dwarfed (if not stamped on) by Harvard Yale and Princeton.

Well UC Berkeley is not that prestigious..Its very reputable and from what I know alot of their programs are phenomenal but in terms of practical wow factor/employment opportunities which is the only way to quantify prestige, it is dwarfed (if not stamped on) by Harvard Yale and Princeton.

Well, if I follow your logic, UC, Berkeley wouldn't be a prestigous university then. Berkeley's undergrad entry standard is much lower than the Ivy League Unis'. Nevertheless, in academic terms, Berkeley is at least on par with--if not better than--the best of the Ivy League Unis (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton).

UCL has already attracted tons of top research students and researchers. I myself a PhD student of literature at UCL. Lots of my fellow students and PhD students I've met are garduates of Oxford, Cambridge, and top unis at their home countries. Many of them chose UCL over other unis in the UK actually.