Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Afraid I won't get any offers

Hello! I'm an American high school senior planning to apply to a few UK unis, and I just feel like my grades aren't good enough. Granted, I do go to a very large high school (636 kids in my grade alone, with the entire school having around 3,000 students) and a lot of students take AP classes, so it's very competitive. Most of my grades fall somewhere in the 80's (B's) for the AP classes I've taken the past three years and I've gotten high 90's (A's) in the standard-level classes I've taken. I've taken the AP Human Geography exam (which I got a 4/5 in), AP World History exam (3/5), AP English Language and Composition (3/5), and AP U.S. History exam (3/5). The AP scores I have available total up to 84 UCAS points, and I'll hopefully finish school with around 160 points if I get at least a 3 on 4 out of 5 exams I plan to take. I plan to take the AP Environmental Science exam, AP English Language and Literature exam, AP German Language and Culture exam, AP U.S. Government and Politics exam, and the AP European History exam at the end of this school year. I got a 1330/1600 on my first SAT I exam, and I'm currently awaiting results for the October administration of the SAT. I got a 520 on Math Level 1 SAT II, 670 U.S. Hist. SAT II (not like that'll help me get into a UK uni), and a 680 on Literature SAT II. Though these grades are fine, they're just average and I feel like I don't stand out amongst the crowd and am afraid that I won't even get into the US universities I'm applying to, much less schools in the UK. I'm considering doing a Foundation year just because I don't feel extremely confident in my academics and I'm not sure what I'd like to do and it would give me some time to explore subjects that interest me, but I've heard that Foundation years aren't that great so I feel like it's not worth shelling out the money to take it. I wish I was able to do A-Levels here in the US because if there's one thing I hate about high school it's that I'm forced to take subjects I don't like to graduate, like math (hence the bad Subject Test score). I'm just not sure what I should do right now.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

What subject will you be applying for and do you have any universities in mind? It's difficult to assess whether your fears are justified without knowing where you're applying to. A number of British universities are very receptive to US applicants (presumably because you guys pay such large fees :colone:

), I often read accounts of American students getting into places like St Andrews and Edinburgh with good, but by no means excellent grades.

Your AP scores aren't bad so you shouldn't worry. Having 4/5 grades in three or four APs is probably better than having lots of 3s - most universities only require three APs (although obviously doing more helps). Consider focusing your time on just doing really well in a few APs, ideally in subjects related to the degree you want to do.

I assume you're talking about a foundation year? These are one-year courses, usually attached to a degree (e.g. 'BSc Biology with Foundation'), that are designed for students who either don't have the required grades or they haven't been in education for a few years. Most foundation years do not give you much room to explore new subjects, they tend to focus quite narrowly on a group of closely related subjects. There are some exceptions, Durham’s Social Sciences with Foundation and Liberal Arts with Foundation for example. You could do one, but honestly, I'm not sure they're worth the added expense - your grades are good, I don't see any reason why you couldn't begin a degree outright.

The personal statement is a really good way of standing out amongst the crowd. In it you are essentially selling yourself to the admissions team - they want to know exactly why you want to study this subject, what your academic interests are and what you've done to progress those interests inside and outside of school (e.g. what books you've read and what you thought about them). If you can write a good one (see here for help: Personal Statement Advice), then I think you have every reason to be positive.

Reply 2

Doones

Original post by Snufkin

A number of British universities are very receptive to US applicants

Indeed.

Top 10 for American undergrads
(by number of students)

1. St Andrews
2. Westminster
3. Edinburgh
4. UCL
5. UAL
6. Glasgow
7. Oxford
8. Stirling
9. KCL
10. Royal Vet College

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Reply 3

dancingmunchkin

Original post by Snufkin

What subject will you be applying for and do you have any universities in mind?

Sorry about that; it probably would've been a good idea to give that info. I'm looking into either German, Film Studies, or Anthropology, which is partly why I'm considering a foundation year, because I don't want to apply for film studies and decide it's not my thing a year into it. I'm mainly looking into universities in London (Queen Mary is at the top of my list, Brunel, Birkbeck, and UEL) and then I'm also looking into Manchester, Birmingham, and Newcastle. I will definitely be applying to Glasgow and UEL because they offer their applications on the Common Application.

Thank you for the rest of your advice; it helps me a lot!

Edit: I just checked the Common Application and a lot more schools than just UEL and Glasgow offer their applications there. Good to know; I'll have a few more choices (though I'll have to get rid of a few US university applications because the Common App only allows 20 applications).

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 4

GUMI

Original post by jneill

Yea, St Andrews loves that oversea fees lol, I know so many of my American friends are going there

OT: Take it from someone who applied from the US system last year, unless you're looking at top tier Unis, your GPA doesn't matter at all (mine was pretty low and I think I got into a decent uni), universities only really care about standardized tests (AP and SAT). Focus on your APs, most universities require three (as per A levels) so I would look at your three strongest AP subjects and prioritize getting good scores on those. In my experience tariff points didn't really matter, and they get complicated because subjects are divided into two categories (core subjects and not core subjects). Not every university will look at your SAT score but university websites list their requirements so you should check that out too. I took the old SAT but the standard was 1800 for like decent universities. Personal statement is really important. Good luck!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 5

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by dancingmunchkin

Why the focus on London?

I would not bother applying to UEL if I were you; it has a very poor reputation in the UK and is absolutely not worth international fees. Birkbeck is an unusual university because lectures and seminars take place in the evening, the majority of its students are mature students (over 21) who work during the day. That can be a good thing - it gives you time to work or do internships during the day, but it would not be a typical university experience.

I think you are going to struggle to find somewhere that would let you study German, Film and Anthropology. You could easily combine two of those subjects but not three, not in London anyway. The university system in Scotland is slightly different to England in that you can study up to three different subjects in the first two years of a degree before choosing which subjects to take into honours years. That is probably your only real option if you want to take all three subjects, but you're still going to have to drop one eventually.

You should be careful not to confuse a foundation year (what I described in the above post) with an International Foundation Programme/Year. The latter is primarily for international students from non-English speaking countries who have low grades or qualifications British universities don't recognise. Given you already have done some APs and are doing more, I really don't think one of these courses is worth the money.