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What are my chances @ LSE? American student

I am currently a junior in high school wanting to major in international relations. My dream school has always been Oxbridge, but I believe my chances are slim as of my current standing. I have always excelled and had A's and B's in every subject except math, which I have failed once and will be making up over the summer. It's always been a struggle for me but I've recently been able to overcome it and had a B in geometry last semester. Also, I am taking 3 AP classes/tests (levels is the equivalent in the UK?) and will be in 4 next year and possibly be taking one or two SAT subject tests. I'll most likely have a 3.5 by the end of my high school career and I was wondering if it would be worth applying to LSE or Oxbridge? I am even considering going to community college for one year and then transferring, but I believe that will cancel out Oxbridge. As an immigrant to the U.S myself, I feel like I've really had an interesting path in choosing my intended major and I hope my strength in writing will show through my personal statement, but I'm just not sure if that will be enough to secure a spot. Thank you :smile:)
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 1
Is there harm in trying? If not, go for it. You don't have bad qualifications by any means, and your GPA doesn't really matter to admissions. I was never asked about my GPA, only my AP and SAT Subject tests. I only had two AP classes, no scores yet, and three SAT Subject tests. Still got 5/5 offers, unconditional. They weren't to Oxbridge, of course, but I think a lot of people who just don't understand the system automatically overestimate it (which isn't necessarily bad). You should try, ESPECIALLY if you're good at writing like you say. The application fee isn't outrageous like stateside and British unis will be loving that international tuition :
Original post by intfi29
I am currently a junior in high school wanting to major in international relations. My dream school has always been Oxbridge, but I believe my chances are slim as of my current standing. I have always excelled and had A's and B's in every subject except math, which I have failed once and will be making up over the summer. It's always been a struggle for me but I've recently been able to overcome it and had a B in geometry last semester. Also, I am taking 3 AP classes/tests (levels is the equivalent in the UK?) and will be in 4 next year and possibly be taking one or two SAT subject tests. I'll most likely have a 3.5 by the end of my high school career and I was wondering if it would be worth applying to LSE or Oxbridge? I am even considering going to community college for one year and then transferring, but I believe that will cancel out Oxbridge. As an immigrant to the U.S myself, I feel like I've really had an interesting path in choosing my intended major and I hope my strength in writing will show through my personal statement, but I'm just not sure if that will be enough to secure a spot. Thank you :smile:)


http://www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/international-students/country-pages/united-states-of-america

The above page explains LSE's requirements in terms of what you need to get in your APs to achieve the equivalent of the required A-level grades. For example, if your desired course requires AAA at A-level then you need 5 APs at grade 5; if the A-level requirement is AAB then you need 3 APs at grade 5 and 2 at grade 4.

All universities will have equivalent pages.
Reply 3
Original post by caffron
Is there harm in trying? If not, go for it. You don't have bad qualifications by any means, and your GPA doesn't really matter to admissions. I was never asked about my GPA, only my AP and SAT Subject tests. I only had two AP classes, no scores yet, and three SAT Subject tests. Still got 5/5 offers, unconditional. They weren't to Oxbridge, of course, but I think a lot of people who just don't understand the system automatically overestimate it (which isn't necessarily bad). You should try, ESPECIALLY if you're good at writing like you say. The application fee isn't outrageous like stateside and British unis will be loving that international tuition :


First off, congratulations on your offers!! If you don't mind me asking, which unis did you get the offers from because I definitely want to look into more schools in the UK. I know my GPA isn't the worst but it does fill me with doubt because I can only imagine how qualified the rest of the applicants will be, but thank you for your response. This really motivated me to apply to LSE, at the very least.
Reply 4
Original post by intfi29
First off, congratulations on your offers!! If you don't mind me asking, which unis did you get the offers from because I definitely want to look into more schools in the UK. I know my GPA isn't the worst but it does fill me with doubt because I can only imagine how qualified the rest of the applicants will be, but thank you for your response. This really motivated me to apply to LSE, at the very least.


They were all in Scotland, which may make a difference. Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee, Strathclyde, and I'm going to Aberdeen. With how "easily" I was accepted I almost wish I had applied to a school like St. Andrews just to see what my chances would have been. Especially since I don't even have any of my AP scores back yet! I definitely thought I was underqualified but they really will take the minimum, and the SAT Subject tests are very good for you. Take three.
Reply 5
That's good either way though because those all appear to be great schools! I'm not sure if I'll receive all "5's" on the 3 ap exams I'm taking this year, so the fact that you got in without all your scores really gives me hope because I know I'll do better in some of the APs I'll be taking senior year. I'm gonna look into Saint Andrews and possibly Strathclyde. I just want to make sure the school has a good IR program because I want to go to graduate school.
Original post by caffron
They were all in Scotland, which may make a difference. Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee, Strathclyde, and I'm going to Aberdeen. With how "easily" I was accepted I almost wish I had applied to a school like St. Andrews just to see what my chances would have been. Especially since I don't even have any of my AP scores back yet! I definitely thought I was underqualified but they really will take the minimum, and the SAT Subject tests are very good for you. Take three.

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