Applying to an IVY LEAGUE FROM UK

Hey, I don't know if they would be test blind in the next two years but most American universities are currently test blind and SATs/ ACTs are voluntary . I don't know if that changes anything but just wanted to let you know. If you have anymore questions definitely don't restrain from asking. I'm currently doing my A Levels and have applied to around 8 universities in America for Fall 2021.

@gabisunnzz Just wanted to make one small correction: for the 20-21 admissions cycle, most universities are test optional, meaning students have the option to not submit an SAT or ACT score. There are a few (such as the University of California schools) who are test blind, meaning they will not consider SAT or ACT scores.

It is way too early to guess whether the majority of schools will still be test optional or even test blind in two years time. As a Year 11, I would work on the assumption that the SAT or ACT will be required again. The good news is that the College Board (the people who run the SAT) has decided to discontinue SAT subject tests and the SAT essay, so those are two less things to worry about. You can just focus on the SAT or ACT.

Also does anyone know if the Ivy Leagues favour IB over (4) A Levels?

From everything I've heard, admissions officers always seem to say that they have no preference when it comes to education systems.

Hi,

I am French and I am studying A-Levels in boarding school near London. In the US, I applied to Harvard, Stanford, UPenn, Columbia, Northwestern, Duke and Georgetown - if you have any questions, don't hesitate !

Also this is a very helpful tip: email your admissions officer to show your interest. This is the person who will fight for you at the end of the day to be taken into the uni. Ask them questions that show your commitment and interest to the uni. I emailed by ao around 8 times

How have u already applied to US universities. I’m so lost, I’m a new year 12 student and like the idea of US universities. Do I have time or is it too late, when are exams and deadlines for applications

Thank you 1000x over kamara41, that was so informative. I was wondering what is the difference between the common app essay and university supplemental essay. May I also ask what UK universities you applied to? Oxbridge just for rough comparison. You must definitely have gotten all A* predicted grades at a level, 10 offers wahhh. Are u an Olympic level athlete? Child genius or is your name Greta thunberg 😭. Well done, I’m trans have that success rate. I was wondering can I apply to US Universities with my UCAS personal statement or not and finally, does Stanford not give financial aid ?

How much harder would it be to get into say Stanford or Harvard for medicine or premed biology. . Easier or harder overall and compare it to oxbridge

@philip.13o+++++ No, you're not too late. And don't worry, I remember feeling like I had been thrown in the deep end when I first started the process of applying to American universities. But you'll be an expert like all of us before you know it.

Here is a rough timeline to help you:

Now = The first thing you need to do is talk to your parents about a budget - how much can they afford to contribute to your education (remember it's a four-year degree so times the annual amount by four). If that number is absolutely zero, don't panic. Then go and run some net price calculators - a net price calculator will estimate how much need-based financial aid you could be eligible for. Makes sure you run them at quite a few universities to get a good picture. Here are some links.
Harvard's NPC = http://npc.fas.harvard.edu/
Princeton's NPC = https://sweb2.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/...finaid_form.pl
Johns Hopkins's NPC (scroll down) = https://finaid.jhu.edu/undergraduate...college-costs/
Duke's NPC = https://financialaid.duke.edu/estimate-your-aid
If your estimated family contribution meets your family's budget, then great! You can start looking at universities that offer need-based financial aid to international students. If not, then come back here and we can help you look for universities that offer merit scholarships.

Starting soon = Start researching universities that either meet your budget or have the potential to meet your budget with need-based financial aid or a merit scholarship. This is the fun part! If you can, get a book called Fiske Guide to Colleges. The Princeton Review (https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=best-386-colleges) is also a great resource. The College Board's university search feature (https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search) is also fab.

When you have time = I also recommend you create a Common App account. The US does not have a universal platform for applying to universities like UCAS, but several hundred universities are members of the Common App which you can use to apply. I applied to 19 American universities and all but one were on Common App. The Common Application for the 2021-2022 application cycle won't open till August 1, but a 2020-2021 account will just roll over. I created my Common App account in Year 11 and had no problems. Whilst the supplemental essays for each universitiy may change so don't get started on them until August, you can familiarise yourself with the application which I highly highly recommend doing. This way, you can get a good understanding of what it is US universities will look for as well as get to know all the different lingo. https://apply.commonapp.org/createaccount

*May/June/July/August = Take the SAT or ACT. More on this at the end of the post.

July = Ask your teachers for letters of recommendation. Most universities will want one letter of recommendation from your guidance counselor (I used my form teacher as form teachers did UCAS references) and a letter or letters of rec from either one or two academic teachers. It will be a lot easier for your teachers to write you a strong letter of rec if you are fresh in their mind, and you also want to give them plenty of time, which is why I recommend doing so at the end of the school year. The Fulbright US-UK (http://fulbright.org.uk/going-to-the-usa/undergraduate) and the Harvard UK admissions (http://www.harvard-ukadmissions.co.uk/) websites are great resources when it comes to letters of recommendation, especially for providing teachers.

July/August = Write the Common App essay (the essay which you will send to all universities - US equivalent of the personal statement). If you don't want to be rushing, I recommend writing it during the summer holidays, but if your school sets time aside at the end of Year 12 to begin writing personal statements, there is no harm in starting earlier, or at least brainstorming. These are the prompts; they have basically been the same for years so no reason to worry about starting before August 1: https://www.commonapp.org/apply/essay-prompts

August 1: This is technically the beginning of the 2021-2022 application cycle and is when the Common App will roll over.. This is when each individual university's supplemental essays should be available on Common App (although some schools release the prompts a few weeks earlier on their website or an admissions blog, so keep your eye out).

August/September/October = Write your supplemental essays for all the colleges you're applying for. If you're applying to some universities regular decision and they don't have earlier deadlines to be considered for scholarships, you'll also have November and December to write them, but be careful if you have December or January mocks.

September = Attend USA College Day in London if you can! It's a huge American college fair. Was virtual in 2020 of course.

October/November/December/January = Send off your applications! Depending on each uni and whether you want to apply early or regular, the deadlines typically range from mid-October to mid-January.


*The SAT or ACT = this is a tough one as we don't yet know if most universities will be test optional (meaning you get to choose whether or not you submit standardised test score) or not like they were in the 2020-2021 application cycle. Currently, Columbia and Cornell have already both announced that they will be test optional for the 2021-2022 application cycle (for current Year 12s), whereas Princeton has advised current Year 12s to operate under the assumption that an SAT or ACT score will once again be required. Since a strong SAT or ACT score will always help your application, regardless of whether a university is test optional or not, I recommend you begin prepping for a standardised test.

Begin by researching the differences between the SAT and ACT and decide which one you think you will perform better on. If you really can't decide, take a practice test for both and see which one you get a higher score on. Then start prepping for either the SAT or ACT - if you want advice on how to do that, let me or others on this forum know. The SAT is currently available internationally in March, May, August, October, and December and I think the ACT is available internationally April, June, July, September, and October. I highly highly recommend you take the SAT/ACT more than once as most people generally do better the second time and most universities will also let you take your highest score from each section to create what is called a superscore.


P.S. I'm a current Year 13 student who's so far been accepted into 10 US universities. Happy to answer any questions on the process.

Hi @philip.13o+++++

So the Common App essay and supplemental essays all have the same purpose: to get to know the person behind the application. Here are some examples of supplemental essays:

Duke University:
- Please share with us why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular about Duke’s academic or other offerings that attract you?

Brown University:
- Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about an academic interest (or interests) that excites you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue it.
- At Brown, you will learn as much from your peers outside the classroom as in academic spaces. How will you contribute to the Brown community?
- Tell us about a place or community you call home. How has it shaped your perspective?

Northwestern University:
- Help us understand how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities here. We are curious about what these specifics are, as well as how they may enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond.

Stanford University:
- The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.
- Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate—and us—get to know you better.
- Tell us about something that is meaningful to you, and why?

So sometimes they are questions that relate to the university (e.g. why Duke), but other times they are just ways each individual university has decided they want to get to know and evaluate their applicants. The Common App essay has similar prompts, it just goes to every university you apply to instead of just one specific one.


I actually didn't apply to any UK universities. I'm all in on the US which is why I so far have 10 acceptances. I'm not some child genius or anything, I just also applied to universities that weren't such a lottery for admission. So some of those acceptances are slightly lower-ranked (I guess the US equivalent of Russell Groups as compared to Oxbridge) universities with perks like places in honours programs and academic scholarships which I'm very thankful for.


No, you can't apply to US universities with your UCAS personal statement. I mean, you can, but it won't be a very good essay as it won't fit the prompts: https://www.commonapp.org/apply/essay-prompts. The purpose of the personal statement is much more to assess your suitability for a course; the purpose of the Common App essay is to put a personality and a story to the application and get to know the person outside the classroom.


Stanford generally gives excellent financial aid! Most people find their financial aid formula to be one of the most generous of any US university.
Here is a link to Stanford's quick cost estimator https://financialaid.stanford.edu/undergrad/how/calculator/#quick-cost-estimator (it's like the net price calculator but much quicker to fill in though gives a less accurate answer). Ask your parents to quickly answer just a few questions and it will give you a rough estimate of what Stanford's financial aid could look like for you personally.

Also this is a very helpful tip: email your admissions officer to show your interest. This is the person who will fight for you at the end of the day to be taken into the uni. Ask them questions that show your commitment and interest to the uni. I emailed by ao around 8 times