The Student Room Group

transferring from uk to usa

Hi someone pls help.
Im currently 15 and in year 10. I would like to transfer to the usa as an exchange student (as my mum doesnt want to move that much.) I was planning to do it after ive finished my gcses but i dont know much about transferring or what will happen for my a-levels or university opportunities. ive lived in England my whole life. should i just wait until after ive done my a-levels or is there an equivalent? (sorry if that sounds stupid.)
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Original post by Anonymous #1
Hi someone pls help.
Im currently 15 and in year 10. I would like to transfer to the usa as an exchange student (as my mum doesnt want to move that much.) I was planning to do it after ive finished my gcses but i dont know much about transferring or what will happen for my a-levels or university opportunities. ive lived in England my whole life. should i just wait until after ive done my a-levels or is there an equivalent? (sorry if that sounds stupid.)
Hi, its really good that you're thinking ahead about what you want to do!
It depends on what you want to do, but if you were planning on getting a degree in the US, I recommend that you get your A Levels first, as Year 12/13 in the UK is equivalent to Junior/Senior in the US, the US universities usually require their students to have a High School diploma or meet a specific grade point average, which would be the equivalent to A levels. If you applied after your GCSE's, most US colleges would turn you down as you don't meet these grades. Also, most people attend US universities when they are 17/18. Most Universities in America are familiar with international / UK grading systems.

You can research into different Universities / Colleges through the Scoir website, Common app or Coalition app, which will give you different suggestions based on your preferences, and where you can also apply. You can also look at university websites as they will have different requirements for / if when you apply. In the future if you were still interested, the Sutton Trust hold a US programme for Year 12's, where they guide you through the application process as an international student, helping you with your extra curriculars, essays etc, and then you get to spend a week in America visiting colleges!

If you don't mind me asking, why are you interested in the US?

Coalition App: Prepare for & apply to college with the Coalition for College (coalitionforcollegeaccess.org)
Common App: Apply to college with Common App | Your future starts here
Sutton Trust US:Sutton Trust US

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