NCS or LAE Six form

Hi!
LAE is currently part of WLSA which gives student access to more help for getting into US unis. I met senior admission from Columbia plus some other top US unis earlier this year because of it. A year 13 this year got into Harvard. NCS doesn’t necessarily have a better track record, it’s just that LAE doesn’t advertise the US admission help on their website that much. There are a group of teachers whose job it is specifically to help with US admissions. (I’m sure NCS is great too, but I can only speak from my side.)
You should, of course, make an informed decision. If you get an offer from LAE you will have a chance to ask teachers and students about it. As per the EPQ, UK universities care more about it than US. The States had holistic admission, so, if this is your dream, you need to get involved with as many things as you can. They care about you as a person, not about your ability to write a 5K essay.

Hello, I'm currently in year 11 and my GCSE's are approaching. I've pondered a lot on my options for sixth form; I still can't wrap my head around if NCS ( Newham City collegiate) or if LAE (London academy of excellence) would be better for securing scholarships/admissions to Universities in the US: such as MIT, Columbia or Caltech (these are my interests).
I plan on undertaking 4 A levels of which are:
Further maths, maths, physics and chemistry.
I've done a bit of research on the pros and cons of each sixth form, and to my understanding, an EPQ, which is equivalent to half an A level, will support my case for US admissions. However, it seems that EPQ's aren't available in NCS ( NOT ENTIRELY SURE) but they are in LAE, which is drawing me towards LAE. On the other hand, NCS has a better track record for getting their students to US universities and providing free support in their applications and preparations for the education.
Conversely, LAE offers additional Extracurriculars which would help appeal to the holistic thinking that US universities tend to approach. NCS also offers a few Extracurriculars that they refer to as the super curriculum, but it is much more limited.
Fortunately, both encourage and support students to take MOOC's (I'd use edX), which I also hope and plan to take.
You can refer to this for the questions I asked chat gpt on this take:
https://chatgpt.com/share/67c9a1ad-149c-800a-bffa-9c550140c75a
Of course I know that the sixth form alone won't be able to get you into the top universities as a lot of effort is needed from your side and you need minimum A*A*A
And maybe another A if your doing 4 A levels.
I just want to know which sixth form can provide the best support, resources and chances.
Now back to the focal question, Should I choose NCS or LAE to secure a higher chance of getting into the top US universities (specifically, MIT, Caltech and Columbia)?
Please and thank you for any responses.

hello! Current NCS student here. you're right, ncs doesn't offer EPQ however, as the LAE student said, it's not all that important for US admission as they look more to who you are as a person than your ability to write, so it's not actually an advantage to take EPQ just for USA admission, unless you want to do it anyway. LAE's WLSA only started fairly recently, i remember it only started this year, so there's still considerably less students from LAE who have gone to the US compared to NCS, even though LAE has been open a bit longer than NCS. though again, doesn't matter all that much. NCS fully funds events for those interested in going to the US, getting to meet both Alumni and a member of Harvard Admissions. NCS has just as many connections frankly, but i'm sure both NCS and LAE don't start anything to do with US university's until later in year 12 as the main priority is the UK for both sixthforms of course. NCS extracurriculars and super curriculars are separate, as clubs are what count as extra curriculars such as debate or art, while super curriculars are things you learn beyond the specification and more subject specific like medicine or engineering related supercurriculars, or law or psychology etc. in my opinion, i'd say don't stress about what sixthform to go to, both are just as good, though it is more evident that NCS help out a lot more than LAE as we also have university specific teachers for unis like oxbridge, russel group or ivy leagues. focus on the uk, focus on your gcses, and go to which ever one is more convenient for you. hope that gives you some kind of idea!

hello! Current NCS student here. you're right, ncs doesn't offer EPQ however, as the LAE student said, it's not all that important for US admission as they look more to who you are as a person than your ability to write, so it's not actually an advantage to take EPQ just for USA admission, unless you want to do it anyway. LAE's WLSA only started fairly recently, i remember it only started this year, so there's still considerably less students from LAE who have gone to the US compared to NCS, even though LAE has been open a bit longer than NCS. though again, doesn't matter all that much. NCS fully funds events for those interested in going to the US, getting to meet both Alumni and a member of Harvard Admissions. NCS has just as many connections frankly, but i'm sure both NCS and LAE don't start anything to do with US university's until later in year 12 as the main priority is the UK for both sixthforms of course. NCS extracurriculars and super curriculars are separate, as clubs are what count as extra curriculars such as debate or art, while super curriculars are things you learn beyond the specification and more subject specific like medicine or engineering related supercurriculars, or law or psychology etc. in my opinion, i'd say don't stress about what sixthform to go to, both are just as good, though it is more evident that NCS help out a lot more than LAE as we also have university specific teachers for unis like oxbridge, russel group or ivy leagues. focus on the uk, focus on your gcses, and go to which ever one is more convenient for you. hope that gives you some kind of idea!

Good that you replied because I was thinking on itand I don’t think our two schools vary much insupport when it comes to US support. We could bothgo on about US support on our sides but we’d botheventually agree that the other does it as well (LAEalso does the stuff mentioned above so we’ll neverget somewhere). I think from our side it’s about 3people going on to the US yearly because there isn’tmuch interest in it overall (people get turned off whenthey see the workload a lot of the times.) I wouldn’tbase my school decision on it because, in the end,ivy leagues are outrageously hard to get into, andthere is only so much a college can do. An EPQcounts as an extracurricular and what you need aresupercurriculars (volunteering, sports, etc.). I thinkyou should go on their taster days and see whichschool you like more. I also applied to NCS andsome other schools but I made my choice on the vibe+ other stuff.

Thanks for the confirmation. I thought the super curriculuers were the actual extracurriculars, but I guess I was wrong.
Hypothetically, if LAE displayed more of their Achievements related to the Ivy league, then I'd say both NCS and LAE would balance out. I still can't really judge the significance of LAE being part of the WLSA, and NCS offering free support to students who want to learn about the US system and having US uni based teachers.
They both have equal strength and weaknesses.
Regarding my focuses, I'm just trying to settle for whichever sixth form would appeal to my goal of going to US for uni. Even though the main focus is UK if the US doesn't work out, I'd say a person is likely to get into a top UK uni if they got accepted by a top US uni, despite the holistic approach. I won't really have to think much about it apart from when I do go to the open/induction day stuff.
Yes, I agree that I should be more focused on my gcses right now, as I do need to get the grades to get in. I appreciate the reminder!
Lastly, I'd say both are roughly the same distance away from me, so convenience isn't much of a problem unless we are talking about school regulations.
Thank you for dedicating some of your time for a response🙏

hey may i ask what are your predcited grades
im applying to lae stratford too!

Hello, I'm currently in year 11 and my GCSE's are approaching. I've pondered a lot on my options for sixth form; I still can't wrap my head around if NCS ( Newham City collegiate) or if LAE (London academy of excellence) would be better for securing scholarships/admissions to Universities in the US: such as MIT, Columbia or Caltech (these are my interests).
I plan on undertaking 4 A levels of which are:
Further maths, maths, physics and chemistry.
I've done a bit of research on the pros and cons of each sixth form, and to my understanding, an EPQ, which is equivalent to half an A level, will support my case for US admissions. However, it seems that EPQ's aren't available in NCS ( NOT ENTIRELY SURE) but they are in LAE, which is drawing me towards LAE. On the other hand, NCS has a better track record for getting their students to US universities and providing free support in their applications and preparations for the education.
Conversely, LAE offers additional Extracurriculars which would help appeal to the holistic thinking that US universities tend to approach. NCS also offers a few Extracurriculars that they refer to as the super curriculum, but it is much more limited.
Fortunately, both encourage and support students to take MOOC's (I'd use edX), which I also hope and plan to take.
You can refer to this for the questions I asked chat gpt on this take:
https://chatgpt.com/share/67c9a1ad-149c-800a-bffa-9c550140c75a
Of course I know that the sixth form alone won't be able to get you into the top universities as a lot of effort is needed from your side and you need minimum A*A*A
And maybe another A if your doing 4 A levels.
I just want to know which sixth form can provide the best support, resources and chances.
Now back to the focal question, Should I choose NCS or LAE to secure a higher chance of getting into the top US universities (specifically, MIT, Caltech and Columbia)?
Please and thank you for any responses.

Thank you, I guess it's a more logical way of thinking. Both LAE and NCS have the best records for both US and UK, so either way, it works out. And to be honest, the more relaxed vibe that LAE gives off seems better, especially with the fact that they don't have uniforms. But it makes them seem a bit undisciplined compared to NCS.

thats true LAE is more relaxed. honestly NCS is strict and is lots of work but ultimately ig its worth it. If u can handle the pressure, the results will be incredible. Its got the highest oxbridge acceptance rate in newham and nearly double LAE offers which is why i ultimately chose NCS. Tbh, i dont wanna just limit myself to Ivy, so when i compared NCS vs LAE vs BMA, i narrowed down to NCS and LAE cuz they both offer fantastic Ivy support. and then i narrowed down to NCS cuz their track record made me confident, and their oxbridge offers meant i could also apply to oxbridge and have the best chance at getting in. In fact, a majority of the NCS alumni who went Ivy also got into Oxbridge which was sorta the deciding factor for me. But in conclusion, like stated before as long as u go to NCS or LAE, u will have an IMMENSE advantage over other state skl kids who are applying to Ivys already. So get the top GCSEs and secure ur spot at one of these 2 cuz its not easy!

NCS has a better track record and has sent many more students to top Ivys and MIT. Even news outlets like BBC came over to interview the students because of their crazy admissions to places like Harvard. NCS has been doing this for years and years while LAE just started recently. idk ab you but id rather go somewhere with a consistent track record of years because it shows the teachers know what they are doing and they arent just one off cases. Moreover, it means NCS has loads of former alumni who went harvard, MIT, princeton yale etc coming in to speak to current students which is EXTREMELY helpful and advantageous when u later apply. LAE just jouned the WLSA last year and dont have the stats yet to compete againts somewhere like NCS in Ivy Offers tbf

Hello, I'm currently in year 11 and my GCSE's are approaching. I've pondered a lot on my options for sixth form; I still can't wrap my head around if NCS ( Newham City collegiate) or if LAE (London academy of excellence) would be better for securing scholarships/admissions to Universities in the US: such as MIT, Columbia or Caltech (these are my interests).
I plan on undertaking 4 A levels of which are:
Further maths, maths, physics and chemistry.
I've done a bit of research on the pros and cons of each sixth form, and to my understanding, an EPQ, which is equivalent to half an A level, will support my case for US admissions. However, it seems that EPQ's aren't available in NCS ( NOT ENTIRELY SURE) but they are in LAE, which is drawing me towards LAE. On the other hand, NCS has a better track record for getting their students to US universities and providing free support in their applications and preparations for the education.
Conversely, LAE offers additional Extracurriculars which would help appeal to the holistic thinking that US universities tend to approach. NCS also offers a few Extracurriculars that they refer to as the super curriculum, but it is much more limited.
Fortunately, both encourage and support students to take MOOC's (I'd use edX), which I also hope and plan to take.
You can refer to this for the questions I asked chat gpt on this take:
https://chatgpt.com/share/67c9a1ad-149c-800a-bffa-9c550140c75a
Of course I know that the sixth form alone won't be able to get you into the top universities as a lot of effort is needed from your side and you need minimum A*A*A
And maybe another A if your doing 4 A levels.
I just want to know which sixth form can provide the best support, resources and chances.
Now back to the focal question, Should I choose NCS or LAE to secure a higher chance of getting into the top US universities (specifically, MIT, Caltech and Columbia)?
Please and thank you for any responses.

Oh, I see, I appreciate the reply. I do plan on taking a few extracurriculars other than the EPQ to help with the holistic admissions, and to be honest, im not really the best with essays regardless.
However, as you said, this is only from your side, so It's better if I wait for an opinion from someone who goes NCS, then I'll be able to decide. I'll keep this all in mind though!

also i dont know if this matters to you guys but LAE is more progressive in freedom/individualism (more free so u can wear whatever u want as long as its a bit "formal" and u can have piercings and stuff). ncs is gonna be a bit like normal yrs 7-11 with the same rules and there's practically a uniform too, you also can't wear hoops and stuff (only studs). idk abt u guys but I cant take that anymore lol

Hi!
LAE is currently part of WLSA which gives student access to more help for getting into US unis. I met senior admission from Columbia plus some other top US unis earlier this year because of it. A year 13 this year got into Harvard. NCS doesn’t necessarily have a better track record, it’s just that LAE doesn’t advertise the US admission help on their website that much. There are a group of teachers whose job it is specifically to help with US admissions. (I’m sure NCS is great too, but I can only speak from my side.)
You should, of course, make an informed decision. If you get an offer from LAE you will have a chance to ask teachers and students about it. As per the EPQ, UK universities care more about it than US. The States had holistic admission, so, if this is your dream, you need to get involved with as many things as you can. They care about you as a person, not about your ability to write a 5K essay.

agreeddd like im sorry but were becoming adults are your telling me i still need to be treated like a year 11
come onnn

idk ab u guys but if ur dealbreaker is having to wear uniform thats a bit unusual. i think if anything, "strict" rules should be the least of ur concerns. they will only annoy u if ur an unserious student who frequently causes probelms. i guarantaee u that if u dont have major problems like that in secondary, u wont in sixth form