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American student applying to universities in the UK — advice?

Hi there, I'm a student in the US (junior year) and have only quite recently started looking into schools in the UK as an option to apply to in the fall. Some of the English literature programs I've researched are so exciting, but I'm wondering how much of a chance I really have at some of the top universities.

For context, I've scored a 1590 on the SAT, and so far, I've taken five AP exams. I scored a 5 on AP US History last year, and I'm still waiting on this year's scores: AP World History (likely a 5), AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics (4s or 5s), and AP English Language, which I self-studied and am a little nervous about, but we'll see.

Next year, I'm taking AP English Literature, AP Psychology, AP Chinese, and AP Statistics. If I work really hard, I think I'll be able to score 4s and 5s (I hope).

Given my stats, is it likely or even possible to land an offer from schools like Oxford, St Andrews, UCL, KCL, or Edinburgh, which we've been looking at? If not, what are some safer schools that I might consider?
(edited 7 months ago)
Under UCAS you get 5 choices.

If you’re interested in English literature then have a look at UEA. They pioneered creative writing degrees in the UK as well as having an extremely strong American literature degree. Both of which mean that you would have some very broad options available within their English literature course. Plus Norwich is a really nice city and cheaper place to live than London (but still close enough for day trips).

Reply 2

Original post
by PQ
Under UCAS you get 5 choices.
If you’re interested in English literature then have a look at UEA. They pioneered creative writing degrees in the UK as well as having an extremely strong American literature degree. Both of which mean that you would have some very broad options available within their English literature course. Plus Norwich is a really nice city and cheaper place to live than London (but still close enough for day trips).

Thank you so much, I'll look into it!

Reply 3

Original post
by graphpaperpoetry
Hi there, I'm a student in the US (junior year) and have only quite recently started looking into schools in the UK as an option to apply to in the fall. Some of the English literature programs I've researched are so exciting, but I'm wondering how much of a chance I really have at some of the top universities.
For context, I've scored a 1590 on the SAT, and so far, I've taken five AP exams. I scored a 5 on AP US History last year, and I'm still waiting on this year's scores: AP World History (likely a 5), AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics (4s or 5s), and AP English Language, which I self-studied and am a little nervous about, but we'll see.
Next year, I'm taking AP English Literature, AP Psychology, AP Chinese, and AP Statistics. If I work really hard, I think I'll be able to score 4s and 5s (I hope).
Given my stats, is it likely or even possible to land an offer from schools like Oxford, St Andrews, UCL, KCL, or Edinburgh, which we've been looking at? If not, what are some safer schools that I might consider?

Check out www.theukstudyexpert.com. They offer a free online quiz to help match your academic profile to UK university options. They also provide free resources to your email with information on the next steps.

Reply 4

Original post
by Jess53890
Check out www.theukstudyexpert.com. They offer a free online quiz to help match your academic profile to UK university options. They also provide free resources to your email with information on the next steps.

This was so helpful, thank you!

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