American Universities and SAT's

Hi guys,
Anyone thinking of applying to any US uni? Cos, I am and I am finiding it difficult to understand their requirements and system.
Primarily, I would like someone with a knowledge of the US education sytem to expalin to me how the whole thing works. Also where can I take SAT or ACT exams in the UK- i've been looking but no positive results yet. Secondly, are there restrictions on the type of subject and the number exams one is allowed to take- cos I would to take something quantitative i.e. maths, economics and some more maths.
Thanks.

Reply 1

shiny

http://www.fulbright.co.uk/eas/studyus/undergraduate/index.html

Reply 2

treff

martins

Check out the website of the SATs (CollegeBoard, I think); I think they have a listing of testing centers. Alternatively, you can also get an application/information booklet for this year's SATs, and it lists there the testing centers per country.

From what I gather, one of the things that make US unis different from UK unis is their preference for *well-rounded individuals.* By *well-rounded,* I mean that successful applicants for top unis are not only expected to have high grades, but also a good extracurricular record (music, sports, charity, competitions, etc). So in your application, you should try to showcase both your academic and extracurricular achievements.

I'm not sure about equivalencies of marks expected, though. But when I researched on US unis before, most US unis don't specify a cutoff GPA/SAT score (like the idea of having standard offers, as in UK unis), since they *try* to stick to their image of preferring well-rounded individuals over academic robots. However, some of them do publish the average SAT scores or GPAs of successful applicants. For the equivalency of the average marks of successful applicants, it's best to contact the unis you intent to apply to.

You should also note that the US educational system is not *examination-based* like the UK educational system. This means that the grades of American students are not based on their performance in a particular test, but on requirements that are submitted throughout the year (e.g. quizzes, term papers, oral reports, etc.) So I'm not sure how to respond to your question about the number of exams; again, it's best to consult the unis you intend to apply to.

Hope this helps! :smile:

Reply 3

psychic_satori

I'm just going to tack on a bit to what Treff already said.

In the US, you may take a maximum of 18 credits, usually, which is what restriction is based on, not exams. You can take more credits if you like, but you have to pay a lot more, and you need special permission, and you will be really pressed for time. The number of credits that a course is equivalent to is based on the hours of classes you have per week. Most courses are 2-4 credits (you go to lecture 2-4 hours a week, depending on the class), so the number of courses you may take depends on the number of credits each class is worth. If you plan to study maths and economics, you would probably be able to take 4-6 courses in a semester.

Anyway, let me know if you have any further questions, because I know, between the US and the UK, we have a different lexicon for discussing university work, so I may have just totally confused you.

Reply 4

Geordie_in_HK

I applied to US uni's this year. Any questions let me know.

www.collegeboard.com you can book SAT's there. They have test centres dotted around the UK.

American Universities and SAT's

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