American Universities (i looking to go from uk)

[Bingbing10]

Your school (if it has a sixth form) will have a UCAS officer who can help you alot better than anything we may be able to say. If your school currently doesn't have a sixth form, ask your tutor for advice / visit the career office. 

My advice would just be to reiterate what others have said - do alot of research and find a Uni that suits you; go to as many open days here as you can to make sure not one tempts you before jumping on a plane and visiting the US/Canada. I have a friend who is currently at Uni in the US so i will ask him what living costs are like for him (bear in mind he is not in a city so won't be representative of your experience). 

yeh my school does have a six form and yeh it is just an idea/option atm , plus if you could pm about what he says that would be great thanks for your help 

 

There are some top notch schools in California that are off the general map. Pomona Colleges http://www.pomona.edu/about/about-pomona/claremont-colleges-consortium.aspx, they are not in the best neighborhood but you're not going there to buy real estate. Also, USD http://www.sandiego.edu/, Pepperdine http://www.pepperdine.edu/.

 

Then if you want to go somewhere that looks like home or so out of place compared to its city University of Redlands http://www.redlands.edu/, lastly if all goes wrong http://www.humboldt.edu/ or http://www.csuchico.edu/

 

Forgot, if you want to play soccer, stay in the UK, there is no such thing over here as much as it may be forced down kids throats its still a 4th level sport, sorry but its the truth.

 

yeh even though i currently play a high standard of football and i love playing it to bits i dont feel it is my type of career as i am more academic , but thanks for the links

So basically, you're in upper sixth or Year 11? And you want to go to America.

 

The first thing I'd do is look at the course they're offering you. If it's a bollocks course, don't waste your time.

Secondarily to that, you need to inquire about the actual Uni you want to go to and see their facilities etc.

Next, you have to visit that place, the best ones generally are in Boston, Massachusetts and New Haven, Connecticut (MIT, Harvard, Yale etc). Travel for a return flight is usually £600>

Then, apply for the place. US applications to Unis cost money unlike here in Sunny Britain.

 

At the end of the day, unless you're completely minted or you are under some kind of bursary scheme, getting there is nigh on impossible.

 

I'd just go to one in Britain. You can drink here when you're 18, unlike when your 21 in the US. Night life is great and there are 3 of the best Universities in the world here, Durham, Cambridge and Oxford.

 

What is wrong with Oxbridge

well when i visited them i just felt really like i didnt belong there ... even though i am considered smart , even though i hate to think of myself like that cause i am not a type of cocky person , i come from a normal background and i just felt like its a very elitist place 

[xox]

well when i visited them i just felt really like i didnt belong there ... even though i am considered smart , even though i hate to think of myself like that cause i am not a type of cocky person , i come from a normal background and i just felt like its a very elitist place 

Fair enough; Oxford and Cambridge are for individuals who are extremely intelligent. I wouldn't call it elitist at all... Only the average entrant last year got 2.8 A*s at A2.

 

Look around The LSE (London School of Economics),  Liverpool and Newcastle.

[Bingbing10]

Fair enough; Oxford and Cambridge are for individuals who are extremely intelligent. I wouldn't call it elitist at all... Only the average entrant last year got 2.8 A*s at A2.

 

Look around The LSE (London School of Economics),  Liverpool and Newcastle.

When I went there it wasn't so much the people but instead the place that made it come across in that way

[xox]

When I went there it wasn't so much the people but instead the place that made it come across in that way

To be fair, I hate the feel of Cambridge and Oxford. However, Most red brick Universities have modern and friendly buildings.

[ofr057]

Here's a decent website.

 

Personally I'd try to find one that's small, going to a big University like Yale or Harvard can be intimidating. 

I goto a big university here and let me tell you no one has the time for undergrads

 

also fee's are insane ..... sandstone isnt cheap ya know

[Bingbing10]

I goto a big university here and let me tell you no one has the time for undergrads

 

also fee's are insane ..... sandstone isnt cheap ya know

Sandstone ?... Just I come from a normal background

[ofr057]

Sandstone ?... Just I come from a normal background

sorry sort of a pun .... my uni has alot of sandstone ... and granite

[Bingbing10]

sorry sort of a pun .... my uni has alot of sandstone ... and granite

I was gonna say what have I missed here

[eoso]

I don't know what standardized test the UK uses, but if you want to apply internationally, you will undoubtedly have to take the SAT/ACT.

 

You speak of top universities such as Stanford, Harvard, etc, and that you are in the top 1% of your class. Unfortunately, these schools don't give two shits about that (pardon the language). Their applicant pool is pretty much filled with the top 0.5% of the country. Obviously, being in the top 1% will help, but that's more of a starting point and less of an accomplishment. In order to go to any of these school as an American, you would need at the very least above a 2200 on your SAT and 750+ on multiple SAT II Subject Tests. You would also require either an IB diploma or extensive and successful testing in AP courses. I'm sure there are equivalents in the UK education system, just find a conversion table/equivalent test. 

 

You will be applying as a international applicant. Depending on what type of school you apply to, this can be a disadvantage or an advantage. For example, "public Ivy" schools such as University of Texas at Austin, UC Berkely, and University of Virginia prefer in state applicants. These schools will not set aside a very large percentage to accept for international/out of state applicants. Many private universities, however, prefer out of state applicants. This does not mean that they will accept more international students, mind you- just that they will accept a higher percentage, which is still usually pretty small. So, as you can imagine, as an international applicant, your requirements are much more rigorous than an American student's requirements, as you will be competing for that smaller percentage of international students accepted. Your SAT scores had better be 2300+, in other words. Bump up the previously listed requirements a bit as well.

 

These top schools also place extreme importance on holistic applications. In other words, they also care about your extracurricular activities and who you are as a person. Many top private universities will offer interviews. Your essays for application had better be top notch and you should search for interview opportunities. They have tons of incredibly smart people applying- they want smart athletes, debaters, and leaders, not just students. It sounds like you've got that covered in the athletic department.

 

That being said, if you fulfill many of the above requirements, I would heavily suggest you go with an Early Action/Decision/Review plan at Harvard. Harvard is incredibly hard to get into, but their coursework is relatively easy compared to other top schools. In fact, they've been outed for forging grades in order to keep their precious B+ national average, the highest among the top universities. This isn't because of smarter students, its because their coursework is much more lenient. If you get into Harvard, you can count on graduating with at least a B if you're not a complete idiot and you'll have the world's most well known prestigious university on your diploma in your search for a law school. In other words, easy mode on life.

 

This is pretty much all you need to know. Good luck.

 

Edit: I think I should list the top American universities for you. I may a bit off, but this list is pretty much it.

Private: Harvard and the rest of the Ivy Leauge, MIT, Stanford, Rice, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Duke, and Univeristy of Southern California

Public: UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Texas at Austin, University of Virginia, Miami University, and University of Vermont

 

@Bingbing10 (tagged just to notify you)

[Bingbing10]

I don't know what standardized test the UK uses, but if you want to apply internationally, you will undoubtedly have to take the SAT/ACT.

 

You speak of top universities such as Stanford, Harvard, etc, and that you are in the top 1% of your class. Unfortunately, these schools don't give two shits about that (pardon the language). Their applicant pool is pretty much filled with the top 0.5% of the country. Obviously, being in the top 1% will help, but that's more of a starting point and less of an accomplishment. In order to go to any of these school as an American, you would need at the very least above a 2200 on your SAT and 750+ on multiple SAT II Subject Tests. You would also require either an IB diploma or extensive and successful testing in AP courses. I'm sure there are equivalents in the UK education system, just find a conversion table/equivalent test. 

 

You will be applying as a international applicant. Depending on what type of school you apply to, this can be a disadvantage or an advantage. For example, "public Ivy" schools such as University of Texas at Austin, UC Berkely, and University of Virginia prefer in state applicants. These schools will not set aside a very large percentage to accept for international/out of state applicants. Many private universities, however, prefer out of state applicants. This does not mean that they will accept more international students, mind you- just that they will accept a higher percentage, which is still usually pretty small. So, as you can imagine, as an international applicant, your requirements are much more rigorous than an American student's requirements, as you will be competing for that smaller percentage of international students accepted. Your SAT scores had better be 2300+, in other words. Bump up the previously listed requirements a bit as well.

 

These top schools also place extreme importance on holistic applications. In other words, they also care about your extracurricular activities and who you are as a person. Many top private universities will offer interviews. Your essays for application had better be top notch and you should search for interview opportunities. They have tons of incredibly smart people applying- they want smart athletes, debaters, and leaders, not just students. It sounds like you've got that covered in the athletic department.

 

That being said, if you fulfill many of the above requirements, I would heavily suggest you go with an Early Action/Decision/Review plan at Harvard. Harvard is incredibly hard to get into, but their coursework is relatively easy compared to other top schools. In fact, they've been outed for forging grades in order to keep their precious B+ national average, the highest among the top universities. This isn't because of smarter students, its because their coursework is much more lenient. If you get into Harvard, you can count on graduating with at least a B if you're not a complete idiot and you'll have the world's most well known prestigious university on your diploma in your search for a law school. In other words, easy mode on life.

 

This is pretty much all you need to know. Good luck.

 

Edit: I think I should list the top American universities for you. I may a bit off, but this list is pretty much it.

Private: Harvard and the rest of the Ivy Leauge, MIT, Stanford, Rice, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Duke, and Univeristy of Southern California

Public: UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Texas at Austin, University of Virginia, Miami University, and University of Vermont

 

@Bingbing10 (tagged just to notify you)

thanks this is really helpful , plus i would love to go to the top universities but i used Stanford as an example not saying that's where i definitively  want to go