If you applied to colleges outside the US, why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s cheaper if full pay, and it’s not in the USA. Better education.

Yes, this is key as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, only listen to people who actually have kids at college overseas.

My kid didn't find admissions at Oxbridge or a place like U Toronto all that straightforward. Not the same as in the US, but certainly not just a test score and GPA. Both had essays, asked about ECs, etc.

Yes, if for example at U Toronto, you had not already taken AP Calc BC by junior year and had not scored a 5, you basically couldn't apply for various STEM majors...however, there were still essays and LORs and all the other stuff required of the application.

Motivation for us was that some of these universities are tops in different fields, and you would save compared to OOS schools.

I don't know how tuition works if you say move to Ontario but aren't a Canadian citizen or move to the UK, but aren't a UK citizen.

UT Engineering requires Calc AB senior year, not BC junior year.

[Anonymous]

Kid applied to Oxbridge and a few other British universities. The process is not as smooth sailing as people make it, and we prepped him for interviews with our own undergrad coursework (it worked out well).

DC was already going to an IB school, had expressed interest in going abroad for a while and DH and myself are considering leaving the country, so it all aligned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's wild that you can have an undergrad and a taught masters in the total of four years in the UK compared to six years here. Ton of savings!

You can do it US too, if you take AP/IB in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's wild that you can have an undergrad and a taught masters in the total of four years in the UK compared to six years here. Ton of savings!

You can do it US too, if you take AP/IB in high school.

Heavily depends on the college you end up at. Many prestigious schools won’t even touch your ap classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid applied to Oxbridge and a few other British universities. The process is not as smooth sailing as people make it, and we prepped him for interviews with our own undergrad coursework (it worked out well).

DC was already going to an IB school, had expressed interest in going abroad for a while and DH and myself are considering leaving the country, so it all aligned.

where did he get in and where is he going?

[Anonymous]

3 years so cheaper

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to worry about publishing research at age 16 or founding a non-profit or being team captain, yearbook editor and first chair violin. It is so much less stressful to just have to do what you really like outside of school and get good grades. We have made our teenagers overworked, anxious robots. This is a way out of the madness.

If you don’t pass your A levels there, you’re toast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to worry about publishing research at age 16 or founding a non-profit or being team captain, yearbook editor and first chair violin. It is so much less stressful to just have to do what you really like outside of school and get good grades. We have made our teenagers overworked, anxious robots. This is a way out of the madness.

If you don’t pass your A levels there, you’re toast.

So pass them. Seems a lot simpler than doing everything right in the US and getting dunked on during admissions season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to worry about publishing research at age 16 or founding a non-profit or being team captain, yearbook editor and first chair violin. It is so much less stressful to just have to do what you really like outside of school and get good grades. We have made our teenagers overworked, anxious robots. This is a way out of the madness.

If you don’t pass your A levels there, you’re toast.

Yes, but US-based applicants usually don't submit A levels. All you need is 5 APs (with a score of 5) and some minimum SAT score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to worry about publishing research at age 16 or founding a non-profit or being team captain, yearbook editor and first chair violin. It is so much less stressful to just have to do what you really like outside of school and get good grades. We have made our teenagers overworked, anxious robots. This is a way out of the madness.

If you don’t pass your A levels there, you’re toast.

So pass them. Seems a lot simpler than doing everything right in the US and getting dunked on during admissions season.

+1
You know what you need to do and it's not collecting coins so that you can appear "interesting".

[Anonymous]

Tuition is less expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to worry about publishing research at age 16 or founding a non-profit or being team captain, yearbook editor and first chair violin. It is so much less stressful to just have to do what you really like outside of school and get good grades. We have made our teenagers overworked, anxious robots. This is a way out of the madness.

If you don’t pass your A levels there, you’re toast.

Yes, but US-based applicants usually don't submit A levels. All you need is 5 APs (with a score of 5) and some minimum SAT score.

For the majority of schools in the UK. Just like at the majority schools in the US where the right test scores and GPA are all you need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to worry about publishing research at age 16 or founding a non-profit or being team captain, yearbook editor and first chair violin. It is so much less stressful to just have to do what you really like outside of school and get good grades. We have made our teenagers overworked, anxious robots. This is a way out of the madness.

If you don’t pass your A levels there, you’re toast.

Yes, but US-based applicants usually don't submit A levels. All you need is 5 APs (with a score of 5) and some minimum SAT score.

For the majority of schools in the UK. Just like at the majority schools in the US where the right test scores and GPA are all you need.

OK, but there are ZERO top-tier US-based schools that rely on solely academic criteria for admissions. Even the public Ivys care about sports, ECs, diversity, etc. (Oxbridge also consider social advantage of applicants and give special preference to students applying from failing state high schools, but they don't look at SES for foreign students.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to worry about publishing research at age 16 or founding a non-profit or being team captain, yearbook editor and first chair violin. It is so much less stressful to just have to do what you really like outside of school and get good grades. We have made our teenagers overworked, anxious robots. This is a way out of the madness.

If you don’t pass your A levels there, you’re toast.

Yes, but US-based applicants usually don't submit A levels. All you need is 5 APs (with a score of 5) and some minimum SAT score.

For the majority of schools in the UK. Just like at the majority schools in the US where the right test scores and GPA are all you need.

OK, but there are ZERO top-tier US-based schools that rely on solely academic criteria for admissions. Even the public Ivys care about sports, ECs, diversity, etc. (Oxbridge also consider social advantage of applicants and give special preference to students applying from failing state high schools, but they don't look at SES for foreign students.)

And? The US has had colleges become a luxury business. In the UK because that has not happened yet, and the fact there is a cap of 5 universities that you can apply to, there isn't the same kind of market push. Because there is no market.