Actually that's pretty moot. You don't get many American students studying for the full undergrad degrees in the UK, more often you see them for PhD level work. And its actually harder for Americans to get into Oxford and Cambridge as undergrads (so kudos to parent above with all the helpful application info) - much harder, because the baseline assumption will be that the schooling is inferior (I'm not saying it is, but that is the general assumption amongst educators) so you REALLY have to impress them. If your child is at a private US school, they will stand a higher chance of getting an offer as the individualized, intellectual training can be much better (although it not always, it depends on the school) than a public school. And the Oxbridge admissions people know this and act accordingly. |
Oxbridge does not love Americans because of low matriculation rates. They only extend offers if an applicant is very likely to attend. Especially Oxford. |
My DC is a visiting student at Oxford this year, and this seems to be a nice path to graduate studies for interested students. He has met quite a few Americans that applied and were accepted into Oxford graduate programs after visiting and doing well. This is just an FYI. |
Can you explain how you know this? And whether there is anything that can be done to demonstrate that a UK school is the number one choice. Would it be crass to say that if accepted, student will attend? |
No UK student passes for another institution if offered a place at Oxford or Cambridge. None. |
I know only two college students from the UK and they both passed on Oxbridge (one of each) for Harvard. |
NP here. Obviously there are some UK students who choose to come to the US to study but given extreme differences in cost, it's fairly rare. |
I personally know one brit who went to Edi instead of Cambridge. There are a lot of personal factors at play. Coming from low income level family is one. Academic pressure is another, etc. |
Yes but we are talking about American students, who probably have applied to 5-10 top US schools too. I agree with previous poster, you better make it obvious why there's an amazing fit and the student would love to go there even if Stanford or Harvard extend an offer too. |
Any acceptances on Economics course with 5 on Calc AB but not BC submitted? My DC is having trouble with course scheduling and Calc BC won’t fit on his schedule Jr year. it’s clear that Oxbridge-Durham-LSE-UCL-King’s require BC. We have had a look at Leeds U and Man U and those institutions offer more flexibility on this particular requirement. |
It is my understanding that your DC could take BC calculus senior year; s/he would just receive a conditional offer if extended a spot, meaning that s/he'd have to get a certain grade on the BC exam. You could also consider a Scottish Unversity which is much more flexible in terms of subjects studied; students study three at a time in the first two years and then narrow in the final two years (Scottish degrees are four years instead of the English three). It is not unheard of for students to wind up "majoring" in a subject that is different than the one they applied for. For example, Edinburgh is very well-regarded for economics, and you can combine it with another field such as history in a joint honours degree. |
However, if your student is seriously considering Oxbridge, it might be worthwhile to prioritize taking BC. These universities are hundreds of years old and are not keen on making accommodations for students. They are highly transparent with their expectations and entry requirements, which can be somewhat refreshing when compared to the very opaque US college process. |
Any experience applying as a dual national? One parent American, one British. DD would obviously count as American for tuition purposes. Otherwise, does dual nationality help, hurt, or not matter? |
100% irrelevant |
I am PP with the DC who applied through UCAS. It is rumored, though I can't substantiate it, that it is actually easier to get in as an international student than as a Brit (Oxford/Cambridge/Imperial notwithstanding). |