Record Number of U.S. Students Apply for U.K. Undergraduate Degrees For 2025-26
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Anonymous
That's going to be up to you, really. |
Anonymous
I dont disagree at all. I’m the PP with son at Airbus from Bristol. That pathway is somewhat normal since they recruit at the Eng programs at Bristol. I was just saying that I didnt know Airbus recruited at Stanford. That is great to know. I agree 100% Airbus is the future of aviation alongside Embraer…. |
Anonymous
Eh, there are rich Irish people too. I imagine they are applying to Oxbridge/ LSE/ Edinb. for three year degrees, which are expensive but not nearly as $$ as US schools. Plus UK is close to home. |
Anonymous
Don't know you or your parents, so hard to give advice here. If it were me/ my kid, I'd probably advise letting them know you've applied -- it will show you are serious and give them time to adjust to the idea -- but also applying to some US universities. If your parents are like many, I think they are more likely to be okay with you going to name-brand non-US schools (Oxbridge, LSE, maybe Sciences Po) and they may appreciate that those options will cost less time and money than top US schools. For Oxbridge, be sure to arrange to take required subject exams and to ace them. If you get invited for an interview, practice for it. Do all necessary research on the process. These schools are highly rejective, even for applicants with your stats. Unless you have sole control of a trust fund at 18, you'll likely need your parents to show that they have the financial capacity and the willingness to support you during your university years in order to enroll, so it they are dead set against it, you may have to begin to adjust your own goals. |
Anonymous
| I would not recommend that someone living in the US only apply to UK colleges. Applying also to at least some US colleges, including an in-state public, would be prudent. After the student has acceptances/offers, pick whichever one makes sense. |
Anonymous
The UK is not going to take you as seriously though. Oxford admissions tutors are actively looking for reasons not to offer to US students because they often pivot to Ivies. UK students do not. |
Anonymous
The Oxford admissions process does not give students the opportunity to volunteer that Oxford is their first choice, and many admissions tutors say they would not necessarily believe American students even if they wedged that claim into the personal statement. So US students are disfavored, as it often IS used as a safety for the Ivies, but there's no way for an individual student to credibly combat that narrative. |
Anonymous
There used to be. You used to be able to ask for an in person interview. If you were American, and made the way there to interview that said something. But now it is 100% online. I wouldn’t worry. If you are a top student, interview well and do well on admissions tests, you will be able to get in. |
Anonymous
Are you nuts? Top US students (including mine, who was accepted to Ivies) are rejected from Oxbridge all the time. My DC had near perfect SATs and a (UK) test score above the average for students who got offers. DC was knocked out at the interview stage, as are 2/3 of those who get interviews. Reminder, this is a student who had multiple Ivy/ T20 acceptances. . . . So while they definitely accept Americans, I wouldn't say "you will be able to get in". |
Anonymous
Clearly you are lacking reading comprehension skills…..i said Interview well…..did you miss that part? My kid got in Dartmouth and rejected from 2 other ivies. But got in Oxford. Had a great interview and did very very well in the TSA test. |
Anonymous
I can read. Interviews are subjective, so it's hard to tell in advance whether any particular student will interview well. If you get an interview, and have a great interview, you will get in. However, I'd venture that most candidates 'interview well'. Successful candidate have to have GREAT interviews and match the criteria sought by a particular college's tutors. Your kid got in and that's an awesome achievement! I don't think it's fair to say that "if you are a top student, interview well and do well on admissions tests, you will be able to get in". That's like saying, "if you are a top student with excellent stats and impressive extra curriculars, you will be able to get in to Harvard". |
Anonymous
I agree. There is an element of luck that means even top students can get rejected. You will definitely get in somewhere good in the UK, there is less yield management than here. |
Anonymous
You know good and well that Harvard or most Ivies are much more than just stats and extra curriculars. My son had terrible ECs (in comparison to typical Ivy admits). And yet, none of us that know him, had any doubt he would be great during interviews. He is amazing writer and his grades spoke for itself and given the chance to take the TSA, we knew he would score in the top 5%, which he did. Under these circumstances after the interview Invite we were pretty optimistic about the outcome. |
Anonymous
| Oxbridge interviews.are very different than US college interviews. If you're a smart cookie and practice, you should do fine. |
Anonymous
Being in the top 5% of the subject test does NOT assure a student an offer of admission (as my DC, who won regional awards for debate, learned the hard way). All the cookies who are invited to interviews at Oxford are smart, and most interview relatively well. Yet only 1/3 of interviewees get offers of admission. I have a good friend who still has nightmares about her Oxford rejection twenty years ago. Today, she is a tenured faculty member at an Ivy. She is definitely a smart cookie. Yes, Oxford is much more objective than the US system. However, they still take only 10% of applicants (fewer in the most competitive courses) and there is a fair amount of randomness in who gets accepted. Colleges look to balance gender, geography, etc. All this is to say -- go for it! But be realistic about any one student's chances. There are no 'likely' candidates, I'd say, though there may be some who can reasonably think of Oxbridge as a target. |