American students at University of Edinburgh

[Anonymous]

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jun/07/st-andrews-beats-oxford-to-take-second-place-in-guardian-university-rankings

[Anonymous]

I am American and went to university in Europe after living there a few years as a teenager. It was a great experience but the academics were tough. I went on to do multiple grad degrees in the U.S. and have had a career at an Ivy. The coursework is comparable or better than the Ivy I worked at but the social life can be difficult given culture and potential wealth gaps--just like an Ivy. My friends primary homes were castles or mansions....and I was a middle class American. The polish I gained opened doors when I got back to the U.S. There are trade offs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our friend' DC is going in the Netherlands.

Have your friends heard about what happens to U.S. citizen students who go to Dutch universities, then come back to the United States for work, professional school or grad school?

No, what happens?

They hate it back here because they realize everyone is dumb.

[Anonymous]

Three years BA/BSc at LSE or Cambridge shouldn't cost less than four years BA/BS in state at UVa or W&M. Just venting.
St Andrew's is indeed excellent but it's expensive, although less so than US private institutions.
With these new Guardian rankings, the latest University league tables and skyrocketing US costs, I wonder if more East Coast Americans will begin branching out to Exeter, Durham, Loughborough, Leeds, Man U and the like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our friend' DC is going in the Netherlands.

Have your friends heard about what happens to U.S. citizen students who go to Dutch universities, then come back to the United States for work, professional school or grad school?

No, what happens?

They hate it back here because they realize everyone is dumb.

I can see this. They just have to move to a place like Boston afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ UK universities are ENTIRELY merit based. They don't give a f*ck who your parents / uncle / grandma may have been.

All European universities are merit-based.

That's why some Americans are so afraid...

Don’t fool yourself. Universities often get more money from foreign students; so, they’re plenty incentivized to consider factors other than “merit.”

I did my JYA at St Andrews, and it was filled with plenty of rich kids from other countries (China, India, the States, countries on the continent). Hard to imagine that such a posh student body all just happens to come together based on merit alone.

What? In a special JYA program? Not the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ UK universities are ENTIRELY merit based. They don't give a f*ck who your parents / uncle / grandma may have been.

All European universities are merit-based.

That's why some Americans are so afraid...

Right. What percentage “merited” going to expensive preparatory schools?

Schools are irrelevant. It's merit based on your examination scores and interviews. The faculty at the British universities are all extremely liberal. The faculty interviews the students for admissions into the courses. British private schools have an excellent record of turning out graduates with the scores to get into top universities but that's not the university's fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ UK universities are ENTIRELY merit based. They don't give a f*ck who your parents / uncle / grandma may have been.

All European universities are merit-based.

That's why some Americans are so afraid...

Don’t fool yourself. Universities often get more money from foreign students; so, they’re plenty incentivized to consider factors other than “merit.”

I did my JYA at St Andrews, and it was filled with plenty of rich kids from other countries (China, India, the States, countries on the continent). Hard to imagine that such a posh student body all just happens to come together based on merit alone.

Hate to break it to you but St Andrews is very low hanging fruit. Anyone can go there...hence Prince William's admittance.

What a silly thing to say. Jared Kushner went to Harvard so is Harvard low hanging fruit?

It's an excellent school. There are other universities higher ranked but it's still a top notch school. St. A has the advantage of having a more collegiate atmosphere than most British universities. It does attract well off students *who have the grades and scores to be admitted* but that is not akin to calling it a school for dumb jocks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ UK universities are ENTIRELY merit based. They don't give a f*ck who your parents / uncle / grandma may have been.

All European universities are merit-based.

That's why some Americans are so afraid...

Right. What percentage “merited” going to expensive preparatory schools?

Schools are irrelevant. It's merit based on your examination scores and interviews. The faculty at the British universities are all extremely liberal. The faculty interviews the students for admissions into the courses. British private schools have an excellent record of turning out graduates with the scores to get into top universities but that's not the university's fault.

Right, so who goes to these elite prep schools has nothing to do with who your dad/mom/grandpa was. You know, ENTIRELY their merit. Uh huh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ UK universities are ENTIRELY merit based. They don't give a f*ck who your parents / uncle / grandma may have been.

All European universities are merit-based.

That's why some Americans are so afraid...

Right. What percentage “merited” going to expensive preparatory schools?

Schools are irrelevant. It's merit based on your examination scores and interviews. The faculty at the British universities are all extremely liberal. The faculty interviews the students for admissions into the courses. British private schools have an excellent record of turning out graduates with the scores to get into top universities but that's not the university's fault.

Right, so who goes to these elite prep schools has nothing to do with who your dad/mom/grandpa was. You know, ENTIRELY their merit. Uh huh.

If you can pay you get in. Its pretty simple at most schools. And admissions is also based on examination results. The universities don't take dummies from the private schools just because of who their parents might be. Look at Tony Blair. Only one of his four kids went to Oxbridge, I believe, while the others went to other very good universities.

Kid, I know you're angry at life but don't sprout nonsense on something you know nothing about. It's not too different from the Ivies, which remain dominated by upper middle class kids from no name but educated families.

[Anonymous]

Actually the poster talking about prep schools in the UK has a point. Most of Oxbridge is filled with public school (UK public - as in private) kids something like 75% average.

The truth is these schools produce better A level grades because they are vastly better schools and they only take the brightest kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually the poster talking about prep schools in the UK has a point. Most of Oxbridge is filled with public school (UK public - as in private) kids something like 75% average.

The truth is these schools produce better A level grades because they are vastly better schools and they only take the brightest kids.

You might want to look up the stats. It's closer to 55-60% are from state schools at Oxbridge. But I think this also includes grammars. So it's a little murky. Other leading universities including Durham (long known for being popular among private school kids), Edinburgh (ditto), Bristol (ditto) etc are usually at least 60% from state schools and higher.

Oxbridge and the Ivies are are also similar in that they tend to take a high percentage of students from the same set of public and private schools but it's a what came first, the chicken or egg, situation. The state intake at Oxbridge will be heavily weighted towards the same handful of leading state schools across the UK. Ditto for the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ UK universities are ENTIRELY merit based. They don't give a f*ck who your parents / uncle / grandma may have been.

All European universities are merit-based.

That's why some Americans are so afraid...

Don’t fool yourself. Universities often get more money from foreign students; so, they’re plenty incentivized to consider factors other than “merit.”

I did my JYA at St Andrews, and it was filled with plenty of rich kids from other countries (China, India, the States, countries on the continent). Hard to imagine that such a posh student body all just happens to come together based on merit alone.

Hate to break it to you but St Andrews is very low hanging fruit. Anyone can go there...hence Prince William's admittance.

Sorry no, its known to have around a 10% acceptance rate, but that varies by which school you apply to. easier for full pay internationals to find acceptance bc yeah they want the $, what university doesnt? International tuition is higher, but For american students, an education at an american university of a level equivalent to st andrews would be double the cost

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually the poster talking about prep schools in the UK has a point. Most of Oxbridge is filled with public school (UK public - as in private) kids something like 75% average.

The truth is these schools produce better A level grades because they are vastly better schools and they only take the brightest kids.

You might want to look up the stats. It's closer to 55-60% are from state schools at Oxbridge. But I think this also includes grammars. So it's a little murky. Other leading universities including Durham (long known for being popular among private school kids), Edinburgh (ditto), Bristol (ditto) etc are usually at least 60% from state schools and higher.

Oxbridge and the Ivies are are also similar in that they tend to take a high percentage of students from the same set of public and private schools but it's a what came first, the chicken or egg, situation. The state intake at Oxbridge will be heavily weighted towards the same handful of leading state schools across the UK. Ditto for the US.

Wrong. The uk universities do not have quotas in the way US schools do. They do not have affirmative action they literally only care about the grade and interview of the candidate. Yes, most of those top chosen candidates come from elite schools. An Oxbridge kid going from a poor town and a state school happens, but only when that kid is extraordinary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually the poster talking about prep schools in the UK has a point. Most of Oxbridge is filled with public school (UK public - as in private) kids something like 75% average.

The truth is these schools produce better A level grades because they are vastly better schools and they only take the brightest kids.

You might want to look up the stats. It's closer to 55-60% are from state schools at Oxbridge. But I think this also includes grammars. So it's a little murky. Other leading universities including Durham (long known for being popular among private school kids), Edinburgh (ditto), Bristol (ditto) etc are usually at least 60% from state schools and higher.

Oxbridge and the Ivies are are also similar in that they tend to take a high percentage of students from the same set of public and private schools but it's a what came first, the chicken or egg, situation. The state intake at Oxbridge will be heavily weighted towards the same handful of leading state schools across the UK. Ditto for the US.

Wrong. The uk universities do not have quotas in the way US schools do. They do not have affirmative action they literally only care about the grade and interview of the candidate. Yes, most of those top chosen candidates come from elite schools. An Oxbridge kid going from a poor town and a state school happens, but only when that kid is extraordinary.

Oxbridge are decidedly aware that they have a problem with too few low income and minority students. My DD is at Cambridge and the university as well as individual colleges are actively working to recruit applicants from nontraditional sources. While Oxbridge may be "all about the scores," there is wiggle room at interview to accept a highly motivated, yet not as high scoring candidate. Colleges can encourage things by setting individualized offer terms. For my DD's course cohort, there was a realization after offer day that admitted students had been given different offer conditions.