USA University Applications
Is a USA education right for you?
This is the first question you must ask yourself. You must research the Liberal Arts and Sciences curriculum you will be studying.
Do you really know what this is? Do you wish to pick up again those subjects you are happy to drop after GCSE?
If you are offering only 3 A Levels you will be at a disadvantage for a US education. You will need to offer 4 A Levels, 4 different subjects rather than 2 plus Maths and Further Maths.
A US education is not for you if you wish to specialise immediately.
If you enjoy only 3 sciences + Maths at A Level you will not be showing your interest in the Arts. You are probably not interested in the Arts. Similarly if you have only Arts subjects you are giving the wrong signals; you do not enjoy the Sciences/are not strong in the Sciences.
The second question you must ask yourself, therefore, is how you are going to get through the rigorous admissions tests, the SAT/ACT which test both Arts and Sciences plus literacy. The answer is, most likely, you are not.
In the US, undergraduate Medicine and Law is generally not offered. There are prestigious programmes that offer integrated Bachelor’s & MD courses (for example, Brown University’s Program in Liberal Medical Education, Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s FlexMed).
On the other hand you may not wish to specialise immediately, rather keep a broad range of subjects. It is easy to switch institutions and take your education with you, unlike the UK system. There is a greater amount of contact time than in the UK universities. Employers like to see you have branched out and have a more international view of the world, that you have been independent.
Is the US college life right for you?
While it is exciting to branch out into independence do not underestimate the many cultural differences you will have to take on board. Are you ready for campus life?
When should you start preparing for a US application?
After making the decision to apply to the US you have a great deal of research to do and the earlier you start to research potential universities, the better. Year 10 is not too early!
There are thousands of higher education providers in USA and many differences between institutions. Our best advice is that you visit your chosen institutions before applying and certainly before accepting any offer you may be made. Most institutions offer an information session and a tour almost every working day of the week and sometimes you can sit in on classes. Some offer summer schools you can attend in Year 11 or Year 12 to give you a taster of what it might be like to study there.
American universities offer a four year liberal arts course at undergraduate level in which students cover a wide range of subjects before majoring in just one subject for the final two years. There is great choice and flexibility. This is suited to those who like to combine sciences, humanities or arts and who have not yet made up their mind what they would like to study. It is said this sort of course produces the renaissance scholar who finds it stimulating to study, for example, History from a theological perspective.
The American system is not so well suited to students who wish to study a subject in depth. Such students will find the greater academic focus of the UK system more appropriate. This means if you have chosen to study 4 Science subjects you have already specialised too early and will probably not make a very good job of the English SAT/ACT entrance tests. The same applies for those Arts and Humanities applicants who have no Maths. How are you going to fare in the SAT/ACT Math papers? You have already specialised too early and are not a good prospective applicant.
Vocational courses, such as Medicine, Law and Architecture, for example, are not available at undergraduate level. Such degrees are only offered at postgraduate level in the United States. Do your research.
American Higher Education favours outgoing and confident people who enjoy socialising. There is strong emphasis placed on the campus community and you will be expected to contribute.
Each state has its own universities but there are other, very prestigious institutions such as Stanford, UCLA, MIT, Caltech and the Ivy League universities, Brown, Yale, Harvard, The University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth College and Princeton, all of which compete for students in a world market. Entry is at least as competitive, if not more competitive than entry to Oxbridge. The application process is very involved and, unlike UCAS, is led primarily by you, the student. There is no UCAS clearing house. There is a Common Application process but you may find you need to make a separate application to each university. The school is required to submit a transcript showing consistently high achievement in your tracking grades from Year 10, at GCSE, AS and your predicted A Level grades. You must secure three strong references from three different teachers at school. Any disciplinary procedures you have had, such as suspension from school, will go badly against you. Most importantly, you will need to achieve an exceptionally high pass in the aptitude tests, the SATs or the ACTs and the personal essay. If your application is favourable you will be interviewed, most probably in London, by an alumnus of the university.
American education is expensive and at the top universities you can expect a debt exceeding £200,000 on graduation. Financial aid packages are exceptionally good if you are eligible but may not apply to you if your parents own a substantial house, since property is often included in the university means test. Valuable scholarships, particularly from the very well supported Ivy League universities, are often available for candidates with exceptional academic or e.g. national or international sporting talents.
Applying to an American institution is very much your responsibility and you have to be well organised, not least in preparing for the SATs/ACTs alongside your GCSEs or, latest, AS examinations. Help is offered in the preparation of these tests through an outside agency, the EnE programme and our Princeton Fellow.
Regular contact with the institution, better still a visit to introduce yourself before application, is strongly recommended. The universities have summer schools, e.g. The Yale Global Scholars Course and overnight programmes and hosting co-ordinators you can get in touch with. Go on the websites.
The main website for advice on Higher Education in the United States is: www.fulbright.co.uk . The Fulbright Commission runs in the Autumn an annual “Colleges Day” in London at which the universities exhibit. This is strongly recommended. Check the website.
Consult also the university websites
You should also consult the advice to be found in EXODUS: Start/all programs/careers programs/exodus
Further information can be found in the School Library, especially the guide: Getting into US & Canadian Universities and the excellent Uni in the USA
The KAPLAN organisation offers courses on SAT preparation www.kaplan.co.uk/