an an American high school student go to a university in the UK?
I'm a high school student, and i'm interested in possibly going to a university in the UK, but i know they do a lot of things differently there (A-levels???) and i was just wondering what the major differences are. And if i would be eligible to just apply to one of the universities, or would i need to have completed the same process of schooling that the domestic applicants have? any info on this process is appreciated. Thanks so much!
Higher Education (University +) - 2 Answers
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1 :
I am looking into the same things as you, and I think that it varies a lot by school and all that. The University of Hertfordshire (20min from London) says that if you supply a high school degree, that the first year is done for you, like you get all your gen eds done. That school is one half the price than a selective school here, and you get a scholarship for being American. They pay for your healthcare. Check them out. (they are the one college I know about, soo...) But research it, wikipedia has a list of English colleges with links, so that should be helpful. Maybe I'll see you over there, lol. Good luck!
2 :
OK, Major differences pre-university: 1. Structure: In the UK age up to 14 is general education, with no (meaningful) assessments. 14&15 ("years" 10 and 11) are GCSE years. GCSEs as qualifications are a bit like a high school diploma, but they are in separate subjects. An ordinary student might take 8-10 GCSE subjects. A clever one would take 11, 12 or more. After GCSEs, students who want to go to university do "A-levels". A-levels are obtained through 2 years of study. These days the expected pattern is to take 4 A levels in the first year, drop one, and come out with 3 A levels. A levels are in specific subjects, and no subject is compulsory. The result is that students have already specialized for 2 years before going to university. 2. Assessment In the UK students are used to being assessed formally - examinations marked externally, coursework moderated externally. As a result, grades resulting from assessment by teachers aren't likely to be given much weight in a UK applications process. University Stuff. 1. Eligibility This depends on the university. Some are helpful and list what they'd expect to see from US applicants in terms of SATs and APs (APs may be necessary in subjects which require a specific A-level). If they don't list minimum requirements the best you can do is email the admissions people and ask. 2. Searching for universities A good place to start is the UCAS website (UCAS is the central admissions system for the UK.) http://www.ucas.ac.uk/ Through UCAS you can find universities with degree programs you like. Then you can find the individual institutions' websites, and check them against university rating systems, like the Times league tables. 3. Important Differences: No majors. No Minors. No liberal arts education. In the UK you pick a degree subject and that is what you study. Although there may be electives within the subject, you won't stray far from the title of your degree. Joint honours degrees are relatively rare. Switching courses is difficult. Assessment is formal as mentioned above. The methods of teaching are different, too and vary from university to university. Hope that helps
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