<p>Hi I am currently a high school student and I am just starting to look into British and Canadian Universities. My interests are mainly math and science, and I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea of which English/Scottish/Canadian universities are best known in those fields. Thanks!!!</p>
<p>I honestly couldn’t tell you, outside of Cambridge and its link to Stephen Hawking. Just a warning though–British universities like Oxford and Cambridge basically require American applicants to be perfect. It says you’re going to Andover, so you might be on the right track there 
Just work HARD at keeping your GPA high and maybe prep for the SATs so you get strong scores. If you take AP exams, aim for a score of 5. Then you can allow yourself to look into the British universities.</p>
<p>A lot of students who are first interested in British universities end up looking into Scottish universities like Univ. of Edinburgh and Univ. of St. Andrews. IIRC they are very popular amongst prep schools, so since you go to Andover you may already have some connections.</p>
<p>Canadian schools I hear US students choosing to go to are usually McGill, Toronto, and UBC.</p>
<p>The best schools in the UK for math (called “maths” in British English) are Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London, University College London, and Warwick. St. Andrews university in Scotland is also well-known for applied math specifically. </p>
<p>Out of the aforementioned schools, Cambridge, Oxford and, to a lesser extent, Imperial are highly selective. You are unlikely to get into their math program straight out of an American High School, unless you have evidence of mathematical training at a level much higher than the usual US standard. AP Calculus BC and AP Physics with a score of 5 in the respective exams are probably a must, but may not be enough for a successful application.</p>
<p>Note that the normal time required to get a bachelor’s degree in math in the UK is 3 years (as opposed to 4 years in the US), but, at most school nowadays, including Oxbridge and Imperial, you may qualify for a 4-year extended course from which you will graduate with a master’s degree (called an ‘MMath’ at Oxford) or, alternatively, with a certificate of “postgraduate studies” (in the case of Cambridge). In both cases, that allows you direct entry into a PhD program in math in the UK (and possibly elsewhere in the world) after 4 years only of college study. </p>
<p>Another important point to know is that math degrees in the UK are highly specialized. Throughout the 3 or 4 years, math is pretty much the only subject you will study and at a very deep level by normal US undergraduate standards. There are many options available in applied math (some of which are compulsory) that will allow you take a fair amount of (theoretical) physics in addition to pure math, but, beyond that, there are no “general education requirements” (like required humanities or language classes) as it is the case in the US.</p>
<p>Waterloo is supposed to be the best school for math in Canada</p>
<p>A final note: if you want to expand your undergraduate education beyond pure/applied math only, there are however a few possibilities in the UK to take what is called in British English a “joint honours course”, where you combine math with a second subject, usually in the same or a closer field of knowledge. </p>
<p>At Oxford for example, math can be studied together with either statistics, computer science or philosophy. At the London School of Economics (LSE), which is a top UK school specializing in social sciences and law, there is the possibility of studying math with economics.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure the Scottish universities’ programs are 4 years. Canadian universities’ bachelor’s programs typically require about half the courses to be in your major, putting it in between the American norm (usually somewhere around 30-40%) and the British model (where often 100% of your studies are in your major subject).</p>
<p>Oxford and Cambridge have tutoral methods where there aren’t formal classroom courses…which could be a disaster for students who aren’t accustomed to working on their own.</p>
<p>In Canada, U of Toronto, McGill, Waterloo, Queen’s U., and U of British Columbia are usually considered the big names.</p>
<p>Thank all of you so much! This has been a big help. I do understand that Oxford and Cambridge are very hard for American students to get in. On Oxford’s website it very specifically lays out the requirements for admission: at least a 2100 on the SAT and 5’s on at least three AP exams. I think I can meet those requirements, but from what I can tell it is really hard for American students to get in. I also hear that St. Andrews is a lot easier for Americans to get in, but I was wondering if this would be a good choice when pursuing math and science.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, you are right about Scotland. What I meant to say in my previous post was that it normally takes 3 years to get a bachelor’s degree ** in England ** specifically, with the possibility of getting a joint bachelor’s/master’s degree after an additional 4th year. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Those are pretty much the minimum requirements for admission, but meeting those requirements doesn’t guarantee you automatic admission. As I said, very few American students are actually admitted fresh out of High School.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I believe it is a good choice, especially for applied math, but not of the same caliber as Oxbridge or Imperial.</p>
<p>I spent a year of grad school at St. Andrews. While it is very old and the town is extremely quaint, be aware that the town it is very isolated and the university consists of buildings scattered around town…many of them not very pretty or old. So while you certainly get the British flavor, don’t go there expecting anything anywhere near the beauty and stateliness of Oxford or Cambridge.</p>
<p>Thanks Bruno! I think I will apply to Oxbridge and Imperial as reach schools and St. Andrews as a more likely choice.
Schmaltz, I have visited Scotland in the past, and I loved it. While I did not specifically visit St. Andrews, I just love the country. Also, I grew up in a small college town, and I love it.</p>
<p>You should probably check out the UK version of CC which you will find by googling “student room”. </p>
<p>If you want to pursue math, big giant vote here for University of Waterloo. Largest math department in the world, I believe. Tons of very math oriented majors. Excellent co-op program. World reknowned reputation (even if American HS students haven’t necessarily heard of it).</p>
<p>St Andrews should by no means be considered a safety to Oxbridge and Imperial. Also, you can’t apply to both Oxford and Cambridge.</p>
<p>Waterloo is an outstanding math school, and especially for applied areas it is very well-known. Toronto is usually considered a tad superior for pure math, but the difference in either direction is negligible. I know that UBC also has a good reputation, as does U Alberta.</p>
<p>In the UK, I have heard excellent things about Cambridge (obviously) and Warwick. The latter is not terribly well-known in the US, but it has a major mathematical presence. Plus, Ian Stewart is there :)</p>
<p>EDIT: Warwick math also has some impressive stats related to employment after graduation, which you can view on their website.</p>
<p>As an American student, the first thing you’ll need to know is that the English and Scottish university systems are different. If you study at an English University, you’ll study ONE subject for three years. This is radically different than a U.S. four-year liberal arts degree, and as a result few Americans pursue full time undergraduate degrees in England. </p>
<p>Many American students do apply to Scottish Universities, however, which were the original model for the American system. The degree is four years and you study multiple subjects in your first two years, specializing in 1-2 subjects in your last two years. </p>
<p>If you are interested in Math AND Science and other areas, you’ll want to look into Scotland given the greater flexibility.</p>
<p>The University of St. Andrews (Scotland) and McGill (Canada) are the two most popular 4-year destinations for Americans based on applications. I know this school better than the others so will comment on it primarily. </p>
<p>St. Andrews has so many Americans attending (1000 with 600 full time) that it’s become a reasonably main-stream decision in the last few years, particularly among private/boarding schools where it’s popularity has soared. Edinburgh, Aberdeen and others are also attracting increasing numbers of Americans, among some others. See a New York Times article on the topic here:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/education/01scotland.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/education/01scotland.html</a></p>
<p>Well known UK rankings place St. Andrews third, fourth, fifth and seventh in the UK overall, depending on which you consult. The school ranks first in Student Satisfaction. The U.S. Fiske Guide is the only American college guide to discuss St. Andrews, and they rave about it, ranking it 4 1/2 stars academically and saying it is roughly equivalent to Tufts and Emory in terms of admissions difficulty for an American, i.e. about 1 in 5 Americans are accepted. It’s more difficult for UK students to get in, where 1 in 10 are accepted.</p>
<p>The Times Online Good University Guide will give you ratings by subject area. They rank St. Andrews 4th in Math after Oxford, Cambridge and Warwick. Find it here:</p>
<p>[University</a> Rankings League Table 2010 | Good University Guide - Times Online](<a href=“The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines”>The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines)</p>