<p>I hope I am not going to be perceived as a snob for enquiring about this, but I am interested in applying for sixth-form entrance to Eton College.</p>
<p>Does anyone have tips?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m very curious why you are doing this.</p>
<p>“Sixth Form” is for British students who are the same age as American High School Juniors and Seniors. Thus it is a two year process (sometimes called “Lower Sixth” and “Upper Sixth”). Most British students don’t do Sixth Form, most leave school after Fifth form (equivalent to US 10th Grade) for an apprenticeship or other job.</p>
<p>At the end of Sixth Form, British students take exams called A-levels, which are quite difficult. They are almost entirely essay exams, and so nothing like the U.S. standardized exams where you bubble in an answer on a computerized sheet with your number 2 pencil. Then largely on the basis of these A-levels is determined which college or university the student attends.</p>
<p>So obviously Sixth Form is not an end in and of itself, it is just a step to something else. So I am wondering what your long term goals are that you believe require you to attend Sixth Form at Eton.</p>
<p>You will find that a school like Eton, or a similar prestigious British private school (these private schools are still called “public schools” in that perverse British way), will expect you to have taken exams called GCSEs at the end of your Fifth form (tenth grade), at if you are going the “British” route, British universities will also have expected you to have taken these GCSEs before your A-levels. It doesn’t really make much sense to try to start high school in the U.S. and then finish it in the UK. It really won’t work. (And it absolutely won’t work to just attend the final of the two years of Sixth Form. There is no way you will catch up)</p>
<p>No, I am not familiar with Eton in particular, but I am quite familiar with another British boarding school almost as prestigious.</p>
<p>You also need to think about the culture of the British “public school”. It is very different from an American High School, and even very different from the British state schools. I know, I managed somehow to spend time in all three! You may find it difficult to adjust to the different school culture, the different approach to teaching, and so on. And are you really willing to give up the level of contact with the opposite sex that you get in an American High School?</p>
<p>There are going to be a few scholarships to a school like Eton, but not many. You pretty much should expect that your parents will need to pay the whole way. Really, schools like Eton are reserved for the very wealthy.</p>
<p>In terms of applying, just contact Eton and they will send you the application stuff. Put everything you’ve got into your application packet, like going all the way back to kindergarten. Make sure that they get the impression that you are a “good student”. But you may also find that “money talks”.</p>
<p>Really I think you need to back up and tell us what your LONG TERM goals are, and maybe we can help you figure out whether going to Eton is the best plan for achieving them, or if you should do something else.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>Agree with a lot of what was said above, except some of the general stuff about UK schools. Most students DO NOT leave school after years 11 (10th grade) in fact in a few years they will be unable to. And also it is possible to just do A levels in the UK, as they are seperate exams to GCSEs, and some students do subjects that they didn’t do at GCSE level. Saying this, it will mean a lot more work unless you have done very similar classes in high school and even then getting used to the exam structure will be very hard, as UK students have already had two years to learn mark schemes, practise exam essays etc</p>
<p>My only ‘tip’ is to know what subjects (3-6)you want to study there, as the school will want to know and will need to see your level in these particular subjects, not just your level as an all round student.</p>
<p>And btw, are you currently 9th or 10th grade? If you’re 10th then you’ll be too late to apply as deadlines for certain parts of the application are in the summer. I’m currently 9th and am looking at UK and US private schools for sixth form.</p>
<p>Good morning/happy night, UK friends:</p>
<p>I am the same age as you then, roughly. I think I know which topics I would like to study and am open to preparation. I have a four month summer during the months before Eton during which I can do this.</p>
<p>My current schedule very closely models that Eton curriculum. My high school’s typical schedule does not do so on its own, but I made the fringe decision of studying two modern languages, as my Eton counterparts currently do. Ideally, I would like to study PPE and engage in a diplomatic job later on.</p>
<p>The deadline for the Eton application is December 2012, followed by an in-person examination for short-listed students in February.</p>
<p>I am not trying to apply for the scholarship for which there are eight spaces and four hundred applicants. Instead, I am looking at one of the four spaces for paid entry, for which I presume far less people apply.</p>
<p>As for you, I would advise to pick your American school very closely. Westminster and Harrow are good schools, but do not live up to the perceived Eton standard. Trying to make an early switch to U.K. education, as you plan to do for the U.S., I am very careful about which institutions would be worthwhile.</p>
<p>Although the United States lacks the six century old monarchial foundation for its own Eton, we have two school which spearhead our educational excellence in boarding. Have you looked at Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and Philips Academy in Massachusetts? I think these schools are worth the distance and would be very careful about most other schools. I don’t know how desperate you are, but I feel that these schools warrant a move more than any others. I feel that P.E.A. would be particularly friendly to international students.</p>
<p>Please reply with your thoughts…</p>
<p>what tips do you want? As long as you get good grades, seem smart, you will get in</p>
<p>@ Ameripen Those are the two US schools I’m looking at, as well as Deerfield Academy, but most of my posts on that are in the Prep schools admissions section.
As I’m a girl, Eton, Harrow and a number of other top schools aren’t open to me, but intend on applying to Westminster (they take girls for 6th) and maybe St Pauls girls.</p>
<p>With places being so tight, are you only going to apply to Eton? Other schools have more places open to entering sixth formers.</p>
<p>I take it you have contacted Oxford about their PPE and what the requirements would be for an applicant coming through the American system as opposed to one coming through the British system? (and then looked seriously at which would be better for you)</p>
<p>It’s a little surprising to see someone insist that Eton is in a separate class from Winchester and Harrow. If that is true, you must have put Eton in a class with no other members. What is your basis for this? Perhaps this is true in terms of what we might call “fame”, but is that really going to give you the education you are looking for?</p>
<p>I agree with UKgirl that you can study different subjects at A-level then you did at GCSE. I studied Economics at A-level, without doing it at GCSE (I’m actually so old that I didn’t take GCSE’s, I was among the last years to take the previous exam, called O-levels). My point was that if you haven’t taken GCSEs then you really don’t know what these British exams are like, and so you won’t really know what is going on when you study for A-levels, which is basically ALL YOU WILL BE DOING as a sixth former. No exams that I took in the United States prepared me for O-levels and A-levels. They are nothing like the exams that American students take. It’s nothing to do with the curriculum. (And yes I studied two modern languages–and Latin!–in the United States, but still found I was a bit behind the other students when I transferred to a British boarding school. I was especially behind in Latin.)</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>Try and find some GCSE practice papers to see what the exams are like, but a lot of them are essay based, and you need to be very familiar with what they are asking for in a question, anw what will get you the marks. I think this would be hard to pick up as quickly as you’ll need to at Eton (as you’ll have exams that count by the end of the first year, AS levels) but if you were prepared to work at it a lot, and put time into it over the summer before I’m sure it would be achievable.
Also I was wondering why Eton over some of the very prestigious US schools? It’s only two years, and may actually make it easier to get into UK universities, as more students switch curriculums at that point.</p>
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<p>Great! They sound like good choices.</p>
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<p>Honestly, I don’t want to make this about prestige, but not may people in the U.S. know what Harrow and Westminster schools are. If I am to move across the Atlantic I want to go to the best, as you do with your motivations to attend the top three American boarding schools. The difference is, from America, Eton seems a level above all the rest, while Exeter and Andover are neck-and-neck.</p>
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<p>Yes. I would be able to do both. For Americans, Oxbridge requires either AP examinations or SAT subject tests, both of which can be accomplished while taking a-levels, the latter more easily. I have spoken with Oxbridge consulting firms and their American admissions rate is seventy-five per cent, roughly. Having the opportunity to go to Eton, be an American, and take the a-levels, SAT, OR AP examinations definitely gives me an edge. I don’t think you would be able to do the reverse as a Briton.</p>
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<p>Maybe as someone living in the U.K., but from an American perception, Eton is clearly above the other two. I want to work in the U.S. </p>
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<p>It’s just my opinion that other U.S. schools are not worth going to as is Eton. I might apply to PEA, but that will be all. For me, other schools are not worth moving for.</p>
<p>EDIT: I was just looking at examination papers here and they don’t look that bad with two years of studying. Am I mistaken? <a href=“http://pastpapers.org/central-concepts-biology-papers[/url]”>http://pastpapers.org/central-concepts-biology-papers</a></p>
<p>EDIT 2: I have a concern now. Oxbridge does not give conditional offers to American students, but does to U.K. pupils…</p>
<p>EDIT 3: UK Girl, won’t the transition be particularly difficult for you, as well?</p>
<p>Okay, ameripen, what you are saying is that you want to go to Eton simply because so many people in the United States have heard of Eton. That is a really bad basis for an educational decision. You need to be thinking about where is the best place for YOU, where you will be succesful and get the education you are looking for.</p>
<p>The world has changed, and nobody gives a darn any more where you went to High School. You are assuming that if you can put “Eton” on your resume, people will just give you any job you want. It doesn’t work like that in 2012.</p>
<p>If your longterm goal is PPE at Oxford, you should be looking at what is Eton’s admission rate into Oxford, and also what is their A-level pass rate. And compare it to other schools.</p>
<p>I looked at your link to past papers, and there is a site with a LOT of different past papers. It took me a while to figure out what I was even looking at. Make sure you understand which is the GCSE and look at that–because that is the exam that UK students take at the end of 5th form, and will be the level you will already be expected to be at. Look at the WHOLE THING, it involves BOTH short answer AND essay. Because that is the exam that gets UK students into Sixth form. Then look at the A-level. (There is also something there called AS papers, I am not sure what this is, maybe UKgirl knows more)</p>
<p>What subjects are you considering studying at A-level? It’s unusual to do more than 4, I was studying only 3 (unless things have changed in the UK since I was a sixth former). And Biology would not get you into PPE at Oxford!</p>
<p>I don’t understand your comments about “staying back a year in languages” or “taking summer classes at a college”. That has nothing to do with the UK education system. Sixth formers study for A-levels. Fifth formers are finishing their preparation for GCSEs. They won’t let you be a Sixth Former in one subject, and a Fifth former in a different subject. UK schools just don’t work like that.</p>
<p>What college are you going to take summer classes in? If you can get into a college, why are you worrying about Sixth form? Or is your plan to first take your A-levels, THEN get “caught up” at college? It doesn’t work like that, you have to already be all “caught up” to even get into Oxford, they won’t admit you unless you are already caught up.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how you will be able to take AP exams AND the SAT in addition to A-levels. They will not be teaching you how to take these exams at Eton, and you will be very busy preparing for A-levels.</p>
<p>I’m not sure your information about conditional offers is correct, I thought I had heard from someone on this forum who was American and had a conditional offer from Oxford or Cambridge, but maybe that was a different university.</p>
<p>UKgirl is going to have a much easier time transitioning to the American system. Frankly, the American system is a lot easier. There are many fewer essay exams. The level of expectation is much lower–AP exams are considered roughly on the same level as A-levels, but in the UK all Sixth Formers take A-levels, and in the United States only the best students take AP exams (and if they pass them they can skip some classes at American university, while UK A-levels just prove that you are good enough to start as a first year in a UK university). Also, the American system is much more supportive of students if they need help or support, such as if they are immigrants or so on. The English “public school” takes more of a “sink or swim” approach.</p>
<p>I don’t really think what you are talking about is completely impossible, I just think it may not be the right decision for you, because you are not making it for the right reasons.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>AS levels are taken in year 12, and are what most univeristy offers are based on, A2s are taken at the end of year 13, which conditional offers will be about.</p>
<p>I disagree with Eton being above all the other top independent schools, even in Oxbridge admissions (<a href=“http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Education/documents/2007/09/20/Strust.pdf[/url]”>http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Education/documents/2007/09/20/Strust.pdf</a> its on p32) Here, Eton’s reputation is more one of privelege and facilities rather than academics.</p>
<p>Would you definitely count as an American student if you’ve been at a UK schools for sixth form? As most of admissions are based on AS levels, this wouldn’t make a lot of sense. The reason they probably don’t give unconditional offers (if this is the case) is because not all students take any formal exams after applying, whereas in the UK everyone still has to take A levels.</p>
<p>And, as said above, Biology A level would be a waste of time because not only is it irrelevant to PPE, but it is also considered a very easy A level, so is not even required to take medicine.</p>
<p>I am worried about a difficult transition, but a lot more international come to US schools than UK schools, and I’m also considering repeating a year to make the transition easier.</p>
<p>While I’m questioning some aspets of Eton, I can say that it’s facilities are unrivalled. Particularly good is Dorney Lake and the facilities there, owned by Eton for rowing. It’s actually being used for the Olympics this year (my only tickets 
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<p>I’ve tried to stay away from this thread since UKgirl23 and TheRealKEVP know more than me but I felt I had to respond to this:</p>
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I sat for the A-levels last year and was able to take the ACT and 6 AP examinations, all in subjects which I was not doing for the A-levels. So yes, it is possible to do all this while taking the A-levels.</p>
<p>^ Agreed, US colleges require British students to take the SSAT, and many take APs as well. It would just be a lot of extra work :)</p>
<p>im not quite sure what you mean by tips but so long as youre intelligent and have a bank balance that’ll make most peoples eyes water youll get in, its about £30k a year so thats coming up to $50k a year i believe :)</p>
<p>Westminster has the highest Oxbridge admission rate, not Eton. Keep this in mind if you’re set on Oxford.</p>
<p>As a British teenager, I’d say that Eton has the edge in prestige whereas Westminster (by stats, at least) has the edge academically, and you’d run the risk of looking as if you were merely chasing prestige by going to Eton for sixth form after spending the rest of secondary/high school/? elsewhere.</p>
<p>Just saw this thread… thought I’d offer my advice.</p>
<p>I went to Eton (well still attend, one more term to go), and to be honest I don’t know why anyone would be really bent on coming here.</p>
<p>Firstly, the majority of people here aren’t here because they’re smart or extremely academic, they’re here because its expected of them. There are a lot of slackers and people who don’t do any schoolwork at all. I didn’t get in because I was smart or anything, I got in because my parents were willing to pay 30,000 a year. Going to Eton won’t guarantee you a spot in Oxbridge, if thats what you want. You can get that from anywhere else.</p>
<p>Its also boring. Not that I didn’t enjoy my time here; I made a lot of friends and I’ll definitely miss it, but I’m definitely looking forward to leaving. The people are very homogenous and the culture is extremely different that what you’re probably used to (the guy above, TheRealKEVP has the right idea). There isn’t much going on around the school and everyone follows a repetitive schedule of school, sport, prep (homework), sleep. There isn’t really much to do in the house but watching TV shows on your computer and playing sport, and you aren’t allowed to leave the school most of the time. </p>
<p>The work isn’t really hard. I personally managed to get by relatively well without ever having to work past 9PM. A lot of people here spend 90% of their spare time playing sport rather than studying. GCSEs and A-Level exams (in my opinion) aren’t difficult at all.</p>
<p>Also, the kids entering in the sixth form all seem to be super-geniuses from China/Eastern-Europe, as in chess grandmasters and mathematic geniuses (no i’m not even stereotyping I know many of these kind of people), so you’ll be competing against them.</p>
<p>I’m not saying don’t go, I’m just saying it really isn’t all that many people perceive it to be. Its just a really boring version of any other school… with old buildings and ****ty heating systems.</p>
<p>And of course, this is all coming from someone on the final stretch of their five-year sentence here, so take it the way you like.</p>
<p>Also I’d like to add, all this talk of “prestige” or “recognition” has ZERO relevance within the British public schools. Literally no one acknowledges, discusses or cares about the “prestige” of one school over another. In fact, no one really thinks about university applications until the lower sixth, or even the upper sixth. Its a really relaxed culture in terms of academics and uni apps.</p>
<p>I also went to a private English school (40k pounds/year) in Oxford, and while nobody really cares about how prestigious it might be(in as far as University entrance is concerned), the school in question will have a superior network to get you into the best Universities. That’s basically what yo,u’re paying for IMHO. In as far as work is concerned, I did the IB Diploma and looking back, the teachers were only marginally above average, and not really what I would call superior. Like most things in life, it’s left up to you to excel. I’m now a postgraduate in the UK, and I have also noticed the huge influx of chinese/asian students. I’m in Actuarial Science and they’re about 70% of my class.</p>
<p>You need to think about what sort of people you are going to be “networking” with. For example, the current Prime Minister, David Cameron, went to Eton, as did (if I have it straight) many others in leadership positions in his party–the Conservative party. The sort of people who are opponents of the Conservative party, which is a LOT of people in the UK (remember, the Conservatives do not actually have a majority in Parliament), really do NOT like Eton and do not respect it.</p>
<p>For example, actor Dominic West seems to feel that actually it has hurt his career to have to admit that he went to Eton. He says that having gone to Eton “is a stigma that is slightly above ‘paedophile’ in the media in a gallery of infamy”.</p>
<p>ameripen said in his original post that he was afraid of seeming a snob. Well, he didn’t at first, but the more he talked it really seemed that the only reasons he was considering Eton were “snobbish” reasons.</p>
<p>And by the way, none of these schools are anywhere near as fun as Hogwarts, although the fictional Hogwarts was loosely based on them (British boarding school, uniforms, houses, sports, etc). I’m afraid that perhaps reading Harry Potter books might be giving young Americans the wrong idea that British boarding schools are actually fun.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>