<p>EDIT: Disclaimer: I am not a student at either of these universities, but I am looking at both of them for postgrad study, so I’ve done a bit of research.</p>
<p>Unlike English unis, which I’ve heard are much more focused, the Scottish uni system is much more similar to the system in the US - in fact, the liberal arts college system in the US was partially based on the Scottish system of education. You have your first two years to study a broad range of subject, and your second two years to focus on a single subject.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how they weight certain factors int he process, but be aware that British unis typically have minimum requirements for GPA/test scores, unlike in the US. They also really look at your AP scores/SAT subject scores, unlike universities in the US, which hardly even consider AP exams and hardly ever require SAT subject tests.</p>
<p>While I usually tell people not to look at rankings, seeing where these colleges rank in certain subjects versus others can give you a sense of what their strengths are. You can check this site <a href=“http://www.university-list.net/uk/rank/univ-12001.htm[/url]”>http://www.university-list.net/uk/rank/univ-12001.htm</a> for some programme-specific rankings.</p>
<p>Also, this Tumblr (<a href=“http://theuniguide.■■■■■■■■■■/[/url]”>http://theuniguide.■■■■■■■■■■/</a>) is pretty helpful for answering questions about Edinburgh and UCAS/applying to British unis in general.</p>
<p>If it’s possible for you, I would HIGHLY recommend visiting. I would recommend that for any colleges, American or foreign. I think it’s important to get a feel for the campus and student body - there have been many times when I thought I would love a college, and after visiting I removed it from my list because I just didn’t feel that I “fit in.” I haven’t visited the colleges themselves, but I’ve spent time in both Edinburgh and St. Andrews (the city and town) and both are wonderful… they definitely have different feels, but I loved them both. I was so surprised to find that I loved Edinburgh as I am from a small farming town and generally hate cities. The history of both towns is fascinating, and I would highly recommend spending some time in both if you end up visiting the schools :)</p>
<p>I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve read that both schools - especially St. Andrews - have much higher acceptance rates for international students and even specifically recruit international students, largely due to the fact that you will not be getting a lot of financial aid as an international applicant, so your tuition is a lot of what funds the school. I read someone on another thread claiming that, at least for Edinburgh, if you meet the minimum standards, then you’re in.</p>
<p>I know I’m not an authority on these schools by any means, but I hope I’ve helped a bit :)</p>