I’m not trying to put your son down, he is clearly smart and 90th percentile anything is obviously very good, but i know people who get 97th percentile or higher psat math without prep. Maybe look at it from another angle: if your son needs a huge amount of prep just to do well on SAT math - which tests well below the level of math required for entry into LSE/imperial - you have to question whether he is suitable for these courses, or can expect to get among the top grades that he will need for the paths you have envisioned for him. Again, please make sure that there are suitable target and safety schools on his college list.
I have another question: is your son the one wanting to /happy to do all this prep to try get in these schools? What does he think about studying at a “lesser” college in the US? I know it’s your money paying and you want value (and value is subjective so I’m not going to debate on that one), but he’s the one who has to spend 3-4 years at university. That’s a long time to be miserable, and happier students perform better.
There are easier admit schools like SMU and Fordham that I would guess place more graduates in investment banking in the US than do the LSE and Imperial.
I have an anecdote of one, but a friend’s son who graduated from the University of Edinburgh could not get a professional job in the US when he returned. So he didn’t drop out of the British university, but he struggled for 2 years after graduating before getting a masters from NYU, which was very expensive.
I have heard - and I don’t know how widespread this is but I know we have some recruiters here who can maybe comment -that some US companies are skeptical of UK bachelors because they are 3-year degrees (though I think the Scottish ones are 4 years anyway?)
There are plenty of kids smarter than him in high school. I am sure they did better than him on PSAT math. I don’t think SAT math would require a lot of work for him.
The way I see it if we compare the top 5 univs across UK, Canada and US, then odds of accept for him are highest in Canada, followed by UK followed by US.
By no means am I saying any of these are easy or guaranteed. I note that meeting the minimum requirement is not a guarantee of admission in the UK. There is Calc BC and TMUA, but with hard work it’s possible. US is a crapshot and unlikely.
I am not suggesting he has to go to a top 5 univ. There are plenty of univ in the US which I think are worth it — Berkeley, NYU, many others.
But below a particular point, the foreign universities are not only better but better value for money.
Realistically for him prob Canada is the best option. Highest acceptance rates, lowest cost, and no work issues as he has the passport too. Followed by a US masters.
Unless he gets into Berkeley, NYU or something like that.
Fordham Gabelli would be a GREAT target for OP’s son. It places well, it’s relatively easy to get internships because of its location, and it’s probably firmly in range for his grades.
Making connections / networking for internships and full-time jobs/careers is important for college students. For one who intends to work in the US after college, SMU & Fordham will provide solid networks, while it is unlikely that Imperial or LSE will.
The job market these days especially in tech is very difficult. I have even heard there are many kids who went to college in US that are struggling to get placed. I also note that in the company I work for many many in fact a large percentage of employees did there undergrad abroad and many at schools far below LSE, Imperial, etc. Getting a job in the US would be easiest from a US university. There is no doubt on this point. But if one has to do a masters anyway then the masters can be done in the US. Also salaries are lower in UK and Canada. But quality of life might be higher.
I can’t speak to Canada but you have to be earning pretty well in London for a good quality of life, especially if you consider a decent size apartment within easy commutable distance to be part of that. A poky flat, possibly having to be shared, with a 30-45 minute tube ride is much more likely for an entry level position. There is of course a huge amount of fun things to do in London, so there is that.
Happy to hear it’s on the list. First, you’ll need offers before you can say what the options actually are. Second, if he is interning in NYC that alone increases his likelihood of getting a job there, given that companies seem to like offering their best interns jobs.
He spent two weeks at Oxford with Oxford Summer Courses last summer and had a blast! He wanted to go there again this summer but we want him to try something new! He has seen UCL, Imperial, LSE and King. He will probably do the Imperial Summer Program next year.
Since you mentioned them, my middle son just finished a combined BS/MS in Cybersecurity at RIT and landed a great, well paying job at a large hedge fund complex in NYC. Other son is a freshman at Fordham Gabelli. Feel free to DM me.
@HazeGrey may be then I need to add RIT to my list of colleges! In the company I work for in the city we have kids from many universities so may be it does work out. The issue would be odds.
There’s no doubt that it will be easier to be a top student at Fordham than at LSE. And being a top student is a pre-requisite for the career aspirations that you’ve expressed (whether or not those are shared by your kid).
Generally speaking, unless you specifically seek out a challenge, at most colleges undergrad is much easier in the US than the U.K. I felt that my undergrad degree in the U.K. was more intellectually challenging than anything I’ve done since (including my PhD). My older kids both said after graduation (from US universities with GPAs of >3.9) that they never felt that at all.
I would agree Fordham is an easier accept and easier to be a top student. For sure it’s on the list of schools. LSE is way more prestigious in my opinion though. In the end it would be a close call. I would probably leave it upto him to choose. There are colleges in the US where LSE would be obviously better choice. We will try to make the US list so that he has a realistic chance of getting in and places that would have a realistic chance competing with LSE. And then see where the chips land.
I did a masters degree in the UK (at Twoin18’s alma mater I believe). There were a handful of American students in the cohort and in the introductory lecture, the professor warned that American students tended to have a rougher start for precisely this reason, and also that they had been used to more support than was typically seen in most other countries.
“In fact an LSE or Imperial degree should help get into a top US school for masters!”
Data? If you are talking about an elite MBA program, what’s critical is the job between undergrad and MBA application. The top programs require a recommendation from a current supervisor and there are two reasons for that- 1- so young employees don’t blindside their current company that they don’t intend to stay 2- so the CURRENT boss can comment on the kids capabilities.
So getting into a top US MBA program requires already having a professional type job… so sliding directly from Imperial to Harvard MBA- won’t happen. He’ll need at least two years of quality work experience. Which is why being at the bottom of the pack at LSE or Imperial won’t get him a competitive type job.
And if you are talking about elite Finance graduate programs- like Princeton’s Bendheim- I’ve hired out of Bendheim and interviewed dozens of students from there. All due respect- they are the kind of kids who have been doing competition math since 9th grade, Physics Olympiad winners, the very, very tail end of mathematical ability. Not kids who prepped for the SAT. Kids who got A’s in Topology in undergrad because they pretty much started graduate level abstract math freshman year.
So I think you have to come to terms with the kid you have, not the kid you wish you had. And I’ll bet the kid you have will do very nicely professionally wherever he lands up, even if it’s not exactly what you’re thinking LSE or Imperial will get him.
I think Canada is a great idea. Meets your need for value AND prestige. Nicely threads that needle.
Where is your son in all of this- besides loving a fun UK summer (which in no way, shape or form resembles what University life is actually like)?
Down payment as in mortgage? Who’s going to take out the mortgage? Not sure a bank is going to give someone with no credit history on a 2-year visa a mortgage, and I doubt they’d accept a non-resident as guarantor even if his salary would cover the repayments.