Misconceptions about English and US universities(' admissions)

Applying to College
1

<p>Whenever a discussion about the relative merits of international universities is initiated, it seems HYP-MIT get a free pass, despite comparatively- that is, compared to UK universities- low academic requirements. Example: Imperial College want 3 A levels, two of which should be A<em>s and the third an A. These A</em>s should be in Mathematics and Further Mathematics. The US pre-college institutions do not have any equivalent; APs are generally regarded as far easier than A levels; a cross between GCSE and AS levels. I’ve looked at Chemistry AP and I’d covered all the material midway through my AS year and drew on my GCSE (the prior academic year’s exams) knowledge, and Calculus BC, which is similar to but less difficult than AS Further Maths. On top of this, some top UK universities use timed entrance exams, specific for the degree: BMAT<em>, STEP (ii, iii)</em>* etc. the former of which is similar to, but again, far more difficult than, due to time restraints, SAT2 maths portion (and is used by Oxbridge, Imperial, UCL), and a top score in the latter a pre-requisite for courses such as Imperial, Warwick, Oxbridge Maths.</p>

<p>A further reason for contention is the lack of focus, and, in the case of a comparison to Oxbridge, tutorials offered by the top US colleges. That is to say, having completed the equivalent of US first year undergrad at sixth form (age 16-18), you could expect, again, relating to maths (and the sciences in general), to cover in two or three years at universities such as UCL, Imperial, Oxbridge, Warwick, Bristol, Manchester, what at HYP-MIT, Cal-tech etc., would take four years study.</p>

<p>Frankly the admission process in the US, with its emphasis on ECs, is laughable, when considering what it is that’s being applied for, and it makes it far easier for less academic, but better “trained (often in aspects unrelated to the major)” applicants to gain entry.</p>

<p>*<a href=“http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/digitalAssets/109110_BMAT_Section_1.pdf[/url]”>http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/digitalAssets/109110_BMAT_Section_1.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>**<a href=“http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/stcs/STEP/1999paperIII.pdf[/url]”>http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/stcs/STEP/1999paperIII.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

2

<p>So, if you don’t like it, don’t apply to schools in the US. There are plenty of others, top students from all over the world, who will.</p>

3

<p>“Frankly the admission process in the US, with its emphasis on ECs, is laughable” And so is your understanding of US admissions standards. </p>

<p>ECs are definitely a secondary or tertiary consideration for top US schools and not considered at all by most US colleges.</p>

4

<p>OP, what you say may be true, but American students have nicer teeth.</p>

5

<p>I think what he was talking about was top universities. And yes, it does quite seem that ECs are more emphasized in the U.S. I particularly don’t like the athletic and musical coaches picking out these kind of kids from a pool of academically stellar students. I wish they could just drop athletics from universities and send them all to a private training school/camp, where their “talents” could be “appreciated.”</p>

6

<p>So in other words, some people from other countries would really like to attend a top university in the U.S., as long as it could be changed so it is more like the universities in your home country. That seems a bit odd to me.</p>

7

<p>What you say is very true. The United States has fallen behind in all areas of academics, especially mathematics and science. Europe laughs at the american school system because it’s stupid and not challenging by any standards. Colleges are businesses here so it’s all about looking good - how many minorities have we admitted or how do the athletes bring attention to the university. It has completely lost track of wanting the best of the best for a particular field. Oxford, for example, is a public university and they, like most European schools, are focused on academics rather than your skin color or how quickly you can run in a circle. That’s why it’s also much harder to get into those schools from the US.
American high school education is a joke, which can be partially attributed to not having a vocational branch (trade school) and “no child left behind” policy - some should be left behind. </p>

<p>TL;DR: Yes, it is laughable, and yes, the high school system here is a joke. The admissions process is a mystery sometimes and because they’re businesses and not just educational institutions, they can do whatever they want.</p>

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<p>This. Plus they don’t look like pigs :P</p>

9

<p>Metrical, those foreign universities would probably be delighted to have you as well. And you can show off your nice teeth.</p>

10

<p>I can’t comment about Europe, but when I compare the education I went through abroad - extremely rigorous, but very bookish - with my son’s at a top notch US program, I clearly feel his skills were much better suited in the real world. And this emphasis may also carry over in the admissions area too, where they weight non-academic strengths higher than institutions overseas do.</p>