<p>You are a very good person Thank you for that!! And yes - the education is the thing for me. </p>
<p>I love learning, like, you could strike up a conversation with me on anything and I promise it will interest me. But, in the UK, you can only take 4 subjects in year 12, then drop one in Year 13 so youāre taking 3 D: Itās awful!! And at a UWC I could take an IB and do 6 subjects for 2 years, on top of getting to do ECs as part of the mandatory stuff!! </p>
<p>I hate the fact that I have no time for dancing, or singing or reading or piano or violin because I have to do A levels. All education is important, and learning for the sake of wisdom isnāt encouraged under the English education system - itās all about teaching to the test.</p>
<p>I donāt know what I want to do as a job, or even study at Uni, because I believe I donāt know enough about the world to know whereabouts in it I would be best placed :)</p>
<p>@lunascreatures for me, I have chosen people who I think will know me best, and therefore be able to write references which will be the clearest reflection on who I am. So, if I were you I would try and think of someone who cares about you enough to understand the weight of what they are saying :)</p>
<p>@boneho No problem! It was one of the first UWC blogs I ever happened across :D</p>
<p>@stuffzhappenin Iām glad youāve got so much time - itās precious stuff! :P</p>
<p>@applesauce21 Oh! So your a year above me Iām in my last year of Standard Grade ( or GCSEs for English peeps). Iām more of STEM guy so I didnāt take any social sciences, though looking back it would have been a good idea. Iām taking: Math, English, Technological Studies, Physics, Chemistry, Computing Studies, Music and French. All Standard Grades and we have to take two exams for each : Credit = 1 or 2 (Higher A, lower A) and a General exam every one in Scotland sits = 3 or 4 (Higher B, Lower B). For those who canāt handle Credit can opt for foundation which gives you Cs. Yeah the Highers kinda threw me off because those are equivalent to AS Levels!</p>
<p>@applesauce21 I know what you mean, my Mom severely questioned me on the whole point of UWC, it took a good two months for her to even let me apply. She did say that if I didnāt get a scholarship there is a high possibility I would not attend if admitted so Iām in the same position as you. The best thing to do at this point is to let your parents see the one in Wales for themselves, that way they can judge for themselves. </p>
<p>My Mom is very similar to how your dad thinks, the : āYou should go to University you can do all that stuff thereā blah blah blah. Although a good incentive for paying for UWC is that everyone who finishes there is automatically entitled to a $10,000 - $20,000 scholarship a year at one of the 90 something universities in the U.S that are partners with the scholarship. The increased chance of getting to one of these Unis is also a plus, you could argue it as being a good return on investment that you could go to a leading university in the states (if you get a scholarship on top of your Davis Scholarship) for practically free. Look up the Davis Scholar Program on Google, Study the website and show it to your parents.</p>
<p>An alternative if you donāt get into a UWC is the Rotary Youth Exchange. Youāre only required to pay for flights the rest is sponsored by Rotary UK, it could be a good gap year experience and seeing how you currently study french you should be able to obtain some form of fluency. Hereās the website: [Rotary</a> Youth Exchange | Rotary Youth Exchange in Great Britain and Ireland](<a href=āhttp://www.youthexchange.org.uk/]Rotaryā>http://www.youthexchange.org.uk/)</p>
<p>@stuffzhappenin Thank you! And I canāt believe you mentioned Rotary because Iām applying to that too! In fact, I even wrote a letter to my MP about it, which they passed onto the minister, regarding regulations on Visas, since the flippin UKBA wonāt let people from outside of the EU study here for longer than 6 months if they are under 18 (and go to a state school). And I really wanted to go to South Korea/ China/ Japan (above all Japan). But I keep forgetting to worry about my Rotary application since Iām so hyped up about UWCs!! But yeah, going to a japanese high school for a year would be AMAZING! I love studying culture and linguistics, and East asia is a bit of an anthropological heaven haha :D</p>
<p>I canāt believe you know about UWCs and Rotary! I donāt know anyone whoās heard of either, never mind both :D</p>
<p>Plus, I didnāt even know about the scholarship thing! Thatās fantastic!! </p>
<p>Also the Scottish system sounds pretty complex, but Iām sure itās just because Iāve never looked into it in detail before :)</p>
<p>@applesauce21 I am doing both drama and music too! At my school, so few people take an art it feels great to know someone else out thereās doing two like me At my school, we donāt call subjects higher, we call them core and extended, and I think that only sciences and maths have those different papers. It may just be slightly different because I do IGCSE instead of just GCSE.
I am also a member of the rotary club here! I got to have lunch with a lady from the UN once at an event hosted by the rotary club.
As for trying to convince your parents, hereās what I have to say. Itās just my point of view, so donāt take it too seriously.
I already go to a private international school, but I can assure that it is not elitist. Yes, it is true that most of my classmates come from relatively well off families, but there are still lots that come from families like mine that struggle to pay off school fees every term. Just because some of them are well off doesnāt mean that they start acting like snobs and look down on the rest of us, we all get along very well. Being at an international school is a great experience, and I know that UWC would be a million times better, because they have set a bar to get in. This means that you would be guaranteed to meet people from all over the world who are intellects like you and are there to seriously learn, not to muck around (like so many people at my school). UWC doesnāt just sponsor people from the slums, they are open to anyone, so you get to meet people from different socio-economic classes there, just like at any other normal school. Doing IB is hell (especially TOK), but it is worth it, and you are more likely to get into a better university with an IB diploma and UWC, like someone I know who got into an ivy league uni after leaving UWC. I also have friends that graduated from IB that told me IB was easier that uni, and it really fully prepared them for what was ahead. Being at UWC also gives you a heads up (as someone mentioned) on uni, and most importantly, gives you the opportunity to forge life long friendships with people from all over the world.
My family also has concerns about the fees, but Iāll still apply and hope for the best I guess. At least I know that Iāve done my best instead of kicking myself for not even trying. Sorry for rambling, just wanted to give my opinion. Good Luck!</p>
<p>My parents were completely against me going to a UWC as well- but for a different reason. In the US, it is 100% scholarship, so money is not the issue. My parentās were completely against me leaving home 2 years earlier than planned to go live in another country. They had never heard of UWC before and thought theyād miss me too much. I tried everything but they wouldnāt listen. Hereās how I convinced them: My brotherās friendsās family (still following? :P) who had just moved here from sweden were over one night and I was talking to them about traveling to the other Scandinavian countries. She said she loved Norway, and I mentioned that I was in love with a school there. She asked me what it was, I told her UWC, and she started going off about what an amazing school it was. My mom, overhearing the whole thing, stopped her for a second, not believing that she had actually heard of the school. She told my mom that she had to let me apply because it would be an amazing opportunity for me. Finally, my parents looked into it. The next day they were on the website and came to me a bit later and said āI donāt want to let you go because I would miss you too much, but I understand why you want to go so badly. UWC looks like it was made for you, so Iām going to let you apply.ā She keeps bringing up how much she doesnāt want me to go, but I think the mission kind of excites her too. She knowās a UWC encompasses pretty much everything Iāve been dreaming about my whole life.
Basically what Iām trying to say isā¦ See if you can get your parents to talk to an alumni, or someone that knows the school well enough. They are the only ones who can talk about the school with enough sincerity to possibly convince your parents.</p>
<p>I guess Iām lucky that my parents have been 100 percent supportive all the way. I didnāt want to do IB at my current school because I think the quality of the education here is not as good as I would like it to be, and they understand. They donāt really mind which school I apply to, as long as Iāve done my research on it. UWC seems great to them because the fees are actually decent for an IB school that offers boarding, and a family friend went there, so I didnāt have to try so hard to convince them. As for having to move to a different country, theyāre cool with it as well, cause Iāve experienced moving to a completely different country on a different continent before (Africa is as extreme as you can get), so it doesnāt really bug them. Theyāve still got 3 kids to look after, so wonāt be missing me that much! Iāve got family in Europe, and that really helped pacify them too. I think your parents are also sterotyping a bit, try to show them that stereotypes arenāt always true.</p>
<p>Long story short my mother doesnt want me to go, and if i get accepted without a full scholarship shes refusing to pay. On the other hand my father is willing to pay 50%. My goal as it is now- get a 50% scholarship.</p>
<p>This is a little random, but last year I didnāt even know when the PSATās were and I walked into class completely unprepared. Today I went out and spent $60 on 2 giant books to study. I just find that kinda funny :P</p>
<p>@fruitloopery - Iām not actually a member of the rotary club, but thatās only because I didnāt realise I could be! Wow! Meeting someone from the UN would be incredible - I would have sooooo many questions And also moving to Africa sounds amazing!! I want to be able to move around in whatever job I get, which is why I think I would like to be in the diplomatic service. And do you think American Universities would respect it more than A-levels? Because that is what 6th Formers do in England. I had no idea that an IB would be like my first year of Uni - thatās a good argument for letting my parents let me go haha :D</p>
<p>@Lindzmm Iām sorry you had trouble with the 'rents too Itās tough, especially when their reason is basically āI love you too muchā haha And the alumni thing is good advice! I am going to try and get in contact with some alumni, but also I would like to go to the english UWC open day - but the only trouble is itās a nine hour bus journey, for a 3 hour meeting >_>. And my studying has had to go up a whole new notch this year too - but not because of, like, not trying hard enough - but I just need to organise my time soooo much! AS levels are tricky haha :)</p>
<p>@Yogurthamster Yeah, I definitely would need a full scholarship (almost certainly not gonna happen since they do it on a needs basis, and Iām not as in need as some other applicants Iām sure) and also be able to afford insurance//trips//flights//clothes//other crapā¦:L But Iām applying anyway! Screw logic! XD</p>
<p>Hi there! Another potential UWC applicant, though I havenāt sent for the application papers yet. Iām Indian but live in Malaysia, so I have to send a cheque to India to get the application forms, and because of the terrible postal service here my dad said heāll post it when he goes to India which is next week, so Iām eagerly waiting!
UWC seems amazing:)</p>
<p>hey there! I am eagerly waiting to apply for IB in UWC. It seems very unique and exciting.
Does anyone know that how much the grades are considered by the selection committee because my 10th grade grades arenāt that good. And what kind of recommendation letter do they expect?</p>
<p>Hey guys, just thought Iād keep to conversation goingā¦ I was wondering how people have reacted when you tell them youāre applying to UWC? I havenāt really told too many people because I donāt want everyone knowing, and then having to tell everyone I was rejected (if/when that is the outcome), but the few people I have told have all had very different reactions. Everywhere from wondering why I would want to leave my school, to asking me if I really wanted to leave the US, to saying it sounds like an amazing programā¦ I was just wondering what you guys get :)</p>
<p>Most people are just very confused, either thinking itās:
a) study abroad
b) college
or c) just not really sure at all
Itās really hard to briefly explain!</p>
<p>Iāve been getting a lot of āoh, thatās really cool!ā from my brief descriptions to more āaww but youād leaveā from my longer descriptions. But I havenāt been telling many people either, for the same reasons. Itās also hard because Iām moving after this year anyway But my parents are supportive (although recently, I feel like my mom is trying to convince me not to apply til next year or something of that sortā¦she wants me to move with them and go to high school there, to keep me a bit longer, but it would really suck to have done 10 years in this school district, then one in a new place, then two at UWC instead of just 10-then-2. sorry, rant over!)</p>
<p>Iām back! PSAT testing is in a few days so Iām freaking out, although I scores in the 95 percentile for the overall score on ths practice PSAT. (a 98 percentile-Critical reading-a 95 percentile-math- and a 92 percentile-writing-). My 4.0 GPA is still in tact with my lowest class score as a 92% (including my pre ib classes) I followed the advice of the previous commenters and joined extra curricular activities, such as, debate, teen youth and government/Model UN, key club, rotary interact club, learn to lead club ( all volunteer clubs), and possibly NHS. I have also completed over 200 volunteer hours (and counting!). Any suggestions and/or comments from UWC applicants and current students. Thanks!</p>
<p>Fantastic!! Well done on the amazing SAT scores and hello to all newcomers - welcome to the world of people who have a 1/1000 chance of getting their dream (which is a lot higher than the rest of the world). Also, Iām telling everyone, but mostly because I want to ask their advice</p>
<p>@applesauce21 Just came back from a field trip to the bush today One of the advantages of living here is that because thereās fewer international schools, thereās a higher chance of being invited to such events. Working for the UN can also mean being away from family for extended periods, so if youāre a family person, itās not the best option. Have you considered teaching at international schools instead? I think its a great option too if youāre into teaching. IB is accepted worldwide, and it would make you more attractive to universities all over the world compared to if you do A levels, because it is way more intense and really prepares you for university. I also was planning to do A levels, but I changed my mind after seeing the difference IB makes. IB is really intense though, but it has its benefits. Just talk to someone doing it and youāll see what I mean.</p>
<p>@fruitloopery thank you so much! If there is anything I can do donāt hesitate to ask - but it seems to me like you have a truly amazing life, one I aspire to. Although I donāt have any solid career aspirations (I love everything haha), I am interested in the diplomatic servie, but I think the effects would be similar to working for the UN (lots of moving around, and time spent away from home). And if taking an IB is what is what it sounds like, teaching it must require a LOT of work too! It had never occurred to me to teach </p>
<p>My mum basically told me that that getting in with a scholarship was impossible yesterday - itās hard, trying to remember why they are so amazing when Iām around someone who is so negative about them, even if I do respect her opinion, and see the logic of it. Forums like this help give me hope - though Iām not sure if thatās an entirely good thing haha :D</p>
Thank you for that!! And yes - the education is the thing for me. </p>
At my school, we donāt call subjects higher, we call them core and extended, and I think that only sciences and maths have those different papers. It may just be slightly different because I do IGCSE instead of just GCSE.
Itās tough, especially when their reason is basically āI love you too muchā haha 
And the alumni thing is good advice! I am going to try and get in contact with some alumni, but also I would like to go to the english UWC open day - but the only trouble is itās a nine hour bus journey, for a 3 hour meeting >_>. And my studying has had to go up a whole new notch this year too - but not because of, like, not trying hard enough - but I just need to organise my time soooo much! AS levels are tricky haha :)</p>