Hi everyone, I’m a student from the Uk who is about to do AS levels {in which i was predicted 4 A’s}. Last year I did my GCSE’s and achieved 7A’s ,3A’S and one B-in maths-. Next year i am confident that i can achieve 2A’s and an A. I did my SAT’S after last summer and got 2150.
I am writing here as i have always wanted to study english literature in the USA, but i don’t know what universities my grades could get me into ,-i would love to be able to go to an ivy league institution-. Could anyone please kindly tell me what schools I have the grades for -please be brutally honest-,I have also heard the USA has many great liberal art colleges such as ‘Williams’ and i would like to know if it is worth going to these over schools like, for example, Brown.
I realise that extra curricular activities is important for the USA so ill try to be brief: I have been in school productions, Im in my schools debate squad, I’m teaching myself Swedish, I’m the head of a boarding house at my school and a prefect, i do lots of rowing, i have started my own charity, i have done work experience in the houses of parliament and for the Cambridge evening news and I’m part of model UN
Thanks so much for taking your time
yours faithfully Camboronioo
Try using the Supermatch engine on the left of this page. BTW, Brown in an Ivy League U, not a LAC.
thank you for the advice, i meant to ask if it would be better to go to a LAC over a university like brown. I used the search engine; it came up with schools that i didn’t think i could go for, -like Harvard and Princeton- so I’m feeling a bit apprehensive about it, especially as their average SAT scores are 90 points above mine.
Why are you so focused on Ivy Leagues and tippy top LACs like Williams? Int’l admissions are even more difficult than domestic admissions…and those are already like lottery wins.
You’re from the UK…the admissions competition is already extremely rough. You need back ups.
You’re not likely going to face a choice like Brown or Williams, because it’s very likely that you won’t get accepted to any of those tippy top schools. I’m not being mean, I’m just saying that your question of whether to go to Brown or Williams is a bit silly at this point.
What are your parents saying about how much they’ll pay?
A couple questions, some that others have asked:
Why do you want to study in the United States specifically? What do you plan on using your English degree for? If you intend to work in the UK/EU after graduation, a UK degree will go a lot further than an American one, IMO… and if you do as well on your A-levels as you are thinking, you’d qualify for some top schools in the UK… which are cheaper than American ones.
Why the Ivies? Are you seeking prestige? Or is there a specific kind of experience you hope to get at an American university that you can’t get in the UK? It will be very challenging to get into an elite U.S. school–not impossible, but it is a crap shoot. I wouldn’t bank on it. And IMO, prestige alone is a shallow reason to go to a school, especially if you’re paying 250K to do it.
And money: how much money can your parents pay? International students rarely get aid, and most schools are anywhere from $45,000 to $65,000 per year to attend (and for you, it would likely be 10K more b/c you have to factor in international flights to and from school + fluctuating exchange rates). Some state schools are less, but it doesn’t sound like you’re considering state schools (and why would you go to a U.S. state school if you can go to a UK uni for much, much less money?).
If what you’re set on is the American-style of higher education and some other defining aspects (social, etc.) of the American collegiate experience, provided your parents have the money to pay for a school, I would suggest you really consider what you want in a school/location, etc. and widen your net. You can get an English degree literally anywhere, so there are lots of options.
thanks for the feedback, I want to go to an american university due to a broader course and the fact that I’m not completley sure what I want to do,but something in the field of writing. My parents have the funds to pay and I wouldn’t want to do things in Europe after as my family are moving to the USA-in new York-. I’m not addicted to the ivies and i wouldn’t mind going somewhere else, however in terms of employment: prestige does go a long way ,and, although I’m not entirely focused on it, If 2 schools had the same academics and life style i would pick the more prestigious one . Id like to be somewhere on the east coast. Also, why wouldn’t i be able to go to brown, my SAT results are above their requirements and the same for Williams {reading this back sound like I’m annoyed but don’t worry I’m not}?
sorry not east coast, eastern USA
My boyfriend’s SAT score was worse than yours and he had no extracurriculars, but he was waitlisted at some top liberal arts colleges, like Grinnell, Franklin and Marshall, Reed and Vassar. He lives in Romania and he’s poor so that probably affected the results since colleges prefer full pay internationals. I think you should definitely apply to the aforementioned liberal arts colleges (except reed because it’s on the west coast), along with fordham (my boyfriend got in but didn’t get enough money), if you think your recommendations and essays will be great (my boyfriend’s essay was good but his recs were AMAZING).
thx so much for all this feed back
OK, if your parents have the funds + are moving to the U.S. (thus, likely you’ll have cause/visa-related ability to stay here post-grad), then that makes sense. You’ll also be an attractive candidate to plenty of schools because you’ll be able to pay full tuition XD
There are lots of options on the East Coast that would round out your list. Consider the Ivies you listed as reaches (b/c they are for everyone), and work on finding some matches/safeties for your list. Williams is a great school, but also a reach (definitely look at it though!). Some other LACs in the Northeast that are competitive you can look at: Wellesley, Bates, Colby, Wesleyan, Smith, Wells. If you’re willing to go to California, Pomona is amazing. If you’d consider Portland, Reed is great. Any of the competitive LACs are just as good as going to an Ivy, especially if you’re doing English Lit. They all have strong alumni networks and great reputations. Some LACs would actually provide better networking for writing, depending on the specialty. But the most competitive among them are almost as hard as getting into an Ivy, so count them as reaches.
So for matches/safeties… I’ll throw in a recommendation for my alma mater, Boston University. I think it might be a good match school. The English Lit program is great, with a foundation in British Literature & lots of interesting course options. (BU also has a great journalism program–top ranked–and I believe also a creative writing major) If you lean at all towards publishing specifically, look at Emerson in Boston–they offer a BA in publishing, which is pretty awesome. Emerson might actually be a good safety. Also look at George Washington University in D.C. as a possible match school. University of Maryland might be a good safety. In New York, I would look at Syracuse (another top ranked journalism program, if that’s your thing).
Well, I’ll be a much easier grader than my predecessors on this thread. You have an excellent chance for gaining admission into a highly selective and desirable American college. Your profile is actually fairly similar to that of your compatriot on a parallel thread (“I need help please, what can I go for?”). As such, I would recommend similar schools for you. Smaller versus larger schools should not be viewed as neutral alternatives to each other. After you have researched them, you should start to develop a strong preference for either a university or an exclusively undergraduate-focused college.
In the realm of LACs with excellent writing programs, it’s almost impossible not to recommend Hamilton. It’s the only college that can be positively cross-referenced between a USA Today article, “The 10 Best American Colleges for Writers,” and a USNWR category, “Writing in the Disciplines.”
In general, for your extracurriculars to be considered meaningful, you should present them to your prospective colleges in a way that will make it clear that you would, at least broadly speaking, be pursuing them further.
Yes, you could go to Brown; the university is essentially composed of students who have overall profiles very similar to your own.
@Camboronioo the scores you have seen associated with Brown or Williams are averages, not requirements. And at schools like those, scores are just one part of the picture. You also have to have a great course load, grades, extracurriculars, recs, essays, etc. And kids with perfect everything still get turned down because there just aren’t enough spots. Admission to schools like those are a total crapshoot and they are reaches for everyone. You have a shot at being accepted, but you absolutely can’t count on it. That’s how it is for all high-achieving students.
The main difference between LACs and universities is that LACs totally center around undergraduate education, whereas universities have many other graduate and professional schools. At an LAC, you’ll probably get more individual attention and have closer relationships with your professors and peers, but at a university, you’ll probably have a lot at your disposal and have better access to cutting-edge research. Personally I prefer LACs, especially for humanities, but it really comes down to the type of environment you’re looking for.
Thanks, this is all really useful!, so in terms of universities rather than LAC’s, which do you think i could apply for?
Personally I think you should mix both (hedging your bets to see where you get in), but definitely investigate the schools thoroughly to get a sense of where you’d be happiest. There’s definitely a different “vibe” to each campus/school, but both types have their merits. Look particularly at what their writing/English programs offer and see if it appeals to you. I would also look into resources on campus–do they assist with internship placement? What’s their study abroad like (if you want to do that)? Do they have any campus publications you can get involved in? Good luck!
What is bringing your parents to the US, and what will their visa status be while they are here?
If they are coming because of work, you may be able to study in the US in the dependent status, but you may be better off with a student visa because it includes certain (limited) work permission. So find out about that. You also need to plan to return to your home country (or get a job in another country) once any visa extension for work experience expires. So do find out whether employers in your home country are going to care about the college/university you graduate from here. You might learn that it is better to finish your education in your home country.