The US Application Process Two Options for Chinese Students; Chinese High School Foundation/Community College Undergraduate Degree Chinese High School SAT/TOEFL Undergraduate Degree

The UK Application Process Two Options for Chinese Students; Chinese High School International Foundation Programme Undergraduate Degree First Year Chinese Degree – 70% Transfer to Undergraduate Degree

US Foundation Programs Designed primarily for English prep Often not for college credit Given to students as part of a conditional admission offer Two main types – Directly administered ESL programs – Partner programs Many foundation programs help students develop useful study skills while also teaching them about life in the US Other programs offer students the chance to take university courses for credit in concert with their ESL/Foundation classes – Usually offered to those students in the highest and second highest levels

UK Foundation Programmes (IFP) Designed primarily for English prep But also to familiarize Asian students with the UK education style and curriculum. Two main types; – City Colleges/Private Institutions – maybe have lower entry requirements – University integrated programmes 5.0 Sciences 6.0 Arts You may also have the chance to study for A-levels if you hope to apply for Oxbridge, Imperial, and LSE.

US High School Qualifications 1 – GPA – 3.5 GPA or above is competitive 2 – Extracurricular activities – Quality vs. quantity 3 – SAT scores – Ivy League – 2200 and above – Pseudo Ivies – 2000 and above 5 – AP/IB scores – AP 4 and above – IB UK High School Qualifications Accepted High school qualifications – A levels (UK and Hong Kong) 3 or 4 subjects Oxbridge – A*-A Top 20 Schools – A*-B Top 40 Schools – A – C/D – IB – SAT/ACT for US students only – Extra Curricular activities

US College System 4 Year System Multiple Institutions 4 year Research University (Public/Private) Liberal Arts College (Private) 2 year Community College 2 Vocational Technical Institute

University vs. College UniversityCollege

UK University System All are large Public Research Universities, excluding Buckingham University. Offer 3 Year BA/BSc or 4 Year MA/MSc to undergraduates. Choose your major before you enroll Courses are very focused on your area of study The more popular the course (tends to be arts like History, Philosophy, Economics) will have more stringent entry requirements due to competition Some engineering and science courses may have relatively less stringent entrance requirements due to less competition for places University composed of a set of units called schools/faculties, which are located on the same university campus or near each other on adjacent campuses.

Classifications of UK Universities Ancient University- 历史悠久的大学 London’s Self Governing Colleges- 伦敦大学独立院校 Red Brick University- 红砖大学 Campus University- 校园大学 New University- 新大学 Private University- 私立大学

Academic life in the US First-year students given many opportunities for group work Particularly the case at smaller institutions Ex.) First-year seminar Students not expected to choose a major immediately Numerous opportunities for undergraduate students to conduct research with professors Academic life in the UK Emphasis on self-study Focus on student’s major from the beginning Less common for undergraduates to conduct research with faculty

Student life in the US Student life centered on campus and dorm life Students usually live on campus at least 3 years Inter-collegiate athletics often a major part of campus life School spirit very prevalent Greek organisations common (fraternities and sororities) Student life in the UK Student life centered around the student union and halls of residence Students often live on campus for first year only Inter-collegiate athletics more participatory School spirit less visible

US costs In order of cost (lowest to highest) – Community college Tuition: $3,000 - $13,000 Room and board (out of district): $8,000 - $11,000 – Public university Tuition (out-of-state): $17,000 - $29,000 Room and board: $8,000 - $9,000 – Private university/liberal arts college Tuition: $31,000 - $37,000 Room and board: $9,000 - $11,000 UK costs IFP £ 10,000- £14,000 Undergrad Overseas fees can range from £10,000 to £20,000 per year, depending on the institution, the level of course and the type of course. London Universities will have higher fee’s, Northern Universities are usually cheaper. Imperial and UCL usually have highest fees; > £ 17,000 Living costs £5,000- £10,000 a year

Rankings & League Tables

US Rankings US News Princeton Review QS UK League Tables QS Times Higher Education The Complete University Guide The Guardian