The Choice at Nacac
The Choice takes readers backstage as nearly 5,000 admissions officers and counselors gather in New Orleans.
Interested in more than a semester abroad but unsure of how to navigate a foreign admissions system?
For American students considering studying in Britain, be encouraged: the student visa application process has been remarkably simplified in recent years, according to Robert Willis, international admissions officer of the University of Edinburgh.
“The detail and data required have been substantially reduced,” he said on Thursday, speaking on a panel titled “Global Destinations: The Best of British Higher Education,” as part of the annual convention of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
There are about 130 universities in Britain, nearly all of them public and the majority of them within England.
Most undergraduate programs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are three years, Mr. Willis said, and students must specialize from the outset – there are no undecided majors. (In contrast, Scotland, like the United States, has four-year programs that afford flexibility in course selection during a student’s first and second years.)
Students may earn professional degrees at the undergraduate level in Britain, though not all programs are available to students matriculating from outside of the European Union. For example, while law programs (three
to four years) and architecture programs (five to seven years) are open to American students, programs in medicine (five to seven years) are restricted to European Union citizens.
All institutions in Britain require the same application, known as the Universities and College Admissions Service application. Students may
apply to only five schools each year and, limited by the universal application, they may not tailor their essays or any part of the application to a particular institution.
Another restriction, mentioned by Kate Burn of Oxford University, concerns “Oxbridge,” Oxford and the University of Cambridge: No student may apply to both universities in the same year.
Application fees in Britain are substantially lower than in the United States: 11 pounds (about $17) to apply to only one school, and 22 pounds ($34) to apply to up to five.
SAT and ACT scores are both accepted by institutions in Britain, and application deadlines largely align with those of American colleges, with Jan. 15, 2011, being the main application deadline for most institutions this year. (Oxbridge is an exception; those deadlines fall on Oct. 15.)
Ms. Burn of Oxford stressed that universities in Britain are more interested in academically directed personal statements than they are in reflections on personal memories or demonstrations of character.
Of the essay, she said: “It’s not the place to talk about the time you ate a pot brownie. It’s about what you want to study and why.”
Ms. Burn emphasized that recommendations should be similarly to the point. “This isn’t a time to talk about how charming students are, or how they’re always on time,” she said. “Talk about their academic performance and be specific.”
She also advised that people providing recommendations be wholly truthful and not write anything they would not want a student discovering: by law in Britain, applicants are allowed to read submitted recommendations of them.
Applicant interviews are uncommon in Britain, excluding Oxford and Cambridge, both of which require them, Ms. Burn said. “There are just too many applicants to interview at most schools,” she said. “And the concept of the alumnae interview or student interview doesn’t exist for us.”
Once an application is in, there are three possible admissions outcomes: unconditional acceptance, conditional acceptance, or rejection. Conditional acceptance, a common occurrence, might require, for example, that a student take a particular A.P. course before enrolling.
“Some U.S. students find the conditional offer alarming,” said Rory McDiarmid of the University of Glasgow. “But we don’t just make anyone a conditional offer. As long as they meet what’s been said, admission is absolutely guaranteed.”
Once accepted, an American student must file for a visa, submitting a copy of the completed universal application, the letter of acceptance and proof of financial support.
Each university acts as a visa sponsor to the student. The application must be completed within the three months before matriculation, and the student may enter the country anytime within a month of the start of classes, Mr. Willis said.
Such student visas additionally provide health coverage and allow for part-time work during the school year – up to 20 hours a week – and full-time work during school breaks.
Beyond delivering an overview of the British undergraduate admissions process, the panel delivered statistics on international applications in recent years, specifying that the number of applicants from China has spiked, while the number of applicants from Africa and Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, has fallen.
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