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Has anyone gone to American Uni through applying from here? (1 Viewer)
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Ealdoon
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I know that wendybird went to Harvard
Omnipotence
Kendrick Lamar
You mean Oxford?
nifkeh
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not going to an American uni as undergrad, but I have researched it as I wanted to before, not now though
If you really want to go, you have to be serious, as it is a bit costly to study there. If you want to go to Yale, Princeton, Ivy League (harvard, MIT and others) it is even harder to go into, but is doable if you have a good school report from year 9 to year 12, have done the SAT (or ACT) which are college admission tests that people in the US take as a standardised assessment (like HSC there but you can retake the tests over a few times in the year if you want to improve your score). Those uni's usually require you to take the SAT or ACT with a writing component (already in the SAT) and take 2 additional SAT subject tests (e.g. Maths I, Maths II, languages, sciences, english literature, other subjects/tests etc). The SAT and ACT tests are a little different. The SAT may be a little harder, it has english comprehension in multiple choice (think ICAS English tests) that test your vocabulary, punctuation, grammar, comprehension of passages and writing (however their writing is different from HSC English, not literature focused, more on writing to a prompt e.g. "American schools should give more students scholarships, do you agree" and they require about 2 pages of writing to get a good mark, along with a strong personal opinion and substantial argument throughout, kinda like a speech in an essay lol). It has a maths compenent which is really easy, basically HSC Mathematics level (no calculus, exponentials or logs, just basic trig, area and not too hard topics).
The ACT may be seen a little easier and is a bit different. It has a multiple choice for science, which is a bit related to the Year 7 to 10 content here. It has an english component that tests grammar, punctuation, vocabulary but I don't think tests english comprehension as badly as the SAT does. Their math component is more or less like the SAT math component, easy. In both the SAT and ACT you can use graphing calculators, and they supply more formulas that here in HSC maths you're supposed to remember. The ACT writing component is like the SAT writing component.
If you are looking to do the SAT subject tests, Maths I and Maths II are both comparable to HSC Extension 1 maths, however with topics that are not taught here (such as matrices and maybe some others). The Sciences offered are like the HSC sciences here content wise. Languages test about 2-3 years taught in that language if you take it here in school. Not too sure about the other subjects
The ACT and SAT cost money to do it here, about $100 or so for each test, subject SAT tests I think are around $60 or so each. You can retake the SAT or ACT if you want too, but it costs money again lol. The Sat is offered here I think about 4 times a year, May, September, March and January I think
The best time to do the SAT is in year 10 or 11, you can do it year 12 but if you do, try to do it in January so you can retake if you need to. Uni applications usually open in November of that year. Keep in mind if you do want to go to an American uni, you need to take a gap year as you need to complete year 12 then go overseas, as the US school year starts from September/August to May/June, and while we finish in November/December... yeah you need to take a year off then go into uni there. Also if you do get a UAC offer, you will need to defer or decline it. You cannot undertake undergrad study here then go there to start as a new undergrad as they will not allow it. If you do take undergrad study here, you will need to do a transfer, not apply as a new undergraduate for courses (which doesn't need the SAT or ACT, but other additional requirements according to the university).
If you aren't looking at top unis there in particular, you will still need your SAT/ACT and school reports, however they may not need additional SAT tests to be sat. All unis in the US really look into your cocurriculars, not just academics. And going to the top unis there is really competitive, so it helps to do as many cocurriculars/leadership/volunteering along with good grades for a chance. I know of two people from my school that went to Harvard straight from year 12, however one was a school captain and the other played sports competitively on a national/international level. I know of one that went to Yale but I'm not too sure what she did.
If you have any other questions, just ask
If you really want to go, you have to be serious, as it is a bit costly to study there. If you want to go to Yale, Princeton, Ivy League (harvard, MIT and others) it is even harder to go into, but is doable if you have a good school report from year 9 to year 12, have done the SAT (or ACT) which are college admission tests that people in the US take as a standardised assessment (like HSC there but you can retake the tests over a few times in the year if you want to improve your score). Those uni's usually require you to take the SAT or ACT with a writing component (already in the SAT) and take 2 additional SAT subject tests (e.g. Maths I, Maths II, languages, sciences, english literature, other subjects/tests etc). The SAT and ACT tests are a little different. The SAT may be a little harder, it has english comprehension in multiple choice (think ICAS English tests) that test your vocabulary, punctuation, grammar, comprehension of passages and writing (however their writing is different from HSC English, not literature focused, more on writing to a prompt e.g. "American schools should give more students scholarships, do you agree" and they require about 2 pages of writing to get a good mark, along with a strong personal opinion and substantial argument throughout, kinda like a speech in an essay lol). It has a maths compenent which is really easy, basically HSC Mathematics level (no calculus, exponentials or logs, just basic trig, area and not too hard topics).
The ACT may be seen a little easier and is a bit different. It has a multiple choice for science, which is a bit related to the Year 7 to 10 content here. It has an english component that tests grammar, punctuation, vocabulary but I don't think tests english comprehension as badly as the SAT does. Their math component is more or less like the SAT math component, easy. In both the SAT and ACT you can use graphing calculators, and they supply more formulas that here in HSC maths you're supposed to remember. The ACT writing component is like the SAT writing component.
If you are looking to do the SAT subject tests, Maths I and Maths II are both comparable to HSC Extension 1 maths, however with topics that are not taught here (such as matrices and maybe some others). The Sciences offered are like the HSC sciences here content wise. Languages test about 2-3 years taught in that language if you take it here in school. Not too sure about the other subjects
The ACT and SAT cost money to do it here, about $100 or so for each test, subject SAT tests I think are around $60 or so each. You can retake the SAT or ACT if you want too, but it costs money again lol. The Sat is offered here I think about 4 times a year, May, September, March and January I think
The best time to do the SAT is in year 10 or 11, you can do it year 12 but if you do, try to do it in January so you can retake if you need to. Uni applications usually open in November of that year. Keep in mind if you do want to go to an American uni, you need to take a gap year as you need to complete year 12 then go overseas, as the US school year starts from September/August to May/June, and while we finish in November/December... yeah you need to take a year off then go into uni there. Also if you do get a UAC offer, you will need to defer or decline it. You cannot undertake undergrad study here then go there to start as a new undergrad as they will not allow it. If you do take undergrad study here, you will need to do a transfer, not apply as a new undergraduate for courses (which doesn't need the SAT or ACT, but other additional requirements according to the university).
If you aren't looking at top unis there in particular, you will still need your SAT/ACT and school reports, however they may not need additional SAT tests to be sat. All unis in the US really look into your cocurriculars, not just academics. And going to the top unis there is really competitive, so it helps to do as many cocurriculars/leadership/volunteering along with good grades for a chance. I know of two people from my school that went to Harvard straight from year 12, however one was a school captain and the other played sports competitively on a national/international level. I know of one that went to Yale but I'm not too sure what she did.
If you have any other questions, just ask
Last edited:
Spiritual Being
hehehehehe
Repped.not going to an American uni as undergrad, but I have researched it as I wanted to before, not now though
If you really want to go, you have to be serious, as it is a bit costly to study there. If you want to go to Yale, Princeton, Ivy League (harvard, MIT and others) it is even harder to go into, but is doable if you have a good school report from year 9 to year 12, have done the SAT (or ACT) which are college admission tests that people in the US take as a standardised assessment (like HSC there but you can retake the tests over a few times in the year if you want to improve your score). Those uni's usually require you to take the SAT or ACT with a writing component (already in the SAT) and take 2 additional SAT subject tests (e.g. Maths I, Maths II, languages, sciences, english literature, other subjects/tests etc). The SAT and ACT tests are a little different. The SAT may be a little harder, it has english comprehension in multiple choice (think ICAS English tests) that test your vocabulary, punctuation, grammar, comprehension of passages and writing (however their writing is different from HSC English, not literature focused, more on writing to a prompt e.g. "American schools should give more students scholarships, do you agree" and they require about 2 pages of writing to get a good mark, along with a strong personal opinion and substantial argument throughout, kinda like a speech in an essay lol). It has a maths compenent which is really easy, basically HSC Mathematics level (no calculus, exponentials or logs, just basic trig, area and not too hard topics).
The ACT may be seen a little easier and is a bit different. It has a multiple choice for science, which is a bit related to the Year 7 to 10 content here. It has an english component that tests grammar, punctuation, vocabulary but I don't think tests english comprehension as badly as the SAT does. Their math component is more or less like the SAT math component, easy. In both the SAT and ACT you can use graphing calculators, and they supply more formulas that here in HSC maths you're supposed to remember. The ACT writing component is like the SAT writing component.
If you are looking to do the SAT subject tests, Maths I and Maths II are both comparable to HSC Extension 1 maths, however with topics that are not taught here (such as matrices and maybe some others). The Sciences offered are like the HSC sciences here content wise. Languages test about 2-3 years taught in that language if you take it here in school. Not too sure about the other subjects
The ACT and SAT cost money to do it here, about $100 or so for each test, subject SAT tests I think are around $60 or so each. You can retake the SAT or ACT if you want too, but it costs money again lol. The Sat is offered here I think about 4 times a year, May, September, March and January I think
The best time to do the SAT is in year 10 or 11, you can do it year 12 but if you do, try to do it in January so you can retake if you need to. Uni applications usually open in November of that year. Keep in mind if you do want to go to an American uni, you need to take a gap year as you need to complete year 12 then go overseas, as the US school year starts from September/August to May/June, and while we finish in November/December... yeah you need to take a year off then go into uni there.
If you aren't looking at top unis there in particular, you will still need your SAT/ACT and school reports, however they may not need additional SAT tests to be sat. All unis in the US really look into your cocurriculars, not just academics. And going to the top unis there is really competitive, so it helps to do as many cocurriculars/leadership/volunteering along with good grades for a chance. I know of two people from my school that went to Harvard straight from year 12, however one was a school captain and the other played sports competitively on a national/international level. I know of one that went to Yale but I'm not too sure what she did.
If you have any other questions, just ask
Thorough and concise.
Hey, old thread but I've got a question. I have heard that you can take up an Australian uni course, say for the first semester, and then progress to another American uni as an ordinary undergrad (freshman), since you are not transferring any of the credits earned from Australia. i.e. just accept the UAC offer and enrol like usual for the first sem. I'm a bit confused here, how sure are you with this info? Thanks a lot!
JaySea2014
Member
Whether an American uni will permit you to take up an Australian course for the first semester will depend on the uni. I know some unis (e.g. Columbia) allows it, but generally most American unis do not. If you were to start on an Australian course, most American unis will consider you a transfer student (which is a different process) rather than a first-year undergraduate applicant.
dont think that's true at all. I know people who have completed 1 semester here then gone to UCLA and Columbia for sure. Probably other universities too. I also applied to a few schools, and was enrolled in uni here before deciding whether I wanted to go or not
worst comes to worst, you can just disenroll from the australian uni after the HECS date. dont even see how theyd find out anyway. But ask them to be 100% sure
Nico51UStudy
New Member
That is a very comprehensive response nifkeh. While it may sound daunting to apply to a U.S. university, the experience itself is truly rewarding. Also, many of the schools in the U.S. are highly regarded internationally. While University of Melbourne and Australian National University are highly regarded in Australia, their rank doesn't often carry through to other countries. Personally, I went to Columbia University in New York, and found this to be the experience of a lifetime which opened up many doors for me.
There are organisations in Australia which help high school students to apply to college in the U.S some even offer mock SAT exams and SAT tutoring, as well as advice on writing application essays. Of course, you will have to write your own application essays, and engage in many extracurricular activieis to get into a top school like Harvard, Princeton or Yale, I can suggest EducationUSA (a government funded institiution which gives basic information about studying in the U.S.), but for more comprehensive assistance, 51UStudy is the only service provider in Australia focused on this. They are located in Melbourne.
Good luck to you!
There are organisations in Australia which help high school students to apply to college in the U.S some even offer mock SAT exams and SAT tutoring, as well as advice on writing application essays. Of course, you will have to write your own application essays, and engage in many extracurricular activieis to get into a top school like Harvard, Princeton or Yale, I can suggest EducationUSA (a government funded institiution which gives basic information about studying in the U.S.), but for more comprehensive assistance, 51UStudy is the only service provider in Australia focused on this. They are located in Melbourne.
Good luck to you!
Nico51UStudy
New Member
American universities often will permit courses from Australian universities so long as they are done under a study abroad program. You will be able to transfer credit, but other than that, credit is not often transferrable.
Becoming a transfer student is a different story though, you can definitely apply as a transfer student to schools in the U.S., actually you have a better chance of getting in to more difficult schools that way.
Good luck!
For more info regarding this, check out www.51UStudy.com.au
Becoming a transfer student is a different story though, you can definitely apply as a transfer student to schools in the U.S., actually you have a better chance of getting in to more difficult schools that way.
Good luck!
For more info regarding this, check out www.51UStudy.com.au
small bump
if anyones reading this and is interested PM me about applying. i applied a few years ago with a fair bit of prep/planning so i know a solid amount about the process. ended up deciding against going there as i didnt get into the schools i wanted and an extra 40-50k a year wasnt quite worth it to me, also i could study things i wanted to here more easily (double degree)
if anyones reading this and is interested PM me about applying. i applied a few years ago with a fair bit of prep/planning so i know a solid amount about the process. ended up deciding against going there as i didnt get into the schools i wanted and an extra 40-50k a year wasnt quite worth it to me, also i could study things i wanted to here more easily (double degree)
dannydude07
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hey man bit of an old thread but are you still open to PMing?