Hello again, people of /r/ApplyingToCollege! I am now a graduate of the College of William & Mary and the University of St. Andrews International Honors Program. I'm now pursuing a PhD in History at a different public university, also in the South.
I did an AMA here as an innocent freshman which in retrospect is too rose-tinted to be very useful, and another AMA as a rising senior that still holds up.
I've taken a bunch of History courses, have gotten really involved in Swing and Ballroom dancing on both campuses, been fairly active in student research, museum volunteering, and admissions tour guiding.
I cannot say I have a great deal of knowledge regarding admissions, but can certainly now speak even more lucidly about the university experience. So yeah, ask me anything!
High School Stats: GPA was 4.0 (95.5 unweighted) and 2060 old SAT superscored (750 English, 660 Math, 650 Writing). I took the US and World History SAT IIs as well (780 and 800 respectively). I am also an Asian male (Chinese-American) and out-of-state student.
I’ve seen people on reddit say that in UK as opposed to the US , if you meet entry requirements you’re almost guaranteed admission. I find that hard to believe, is it true tho?
Hello, international student here. I just received an offer for MSc Applied Statistics and Datamining from the university. How is the university for said course, and how is the employability for graduates who complete the degree?
Thanks in advance for any info you could provide!
Hi. I am an international aspirant for master's in HCI for 22-23. I have received an admit from City, while I wait for other admits. I would like to know which of these courses has a better ROI, considering I want to work in the industry after graduation. Also please share any other pros and cons for either of them. It would be really helpful. Thanks in advance!
Leverageeedu.com, alongside many other people and sites, state that "The overall acceptance rate for the University of Manchester is 56.1%. One needs to make sure that they have an excellent profile to apply at the University of Manchester. Only the BEST candidates get a chance to study at this prestigious university."
Aside from the blatant elitism and cringeworthy meritocratic functionalism that permeates this statement, doesn't it seem a little hypocritical? When you look at Oxbridge, Edinburgh and St. Andrews for top examples, the other universities among the Top 10 British Red Brick college bracket (with Manchester being around 6), they all have below 25% acceptance rates, with St. Andrews and Edinburgh being below 10%. This means, for a university around Top 6, which is considered extremely prestigious and full of alumni, Manchester has a much, much higher acceptance rate than the 5 below it; so much so, that it is beyond 50% of students who get accepted by applying. This is a lot, and shows that consequently, it can't be as competitive as a university, or doesn't mean you need the absolutely excellent profile or need to be the best student ever, to get in.
This is a relief, but I am confused to why people state Manchester to be such a struggle to get into, if the acceptance rate is so damn high.
But why? Why is it that arguably the 6th, 7th or 8th best UK university, has such a high acceptance rate? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this, and I think the universities considered better than it (ridiculous measurement of quality, but I digress) should follow suit.
Currently, I have AAB as my predicted grades. This is perfect for a Politics and International Relations / Politics and Modern History course at Manchester, which wants these exact grades. Therefore, with a quality application form and other quality means of applying, surely I'll be good to go, right? I need not worry about not getting accepted at a prestigious university which has such a high acceptance rate, because there is a 56% chance of me getting in?
I'm just pointing out the contradictory nature of these University advice sites, ultimately, and that we shouldn't really trust them.
I think the difficulty of getting into universities seems to be either highly exagerrated, or just misinformed altogether.
I don't know, what are you folks' thoughts?
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
Hi there! I just wanted to know if there's any seniors who applied for St Andrews and would like to share their exchange experience? Did a lot of googling but I cant seem to find much first hand experience about exchange students time there :(
It is a small town and most shops close around 5 so I'm not too sure about the nightlife and social aspect. Any advice from seniors who have been on SEP from smaller university towns would be greatly appreciated as well!
Thanks :))
I’ve seen people on reddit say that in UK as opposed to the US , if you meet entry requirements you’re almost guaranteed admission. I find that hard to believe, is it true tho?
