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University Applications
- Thread starter opaltiger
- Start date
Valerunner
Probably shouldn't be here.
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It's more of a "closer to facilities I know" more than anything else. Plus I've been to Swansea and Cardiff, and heard good things from UWIC.
Tailsy
if the nineth lion ate the sun.
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Are you kidding, St Andrews is pretty much 90% English people?! Pretty much nobody applies there at all unless they're mega-mega-smart and will get four As at Advanced higher because it's so goddamn hard to get in with all the English people and their A-Levels.
(EDIT: Also it's really more 'what why did you apply to a Scottish uni what the hell were you thinking ?_?'. It's a really, really dumb idea to apply here if you're English or Welsh - you have to pay full tuition, unlike Scottish students and any other student in the EU.)
Harlequin
Active member
Cardiff is okay!
Oh, I see. Personally I don't like Cardiff that much. Maybe it's me.
English students have to pay full tuition fees wherever they apply, so it doesn't really matter to them. Welsh people don't tend to care about the cost so much because the majority of Welsh universities are horrible. So. Yeah!
(Also I think it's unfair that EU students get to not pay full fees. WHAT.)
goldenquagsire
Rubber dinghy rapids, bro!
also, I asked my cousin (who's applying to do a joint French and Maths course at somewhere-or-other, might be Sheffield?) and he said that joint courses aren't exactly unheard of. especially with English/History, which are the only two subjects I'd really consider beyond A-level. so at least I can stop worrying about what I want to study and can focus on getting into a decent uni!
frankly I can't stand the idea of living with my family after I turn eighteen. part of the point of uni for me is to experience a sort of 'tutorial level' for real life, where you have to worry about life-related stuff but at the same time it's harder to fuck up completely and you can still fall back on your parents if it all goes tits-up.
also, I wouldn't mind a change of scene. I've lived in this house for thirteen years and I'm tired of it now.
this is fucking retarded. :(
wonder if I could take advantage of my dual-citizenship somehow. probably not but still~
Harlequin
Active member
I, personally, couldn't live with my parents during university. I just couldn't. It's been getting harder and harder for the past year and if I added university into that...
I'm just saying, though. If I could live away but still close to home (eg Cardiff) I would be able to come home whenever I wanted and drop off washing etc.
I'm just saying, though. If I could live away but still close to home (eg Cardiff) I would be able to come home whenever I wanted and drop off washing etc.
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foreign contaminant
"tray ben," what's that mean?
wow D:
i got an 1820, which is pretty good. i'm in good standing for most of the places i'm applying to.
I got a 1780 when I didn't study at all and had forgotten everything I knew about algebra; It probably could have been better if I had cared more, but that's already higher than the average for most places I'm applying to, so I don't think I need to try any harder than that. :v Most art schools don't really give a shit if you can show a reasonable understanding of design elements and principles.
For the record, I got a 26 on the ACT. Also didn't study, hadn't even had half the math on it.
For the record, I got a 26 on the ACT. Also didn't study, hadn't even had half the math on it.
foreign contaminant
"tray ben," what's that mean?
i got a 1730 the first time having not studied, with little sleep. i got a headache in the second part of it and conked out during the reading. that was a really respectable score everywhere i wanted to apply then, bar northwestern and richmond, the latter of which is my first choice.
the second time i took it, at the beginning of last month, i studied the math nominally and brought a snack to safeguard against headaches. my reading score nearly went up 100 points; ironically, my math score was 10 points worse.
the second time i took it, at the beginning of last month, i studied the math nominally and brought a snack to safeguard against headaches. my reading score nearly went up 100 points; ironically, my math score was 10 points worse.
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This was the first time I'd taken it, and I'd be damned if I was going to expend any effort studying for the SAT, so I just went in blind. I think my main mistake was not bringing food; towards the end I was spending a lot of time fending off headaches and gazing off into space, which wasn't so good since two of the maths sections were in the last third. Really, the SAT is far more an exercise in being able to concentrate well enough to answer hundreds of inane questions in a row than anything else.
It's also a competition of "who has money to take it 9001 times until they break 2000 / who can afford fancy prep classes". It really sort of defeats the purpose if you can take it as many times as you're willing to pay the fee for.
Could they make that test any longer? I remember it being at like 8 AM on a Saturday; I'd bought a box of graham crackers so food wasn't an issue, but being tired from getting up that early on a Saturday was. I also was sitting there wondering, "when the hell does this thing end? Oh fuck me there are five more sections of this? FFFFFFFF."
At least the ACT gives each subject all at once instead of having 15 sections of the same crap over and over.
Could they make that test any longer? I remember it being at like 8 AM on a Saturday; I'd bought a box of graham crackers so food wasn't an issue, but being tired from getting up that early on a Saturday was. I also was sitting there wondering, "when the hell does this thing end? Oh fuck me there are five more sections of this? FFFFFFFF."
At least the ACT gives each subject all at once instead of having 15 sections of the same crap over and over.
foreign contaminant
"tray ben," what's that mean?
i haven't taken the ACT.. nowhere i'm applying to needs it. some need subject tests, though.. so i'm signed up for the US history and literature ones. from what i've heard, or from what the collegeboard says..
* the US history subject test is the multiple choice on the AP US exam, which i did really well on
* the literature subject test is the SAT reading section almost verbatim, which i also did really well on, apparently (better than 89% of the united states, i think?)
back to the subject of college apps, i still need to write my supplements. after i do that, i just have to request recommendations from people and pay the fees and i'll be set.
* the US history subject test is the multiple choice on the AP US exam, which i did really well on
* the literature subject test is the SAT reading section almost verbatim, which i also did really well on, apparently (better than 89% of the united states, i think?)
back to the subject of college apps, i still need to write my supplements. after i do that, i just have to request recommendations from people and pay the fees and i'll be set.
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I am appalled at the idea that literature can be assessed through a multiple choice test. Any educational system that claims literary analysis/commentary is an objective process that has set correct answers is just wrong. Wrong and harmful.
The IB English exam - which places a lot of emphasis on the idea that there are many ways of approaching a text and that, so long as you can argue them well, they are all correct - has a commentary part that requires you to write an analysis of a single poem/prose passage; you're expected to write about six pages. Similarly, the history exam demands something like ten pages. The SAT handles both of these subjects with sixty multiple choice questions. I don't know, am I the only one who finds that utterly ridiculous?
The IB English exam - which places a lot of emphasis on the idea that there are many ways of approaching a text and that, so long as you can argue them well, they are all correct - has a commentary part that requires you to write an analysis of a single poem/prose passage; you're expected to write about six pages. Similarly, the history exam demands something like ten pages. The SAT handles both of these subjects with sixty multiple choice questions. I don't know, am I the only one who finds that utterly ridiculous?
foreign contaminant
"tray ben," what's that mean?
i agree; there should be a sort of writing section. i take solace in the fact that its title is a bit of a misnomer, as it doesn't really test you on your knowledge of literature as much as it sees if you can pick out the main idea of a passage. still, even that can be argued through a formally written essay, so your point still stands. eh.. :/
in all, i think the SAT is silly. call me misinformed, but i think college should be open to anyone who wants to learn and is willing to pay fees, and shouldn't require an aptitude test.
in all, i think the SAT is silly. call me misinformed, but i think college should be open to anyone who wants to learn and is willing to pay fees, and shouldn't require an aptitude test.
Harlequin
Active member
No, I find it ridiculous as well. You can't answer questions on literature and history in the way of a multiple choice exam, unless it's a straight "Did this happen?" question... anything that requires the student to interact with and analyse a specific event or piece needs to be answered in the style of an essay.
Of course it should. The purpose of the SAT (regardless of whether or not it achieves its purpose) is to discriminate between good, bad and mediocre students. You could call me elitist, if it makes you feel better, but universities generally want students of a particular standard.
University generally requires a certain level of ability, and if you don't meet that you really shouldn't be there. I think university should be open to anyone who is as academically able enough to meet the university's requirements.
Perhaps we should measure that ability in better ways, but the point still stands that universities want students of specific ability levels.
Of course it should. The purpose of the SAT (regardless of whether or not it achieves its purpose) is to discriminate between good, bad and mediocre students. You could call me elitist, if it makes you feel better, but universities generally want students of a particular standard.
University generally requires a certain level of ability, and if you don't meet that you really shouldn't be there. I think university should be open to anyone who is as academically able enough to meet the university's requirements.
Perhaps we should measure that ability in better ways, but the point still stands that universities want students of specific ability levels.
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foreign contaminant
"tray ben," what's that mean?
yes, you're right. i'd like to think that universities could have an entrance exam specific to their school, designed however they feel is appropriate, but that would certainly create difficulties for students who don't live nearby if handled improperly. i think that's how japanese universities work.. (really, how most japanese schools work, but i'm by no means an expert on that subject).
if you really wanted to get out of the SAT, you could just apply to community college, get an associates degree, and then transfer to a university. (if you were an american student, i mean. i didn't specify earlier.)
if you really wanted to get out of the SAT, you could just apply to community college, get an associates degree, and then transfer to a university. (if you were an american student, i mean. i didn't specify earlier.)
Usually when colleges accept all (or even most) of the people who apply, they end up having a large percentage of dropouts in the first year.
My state has a program where if you meet certain (arguably pretty low) requirements with your grades and test scores, you get a scholarship that's basically a full ride to any in-state school. Thus, a whole lot of people end up going to the state university (which has low admissions standards to begin with) and dropping out after the first semester. This university has been rated "the number one party school in America", too, because half the people who go there are the people who think that college is one big frat party/football game. That's what happens when colleges have no standards.
Do note that this school has an honors program that's more selective, a lot more serious, has better teachers and a harder curriculum. Most of the people I know who have to go in-state are going for that.
My state has a program where if you meet certain (arguably pretty low) requirements with your grades and test scores, you get a scholarship that's basically a full ride to any in-state school. Thus, a whole lot of people end up going to the state university (which has low admissions standards to begin with) and dropping out after the first semester. This university has been rated "the number one party school in America", too, because half the people who go there are the people who think that college is one big frat party/football game. That's what happens when colleges have no standards.
Do note that this school has an honors program that's more selective, a lot more serious, has better teachers and a harder curriculum. Most of the people I know who have to go in-state are going for that.
EvilCrazyMonkey
will be the prettiest little girl since Zac Efron.
I'd say the SAT and ACT are pretty ridiculous, but I'm not that authoritative on the subject. :v I took the PSAT and PLAN (pre-ACT) with the rest of the sophomore class of my school. They sucked pretty bad but apparently the actual ones are harder, longer, and less likeable. :(
And, like, most of our school goes to university in-state. You have most at a community college or at the state university or one about 90 minutes away and a few a good four to five hours away. The bad thing is that while our school does offer AP credits that are (supposedly) good for any college in the US, they barely offer those, choosing PACE instead, which is only good in-state. So, we're doomed to begin with.
Anyway, I'd like to go to college in New York. Like, NYU or Columbia would be nice. I also wouldn't mind Toronto University. I don't think it really matters to me /where/ I go, as long as it's far away. I could never stay here in Podunk, SC. Eww. The mere thought sends violent shivers running through my spine.
And, like, most of our school goes to university in-state. You have most at a community college or at the state university or one about 90 minutes away and a few a good four to five hours away. The bad thing is that while our school does offer AP credits that are (supposedly) good for any college in the US, they barely offer those, choosing PACE instead, which is only good in-state. So, we're doomed to begin with.
Anyway, I'd like to go to college in New York. Like, NYU or Columbia would be nice. I also wouldn't mind Toronto University. I don't think it really matters to me /where/ I go, as long as it's far away. I could never stay here in Podunk, SC. Eww. The mere thought sends violent shivers running through my spine.