Cambridge University

Just curious if anyone on this site is attending or knows an American attending Cambridge University.  What was their experience in applying?  We moved here this summer to Ely, and have started looking for UK schools for my son for next fall. 
I inquired at Cambridge, and have in writing from them "The University has found that students who have been schooled in North
America lack certain of the skills that are essential to the academic
system in Cambridge."
We applied anyway as my son met all the test scores / requirements.  We thought he had done splendidly in the interviews, and was turned down flat...Didn't even progress to the pool applicants.
I'm so turned off by the UK at this point...I wonder if American students are finding it problematic to get into university here??  Have also applied to St. Andrews and Warwick; if anyone has any suggestions for more good schools here I'd appreciate it.  Also, any input on the American Schools in Europe system?  Thanks..

Cambridge is very very difficult to get in.  I know families who start hot-housing their kids in primary school in order to get them in Oxford or Cambridge.  I wouldn't be turned off by the whole of the UK just because of this. 

Have you applied through UCAS?  http://www.ucas.com/  There's loads of information there.  Also you can buy good University Guides in bookshops.  We have the Virgin one and have found it to be very useful. 

The Cambridge thing is only one of a series of experiences since I've arrived...Reference Cambridge, the fact that all North American students are lumped together as inadequate is appalling to me.
I think the disparity between the haves and the have nots is what I dislike most about England.  I have lived in mainland Europe for 14 years, and never was so uncomfortable as I am here. 
I have done everything to give it a go...Enrolled my younger son (13) in the local school, and finally last week withdrew him after 5 months.  They were literally coloring at school; he had not one homework assignment.  The alternative to this school was a private one at 15,000 GBP per year.
The crime rate is appalling, cost of living impossible, driving extremely dangerous.  Hindsight is 20-20, but if I knew then what I know now I never would come here again.

I'm with Mindy...Cambridge (and Oxford) are special cases and are amazingly difficult to get into, even for Brits.  Trust me, the whole of the UK is not like that and I'm sure your son will get into an excellent uni, even if it's not Oxbridge.  There are plenty of good universities to check out in the UK- in addition to the resources that Mindy suggested, I know the Guardian newspaper publishes rankings and profiles of UK unis.

Suggestions of good unis off the top of my head (other than the ones you've already mentioned):
Durham
LSE
UCL
King's
Edinburgh
Manchester
York
Sheffield
....plus lots more

fwiw, I'm American and have had no problems getting into a study abroad program in the UK during my undergraduate studies or a full-fledged master's degree program after that (which is what I'm currently doing in the UK.)

edited to add: oh, tell your son to check out the website http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk.  There are plenty of American students there applying to UK universities/attending UK universities- he might be able to learn from their experiences.

What kind of school has your son been attending?
They do have a national curriculum they have to follow....maybe you shd follow up with the headmaster/mistress based on what you have written.

You shd be able to choose another school for him, even in another district if there is that option.  I know the private schools are out of reach for most of us, which is a shame.  Occasionally, they do offer scholarships, perhaps that would be something to look into?

I hope things start to look up for you, or you get to move back to Europe (I wouldn't mind that myself....love it there). Best wishes

The Cambridge thing is only one of a series of experiences since I've arrived...Reference Cambridge, the fact that all North American students are lumped together as inadequate is appalling to me.

The fact that he got as far as the interview stage is really good.  If they weren't seriously considering him he wouldn't have even gotten that far.  My daughter is going through the process of applying for Uni and it's stressful for everybody. 

Is applying as a foriegn student?  Is that why you didn't apply through UCAS?

As far as the other stuff, it's early days.  Things might get better as you adjust to it. 

I think the disparity between the haves and the have nots is what I dislike most about England.  I have lived in mainland Europe for 14 years, and never was so uncomfortable as I am here. 

Being used to continental egalitarianism, I think your son would feel pretty uncomfortable at an elitist establishment like Cambridge anyhow. Consider it a narrow escape!  What subject is he hoping to study? There are many other universities with excellent reputations in various subjects, as has already been mentioned, eg Bristol for medicine, LSE & Kings for law.

Being used to continental egalitarianism, I think your son would feel pretty uncomfortable at an elitist establishment like Cambridge anyhow. Consider it a narrow escape!  What subject is he hoping to study? There are many other universities with excellent reputations in various subjects, as has already been mentioned, eg Bristol for medicine, LSE & Kings for law.

 :)I loved your response...Have been in such a lousy mood over this, didn't think I could laugh about it yet!  He's trying to go for Social / Political Science...Thanks!

I'm studying law at the University of Manchester and my husband got his degree from here in Politics and Modern History.

They always tell us that we're "right behind" Oxbridge but I think they say that at all non-Oxbridge unis.    I do know that we're top 10-ish.

Also, I would look into things like class size and hours spent per week in class.  Not all rankings take those sorts of thing into account. 

For what it's worth, we seem to catch a lot of didn't-get-into-oxfords.

And now I'm finished cheerleading for Manchester!  Good luck.  If your son's bright enough to get interviewed, he's in a pretty small percentage anyway and I'm sure it will work out for him.

I got interviewed for Cambridge then didn't get offered a place, so obviusly their standards are extremely warped.... 

Vicky

I know plenty of people who have been turned down by Cambridge and Oxford (myself included) - both can be very difficult to get into. In my school year, 10 people applied and only 2 got accepted (one to each university).

I know of people who have applied, been turned down and then got 4 A's at A-level and I also know of people who have been offered a place because they have connections (i.e. their sibling is studying in the same college) and have made themselves known to the department/college by taking time off school to sit in on lectures at the university!

The thing with Oxford and Cambridge is that they don't just consider test scores and grades, they also offer places based on how well they think you will fit in or if you are likely to cope with the work. The decision is based on character as well as academic ability, so you could be a brilliant academic, but the university may feel that your personality is not right for them and so turn you down.

Even 'the best mathematician my high school had ever seen' (and my high school is 400 years old) got turned down by Cambridge - they had to petition to get them to reconsider!

My daughter has recently applied to universities here through UCAS, and so far it seems like a pretty good way to go (less stressful on the whole than the U.S. application process.

I've told this story before, but she came here at age 17, which is a dreadful time to slot into the U.K. education system. She was able to graduate a year early in the U.S., but we were told that U.K. admissions would only be interested in A.P. test scores of American applicants: GPAs and SAT scores mean absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, her American high school was an alternative school that did not offer A.P. courses. She took some A.P exams anyway, without having taken the classes, and did okay but not up to Oxbridge standards. She enrolled in a one-year A-level program at a crap 6th-form school here, and she's just finished her A.S. exams. So far she's had two provisional offers, from Durham and Leeds, and one flat-out rejection, from Birmingham. She's still waiting to hear from three other universities. Cambridge and Oxford were not even an option with her American background (stong but irrelevant) and scant A.P. dossier. I'm not sure she would have been comfortable at Oxbridge. My husband went to Cambridge and certainly his humble background did not prepare him for a lot of the social aspects of the school. It's hard knowing we've limited her options by making this move at this critical point, but she wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Is your son doing an A-level course, or did he graduate from an American school? Is he being judged on his A.P. results? And has he heard from Warwick or St. Andrews? I was visiting a friend in St. Andrews two weeks ago, and what a fabulous place that is!

It sounds like my daughter and your son are going through the same process. I'm interested to know what you and he decide in the end. Good luck!

Thanks for the nice post...It does help to know that other people are going through the same thing!
My son was accepted at Andrews and got a conditional at York...Still waiting on a few other responses.  I heard through the grapevine that Andrews is in financial difficulty - they filed bankruptcy not long ago, sold one of their best buildings and are considering selling another.  Did you hear anything like this?