University Orientation

1. University Counselling Presentation of Higher Education opportunities outside France.

2. University Counselling 2007/8 This year out of a total cohort of 63 students the following have made application to universities outside France: 29 for Britain 5 for Canada 4 for USA 3 for Ireland 1 for Switzer land All of the above will be making applications here in France and several of the above have made multiple international applications such as Britain/Canada/USA/ France.

3. Why? 2005 Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2005/ARWU2005_Top100.htm) In the top 100 of an international ranking of universities there were: 57 US 11 British 5 Japanese 5German 4 Swedish 3 French In the top 10 European universities there were: 5 British 1 Swiss 1 Dutch 1 Swedish 1 Danish 1 French

4. Te students 2007/8 Universities applied and offers made from : Cambridge Imperial College University College London School of Economics University of Edinburgh University of Birmingham University of Manchester University of Warwick University of Bristol University of the Arts

5. Subject Specialisation 3 years of study to obtain a BSc or BA in a diverse range of subjects: Actuarial Sciences Arabic and Spanish Biomedical Engineering English Literature Environmental Science European Law Fashion and Design International Relations and Spanish International Business and Chinese

6. How to choose a university Field of study General reputation Location Costs (tuition and other) Quality of life (social, sportive, cultural, culinary)

7. Applying to a university in Great Britain In Britain one applies to a specific programme. Programmes of study Three or four year (Honours) Joint or Combined BA, Bsc, LLB With a sandwich year (year out) or gap year (year off before starting)

8. UCAS application procedure See(www.ucas.co.uk) Centralised web based application service OCT. 15 deadline for Oxford/Cambridge and medical sciences JAN.15 deadline for all apart from some art courses Five applications possible to six different universities or courses.

9. Offers Made through UCAS on-line application service (Apply) Most are conditional Top schools and subjects in high demand will expect 15+ Difficult schools 14+ especially for Law, economics. Good schools 12+

10. Acceptances Necessary to select one and keep one in reserve by May/June. The others are rejected. It is strongly recommended that the students visit their universities before making their final choice.

11. COSTS For EU citizens resident for past 3 years in EU, same as for a British citizen in Britain. The exception is Scotland where an EU citizens resident for past 3 years in EU is treated the same as a Scottish student resident in Britian for past 3 years. Standard tuition charge is £3,000+ a year This is to be paid within a 25 year period after completing the studies only if the student has reached a salary of £15,000. I f a student were on the average British graduate starting salary of £18,000 they would pay back £5.19 a week . Also accomodation and other costs will require up to an additional £5,000. Note: A large part of students do work during their studies.

13. COSTS Vary according to the university but allow $25,000+ for the private universities. Financial aid although mainly restricted to US residents is available especially after the first year.

14. Application procedures Vary greatly from one university to another. Some allow a common application. Contact the university directly to get the application form. DEADLINES vary greatly Early decision – by October Regular- December to March. Application costs vary and can be up to $300. Number of applications is unlimited.

15. SATs Students are responsible for taking the SAT examinations as required by the schools they are applying to. Log onto www.collegeboard.com for information about the tests, test centres and dates. The CSI is an examination centre in October, December and January.

16. TOEFL TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Often required of non-American citizens. It can only be taken on a computer at designated centres. The CSI is not a centre. See www.toefl.org

17. Acceptances Often received in April and are usually independent of the bac results.

19. Applying to university in Ireland A common application procedure similar to UCAS for Britain. Tuition fees for EU students. See www.cao.ie

20. Applying to Australia Very much like the US for the application system and Britain for the academic system .

21. GAP Year Take a year out ? Advantages/Disadvantages? What to do about the application?