Sutton Trust US Programme 2016 – apply now!
Applications are now open for the Sutton Trust US Programme 2016, provided in partnership with the US-UK Fulbright Commission. The programme provides talented Year 12 students at state-funded schools with a taste of life at an American college. The initiative is centred on a one-week summer school at a leading US university with introductory events and application support in the UK before and after. Host campuses last year were the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Yale University.
Successful applicants will have a unique opportunity to get a taste of US culture and higher education first hand and receive personalised support if they decide to apply for their undergraduate studies at an American university. Better still, it’s free!! The Sutton Trust will cover the costs for all residential events, accommodation and travel.
58 students from the 2014 programme have recently started at 39 prestigious US universities and will receive over $14 million of financial support throughout their degrees.
The programme includes:
- A week-long visit to the States where students will get a taste of US higher education and culture
- Four UK-based residentials to receive comprehensive admissions advice from experts
- Support from a dedicated team of knowledgeable advisers throughout the process of applying for admissions and financial aid at American universities
- In-depth admissions test preparation
- Guidance for parents and teachers
- A chance to meet other UK students interested in studying in the US
To be eligible to apply, you must:
- Be in Year 12 or equivalent (e.g. S5 in Scotland)
- Attend a state school or college
- Not hold US citizenship
- Be from a low or middle income family (generally, this will mean a household earning £45,000 per year or less)
Applicants should meet all (or most) of these criteria:
- Have earned 8 or more As or A*s at GCSE or the equivalent (e.g. for Scottish applicants, have earned 6 or more As or Bs in their S4 qualifications)
- Show commitment to the programme and interest in US culture and higher education
- Have a strong school reference
Applications are welcomed from all areas of the UK, and individuals from a broad range of ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Students will be selected based on similar criteria to those used by US universities:
- Academic performance and potential
- Extracurricular involvement, including school and community activities, work experience, paid work and other interests
- Character: leadership, service, work ethic, enthusiasm, drive to succeed
- Commitment to the programme through demonstrated interest in US higher education and culture
If you are in Year 11, you are a little ahead of the game! But if you would like to be informed when applications open for the 2017 programme (to enrol at university in 2018), please complete the Sutton Trust’s online survey.
Applications: Students should apply online by clicking this link.
Student Application Deadline: 12 noon, Wednesday 20 January 2016
School Reference Deadline: 12 noon, Friday 22 January 2016
The Fulbright Commission will also be hosting a webinar about the programme on Wednesday 2 December 2015 (4 pm – 5 pm). Be sure to tune in for more information about study in the US as well as US Programme application tips! Sign up for the webinar by clicking here.
Harvard students’ top tips for admissions interviews
The interview season is now upon us! Harvard College is unusual in that we interview every UK applicant, so after you have submitted your application you will receive an email or phone call from one of our team of alumni interviewers inviting you to meet them for a chat.
Harvard interviews are very informal and quite different from the type of interview you would get for a British university. The idea is not to test your knowledge, but to find out about you as a person, so it is more of a two-way discussion than an interview, often taking place in a public setting (e.g. café, library) and lasting no more than an hour.
Click the link below to view a six-minute video where two recent Harvard graduates, Michael Gribben and Indiana Seresin (class of 2015), talk about their experience of being interviewed.
For further interview tips, read these articles by two of our current interviewers: Vicky Leung talks about how to put your best foot forward before, during and after the interview; and veteran interviewer Frank Shields lists the sort of questions he has asked during his 40 years of interviewing.
An admissions interview is never going to be a wholly relaxing experience, but remember that your interviewer is very much looking forward to meeting you. The ideas, insights and above all the tremendous promise that applicants exude is quite stimulating for interviewers, who have already had their Harvard adventure and wish you the very best in your endeavour to become a fellow Crimson scholar.
