Early Action admits to the Class of 2020
As term comes to a close, students in Year 13 who applied ‘Early Action’ (EA) to US Colleges by the 1st November deadline have been eagerly awaiting notice of their admissions decisions. At 10pm GMT on 10th December, Harvard applicants received their decisions via the Applicant Portal with stellar results yet again for the UK. Of the 92 Early Action applicants from UK schools, 20 students (21.7%) were offered admission, compared with the global EA admission rate of 14.9% (918 offered admission out of 6,173 applicants).
Congratulations to all UK admits! Remember that offers of admission made to EA applicants to Harvard are not binding – you may continue to apply to other US colleges by the regular deadline (early January for most colleges) to see if you get any further offers, and then make a final decision by 1st May. In previous years, offers of admission to Harvard have proved irresistible to most UK students, with almost a 100% take-up rate.
If you are applying to Harvard by the Regular Action deadline (1st January), you will receive a decision at the end of March. Remember that most offers of admission are made at that time so your chances of getting in are just as good as for EA applicants.
School visits
A very warm welcome to those of you who signed up for the newsletter following our presentations this term at the following schools:
- St Olave’s Grammar School, Orpington, Kent
- Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
- Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre, London E6
- Trinity School, Carlisle
- Cardinal Newman College, Preston
- Ysgol Gyfun Bro Morgannwg, Barry, South Wales
- The Judd School, Tonbridge, Kent
- Burlington Danes Academy, London W12
- The Royal Latin School, Buckingham
We are now in the process of organising a programme of school visits for the Spring and Summer Terms. If your school would like a visit from one of the Harvard Outreach Team to hear our presentation entitled Study in the USA – the Application Process Demystified, then please email the school visits co-ordinator,
Stuart Gordon at s.gordon@post.harvard.edu.
Our target schools are state-funded schools and colleges that regularly send their students to Russell Group universities in the UK, but do not have a tradition of sending students to US colleges and would like to know more about the process.
We welcome requests from any part of the UK, particularly those regions we have not visited before. So far we have not made visits to any schools in North East England further north than Leeds, so if your school is in North Yorkshire, Durham, Teeside, or Northumberland, we will be pleased to hear from you.
If you are applying to US colleges, what should you be doing now?
Year 13
The Regular Action deadline for applications to most colleges is early January, so you should now be in the final stages of gathering together the various components of your application, ready to send off before the deadline. Check your Common App. online to make sure that your nominated referees have submitted their reports. If not, chase them up urgently. It’s a good idea to submit all your applications before Christmas so you can enjoy the holidays in the knowledge that they are all safely with the relevant admissions offices. If you are a high achieving student from a state funded school, or from a family where no one has been to university before, we very much hope that you have included Harvard as one of your choices, as we particularly welcome applications from these groups.
Year 12
If you fulfil the criteria for the Sutton Trust US Programme (see November newsletter), submit your application without delay. It is a fantastic opportunity that includes a one week summer school in the US and four residential weekends in the UK. If you are accepted, you will not only have the time of your life, but also receive excellent support throughout the application process that will help your chances of being offered a place at a US college.
Applications: Students should apply online at http://us.suttontrust.com/apply/
Student Application Deadline: 12 noon, Wednesday 20 January 2016
School Reference Deadline: 12 noon, Friday 22 January 2016
Otherwise, keep up your practice schedule for the SAT or ACT over the next few months and aim to take the tests in the Spring of 2016.
Year 11
Top priority this year is to work hard so that you get excellent results in your GCSEs next summer. You should also spend time developing your extracurricular activities and pursuits (in any field), as US colleges are just as interested in your extracurricular achievements as in your academic ability.
Also, it’s not too early to start thinking about doing some kind of work experience and/or community service next summer before you start your A Levels. This will stand you in good stead for both UK and US university applications, as it will show your dedication and initiative.
Merry Christmas!
We wish all of our subscribers a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. See you all in 2016!
