Son raised in US applying to UK unis - any recs for a 'consultant'/ service to help?

[Expatmum2023]

Hi all

My son wants to apply to UK unis from the States where we live right now and where he's mostly gone to school apart from a few stints in Italy. (I grew up in the UK and went to UK unis but am sure a lot has changed since the dinosaurs roamed ..) I need someone/a consultant to guide him through the process, in particular someone who knows how various subjects are taught in various places. E.g. if you like hands on engineering go to X, whereas more theoretical go to Y. There seem to be lots of 'consultants' online but I have no clue who is good or bad.. Has anyone used them? I'm looking for something that won't break the bank but will be active in hold his feet to the fire so to speak in terms of writing the essay and turning things in on time.. Better I outsource this and preserve my mum-son relationship (: he's that kind of kid.. Thanks all

UCAS lists all the universities and courses so maybe start there.

https://www.ucas.com/international/international-students/applying-university-international-student/entry-requirements-uk-courses

The second link is for US/UK equivalencies. Does he have AP classes?

https://www.theprofs.co.uk/student-resources/university-applications/uk-to-us-grade-conversion-table-everything-you-need-to-know/#UK-US

Most US universities will be cheaper than the UK international fee (and some cheaper than the domestic fee too). The Ivys are expensive, but with only 3% of applications to Harvard being successful, it's almost a lottery. Edit to add I looked up Oxbridge, it averages a 20% success rate, for kids who really know what that want to do.

Warwick for example will charge international student £30k pa, which is about the same as a non-state US application to a public university. And you'll know in state applications will be cheaper again. And without AP classes and a clear decision on major, your DS will be lost in the UK system. Even a foundation year will make him choose now if he wants science, humanities or business.

While Harvard tuition may be $90k the actual average tuition paid is way lower did to aid and I’m not really reading much that signage your son is Harvard material so I’m not sure why you’re using that as the yardstick, I’m sure you state university is way cheaper than $90k.

OP's son is at a top prep, which is basically the US equivalent of a top public school here (Eton et al). Unless he's on a scholarship, I'm sure she can afford full Harvard fees if he managed to get in.

Are you aware of the JDP program between William & Mary & St Andrews. Might not be what he wants but is very popular - and enables kids to do a mix in any order they like. Often kids will start at St A - and then decide to swap to being a FT St A student. But it does give some flexibility if he decides he doesn’t like being in the uk.

This is not quite right. In state tuition plus accommodation and expenses in places like California for instance, at the better in-state options (Berkeley, UCLA, Santa Barbara, Irvine, Davis and San Diego) comes to $40-45k per year. It is much cheaper at some other in-state colleges where accommodation is at less of a premium, but the quality of education definitely varies.

Multiply that by 4 yrs and you're paying $160K, conservatively, more likely $200K

If you are paying International Fees in the UK they vary from the low 20k UK sterling (Cardiff, Liverpool, UEA) to about 30k sterling at the better RG's (I am not counting Oxford which has recently gone thru the roof fees wise, especially for medicine).

If you pay for 3 yrs in the UK it actually works out lower at about $140-150k but that's not including flights. Having said that, many families with frequent flyer parents who travel for business get cheap flights. I've flown Business class from Los Angeles to London for $5 round trip, more than once.

OP here. I came looking for names of good consultants/agents who might provide the more in depth knowledge about specific courses in the Uk and their requirements for a US student/good/bad fit for certain courses, and a bit of help tailoring for UK unis his already written (for US unis) essays. And names of bad ones to avoid.

Instead I'm a bit disappointed to be honest.

• I've had people explain both systems to me (obviously I know them in depth),
• question why he should have help (this is not what I came here for),
• imply I am a bad parent for getting him help, that he should sink or swim,
• imply that he won't do well in the UK (because I'm asking for assistance at the application stage- you have no idea of my family or what his other commitments are.
• insinuate I was trying to 'get a leg up' to game the system by the use of a consultant (bizarre).
• throw money at the problem ("like Americans do" - I'm not American but I see the blanket looking down on Americans that I didn't particularly care for when I was in the UK is alive and well.
• tell me over and over that 'we don't use consultants in the UK' and
• imply he is or isn't Harvard or Oxford or whatever material
• that he doesn't have the APs required (he does - took them by himself -self starter yes in this)

He is overwhelmed by the dozen or so US applications, each of which take a long time to write, each with individual essays and some supplementary essays for the course of study. Hence I was looking for someone to make the UK process a little easier for him because they might have knowledge of how individual courses are taught in each uni and also know the attitude of each uni towards US students with his mix of some APS, high Sat etc.

Most of the answers have been preachy and way off topic. Those who answered with useful info - thank you very much for taking the time.

If you have no experience of consultants then don't post. I did not come here for lectures on all the above.

Wow.

Someone has got out of bed the wrong side this morning.

You didn't give much of an idea about your son, your family, your son's education. Are we supposed to by psychic?

I have found 2 reliable consultants and am picking between them. I too think the Scottish system (or Cambridge with the broader natsci) would suit him. He doesn't have 5 APs which Cambridge require even if he's taking a few more in his last year, so we'll be looking more at Scotland and keeping doors open about any other UK unis the consultants recommend. Thank you to the person who suggested the Glasgow foreign parents facebook group. I'll look for similar ones for other unis. Over and out.

She did actually, very early on she mentioned everything.

I gave you names. Two names, one of a. us consultant who specializes in applications to the UK and another based in Oxford.

You never even acknowledged these or said thank you.

The mistake you also made was engaging with people who questioned your kid's ability to cope with UK universities. You really just have to ignore them.

I've just reread the OP and I can't see it. But I have not had coffee yet.

😅Well my comment about there being snippy posters on the higher ed threads holds true!

OP I'm looking for something that won't break the bank but will be active in hold his feet to the fire so to speak in terms of writing the essay and turning things in on time.. This comment was what made me think that the OP was unfamiliar with UK Universities and consultants.

Here a direct cut and paste from Oxford Uni website
”Under new UK legislation, providing or using professional essay writing services, or 'essay mills', is now a criminal offence”. Here’s the link to the page https://academic.admin.ox.ac.uk/article/essay-writing-services-now-illegal#:~:text=Under%20new%20UK%20legislation%2C%20providing,is%20now%20a%20criminal%20offence.

OP you are rude.

You say you know the system, in which case you wouldn’t need a consultant. You insisted you wanted people to help you find someone to assist your son’s essays. You obviously don’t know the system otherwise you would know these are banned.

your subsequent info about him having basically no idea what subject he wants to do also suggests you know little of the system as you should know it’s mainly single system here.

Good luck to your son, I hope he finds to transition to the UK ok if he comes here as he will be surrounded by self starters, especially at well known unis. Those I saw fail were those who’s parents usually bought the students way through life for them and a degree can’t be bought, they have to work and so I hope this is instilled in him by you

broken record

I must admit I was puzzled by the mention of ‘essays’ in the context of the U.K. university application process…maybe relevant to some Oxbridge arts/humanities courses but that didn’t seem to be the area of interest.

A UK site with predominantly UK parents on it isn’t the best place to find first hand experience of consultants for US children though.

Most of the answers have been preachy and way off topic. Those who answered with useful info - thank you very much for taking the time.
If you have no experience of consultants then don't post. I did not come here for lectures on all the above.

I'm a UK academic at a top ranked university in the Humanities, so can't speak with more than generalist collegial knowledge of STEM. I've also taught Humanities in the US and other countries, so I'm aware of the more broad-ranging curriculum in the 4 year US degree.

I suggest that instead of being snippy you mine this MN forum for all the experience & knowledge that exists here. Most posters have DC going through university in the UK, or like me, teach at UK universities. There is a wealth of knowledge.

The UCAS website is also very searchable, so put in the variables of what your DS wants, and see what it throws up.

Consultants are not a thing in the UK. The better/richer schools do a good job in trying to match pupils with likely institutions. The rest sink or swim, but use this forum, and The Student Room, to help.

It would help if you could tell us roughly the area of his general ambitions for a degree. There is so much knowledge in this forum from parents & academics, you should use it, instead of being snippy.

Also, where does he think he'd like to live post graduation? And what might he want to do? I would always advise that if a UK student wants to study in the US but work & live ultimately in the UK, they should g to the best university their grades & interview permit in the UK, and which offers the opportunity for a year abroad at a highly-ranked US school ( eg. we send ours to UT (Austin) which has the top ranked department in my discipline).

My advice for your DS is similar but vice versa. If he thinks he wants to return to work in the US, pick the best US school his grades & essays & extra-curriculars allow, and one which offers a year abroad. DD of a US friend was at a v good NYC school (Barnard) which offered a year in Oxford, for example.

The 4 year broad-based US degree is very like an Australian degree, and both are based on the Scottish system, so that might be a place to focus.

Believe me, consultants are a US thing. And if you're paying for a prep like Groton or Andover, I'm surprised they can't guide you. I've done consulting work in Hong Kong, where there's a huge & mobile international community & the schools there are very active in getting good international information for their pupils (why I was there, actually).

It is a very different system, but for UK citizens, rather less daunting than the US applications as applicants have only 5 choices, via UCAS. Pupils here in the UK (as you might remember) only study 3 subjects at A Level, and that is much closer to a freshman year in the US. Have you thought of him doing his Freshman year in the US, to get his bearings, and then applying for UK courses? I find when I teach US exchange/year abroad students, they come to us as Juniors, but we place them in our second year courses - they're about a year behind generally - but they all end up pretty much even.

I think you may have to do some research of your own - for free! - to have ready suggestions for him. It's great you've already been to some of the universities so he has a feel for where he would spend 3 years away from his familiar support network. And you must be proud of him that he's "Harvard material" but that won't necessarily get him a place at a top UK university ... it's a different process. We're not particularly interested in all the "citizenship" and "leadership" stuff. It's the ability & potential for critical thinking we're looking for.

That’s wonderful. Gently, however, Bristol will have more flex than Oxford or Imperial

As PP know most with questions about universities, especially if they are looking for flex, routinely provide subjects and grades.

I don’t know what the OP was hoping to hear about Oxford and Imperial but I have a feeling the fuller picture was not what she expected.

I thought the information to focus on Scotland was incredibly useful and I thought the leads to sites where consultants could be found were excellent.

TBF I think it is fine, although unnecessary, to be asking about consultants. We really only use them to maintain good relations with certain governments and parents use them to help with language and cultural barriers, the way some employ an immigration lawyer.

Consultants in the UK just help match students with appropriate places. Good ones learn about matching Teaching and Learning styles. They stay on top of who is in trouble with their Overseas targets and willing to flex (never Oxbridge or Imperial). So they do perform a function for families.

But they certainly do not negotiate deals and in terms of standards the most they can do is tinker at the margins (when the fit feels right - the good ones care about their credibility) in a bad year. Of course if it is your DC, it feels like a miracle.

Pre-Brexit there used to be a couple of educational consultants based in France asking questions on this board on behalf of their clients. I can't see why the same would not exist for US students thinking of studying in the UK.

Different systems, and without school and parental experience to advice it is difficult.

I hope someone comes up with some good suggestions.

Universities are very keen to attract overseas students, and entry requirements, even for places like Oxford, can be attractive. I wound up showing an Asian friend and her son around London Universities, and admissions departments were more than happy to talk, even to drop-ins. (The son went to Kings in the end. HIs predictions were not quite good enough for law, so he was accepted for politics. His actually results were better but he opted not to try and switch.)

My suggestion would be for him/you to speak to a few Universities (Imperial, St Andrews etc) early on to see what they are saying. If they are unsure about what offers they might make on the sort of result metrics he can offer (particularly if he is aiming for a more technical course) instead of opting for a foundation year, I would consider A levels in a year at somewhere like DLD college or Ashbourne. The work pace would be fast but he would enter with the same background knowledge as his peers. The UK is bizarre in that plenty have spent their final two school years just studying maths and physics, or maths and economics.

I am not very familiar with which the good consultants might be, but would suggest when assessing whether a consultant can provide you with suitable advice, you do some initial research so you have a clear idea of what you need to know and whether the package proposed by a consultant addresses those specific things.

So on the subject of essays, no consultant will really be able to provide you with very good guidance. Outside Oxford and Cambridge, and even for some courses at those universities, essays are not required. The requirement for writing a brief 'essay' for the personal statement has been changed to answering four questions, and as this is new, no consultant will be able to speak with reference to experience on what courses / universities will look for or what weight those that look at them (which will have changed from previous years) will give these questions. So I would be wary about consultants who make big claims around content here. A good consultant would be honest with you about this being uncharted territory right now and be able to explain how they have come to any recommendations they are making in light of this.

On that, given the subjects your DS is interested in, a more useful area where a consultant might provide guidance is on whether the courses he is interested in require or recommend any additional tests for entry, e.g., ESAT, TMUA, how different universities might view an application from an international student who has not taken these additional tests (if he is very lacking in time to study for and take them) and, if he does need to take them, how and when to sign up for these exams and take them and how he might approach studying for the exams, including what resources are available to help him, given that they explicitly or implicitly use knowledge that students commonly gain while studying for A Levels. These things are not difficult to find out, as most things are not because there is much less flexibility in the UK system than in the US, but it's an evolving area, particularly with the expansion of TMUA, and it can be time consuming to research them to find up-to-date information if you are in a somewhat atypical position, as international students who have not taken A Levels are.

Tbf @Expatmum2023 you don’t get to say what people can post in reply to your thread. No one here has been abusive or particularly rude. Some people have questioned some points, basing this on what info you have shared. We can’t know about factors you choose not to mention.

Many people have said that using a consultant is not a thing commonly done in the UK. That’s a valid comment. I know a lot of YP who have gone through UCAS and none have used one. I really think a consultant will just ask the kinds of questions lots of us have on this thread. If you know well how the UCAS system works (that wasn’t obvious from your OP sorry) then I am not sure what the issue is.

Wrt the essay(s) you keep mentioning – do you mean essays written as part of the degree (as some PPs have taken it)? I took it to mean essays for the UCAS application, which, as a number of ppl have mentioned, is not a thing. There’s the PS but even that is changing, and it shouldn’t be a source of stress. Nor should someone else write it for the student. Good post about this from @Phphion

People have tried to help you and I agree with @ParmaVioletTea (and indeed I posted as much) that there is a wealth of knowledge on this board of specific unis – so if you ask, there’s probably someone who can help. Tho the granular level of detail in terms of knowledge of how individual courses are taught in each uni that you mention you are looking for is probably only to be had from a student currently taking that specific course. I cannot imagine any consultant will know the full detail of (say) biology at Loughborough uni or Nat sciences at Cambridge. And that’s fine.

Anyway. Instead of being a bit grumpy with PPs as your long post this morning felt to me, please feel free to come back with more targeted queries if you think we can help.

OP only just mentioned in her last post that DS will be taking more AP exams! That would have changed a lot.

Depending on subjects and grades he has every chance to meet Oxford and Imperial requirements, though I am not sure either sounds like a particularly good fit. Scotland still sounds better.

Oh yes, absolutely!

There are consultants in the UK, especially for students coming from abroad - no it's not common for UK students to use them but they definitely exist!

OP one of the bigger/more reputable tutoring agencies should be able to suggest some names, try contacting Bonas MacFarlane.