The goal of this paper is to provide students, who wish to learn in the United States and the United Kingdom, a clear vision of the differences in how the schools address co-curricular activities within the admission processes. Although both countries boast of excellent universities, they grant different scores to the students, especially in terms of achievements in additional activities.
In the United States, universities support a comprehensive assessment model in which co-curricular activities are critical. This is because Ivy League institutions especially look for extra-ordinary accomplishments that set the candidate apart. National chess championships, or victories in the Intel competition, or founding a recognized charity counts. At this level just being a class president or a class valedictorian might not cut it.
Several levels of the US university maintain different standards of expectations. MIT and CalTech prefer science-related achievements, at the same time Duke and Notre Dame – both are Top 20 list – prefer state level achievements. Hence, although GPA is predominantly important especially in public universities, organizations which are relevant to the student’s course of study and in which the student is actively involved especially in leadership positions are valued.
On the other hand the British universities focus on the academic standards and work under a completely different philosophy. UK admission key priorities comprise the grades, personal statement of the applicant’s academic choice, tutors’ recommendation, and certain examinations. Instead of any type of extracurricular activities, the British institutions give importance to “super-curricular” activities which are linked to your course of study. For instance, students, who want to become medical students, should be engaged in internships in hospitals, whereas politics candidates may find useful to follow Members of Parliament.
For the international students who are in the process of creating their applications, knowledge of these cultural differences is invaluable. Applicants within the United States should present a distinct “spike” or specialized skill that sets him or her apart, whereas applicants within the United Kingdom should focus on subject related activities and love for the subject. So, in both cases, it is old-fashioned engagement that wins over shallower participation.
Application optimisation is the key when it comes to strategic appropriaition. To the universitites in USA, create a powerful story about your extracurricular activities that show leadership and personality change. UK institutions are interested in academic achievements and subject-specific activities; elaborate on the latter and have your personal statement reflect your passion for the subject you wish to study.
Always note that quality and requisite relevance are far more important than quantity in both systems. The best US schools are interested in finding game-changers, and possibly future leaders of the world, whereas the British universities are interested in academic specialists. International students need to do so, modifying their personal statements and selecting accomplishments for each system.
Knowledge of these differences enables international students to place themselves well for admission into their desired universities. To be successful, not only does one need to prepare for it but also learn how to present experiences properly and, most importantly, be sincere in activities that are chosen. Whether it is the broad- based American model or the specialized Britain system, any applicant who follows these cultural fits of their applications will automatically enhance their chances of achieving their dream of studying in some of the foreign universities.
– The Author is Mr. Ajay Thiara , Founder & Managing Director of 360 College Review
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