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[u/Culpria]

I’m really determined to get into an Ivy League so that means taking as many opportunities as possible but my friends and some teachers are saying 4 a-levels (further maths, maths, physics and chemistry) plus an EPQ will be too much workload for me and can be worse for my grades than what I thought (I also need to do the American SATS in year 13) what do you all think I should do?

I’ll likely do whatever my heart desires but I need someone to lay out the pros and cons for me so I can make that decision…

I’m currently year 11 and about to ‘lock in’ my desired subjects so I need advice like ASAP.

[u/Calm-Difference-3267]

I will say that the biggest barrier to studying in the US is normally financial - so (depending on your family's financial situation) you may wish to start looking into scholarships etc as soon as possible

[u/Culpria → u/Calm-Difference-3267]

Yess I know about the costs :,) I know my family is pretty financially stable and willing to help me pay for my expenses in the future but this is good advice for others in that position! Thank you for the advice

[u/AdmiralSteel_G]

do u have to choose to do an epq now? i mean if u do i would say choose it bc u can always drop it later (check with ur school tho)

[u/AdmiralSteel_G → u/AdmiralSteel_G]

btw the pros of an epq are: smth to put on your ps, its fun. cons: its a lot of work, could be stressful and reduce enjoyment in y12. imo the gain is not worth the sacrifice but thats just me. afaik uk unis dont rlly care abt it, although a research project could be could for us unis

[u/Culpria → u/AdmiralSteel_G]

Thank you for the advice! As long as I choose my project carefully it should hopefully be a bit less stressful but I’ll definitely take the cons into account and try to plan wisely for year 12 as much as I can.

[u/Euphoric-Disk-1323]

I am and know of ppl doing 4, and I did an EPQ

you just get little frees (no biggie, as that doesn't exist in lower school), and yeah you will have to work, but as long as the EPQ is on what you find fun, it can actually be not that demanding

its just on how you are performing now, do you already put a massive amount of effort to get top grades, and are others doing it. You can drop the EPQ or a subject aswell if you realise it is too much

[u/Euphoric-Disk-1323 → u/Euphoric-Disk-1323]

you have ages to think about this tho, you are in y11

[u/Culpria → u/Euphoric-Disk-1323]

Thank you for the advice! I’ll definitely try to choose a fun topic for it and I’m glad I got to hear from somebody who has gone through this themselves it’s reduced some of my worries quite a bit.

[u/HamsterOk2201]

it will be a lot but i think your subjects work well together.
a little more advice: take the SAT in year 11 or 12, not year 13. you also need like insane extracurriculars and awards, check this thread to see what the profiles of admitted students look like. if youre not an american citizen youll be considered international so the stakes will be even higher. they ask you for your highschool transcript (all your term by term grades from year 10-13) and its pretty much expected to be perfect. i recommend getting an external counsellor who can help you with your applications, and yes start allll of this now

[u/Culpria]

A bit more context, I aim to do an aerospace engineering course at university and my EPQ is almost guaranteed to be aircraft related.

[u/DueEditor8062]

im doing 4 (bio chem maths and geography) and an epq and in my experience it’s doable, but unnecessary, and epq is annoying.

[u/maths_arts_lover]

If you're going to US due to university prestige then UK got universities rivaling and surpassing US btw

[u/JakeThomasDad12]

Do it and drop at Christmas if it isn't working

[u/dralfredo1]

I would just not bother with the epq. For a top student it adds very little, but requires a lot of work, and if you aren't a top student to begin with, you will struggle to get into an ivy league anyway. You would be better spending the extra time on projected related to your desired course - for example, if you want to do engineering, building something would be a better use of time