I have a question about university - US student to UK

I am currently a student in California. I would be interested in going to college in the UK, but I don't even know where to start. I would be interested in studying english lit or philosophy. One of my fears is that US standards are not competitive enough for UK universities.

I am currently a student in California. I would be interested in going to college in the UK, but I don't even know where to start. I would be interested in studying english lit or philosophy. One of my fears is that US standards are not competitive enough for UK universities.

quite the opposite! UK unis definitely like taking American students due to the intentional fees.

for a top uni you will need at least 3 APs 4-5 and an SAT of around 1300 minimum.

PM me and i can explain anything further if you wish

Ok I would love to learn more but slight problem, I don't know what PM means. I've only been on this site for about twenty minutes. Also I don't know if saying that I'm for California made me seem rich but I'm not. I'm a first gen american. I would be counting on scholarships and bank loans to get through university.

I would be counting on scholarships and bank loans to get through university.

yes I have Italian citezenship

That hugely changes things. I think you need to check the rules for EU citizens applying to study in the UK (there are different funding arrangements for Scotland and England) and whether you qualify for subsidised fees without being a resident in the EU.

Some other things to consider:
1. UK degrees are generally much less flexible than US ones and there may be little or no opportunity to change. So by the time you apply, you need to know exactly what course you want to do.
2. The UK application process is much simpler than the US process. You may apply for a maximum of 5 universities and you do this online using the common application system, UCAS. Compared with the USA a maximum of 5 places may sound very few but universities publish their acceptance criteria. This doesn’t guarantee you’ll get in even if you meet them, nor does it mean that you’ll be rejected if you fall slightly short, but at least you have a pretty good idea of what is required for any particular course at any particular university.The UCAS process is far cheaper than applying the US as it costs around $30 for all 5 applications combined!A few universities or courses may have extra requirements (especially for the competitive courses like medicine or anything at Oxbridge) but broadly UCAS really is a common app.
3. UK universities really don’t care about your extra-curriculars at all except to the extent that they are directly relevant to your course of study. So you happen to have played at Carnegie hall or have an Olympic gold medal? Utterly irrelevant if you are applying for philosophy?
4. All students who apply before 15 Jan (I think) have to be considered equally. (Oxbridge deadline is much earlier - 15 October or before if you are overseas) However, it the time taken to reply can vary enormously. Universities have until May to make a decision. So if you reply in say October , you might get a response in November - or in May of the following year.
5. UK courses are far more exam based and there is much less in the way of “continuing assessment.” Not necessarily a strength or weakness just a difference to be aware of.
6. There is very little in the way of scholarships or reduced tuition fees. Very broadly, going instate in the US is probably going to be cheaper than the UK but going out of state or to a private college in the US (with no financial assistance) is going to be more expensive.
7. Scottish degrees are 4 years (and offer a little motor flexibility) while English degrees are 3 years.

Ok, I’ve made some very broad statements and there definitely are exceptions but hopefully this will give you something of an idea of some of the differences.

I think you have to be resident in the EU to qualify. Holding a brutish passport or EU doesn’t automatically mean you can access funding if you don’t live there.