American Student in France : Applying for Colleges in the USA

Student Lounge International Students
1

Hi, here’s my situation!

Quick facts:

I was born in the U.S.
I’m eighteen years old.
I’m an American citizen.
I received american education for fourteen years before moving to France.
I started learning French (officially) when I was fourteen.
I’m the only American at my school.
I’ve completed 4ème, 3ème, 2e, 1ère.
I have two residencies : one in France, one in the US.
I spend my summers and holidays in the US. For my academic year, I reside in France.

Stats: I’m currently enrolled in an (unorthodox) french high school in France. I’ll be graduating next year under the assumption that I’ll be passing the BAC.

Stats:

Incoming T-L, option mathematiques : I’ll taking the rest of the tests that will earn me a french diploma this year.
Tests completed in Première:
TPE: 17 / 20
Science: 14 / 20
French Oral : 14 / 20
Overall average (Première) : 14.5 (approx) with felicitations.
DELF (language proficiency) : B2
Brevet (mention: assez bien)

Do I apply as an international student?
Will colleges look at my transcripts differently, given the fact that French isn’t my first language?
Do I stand a chance against perfect 4.0’s?
Is the baccalaureate (France) valued more or less than the SAT’s / ACT’s?

Thank you!

2

It’s hard without your SAT and ACT. But you have a unique story, so I think your chances are good for NYU, Univ of Washington. Georgetown and JHU and UCLA are reaches for all.

3

Are you a rising TL? If so, you’re very late in taking tests. You’d need to schedule to retake the SAT or act (depending on which one you score best) and subject tests - based on your preparation above, I’d strongly suggest English Literature and Spanish.
How are you doing on your practice tests?
Are your parents considered the resident of a state and if so which one?
What’s their budget for your college? Have they set money aside for you?

They’ve been trying to make the average for French Literature closer to 10. If you found Literature hard and strictly graded, prepare for philosophy, where 70% get below a 10 (they’re trying to improve that by encouraging evaluators to have a 10 average per packet. ) Since philosophy is a high coef, as is French Literature, not sure you should stick with the Spanish Literature idea when you register for the bac (in november when you register for your bac exams, you don’t have to register for the exact classes you take, so that you could take Spanish lit classes and register for English lit on the bac), as a 20 in English would certainly alleviate your French literature result and provide a cushion in case of a below-7 philosophy grade.

It’ll also help with NYU which can admit you on the strength of your bac de premiere results and predicted mention (no SAT). Needless to say with a 20 coef 8 you’d need to really really mess up elsewhere for them to predict something else than mention B or TB.
Note that NYU doesn’t meet Ned and is likely to expect 25-40,000 a year from you. Will you parents ok with that?

Not having any EC is going to be a problem.

I thought you were only allowed to apply to one sciences po dual degree program?

UWash will cost around 50k a year. UCs will be 60k a year. They have no financial aid, unless you happen to be a resident of the State (ie,., graduates HS there and/or parents pay taxes there.)

Your list is very odd and probbaly ebxause you dont have much information about us colleges. Do you have a Princeton Review’s best colleges, or a Fiske guide 2018? If not, order one and start reading.

4

Unless you can be classified as a Ca resident somehow, the UC’s would be full pay. No financial aid for OOS students.

5

Being an internationally educated us citizen will be a boost at many colleges but it’s “all things being equal”.
Have you started on your essays?
What are your practice scores?
Do you know your EFC?
Do you speak Farsi?
Are your parents instate anywhere (= pay taxes there, have house/vote/driver’s license)?
An issue is that all of these are reaches and many do not offer financial aid.
You need to build your list from the ground up:
Two safeties - probably instate honors colleges (are you considered instate anywhere) as well as national LACs ranked 75-125 (still top 10% in the US).
3-5 matches
Then only do you add reaches such as those on your list.

Note: French results don’t mean much to Americans (outside of Expats and people used to evaluating French transcripts) but in order to make things easier, don’t put the “/20” as it’s confusing due to the cultural meaning of numbers (IE., in France a 14/20 is truly excellent, in Iran it is OK, in the US it’s a bad grade, barely passing and certainly not qualifying for any college.)

6

You can look for fellow French students’musings on tumblr at MyCollegeJourney or FrenchYalie or AFrenxhie36, or leblogdefaty. See what they did, etc.

7

I haven’t started on my essays yet - I’m struggling for a topic and I’m not too sure what to write about. I’m currently trying to write them though, it’s a work in progress.

My last practice score was a 1200 (I’ve been practicing a lot since then - my score should be higher by now. I’m at a total loss for math, it’s been about four years since I’ve been taught any of the notions.

No - My family can be classified as upper middle class though : 200K + a year. However, a lot of that goes to the apartment in Europe, as well as to education and other things.

Unless numbers count: Sadly, no.

Yes, they are. My dad is in-state. We come back during the summer.

The thing is: I’m not sure if I’m considered in-state anywhere. I do have the option of going to college in France, but the stress from high school is already driving me crazy - I can’t imagine university work. I’m going to do what you suggested - going through 75 - 125 seems like a good idea. I’m not sure whether to apply as an international student or as a domestic student… I was born in CA, I have since moved to another state. (I’ve been living in France since I was fourteen).

8

Grade conversion if that helps anyone! (Please, I really do need help).

THF 18.00 - 20.00 Très Honorable avec Felicitations du Jury (Highly Honorable with Praise)
Equivalent: A+ - relatively rare

TB 16.00 - 17.99 Très Bien (Very Good - Highest Honors)
Equivalent: A+

B 14.00 - 15.99 Bien (Good - High Honors)

Equivalent: A

AB 12.00 - 13.99 Assez Bien (Quite Good - Honors)

Equivalent: B

P 10.00 - 11.99 Passable (Satisfactory)

Equivalent: C

P 8.00 - 9.99

Equivalent: D - F

9
  1. verify urgently whether your dad is still considered a resident of California (donyou have a house there pay taxes…)?
    You’ll be considered instate if he or your mom are .
    The California system is excellent although if you want to avoid prepa level stress avoid UCB/UCLA. You also won’t get ELC so you’d have to be careful with your applications.
    Your current results would make UCSC a target, perhaps ucd. UCSB and UCSD would be reached.
    Sdsu is likely reachable, as is CPP (depending on what you’d like to major in - you apply to a major and selectivity depends in that ).
    Sonoma has the Hutchins program which is very good for humanities.
  2. with two houses and a 200k+ income you won’t be getting financial aid, so you need to focus on merit (increasing that SAT score to merit level is going to be tough. Also try the ACT in case you so better.)
    Urgently ask your parents what their budget is.
10

I’m still confused though: do I apply as international (given the fact I’ll be graduating outside of the USA) or domestic?

I don’t think he’s considered a resident anymore. I’m pretty sure we haven’t payed taxes since 2005. His parents live there however, but I don’t think that has any sort of effect on the whole “being considered as a resident thing”.

My parents think that American college is too expensive : 200K + for an undergraduate degree is crazy for them. I’m pretty sure if the total cost ends up under 100K for all four years, they’d be willing to pay for that. I’m not really sure what to do anymore. We won’t be getting financial aid, that’s for sure! I’ve considered UCLA (if my grandmother / aunt graduated from there, does that make me a legacy?) / UCD (I’m actually a legacy when it comes to UCB : mom graduated from there)- location and academic programs are great, but the price is again, just way too expensive.

Do I have a chance at schools like Georgetown and Johns Hopkins?
And furthermore, the ivies are out of the question, right?
What does the french baccalaureate mean to colleges academically in the US?

I really was only interested in Yale (great poli-sci program) and Columbia, but I feel like I’m over-reaching again?

My possible majors include:
Poli - sci - hence the interest in the dual BA programs with SCI-PO.
Biology - as a prerequisite for med school
Acting / Cinema

11

Do not apply as an international. US citizens have higher admissions chances and eligibility for financial aid.

12

I’m an American (T-L) currently enrolled at a high school in France. My classes are entirely in French except English (obviously) and English literature (which I dropped for Spanish literature. I had a 20 / 20 in English Literature, but I owed it to myself to challenge my brain). I started learning french when I moved here - I wasn’t raised on the type of education that they’ve applied in Europe, so it’s been incredibly difficult competing for the top grades. I also had a mental breakdown in January which is why my marks dipped a little.

Stats:

Filiere: L (I’m in the literature section)
Option Mathematiques
Nationality: Iranian - American
American Citizen

My average in my English classes was a 20/20.
English : 20 / 20
English Literature : 20 / 20
English Euro : 20 / 20

TPE : 17 / 20
Science: 14 / 20
French Oral: 14 / 20
French : Astronomically low. As far as I know, the average score of my literature class was an 8.0 / 20. Terrible subject.
Average in Premiere (11th grade) : 14.5 / 20 - with félicitations
SAT’s: I will be taking them in August.
ACT’s : I will be taking them in September.
DELF (language proficiency in French) : B2
Brevet: Mention AB
Languages : I’m fluent in French and English.
Learning Spanish as a third language.
I took Latin in 3eme (9th grade).

EC’s

Theater Class at Portland Center for Performing Arts
Musical Theater Class at Portland Center for the Performing Arts.
French Theater Class at a theater near my apartment in France.
Internship at a small art studio which taught English to French children.

I’m getting my french diploma (the baccalaureate) under the assumption that I pass all the tests.
I’m planning on getting my BAC (mention BIEN or TRES BIEN) - I’ll be seriously upping my game.
I’m looking into either pre-med / cinema / poli sci.

As one can imagine, getting my french diploma is a full-time job. The work is highly demanding and it’s not my first language. My homework alone takes me five hours - six hours + to do every night. As a result, my extracurriculars are non-existent.

Could anyone chance me for the following:

NYU
UCLA
UC - San Diego
University of Washington
Johns Hopkins
Georgetown
Scieces-Po Columbia (Dual BA program).
Sciences-Po British Columbia (Dual BA program)
Sciences-Po Sydney (Dual BA program)

13

Okay, thanks. I do have the option of applying as domestic then?

14

Yes. When you have your college list, work with admissions at each school to get the procedures right (for example, you may need to get your school records translated).

15

You apply as a domestic applicant since you’re a US citizen, but you’re evaluated by an admissions officer familiar with international students. It’s the best of both worlds: the diversity from being internationally educated, but us citizen financial aid.

Don’t guess: check with your father to see whether he is a resident of California. Where is your us house located? If you have a house, your parents must be paying property taxes on it? If you go there over the summer, they must have a driver’s license - from what state?
If he’s not, cross out all the public universities in California.
(Also, legacy doesn’t help at UC’s).

For polisci, look into American, Dickinson (both roughly same level as sciences po in France) as well as Denison (Lugar program) and Willamette (excellent placement).
You can apply to med school with a poli sci major. Med school applicants are encouraged to choose any major they like and can do well in, alongside taking the premed pre-reqs. If you are interested in med school, you must have a US undergraduate degree and as little debt as possible.

16

Are you a dual US/French citizen? If so you would pay the Canadian tuition rate at Quebec universities and no SAT/ACT requirement.

17

Alas, there’s also downsides. The language barrier and differences in school systems have likely contributed to lower grades and a lower class rank than the OP would have obtained at an American high school, which will leave him/her in a much worse position to apply for scholarships. Less-than-stellar grades + lack of ECs may also be an obstacle to gaining admission at very selective universities.

There’s no universal answer to questions like how much colleges will weigh your high school work vs standardized test scores, or how big of a break you’d be given for language difficulties. Heck, sometimes admission decisions come down to the mood of the person reading your application.

I wish you all the best!

18

Any leeway you’d have gotten would have ended at the end of your first year so end of 4e which doesn’t appear on records. So you’re in the clear. And your DNB grades aren’t even needed. After that your record will be judged entirely alongside those from that country, except in English where 16+ would be expected.
Results received in bac de premiere are considered very important, so what did you get for French literature essay? Below 8?

I agree with B@r!um that there are downsides, such as lack of ECs. I work with a lot of European kids and the French kids ALL had ECs they pursued during the year, for fun or out of genuine enthusiasm or skill, many at a very high level. They used Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and for the accomplished ones didn’t break a sweat with secondary school content so were involved at school “entre midi et deux” and after school. They used some of their off time (breaks, vacation) to further their interests. Without knowing a thing about US colleges they just had that drive – and that’s what Top 50 colleges want to see.

You said you attend a weird school - how “weird”? Is it one of the grands lycees, or a school “hors contrat”? What are the bac success percentages and, if published, the “mention” percentages?

Do you KNOW or THINK your parents would be okay with 25k/year? And is that 25k for tuition, or is that 25k for tuition, room and board (rent and food), books, and transportation?

If your family has means but won’t pay their EFC, your goal should be Honors Colleges that offer significant scholarships for stats. That means you better be working 3-4 hours a day through Khan Academy, the Melzer books, and Black book of math, in order to have the highest possible SAT score. *

Where do you live (city, region)?
Any chance you could take a gap year to study in a public high school near where your grandparents live?

Do they expect you to attend a “fac”? Because I can see why you wouldn’t want that. Or do they want you to attend a Canadian school like Mount Allison or UBC or UdeM or Laval?

What did they explain regarding residency in any state (where they maintain a house)?

  • there are two sorts of scholarships: some are based on your parents' income and assets, some are based on your test scores and/or achievements. Since your parents' income disqualifies you from need-based aid, you need to hunt for merit aid.