<p>As a 16 year old white female I am disadvantaged when it comes to college admissions. I live in the deep south, go to a decent public school, and I try to take the most difficult classes possible.</p>
<p>In 13 days, I am studying abroad in South America for 7 months. I will be taking German, Guarani, and, of course, Spanish during my stay.</p>
<p>How much do all of you think this exchange is going to help my transcripts? </p>
<p>I volunteer, travel, play sports, lead organizations, etc.</p>
<p>I will be a very proficient/moderately fluent Spanish speaker when I return.</p>
<p>studentnomad, my daughter is at Barnard, had weaker SATs than yours (well, her math was a little better - 580 - but the rest was weaker so the combined score was a lot less) -- and she spent a semester abroad in Russia -- I really think the exchange experience is what became her "hook" and enabled her to win admission to highly selective schools. That doesn't mean that it's a guarantee -- but I think that a student with international living experience really can be more intriguing to the ad com, and it certainly gives you something interesting to write about in your app. </p>
<p>When it comes down to it, it takes a lot of courage for a 16 year old to travel to another continent, live with strangers, and attend a school where instruction is in a different language -- in your case, you will be studying 3 new languages. You are in for possibly the most rewarding experience of your life, and also the most challenging. I think that colleges realize that, and it does make your application stand out. </p>
<p>Be careful about planning for your course schedule at home -- my daughter had scheduling problems when she returned and wasn't able to get back into math classes, so she ended up with a transcript that was weak in math & science. She was accepted to NYU & Chicago as well as Barnard... but waitlisted at Boston U, and we think that the lack of math may have been part of the problem with BU. So I guess one lesson learned is that when you have an unusual high school record, the reach/match distinction might be harder to figure out. </p>
<p>But I don't think that you are "disadvantaged" at all in college admissions -- you seem to have a good list of target schools, and your southern roots give you the benefit of offering geographical diversity when you apply to schools in other parts of the country. So right now, I think you should just focus on making the most of your exchange, knowing that things will work out fine for you as far as college apps. A foreign exchange can really change your outlook on life -- so don't be surprised if you come back with different ideas about what type of of college you want to attend than you had when you left. </p>