<p>Hey so i'm in a french school and I'm bilingual, and I'm also doing an OIB ( Option Internationale Baccalaureate). I feel free to give out my grades, my achievements and my goals, but before as I see there is no thread about France, if anyone has info, tips, advice or can even propose translation charts, or assess my chances at colleges based on my french grades please feel free to answer, share your knowledge and experience :). Thank you in advance and don't be shy :p .</p>
<p>What grade are you? When do you plan to apply to the US? It’s expensive in the US. So if you need money (financial aid) it will be extremely competitive. We can’t give you information on your chances without general information about your grades and current scores. </p>
<p>Hello Jeremy,
good idea - just specify: is this a thread for French students applying to US schools or currently admitted, or a thread where you’d ask questions?</p>
<p>A thread for questions about students applying. Well I already shared some of my data on another thread but I didn’t want to make the thread revolve only around me. I didn’t take ACT or SAT officially yet and my practice scores are encouraging ( 31, bearing in mind that I didn’t study and have never been prepared for the ACt or any other standardized test), my EC’s are very insufficient compared to most profiles here, mainly because I’m in school 35/40 hours a week, due to an OIB ( close to IB but french), options such as Latin and Greek, joining the MUN club. So my days are heavier and the french schools do not offer the same opportunities, clubs, summer activities ( that is to say close to none) compared to here in the US. I have heard that my grades ( an 18 average in the French system that can be compared to a 4.0 unweighted GPA, i have heard that 14+ is regional/national level, no ideas what that means), I also think that the french bac subjects are considered like AP’s so that would be like 10 AP classes ( I’m not sure) and I do MUN already said that, some sports for 5+ years but only for leisure, I didn’t quite get what varsity was we don’t have that. I’m fully bilingual, I hope that it transpires in my post, I am an American resident ( as I’ll be moving to chicago but continuing the french system) and citizen and just tell me what colleges you think I can go to, but more importantly any info that could help me or any other french student that feels lost in this whole American process ;).</p>
<p>Don’t worry about your grades are ECs. American universities are familiar with French standards, and realize that not everyone has the same opportunities for ECs. Your first step should be a discussion with your parents what you can afford. Once you gain residency in Illinois (usually a year) you will pay in-state tuition at public universities, but costs vary from school to school and, if you live on campus, can still be considerable. Once you know what you can afford, you can start looking at opportunities in Illinois and out of state. If you need significant financial aid, increase your chances by applying to schools where your scores put you in the highest percentiles of the freshman class. You will find that information on each school’s website. </p>
<p>Ok thanks so much. Well, my parents could pay. However, they’re not sure they want to pay for an average university. Since I could still go to France they’re really ready to pay for top universities ( and even then it’s still very expensive ). But I already had this conversation many times, they said we had to think about it depending on where I would get in. I could get into good schools in France so they don’t want to pay unless the quality of education is superior to what I could get for free ( so Ivys, Stanford, UChicago etc and I’m aware I’m not the most qualified here so if it’s too much of a stretch I’d better just stop now ).</p>
<p>I don’t think you should stop and not apply to top colleges, because you might be underestimating yourself. You really can’t compare yourself to any US applicant here on CC because you come from a completely different system. It’s hard enough to compare applicants from the US since this country is huge and varied. </p>
<p>I think your level of classes are comparable to the most rigorous classes here, and 18/20 is excellent. Looking at the Mc Gill application requirements, they say a minimum is 12-14 and you are way past that. I think with some studies you can get your ACT into the higher range as well. You bring something very unique to a college by being bilingual and from two cultures. They won’t get as many applicants from France- which is probably why there aren’t many threads about it. Colleges like diversity and this includes geographic diversity and it could work in your favor. Colleges won’t compare your ECs since you don’t have the same culture or opportunities here. To be quite honest, if I were in your shoes I would not be spending my spare time running a school club when I could be seeing France instead- you have so many opportunities to see and do things in your culture. Your essays will be different, because you have a different perspective than a teen in the US. </p>
<p>You have nothing to lose by trying because, at any case, you have your French colleges, and you can try for Mc Gill, so why not also try for some top US colleges? If I were you, I’d just go for it- apply to some colleges that are really special to you and then, see what happens. </p>
<p>One thing to consider is why there are not many French applicants to US schools. Your system pre-selects for which colleges a student will attend before they have completed high school- the different bac tracks- and if one is successful, then the colleges in France are good, and low cost. The majority of international students apply to the US because we have something better to offer them here than in their home countries- and they might not want to return to them. I think French people are content to stay in France and attend their colleges.</p>
<p>You could do the same, but you are in a different situation because your family is moving here. You could possibly get to choose between the best of both worlds. If you are admitted to a top university, that degree will be respected both here and in France. Applying will just open the possibility. </p>
<p>Senior year is a long time. Students apply early in the year, and then, they still grow and change. You would know about all your choices by May, and at that time will have been here long enough to decide if you want to stay or go back. If you don’t apply, you close off the possibility of that choice. </p>
<p>I say this from the perspective of a parent, and many students just aren’t sure about what to do when they apply. It is easier to choose when you have your choices in front of you. Applying hopefully will give you some choices, but for now you are not any more uncertain about where you will be accepted and what to do than many students your age in the US. </p>
<p>Competition is fierce for the Ivies, etc – but how about a school like University of California, Berkeley? Or UCLA or University of Virginia? The first two in particular are world-famous (in some ways more famous than, for example Brown or Penn, even though they’re Ivies) and could be easier to get into than the Ivies. They will cost about the same, however. </p>