<p>My son has just completed his junior year of high school by particpating in a semester long exchange program in Israel. He lived and studied on a kibbutz near Jersualem with 120 other North Americans. The program was fully US accredited. Its highlights included AP classes, Hebrew language immersion, archelogical digs, a week of basic training in the Israeli army and a week in Poland to study the Holocaust.</p>
<p>His grades are solid though not spectacular--- 89/100 UW with 6 APs through junior year (likely 4-6 more AP as a senior) 1300/1600, 1900/2400 SAT, AP Scholar after Sophomore year, Good E/C's and community activites</p>
<p>Would his study abroad experience be a hook for Ivies, top LAC's ?</p>
<p>Yes, it actually is a hook. Not many people can afford to study abroad, so hmom5’s statement is incorrect.
I’ve known students that have applied to top LAC colleges, completed their study abroad programs, and where then accepted into all the LAC colleges that previously declined this student, some even offered a full ride.</p>
<p>agree with hmom. While cool and different, not a hook of any sort; not to mention that the Jewish diversity angle won’t help at the Ivies either.</p>
<p>Actually, Jr year study abroad can be a detriment for most kids. Unlike the OP’s son who had access to AP courses, study abroad generally means local classes in the local language. While that ensures an 800 on one language test, it really hinders the ability of students to do well on other subject tests (since the curriculums are so different). Moreover, overseas classes have a different grading scale in the most critical year of a transcript…Thus, test scores take on even more importance, and a 1900 will not be competitive at the top Unis. Some LACs are guy-challenged, however, and will go lower for a guy.</p>
This is probably the biggest reason why it’s not all that helpful. Unless it is a competitive scholarship program, study abroad just says that the applicant can afford study abroad. It certainly won’t get you into a school where your SAT’s are in the bottom 25%.</p>
<p>I think, in the context of a gap year or transfer, you could make a case that the experience matured you and you are now a better candidate.</p>
<p>Not a hook, but could have potential for a good essay. I agree with above statements, it mostly shows you can afford to do that type of thing, which is in no way a hook.</p>
<p>I had similar stats, maybe a higher GPA, but slightly lower SAT and got into and waitlisted top LAC’s, so I think you definitely have a shot, Ivies would definitely be a reach though.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t it be viewed differently if a high school student won a competitive full scholarship to study abroad for a full academic year? It’s not easy to win the scholarship, and definitely is a challenge to be in a different country with no one you know for an entire YEAR. Most high schoolers that study abroad just do it over the summer or over one semester (and generally those kids are the ones with parents who can easily shell out 10000 dollars), but I’d reckon it would be thought of differently if someone went for a whole YEAR by winning a scholarship…</p>
<p>sqdwfe: it would be unique. And unique is useful in top-school admissions. However, given the vagaries of decisions and the sheer number of applicants, no one should feel that it’s a particular “hook”. As interesting this experience seems to be, among the 23000 applicants, many have noteworthy accomplishments.</p>
<p>Regardless, I have no doubt that an experience like this is extremely enriching for its participants.</p>
<p>Ivies and the very top LAC’s? No. Not a bit. BUT it can be quite helpful for the next layer (or two) of LACs. They need a certain number of students, whose parents can and will pay full fare for their kids to go there. In this post-401K collapse, kids still in private schools or doing their junior year in Colorado or Switzerland are good clues that their parents will pay through the nose for their kids education even if they need to ask the grandparents for help. </p>
<p>Btw, as an aside, I live in an affluent area (Fairfield County, CT) and the number of parents that have already told the local high school that they are bringing their rising senior (who has been in private school) back into the fold is causing scheduling problems. Thus people that can pay is an unfortunate but significant issue for colleges in this economy.</p>
Yes. The ASSIST scholarship, for foreign nationals to study abroad at US HSes for a year, is extremely well known and alumni head off to top US universities.</p>
<p>This is key. When one of my kids wanted to do a junior year abroad program, we were advised against it by a top private college counselor who was an ivy admissions officer. We were told it would be seen as a junior year vacation and DS would have to defend the decision in applications. We were warned of lack of rigor and losing leadership positions and continuity at a time when he should be building them.</p>
<p>And then there is indeed the issue of looking too affluent, a death sentence in admissions at top colleges. The scholarships are indeed viewed more positively.</p>
<p>My nephew went ahead with a program and did not get any college acceptances his stats did not suggest he would have gotten. </p>
<p>There are so many programs from the very high end (SYA at $40K plus ) to those costing $4k hosted by clubs. This is not unique in the world of top colleges these days at all.</p>
<p>hmom5, I think that differs a lot depending on who you talk to. I talked to college admissions officers from some top schools, and they said that studying abroad for a year definitely makes you stand out. They even encourage it. Some admissions officers might think it looks like a vacation, but others will understand that it’s definitely a challenge to go abroad for an entire year. SYA is something that is different from most study abroad opportunities because it is basically going to an American school, just in a different country and while living with a host family. I think SYA would be viewed differently than other types of exchange programs.</p>
<p>The question was would it make him stand out at ivies and top schools. I agree that it may be unique at lower ranked colleges. But when you’re talking top colleges with lots of applicants who have done exceptional things, it will not make a candidate stand out and is far from a hook.</p>
<p>As for SYA, it has it pluses and minuses. It’s run by top prep schools so a rigorous education goes on as opposed to some other programs that drop you into a local public school. But yes, although the classes are taught in the local language you are surrounded by other Americans.</p>
<p>The program at my son’s school sends the kids to local schools in either France or Spain for their sophomore year. There are generally no other Americans in the school. According to the program administrator, recent program alumni have all been accepted to their first choice schools – although I think we are not talking Ivies. All the admissions people at colleges that we have spoken to have been enthusiastic about his experience. We’ll see what the admissions results for my son a year from now.</p>
<p>The only way it could be considered a “hook” is if the school is desperate for money because only well-off people can afford these kinds of programs. That may be why you chose to give anecdotal evidence about LAC’s instead of research universities, which have major avenues other than tuition and donations to get money.</p>
<p>Hmom- on what do you base your opinion? D did a year in China with SYA. Believe me, just because she had classes with “other Americans” did not make it easy to live with rudimentary plumbing and very odd food (boiled donkey skin?). I have spoken to admissions officers with 3 top LAC’s. They all told me that her experience would make a “huge difference” to them. “that is just the kind of student we are looking for”, said one, “it demonstrates self-determination, commitment and curiosity”.</p>
<p>I guess this comes down to “what’s a hook anyway?”</p>
<p>If a hook is a guaranteed acceptance at a reach – high school year abroad is probably not a hook.</p>
<p>If a hook is something that differentiates an applicant from the rest of the pack and puts a positive spin on the application, high school year abroad probably is a hook.</p>