<p>Anyone here the Parent of an International Student, and when I say International I mean. American Born Citizen who is currently studying on another continent due to your profession. For example the child of a worker at the American Embassy in a number of countries such as Brazil, Thailand, France, and other examples.</p>
<p>I'm an international student from NY who is studying abroad for the first time this year due to my dads profession. I created this thread so I can hear about your experiences abroad and if your child is or was a senior in high school. There experience with the college application process.</p>
<p>Did you find that because you guys were international that it gave you somewhat of a benefit?</p>
<p>If you are attending an international school that follows a US-type curriculum, it is almost certain that the guidance counselors in charge of college placement will be able to tell you where you are likely to be admitted. Schools like that have years of records on admission.</p>
<p>If you are attending a local school, or an international school that follows a different curriculum (e.g. British, French, etc.) some of your best advice is to be found at the closest office of [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://educationusa.state.gov/]EducationUSA”>http://educationusa.state.gov/) If no one in that office has worked with a US citizen lately, they have colleagues in other offices around the world who have. Often the volunteer counselors at these offices are US citizens. I used to do that when I was living overseas.</p>
<p>Whether or not your time overseas yields an admissions advantage, this experience certainly will be a terrific opportunity for you to learn and to grow. On the days that you aren’t paralyzed by the inevitable effects of culture shock (and believe me, I’ve been there myself), get yourself up and out the door, and do your level best to enjoy this adventure!</p>
<p>I’ve got a list of US students and parents abroad who have posted here at CC in the past couple of years in the other computer. When Happydad quits hogging it, I’ll send that to you in a PM.</p>
<p>Although my sons went to school overseas for many years, neither one graduated from an overseas school. So my comments will be based on the experiences of friends of mine.</p>
<p>First, just because you are attending a school with an American-type curriculum, don’t assume that the guidance counselors are fully up to speed. I’ve heard very mixed reviews. </p>
<p>At one very well-respected overseas school, the counselor gave horrible advice to a friend’s daughter - resulting in her applying to schools to which she really had no hope of getting in. After being denied admission from the 2 schools they considered “safeties” and being waitlisted/then denied at her top 3 choices, she ended up attending a school that was pretty far down on her list - because she had no other option. Yes, I’ve also heard good stories. But as I said - the experiences have been very mixed.</p>
<p>My advice is to do your homework and not let the counselor do all the talking/advising. </p>
<p>In terms of any “advantage”, I think the main one is the exposure you have to another culture/country. Visiting a country is not the same as living in it - day to day. The chance to live in another country is a unique opportunity and one that will forever change your views of life. Living overseas and the extensive travel opportunities that allowed were certainly appreciated by the admissions counselors we talked to, even tho my sons ended up graduations from US schools.</p>
<p>I’m writing from the perspective of an American family whose children attend/ed boarding school in the States.
First, there is an American International School here which follows the US curriculum. However, the school is considered sub par compared to the best local schools. That being said, the American school average class size is about 8 or 9. The local private schools class size is about 20-25, and the public schools class sizes can vary from 40-45.
So as previous posters said, do your homework first. The best source is probably the advice of other ex-pats who were there before you.
Obviously the local schools do not follow a US-based curriculum, but the syllabi are widely accepted at US colleges and universities. The best high schools here also follow a college-prep curriculum. SSAT, PSAT, SAT and ACT are all available here as well.
College counselling is really hit or miss, but private counsellors are available. If your parents have been through the college admissions process before, a counsellor is probably not necessary at all.</p>
<p>My younger daughter is at an American International School. I love the GC, but it is only because she does exactly what I ask her to do - when to send out the transcript, when to call adcoms, and she loves D2. </p>
<p>The academic is not as rigorous as D2’s private school back in the states. One very big issue we had was how to calculate D2’s GPA from her other school. I would encourage you to get it done as soon as possible, make sure your parents review it and if there is any issue get it resolved as soon as possible.</p>
<p>We hired a private college counselor from the States for D2 because we weren’t sure if her GC could give her realistic guidance. One thing to be careful when you are reading your school’s Naviance is just because HYPS or any high ranking schools admit few students a year from your HS, it could be the same kids, and often those kids could also be legacies. D2 took all of her SATs based on the schedule laid out by her private counselor. Most of friends at school didn’t start taking their tests until end of junior year and some of them are still taking them senior year.</p>
<p>Overall, D2 loves her new friends and school. She is going to miss it a lot when she leaves, but it was a huge transition for her. She is lucky that we are able to go back to the States often (we just came back after Thanksgiving).</p>