<p>So, I have decent scores (1990, retaking in three weeks), good grades (3.8 UW), attend a well-regarded public high school, and take a challenging academic schedule. Unfortunately, I'm white, female, and from CA, but we're all thinking that demographics never make or break you, right?</p>
<p>Anyway, the one very strong thing I have going for me is international experience. I'm studying abroad for my entire junior year in France. This entails taking 6 academic courses in French, living with a host family, and advancing my French class level from French 2 to French AP in one year. It's a well known program (School Year Abroad) and I'm enjoying it very much, and yes, making decent grades in my foreign language classes. Do you think this experience could work as a hook in my application? Should I play up my French passion in my essay?</p>
<p>Just would like a few reactions. Do you think this little "diversity" about myself could push me into the accepted pile? Like I said, I'm planning to improve my SATs, but my top schools are pretty intense admission-wise: Wesleyan, Dartmouth, Brown, William & Mary.</p>
<p>I'll take the contrarian viewpoint to points soon to come. According to one of my favorite local college counselors, the big downside to being gone all Jr year is missing out on the opportunity to show your stuff in advanced US high school courses (honors/AP/IB). Thus, your transcript will be missing the most important year, gradewise.</p>
<p>I also thought of this, but I have already taken Honors classes at my high school, and will be taking 4 APs (AP Stats, APUSH, AP Gov, AP French) when I come back senior year, so I won't be totally lacking on difficult courses. Plus, wouldn't you say - from an admissions officer's standpoint - that it's more challenging, or at least more interesting, to study in another country and language than take AP courses which can just as easily be taken senior year?</p>
<p>realah - "will be taking" .... In other words, you don't have results from competing with the top 25% of students from your school. You might be top 2-3% who get As in all their AP courses, or you might be among the not small group who take AP chem, Bio, etc. and do so poorly that 2nd semester they're back into regular chem or bio with a C or D in the AP semester class. </p>
<p>Adcoms need demonstrated results. The France experience mitigates this downside, but only to a degree.</p>
<p>um no thats not true, some people go on scholarships like the congress bundestag youth exchange and national security language initiative. </p>
<p>i think this is an interesting topic. im applying to go abroad my senior year as opposed to my junior year. I think to some extent it can have a good impact with regards to essay subject material and it may show a great deal of maturity. but yeah the academic profile part may be a drawback. fortunately for me ill have my junior year grades and AP classes in =/ anyone else have thoughts?</p>
<p>From what I hear, of late admissions folks have taken a more jaundiced view of at least some kinds of foreign experience. For example, the pre-packaged "humanitarian" trips to Central America for wealthy American teens are seen as craven resume-padding. So international experience, in and of itself, is not an automatic "hook" and, in fact, might even backfire if not seen and understood as reflective of a genuine commitment and passion.</p>
<p>Your French experience will be seen in the overall context of your record. If you are interesting, dynamic, challenging person even taking out your French experience, your JYA will only enhance what should already come across about you. If you are basically a middle-of-the-pack person with nothing particularly interesting to offer in terms of your interests and passions other than your French experience, I suspect your JYA will help - a bit - but won't suffice as a guaranteed hook. If you want to make it a strong hook, I recommend that you start thinking of ways to share your experience within your community so that when you return in the spring you can jump right into summer and fall continuation of your experience and demonstrate your leadership and commitment. </p>
<p>As for bluebayou's concerns, I too have heard this - that taking JYA is a great experience but does eliminate the chance to shine in what many consider the most important year academically. It won't help you, OP, but others reading this might consider alternatives. Our local HS recommends that students inclined to do so go abroad their sophomore year, and only for a semester. </p>
<p>Another alternative, not for the faint of heart, is to go abroad senior year. My S is doing this. Before his junior year he figured out that he was likely to be done with the offered high school curriculum and be away from his high school taking college courses senior year anyway. So he doubled up on all his coursework during his junior year and also ook all his standardized testing - SATs, SATII's, and AP testing - after his junior year. With virtually everything on-line now, he was able to complete his college applications and submit his essays over the internet this fall. As I say, it is not for the faint of heart, as it took a lot of preparation work before leaving and a lot of dedication to stay current on college applications from a foreign country. But if it is a hook you are looking for, saying that you are submittnig your application from X country is a pretty good one. So far it has worked out - accepted EA at one of his first choices - and we'll know more along with everyone else come spring. </p>
<p>studying abroad is definitely not a hook. it makes you a little more interesting, but definitely doesn't make you something colleges "need" to have.</p>
<p>SYA is definitely not a hook. When my son considered doing it junior year a very good college counselor (and former ivy adcom) discouraged it saying that it wasn't worth a whole year in which he could take no science and limited math and it looked like an easy junior year. A caveat is that it may be a plus at places like Georgetown SFS.</p>
<p>Funny story, when my son went on a tour of Dartmouth my nephew who did SYA France came aong. There were 3 other kids there that day from SYA!</p>
<p>"but I have already taken Honors classes at my high school..."</p>
<p>Dunno about your HS, but the honors classes at our high school jump to another level Junior year. Kids who never saw a B in their life all of a sudden get a few in the same semester. Plus, you also miss out on the next level of math. Dartmouth, for example, prefers applicants take Calc.</p>
<p>"will be taking...AP Stats, APUSH, AP Gov, AP French" (no science, AP Eng?)</p>
<p>Yup, but not one grade from those classes will count for UC admissions. </p>
<p>I would guess that adcoms will likely rely more on test scores in such a case, but an 800 on the French Subject test should be a slam-dunk.</p>
<p>Since I studied abroad myself, I can only vouch for the personal growth you will experience. Going away to a foreign country and having only yourself to rely on is a WONDERFUL experience and chance to grow. That way, if you can make that come across in your application, it's certainly a bonus. But so many do it that it's probably not a hook.</p>
<p>But I, personally, really, really, really think it's worth it. I have never regretted going abroad, and I had to repeat a year of high school and not graduate with my friends.</p>
<p>I hate chime in with another negative on your junior year in France, but my sense is that the selective schools you are looking at would be more likely to diversify the class by admitting someone from France, rather than an American who had lived there. It wouldn't be very hard to find a brilliant, bilingual French student willing to attend any on your list of schools. </p>
<p>Most academically competitive students I know wait and study abroad during college. Dartmouth's D Plan is the most amenable to travel during school.</p>
<p>I'm torn on this: I can read the logic of staying in the US to beef up your transcript as much as possible. But another part of me says if you've got a wonderful opportunity ahead of you, maybe take it -- but you can also do a compromise -- live their the summer after Jr year or Sr year -- or definitely go while you're an undergraduate.</p>
<p>But I'd only go if you REALLY feel YOU'LL grow from it an to to pad your resume. A hook is a trait that's highly sought after by colleges. Living abroad is an interesting point but not a hook.</p>
<p>i mean if the other parts of ur apps (ECs, sats, aps etc) are pretty solid, demonstrated interest in a foreign language/culture which include your study abroad will be a big plus. other than that i'd agree with the rest that it's not very beneficial. those top schs certainly wldn't overlook your subpar SAT or transcript... in other words they'd rather take students who not only excel in other areas, but also have the added advantage of a study abroad experience.
anyway hope you enjoyed ur time n france!</p>
<p>Briguy, my DS chose to study abroad during the summer after soph year instead of doing a full year program. He's also planning 2 or 3 study abroad programs during college.</p>
<p>It is a wonderful experience to study abroad. The OPs question was whether or not it's a hook, not whether to do it. Depending on the individual and the colleges they aspire to, it can still be a great idea during high school.</p>
<p>I studeid abroad in Ecuador as a junior and also attended a language school there between fresh and soph year. Although I struggled mightly with grades as a junior the experience had such a proound impact on my life that it easily negated every difficulty.<br>
I used the year heavily in my application, I bealive that getting As as a junior in American highschool is not even close to being as impresive as living on your own in another country for a year, no matter the grades in the foreign highschool.</p>
<p>When I applied to college this fall, I believe my experiences with another culture helped a lot. I did have higher SATs and GPA, but I think my passion for Japan and its culture is what helped me secure my place in Dartmouth Class of 2013. I had studied abroad there twice (never for a year because of my parents) and pursued other opportunities related to it. I wrote my Common AP essay about it because it was a natural extension of me, not because I thought talking about it would get me into college. If it comes across that you're only talking about it because you think colleges will like it, then it's not the right thing to focus on.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for this advice, akitaabby. Dartmouth is actually one of my top choice schools, so you give me hope, hahaha.</p>
<p>And don't get me wrong. My motivation for coming to France had absolutely nothing to do with the idea that it would help me on college applications. Now that I've been here and been exposed to this unique opportunity, I realized that it may be able to help me for college admissions as well. I do have a very strong passion for languages - French and English - and learning new cultures as well. Plus, I can easily say that even my four months abroad so far have opened my eyes to a lot of things in the world. It's an amazing experience.</p>
<p>Did you get accepted early decision then? Congratulations! Dartmouth is an amazing place, from what I hear.</p>