Study Abroad Junior Year of High School & College Admissions

Applying to College
1

My daughter is in 10th grade and has received a full scholarship to study abroad for a full academic year in Europe. She would study abroad during her junior year, during which time she would live with a host family and attend a high school in the destination country. While she is very excited about receiving the scholarship and attending this program, we are interested in hearing people’s thoughts about the effects it may have (positive or negative) on college admissions, especially in light of what we were told by my daughter’s high school (a large public school).

We informed the school administration about my daughter’s acceptance into this program, and they were not supportive of her attending the program and missing her junior year. They stressed that junior year is the most important year in preparing for college applications, and that missing her junior year could disadvantage my daughter in several ways –

  1. They cannot say at this point whether my daughter would return to the school as a senior or a junior. They can only do this after she returns from her year abroad and they review her transcript to see what courses (if any) they can accept. The student has no choice in this matter – it is the school’s decision based on a review of the courses taken abroad.
  2. If she returns as a senior, she will have missed the opportunity to take a challenging course load (APs etc.) during her junior year that colleges like to see, and will have to scramble to complete a number of requirements/tests that are required to be taken junior year, in addition to her senior course load.
  3. She will be disadvantaged in course selection upon her return because she will have missed class registration (which happens in the spring, and most AP and other popular classes fill up), and will most likely only be able to be placed in less popular/non-AP classes that still have openings. Her school can’t register or “hold” a spot for her in any classes while she is away.
  4. If she returns as a junior, she will be separated from her class and her graduation will be delayed by a year. While my daughter does not have a problem with this, it seems she would still encounter the problem in 3).

In light of the above, my daughter’s school suggested that she should consider studying abroad in college, rather than during her junior year of high school. She is passionate about learning foreign languages, loves the idea of studying abroad and was very excited to receive the scholarship. Should she still attend the program, despite the possible disadvantages outlined above? Will attending the program be a positive for college admissions? Any thoughts/feedback are much appreciated.

2

May I ask what scholarship she received? (As in, is it a government-funded grant like CBYX, YES, etc.?)

I personally would encourage her to go for it. The great thing about college is that there is no required time to enter. Think about it-- there are many people who take gap years, delaying their entrance into a university by a few months or more. There are even more people who enroll in college after they’re well into their 20’s or even beyond that.

If she is too concerned about graduating late, ask the school if there is anyway she can take classes online or at a local community college for credit. You should also remind the school that educational systems vary depending on the country, and it may be difficult for her to obtain an English-translated transcript. (I would also suggest she ask for a PASS-FAIL grade while in the country.)

I believe that exchange will set her apart from almost any other student applying to college. She will most likely become fluent in her host language, and her independence/maturity growth will be incomparable to anything she will gain as a junior in an American high school. Exchange is real-life experience and can create well-rounded individuals that colleges are looking for.