<p>I might be spending my senior year abroad in Spain, so I was wondering how much of a positive effect that can have on one's college chances. I have a 2170 SAT, a 3.7 GPA unweighted and I want to apply to schools like Duke, UVA and Georgetown, so do you think studying abroad would give my application enough of a boost to get me into these schools? Thanks.</p>
<p>It will clearly differentiate you from your peers. I am not sure if it will help or hurt, but you will certainly stand out.</p>
<p>bump bump. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>OP, my 15-year-old daughter is in Cadiz, Spain for the semester (February through June). She LOVES it. She is staying with an older couple who have grown kids, and a couple of cute grandkids. The family is nice and she is enjoying school. The Spanish kids love Americans and want to know all about Texas and New York (coincidentally, I am from Texas and my husband is from New York). This was all her idea - she did the online research and filled out the extensive application. She went through a group called CIEE in Portland, Maine. NOT cheap, but they include EVERYTHING and provide great support. They even have a 24-hour hotline in case she ever has problems she can’t resolve herself.</p>
<p>Oh, CIEE also gives the students a fluency test before they leave for Spain, and then on their return. I like that, because it will give her proof she can show colleges of how much she learned.</p>
<p>If you have any more questions, just ask here or send me a message!</p>
<p>It won’t get you in on its own, but combined with a strong application it’ll certainly help you stand out. Kids who do this type of selective programs tend to be self motivated and more mature than their peers (don’t kid yourself: it’s going to be very hard emotionally at times and you’ll grow A LOT very quickly) and colleges know that, plus that should be reflected in your applications. Finally, the experience will provide you with enough anecdotes to analyze that finding your commonapp essay topic should be easy (and the writing a bit easier from the self reflection you’ll have to do in order to make it there.)</p>