<p>If I were to study abroad for 1 year in high school, would it give me an advantage or disadvantage when applying to selective schools as extremely selective as Harvard? And how big an advantage or disadvantage?</p>
<p>Let's assume I have good stats (3.92UW GPA/4.52W GPA, SAT >2200, SATIIs > 700) and , a rigorous courseload (5 APs during high school, rest all honors classes), and above-average ECs besides the studying abroad.</p>
<p>I’m curious about this too. I was going to apply for a exchange program last year, but didn’t because I was afraid it would mess everything up. But I want to study abroad sooooo badly.</p>
<p>There is a whole Study Abroad Forum here at CC. Click on Discussion Home in the upper left of this screen, and then scroll down until you find it.</p>
<p>As for getting into the extremely selective schools: no one who isn’t on their admissions committees has the least idea of how they choose their students. If you want to do a year abroad program, go ahead and do it. It would be a great experience.</p>
<p>@happymomof1- I’m not asking about the experience of studying abroad or study abroad programs or anything like that, just specifically how colleges view it. That’s why I thought it’d make more sense to post it here on the College Admissions forum. Also hardly anyone goes on the Study Abroad forum and I wanted more immediate responses.</p>
<p>I doubt a year abroad would give your college admissions chances much of a direct boost, but it certainly can’t hurt, and it might make you a more well-rounded person and give you a lot of insights into not only the country you visit, but the world as seen from the perspective of people in that country, and your own country as seen both by your hosts and by yourself in cross-cultural perspective. That could give you a marginal edge in interviews and such. Also, if there’s foreign language acquisition involved it could have direct educational benefits which might count in your favor. But these instrumental values pale in comparison with the inherent value of the experience itself. It’s something worth doing in its own right.</p>