<p>I am the parent of a high school junior. We currently living in Switzerland and he is attending an international school (IB Diploma program). He will be applying to U.S. colleges while we are still living here in Europe.</p>
<p>Will the IB Diploma and his international experience provide any sort of advantage when applying to selective schools in the U.S.?</p>
<p>IB is a great program and many successful selective college admitees have undergone it. Its rigor is a known quality so in that sense, his colleges will know what he’s achieved (a good thing).</p>
<p>His living overseas can be a nice point of interest that sticks in the minds of application readers. In the sea of tens of thousands of applicants, anything that can be memorable is good, I would think.</p>
<p>Good luck to you again.</p>
<p>Are you US citizens living abroad? Is he a US citizen? If so, then the IB diploma and the international experience may be helpful to him. If not, then he is considered along with all other international students, making acceptance to a US college much more difficult.</p>
<p>We are all U.S. citizens. My family (including soon to be college appliciant) moved a couple years ago on an expat assignment with my company.</p>
<p>Although my sons will graduate from schools in the US, they spent many years living overseas - including HS years.</p>
<p>With my older son (a senior), we have found it to be a positive thing in the admissions process in that it is something that gets him noticed. I don’t know that it is special enough to get him admitted over someone else - but it does seem make him interesting to the adcom folks. However, he is not applying to the really selective schools (no interest).</p>
<p>From other parents of recent grads (who spent years as ex-pats) - the adcoms felt confident that the kids would be comfortable on a diverse college campus, would have the skills needed to adjust to the new environment, and would be less likely to get “homesick” since they were accustomed to living away from family/friends.</p>