<p>I moved abroad (Mexico) when I was 11 and lived there for 7 years (middle school, high school) before doing a gap year to study in France and then coming back to the U.S. for college (Northwestern).</p>
<p>Surprisingly, the gap year in France really helped me get re-adjusted to American culture (ha) b/c of all the Americans in my program. It was a bit of a shock, interacting with American kids again, gauging the differences, feeling a bit silly when I didn't get a cultural reference, etc (despite the fact that while in Mexico I had American tv and visited the U.S. once-twice a year). </p>
<p>I would suggest looking at schools that either have a fairly decent sized pool of int'ls or else a school in or near a big city.</p>
<p>And I completely agree that American kids, even those at elite schools, can be shockingly ignorant about the rest of teh world. Coming from Mexico, it's especially bad. I'm so sick of telling people that no, the entire country isn't tropical/hot (Mexico City is in fact quite temperate), not everyone is poor/miserable, and that just because I'm American doesn't mean you can make racist jokes about Mexicans -- a huge part of me identifies with Mexico.</p>
<p>So yeah, it can be a tough transition. But as long as you expose yourself somewhat to American culture before making the move (tv, internet, music, etc), you should be fine.</p>
<p>I've always thought it would be fun to be a TCK, but alas I had to be born white, and raised in whitebread suburbia all my life. You TCKs dont know how good you have it!</p>
<p>ilovebagels -- not all ex-pat kids are non-white. i love bagels, too :D </p>
<p>I moved to Mexico b/c my mom wanted to retire early. My experience is probably not very typical amongst American kids growing up abroad. It's much more common for families to move because of work or missionary reasons.</p>
<p>lilybbloom, would you say that Duke is one of those schools that really cares about TCKs? (I know you're from NorthWestern... but anyways...) As you can see from my other post, I've been around to a few places. </p>
<p>And yeah, ppl can be so blatantly ignorant at times... I mean, Mexico City is actually 1000 miles above sea level. It actually gets cold there in winter (I can't recall too well though. Already 8 frekin years :( since I've been to Mexico)</p>
<p>PS: Which school did you attend in Mexico? I might even've gone to the same school as you! (Greengates school --> british int'l school)</p>
<p>I think that most top schools look for factors other than stats ... they have to, or their admissions would be predictable, which they aren't. I really feel like my experiences abroad gave me a hook in admissions -- esp. because my GPA and SAT scores were right around the average for NU.</p>
<p>I didn't go to a foreign school in Mexico, the city I grew up in (we didn't move to the capital til after highschool) didn't have any bilingual schools. I'm kind of glad I went to a Mexican school, I'm sure my experience would have been hugely different otherwise.</p>
<p>I have heard of your school though ^_^ And I do sometimes regret that I didn't have some of the opportunities that foreign schools offer (honors, IB, AP, a-levels, bac, etc.)</p>
<p>And yeah it does get a bit cold ... nothing compared to Chicago of course :D But it gets down in the 40s, especially at night. I hate it when people assume I'm going to the beach every time I go home! I just feel like telling them in the snarkiest way possible that the entire country is, in fact, <em>not</em> one big beach, and furthermore that the country would be a whole lot bigger and richer and snowier if we hadn't stolen half of it away ... but that's a whole other story ;)</p>
<p>true true...
lilybbloom, have you ever been to argentina, or any of the countries I've been to? (sry if I tryy to be too conversational. But you know how TCKs are in terms of loneliness, especially during highschool years. PS: I'm no loner in school, but I always try to put a distance between myself and my peers.)</p>
<p>Never been to Argentina, though it's on my list of places to go. I've been to Spain (loved it) and all around Europe, but the only place in Asia I've been is India.</p>
<p>Since I pretty much stayed in place for 7 years, I was fortunate enough to make and keep some close friends. But I do know what it's like to feel out of place, esp. when you're in a new location. College will be awesome for you, you'll get to put down some roots and make some friends that you will hopefully keep for life!</p>
<p>no, I don't think it's as much of a hook as being a URM, but it is definitely something that makes you stand out. i mean, you have experiences that most people don't have, and colleges want diversity of backgrounds.</p>