Living abroad in HS/effect on college admissions
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Anonymous
| Can anyone share experiences about a student who spent a few high school years abroad and how that might affect college admissions either negatively or positively? My husband has an opportunity to work in his overseas office for two years while our child will be a sophomore/junior in HS. Does the country/learning a foreign language matter? Do you think 1 year is better? How hard will it be picking back up senior year in Fairfax public schools? |
Anonymous
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Experience living abroad can help a thoughtful college admissions essay stand out. So it can be beneficial for admissions. Probably it is more advantageous if applying as a US citizen attending a good quality overseas school than coming back to FCPS for senior year and applying from FCPS.
Which country overseas also can matter, partly because quality of local or international schools is highly variable. I would consider if location were Singapore but not other SE Asian countries. I would consider in Ireland, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Scandanavia - but I maybe would not do this if Greece or Malta or some minor EU countries. |
Anonymous
| My experience is that it was a huge plus. My DD had a horrible junior year, grade - wise, I mean, horrible. And she applied TO, but she had great essays and great activities because of her overseas experience. She did have good first semester senior year grades so maybe that weighed more heavily but she got into her first choice school top 40, in ED2 |
Anonymous
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In general, it’s a plus for colleges. A hook, diversity, maturity, worldliness, etc.
Socially, it can be very hard on the kid. Really depends on the post, the school and the kid. Many international and American schools abroad are rigorous, even more rigorous than our top US high schools, especially if they have an IB program. Be sure to go to one with an American school calendar and curriculum, not British, etc. I lived in northern Va from 3-7th grade, in one developing country in 8th grade, and a different developing country (but bigger/ better school) in 9th and 10th grade. I then moved back to northern Virginia for 11-12th Such a hard move, socially I was behind. College was slightly easier but, it’s hard on introverted kids. |
Anonymous
| Do not have them move back to the US for 1 year of senior year if you can help it. That year is all about memories and nostalgia. Not good if you haven’t been there. |
Anonymous
No this is incorrect, depending on the kid it will be fine. |
Anonymous
| It can be pretty seamless if you choose an American school abroad from a curriculum standpoint. There are far less students applying to individual schools so it’s a much different process. If you have plans to move back stateside check residency rules, ours was 12 month prior to start. |
Anonymous
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where, OP?
I think if she likes it, it would be best if she could also spend her senior year at the same school. sometimes international/american schools abroad have small boarding programs. ideally, you would choose a school that has a small boarding program so that she can choose to spend senior year there I would think it would be an advantage, college admissions wise |
Anonymous
Feel free to have your kid be the guinea pig for this. If your asking for advice for someone who’s BTDT I would say, don’t do it. |
Anonymous
I've done it myself and my kids have done it. There are people who lead very international lives and know more about it than you. |
Anonymous
I have “lived a very international life”, so I don’t know who could know more about this than me. I have lived in three different countries in childhood as a foreign service kid, and two different countries for two years each in Asia as an adult. I would not do this to my senior in high school. |
Anonymous
Foreign Service kid here who moved back from overseas as a high school senior from a school abroad that I loved. I had a fantastic senior year. It really depends on the kid. I loved having both experiences. |
Anonymous
DP but pretty sure there are thousands of people who meet this exact description. Your experience is valid. So are other people’s. |
Anonymous
| It was a plus for me, distinguishing me from the majority of other applicants to the university I attended. I was relatively uncompetitive based on grades alone, but believe I was accepted for the diversity of my background (not racial/ethnic diversity, but diversity in terms of having lived abroad and having attended an international school). I also had a much greater level of language fluency (near native) in a second language, thanks to my foreign residence, and more competence in global history than many other applicants, reflected in AP scores in those areas. |
Anonymous
Yes, one negative example is not the only one to heed. Often the negativity is not due to the move itself but the inflexibility of the temperament of the student. |