Study abroad junior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re getting a lot of advice here from people who don’t really know and are just speculating. If you’re worried about its effect on college admissions, reach out to the college counselor before making the final decision. My sense (but it’s just that) is that, as 7:09 says it will help differentiate her from all the kids taking the same classes who look the same on paper.

A lot of college counselors don't know either, especially if they work at a school where kids don't normally study abroad.

+1. PP here who did two years. I was in a highly competitive district and the first person to study abroad, so college counselors were useless. Lot's of parents definitely thought I was, "checking out of the game" in terms of college admissions because it was such a huge deviation from the "formula."

What does she want to study OP? I think that makes a huge difference. STEM would be tough. I wanted to study International Affairs and two years abroad was a net positive in so many personal ways but also I think helped with college admissions- I went to Georgetown SFS. Would it have been viewed the same studying math? Probably not! If I had been Ivy or bust? Also maybe not great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She’ll be gone forever in 2 years anyway! Why would you do this?

+1
I came to say this.
You get 18 years and then it's over.

OP, please don’t listen to these people. Our job as parents is to prepare our kids to leave the nest, not coop them up for our own benefit.

My niece did two (non-consecutive) years in Asia, one before and one during college. Fluent in Mandarin, learning Cantonese. Full ride to college.

If your daughter wants to do it, it will be life changing!

[Anonymous]

The people I know who have done this are courageous, motivated and also quite successful. They include people on fellowships, in graduate school, working at a government agency doing what I assume are exciting things since they're totally secretive about it, and a professor at Oxford.

Don't let college admissions guide this decision. A kid who is brave enough to go away for a year and organized enough to make it happen is going to be just fine in college and in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people I know who have done this are courageous, motivated and also quite successful. They include people on fellowships, in graduate school, working at a government agency doing what I assume are exciting things since they're totally secretive about it, and a professor at Oxford.

Don't let college admissions guide this decision. A kid who is brave enough to go away for a year and organized enough to make it happen is going to be just fine in college and in life.

+1
I did an year abroad during my Senior year of high school and it was a transformative experience.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t factor in college admissions. I think it can be a pro and con, and there’s no real way to know how it will shake out. I would help your daughter think seriously about whether she really wants to do this. A year in Asia is cool, but it will be very difficult too. She will be sick, she will be lonely, she will have to cope with uncomfortable situations. Study abroad can be life-changing, but part of the life-changing-ness is because it requires so much. Just because she won a scholarship doesn’t mean it’s the right time to do it.

[Anonymous]

I think it all depends on what she wants to study in college. If she wants to go into CompSci or a serious STEM field, a cultural program may not be the best use of her time during her junior year. If, however, she's interested in PoliSci, sociology, or a similar field, then this experience could be woven into her primary essay as a "what I gained in place of AP classes my junior year"-type of exposition. Many top-tier colleges would be interested in reading something meaningful like that vs seeing the same sea of AP grades and a middling personal statement. I think you should advise your child to make the most of it (or at least be determined to do so), knowing the downsides of being so far away and maybe potentially having a so-so experience, so can she can use it to her advantage. That's when the scholarship, the experience, and the utility of the experience toward college admissions can all converge in a harmonious synergy, creating an ideal scenario for personal growth and academic advancement.

[Anonymous]

As one who has hosted foreign exchange students in our home, we have seen how it can be a life altering experience. If it can be integrated into the college essay, she will stand out. If she is motivated to jump through the hoops to go through an exchange program, she is motivated to make the most of whatever college she ultimately gets accepted into. Despite what many DCUMers think, the path to success does not only go through the Ivies. Besides, most of our kids will
be going onto graduate school and so one's life is not pre-determined based on undergraduate.

Final note: Life is about risks. When your kids indicate they are ready for risks, you have to indicate that you have full confidence in them making the best decision. Yes, definitely go through the pros and cons but, more often than not, I have seen first-hand how the parents seem to have a harder time with change than the kids when children go abroad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As one who has hosted foreign exchange students in our home, we have seen how it can be a life altering experience. If it can be integrated into the college essay, she will stand out. If she is motivated to jump through the hoops to go through an exchange program, she is motivated to make the most of whatever college she ultimately gets accepted into. Despite what many DCUMers think, the path to success does not only go through the Ivies. Besides, most of our kids will
be going onto graduate school and so one's life is not pre-determined based on undergraduate.

Final note: Life is about risks. When your kids indicate they are ready for risks, you have to indicate that you have full confidence in them making the best decision. Yes, definitely go through the pros and cons but, more often than not, I have seen first-hand how the parents seem to have a harder time with change than the kids when children go abroad.


this is so well said. i'm a previous poster who had kid spend senior year abroad on state dept program and it was BRUTAL on me, not made any easier by the well meaning friends who said versions of "why don't you just tell her 'no.'" Of course we could have said no. But when we thought about the work she did to get herself this opportunity and what it would mean to her life story for us to just shut it down vs let her go and learn and struggle and grow, we felt like our job as parents was to support this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As one who has hosted foreign exchange students in our home, we have seen how it can be a life altering experience. If it can be integrated into the college essay, she will stand out. If she is motivated to jump through the hoops to go through an exchange program, she is motivated to make the most of whatever college she ultimately gets accepted into. Despite what many DCUMers think, the path to success does not only go through the Ivies. Besides, most of our kids will
be going onto graduate school and so one's life is not pre-determined based on undergraduate.

Final note: Life is about risks. When your kids indicate they are ready for risks, you have to indicate that you have full confidence in them making the best decision. Yes, definitely go through the pros and cons but, more often than not, I have seen first-hand how the parents seem to have a harder time with change than the kids when children go abroad.


this is so well said. i'm a previous poster who had kid spend senior year abroad on state dept program and it was BRUTAL on me, not made any easier by the well meaning friends who said versions of "why don't you just tell her 'no.'" Of course we could have said no. But when we thought about the work she did to get herself this opportunity and what it would mean to her life story for us to just shut it down vs let her go and learn and struggle and grow, we felt like our job as parents was to support this.

OP here. Thank you for these comments. DD has decided to go and I can already tell it’s going to be an extremely difficult year for me. I can’t imagine not having her at home. Not seeing her for almost a year. But I’m going to do my best to be happy for her and let her know I believe in her. She worked so hard to get to this point, I can’t imagine telling her she’s not allowed to go.