Need to Talk to an Expert on College Applications. Know Anyone?

No, it will not help her get into college. She is far too young to be away internationally and can do it once she gets into college. Simons Rock college accepts freshman who are 16. I wasn't aware of any programs that allow someone to study abroad in HS unless it is an elite boarding school. It sounds like she wants to get away from home!

Never heard of that. My daughter's high school has always had a 100% acceptance rate and no one studies abroad in high school as a way to hedge their chances. Is it possible your daughter is working this as an angle to get a really cool experience?

Talk to her guidance counselor at school. That is what they are there for.

I can tell you that I would never let my high schooler live without us, in a foreign country no less, for a year. My son did serve as a student ambassador with People to People and went to China for 2 weeks between his jr and sr year in school. It was a great experience. They learned about the country before they went (and had some assignments due), they experienced the culture, had a service project, and had a great time w/ kids their age (from other states as well as ours). My son was not an honor roll student (although smart, he never applied himself and therefore his grades were average at best) but he was a well rounded student (Eagle Scout, student ambassador, athlete). He applied to his college of choice (no others) and was accepted early...no, they don't give out athletic scholarships there so it wasn't just because he was a athlete. When we went to tour that college before he applied, the adimissions lady was quite impressed w/ scouting and P2P experience.

I studied abroad in high school for my senior year in Germany - back in 92-93. I turned 18 while over there. Based on my high school's requirements, I already had enough credits to graduate, so I didn't need to repeat a year or replace a year with my grades or have any GPA concerns. I went with a program - AFS. I lived with a great family that was assigned to me - a married couple with 3 daughters. He was a doctor and she was an anthropologist; the daughters were 4,12, and 17. The grandmother also lived with our family part time during the week when my host mom worked. I had taken 3 years of German in high school before I went, so I could speak some very basic conversational German. I went to school at a German school, and learned the language fluently.
This was a very hard year in terms of personal challenges. I had to make new friends, navigate a new city, figure out a new language, different cultural rules, manage my spending money, cope with being away from home, friends, boyfriend. It was without a doubt the single most important thing I have ever done in terms of shaping my world view, my independence, my ability to know that I can get through something where I'm on my own & have to find my way.
A few things about AFS that I think are stand outs - host families are not paid. They volunteer for the cultural exchange that happens when someone from another culture lives in your home for a year. Since they're not paid, AFS host families tend to be fairly wealthy, highly educated families, but also just plain nice people. Not every host family is a good fit for a student. I did know a student in my group who changed families, but his 2nd family was a fantastic fit for him.
In terms of study abroad helping to get into college, I don't know about that. After being gone my senior year, I opted to stay relatively close to home for college and went to the state university about 2 hours away from home - it was an easy acceptance. I can DEFINITELY say it helped me get a job after college. By being fluent in another language, I started out in German classes at the Junior level in college. As a freshman, I knew professors by name immediately. They recommended me for scholarships, and other research opportunities because they could see my aptitude for the language, and my interest above & beyond the classwork. I was able to study abroad 2 more times during my undergrad work. All of this added not just another line item on my resume, but it opened doors for me.
I now work in software project management for an international firm - I work with people from around the world every day. Some of the basics that I learned from study abroad help me do my job - simple things like: learn how to pronounce people's names! Know when the other country is on holiday! Notice when people don't understand each other because of language differences. Take into account cultural differences when trying to get things done. This skill is actually really rare despite the very global economy we live in today.
Anyway, I thought you might want to hear some thoughts from someone who actually did this and how it turned out. It's not for everyone - it's hard, it has it's ups & downs, but for me, the long term benefits have been long lasting. Feel free to send me a personal message if you want to know more about AFS or study abroad in general.

It will not set her apart from the exact same student as herself, that does not go abroad at this point, unless your daughter is going as a focus of her studies. International relations.. Into a particular culture of study.. Like Latin American Studies and she is planning on doing these studies in college.

Of course the experience itself can help her write about what she learned on an international trip.. We have family friends that traveled around the world, on their bikes!..First they trained for 6 months, using bikes to go everywhere possible here in town.. They are a family of 6. This was a big deal for them. They kept a blog and the children 1 by one have referred to this trip in each of their college essays. They planned on a full year, but after a medical emergency (thank goodness the dad is a surgeon), they ran out of money and came back a bit earlier than planned.

I also suggest that your daughter find colleges that have sister colleges or offer study abroad for a year or a semester. through the college. There is usually no additional cost of tuition, except for her transportation and living expenses.

But over all this is not a money, time vs.. other activities that will give her an edge.on her application.. She should be honest that she does want to take advantage of studying abroad while in college, representing the US and the college in another country.. Not every student has that drive.

Unless she's willing to have to make up classes when she gets back, this is not a good idea unless it's done very carefully and you're sure that her credits will transfer back to her US transcript. I teach SAT prep and do some work with students on the application process. I had a student who went to Ecuador for 6 months with some family members. She did go to school there, but nothing was an accredited class so she was behind on credits when she got back. Additionally, because she came back halfway into the school year, she could only take electives instead of major classes for some classes because she had missed so much material already. It was a total nightmare. I don't know if she ended up graduating with her class or if she ended up doing another half year or year of high school.

We worked with Princeton Review for our daughter. She is 18 and will be in college in the fall of 2013.

Most colleges offer study abroad after you are accepted for a semester or so. Our daughter is looking into that part of it so that the study abroad counts with her college credits.

www.princetonreview.com The info the have on colleges is very good.

Expect to pay a nice price... We paid $200 an hour for college app preparedness, essay reviews, etc.

ETA: I agree that a lot of this information as far as study abroad can be covered in the college visits and tours.

Good luck.

You don't mention how old your daughter is. Also, many colleges offer International trips during winter (3 weeks) and spring (1 week), and summer break (6 - 8 weeks) that you can get course credit for.

Have you been to any colleges for a tour? As part of the tour, you meet up with an admissions person that can answer your specific questions.

EDIT AFTER SWH:
Talk to an exchange program;
Ex. http://www.afsusa.org/

I don't know if it will help with admissions, but if she wants to study abroad, there are many really good schools that have international campuses. I spent a summer in England studying architecture and it was an incredible experience.

I just read an article on professional college application specialists. They are very expensive but know the ins and outs of getting accepted. Try running a google search on college admissions assistance or professionals.

The following contains tips on how to get into a highly selective college.
She may not have her eye set on a Ivy League school, but the advice is good no matter where she applies.

http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/HighlySelective....

She wants to be a foreign exchange student?
It can be a very rewarding experience but it's not always what you expect it to be.
My very good friend in high school went to Japan for a year.
He almost had a nervous breakdown.
It took him 3 or 4 months to come to terms with the cultural differences and get along with his host family.
It was physically exhausting - the school ethic is completely different and he went from riding a bus to/from school at home to riding a bike to/from school (10 mile round trip) in Japan.
He lost over 80 lbs (and he was not a heavy guy to begin with).
At one point, 6 weeks into it - he actually packed a bag and ran away from his host home and spent some time with another host family till he decided to try again.
He could not always say what he wanted to say to his parents because he begged them to let him go in the first place.
Ultimately, he felt it was wonderful experience - he's gone back a few times to visit - but the letters I got from him those first few months had me very worried about him (this was before email).
He ended up going to the same college I went to and majored in Japanese and then he became a steward for an airline and flew many trips to/from Japan.
Still - I got in to the same school he did and I never had to leave home.

Also, some foreign exchange students to the US have had problems with being sexually abused.

http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/13/10669162-f...

I can't imagine what the situation is for US kids abroad.

I've known some students who came here from Australia and Germany and Israel who had no trouble at all and made many friends.

There are lot's of ways to impress a college admissions board.
Foreign exchange is only one way.
But there are also many other ways to achieve the same results.

I have a friend who is a consultant that specializes in college admissions applications and entrance letters, mainly for ivy league schools. Not sure what he would charge for a quick phone consultation, but if you PM me I can give you his contact info.

Hello,

My field is College Admissions and I am a huge Study Abroad advocate. If your daughter is mature enough to request such an experience and you have the ability to support her, please consider doing so. It is my strong belief that she wants the experience not just for her college application but for her life experience and personal enrichment; and she is a very smart young woman and she is trying to present it to you in terms she believes you would support -- it will look good on my college applications. There are huge benefits to studying in other countries -- seeing beyond your immediate world, independence, adventure, cultural understanding, empathy, and self confidence. Statistics show that students who study abroad in high school adjust to college life much easier and faster than students who have not had this opportunity.

A lot depends on the type of colleges she will be applying to her senior year. Some schools admissions process is purely done by numbers. Most Liberal Arts Colleges do look at the whole student; having the self awareness that comes from having studied abroad does make a candidate's application stand out.

You have a daughter who has taken on the challenge of studying Chinese and has requested to study in another country. I suggest you have much to be proud of. I also think that a Semester at Sea or one of the hundreds of programs for Americans high school students to study in other countries is truly one of the greatest gifts you can give your child.

Maybe there is a compromise the two of you can come up with. There are programs in other countries for quarters, semesters and the whole academic year. There are programs with home hospitality and the student goes to a local high school and is possibly the only student from America at the school; there are programs where all the foreign students take some classes together, in the style of an ESL class; and there are programs where the high school students from America are together in dorms, take classes together, and these programs supply strong staff as advocates for the group of students. Maybe you can find one where she is in one country, like England, but able to be in a Chinese community to strengthen her unique talents. Whatever style of program you and she select, please choose an accredited program and don't just send her to a foreign country to live with friends of friends. A lot will depend how she does academically in the other country and if she is in a program that supplies academic support for the foreign student she will be more successful than if she is just enrolled in a school in another country and left to her own devises. A formal program should have staff with experience in making sure all of her academic needs are met and all her credits will transfer properly.

If you have the ability to support her in this dream, PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING HER THIS GIFT OF A LIFETIME. She will always be grateful and it will make her an even better citizen of the world.

I would be glad to speak with you further if you would like. Send me a private message and we can connect.

Good luck with this process.

P.S. Why don't you or have her call the Admissions Offices at some of the colleges you think she might apply to. Please contact Pitzer College http://www.pitzer.edu/admission/ which is only an hour drive from Los Angeles. I used to be an Admissions Counselor there and from the little bit I now know about your daughter the Claremont Colleges might be a great match for her educational style and adventurous spirit. Studying Abroad is very highly regarded by those reading the college applications at these schools.

Many schools offer exchange programs - I would look in to this.

And, for your best answer, speak to the Admissions Counselor at the colleges she will be applying to. They will know the answer best since every school is different.