UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS
-Catherine Boalch
(catherine.boalch@americansection.org)
Website: boalchcounseling.pbworks.com
Student Destinations 2014- All Lycée
Destinations 2012 - 2014 – US Section
Subjects to Study
• Most popular subjects, in roughly descending order:
• Engineering & Computing
• Business Management
• Prépas (usually MP, MPSI, ECS)
• Economics-Politics-International Relations
• Medicine, Sciences
Languages-Literature-Liberal Arts
• Law
• Art, Drama, Architecture, Music
• Gap Year
(6-10 per year)
(6-10 per year)
(4-8 per year)
(4-8 per year)
(4-8 per year)
(4-8 per year)
(3-5 per year)
(2-3 per year)
(1-2 per year)
The United States
Why Students Go
•Desire to re-connect with US roots
•Flexibility and breadth of studies-don’t need
to choose right away
•Smaller classes, individual attention,
stronger sense of community
•Opportunity to pursue sports at high level
•Richness of extra-curricular life
•Appeal of US campus experience: supposed
to be the ‘time of your life’
Why They Don’t
•Cost – up to $70, 000 per year with no
financial aid though cheaper options exist
and some students qualify for generous
merit scholarships or need-based-aid.
•Far from home/family
•4 years instead of three for BA
•Lack of connection to US culture, values
•Not sure degree will be valued overseas for
non-US citizens
•Complexity of application: grades since 3è,
ACT/SATs, essays
Where They Go in the US
Liberal Arts Colleges
• Pomona (2), Wesleyan (2) Wellesley (2), Middlebury (3),
Skidmore (2), Bowdoin, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Macalaster,
Claremont McKenna, Bard, Whitman, Rhodes (full
scholarship)
Private Universities
Duke (2), Tufts, UPenn (2), Northwestern (2), U Chicago (2),
Northeastern (4), Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Wake
Forest, University of San Diego, Loyola University Chicago
(1/4 scholarship), Rice (1/2 scholarship), New York
University, Boston University (1/2 scholarship), Stanford
Public Universities
U. California-Berkeley (2), U. Virginia, U. Michigan, U.
Washington, U. Oregon Honors College (full scholarship)
What Our Students Say: USA
«I
wanted to go to the US because I’m American and had never lived there; I wanted an urban
environment coupled with a campus feel. Boston University offers the perfect mix. What I love
about this school is that one can do anything. But you have to go out and grab it.»
«I liked the idea of a small liberal arts college with excellent academics. The fact that Vassar was
only an hour and a half from New York City was also attractive. Classes are very engaging due
to the excellent professors and small size. Assignments have more depth than at the lycée but I
have more free time and I’m concentrating on subjects I really love. »
The U.K.
Why Students Go
•English-language plus close to home
•Universities’ reputations
•Focused courses in their area of interest
•International student body, appeal of London
•Cheaper then US: £9,000 per year
•Shorter– Master’s in 4 years
•Easy application process, based on bac results
•Well, everyone else is doing it …
Why They Don’t
•Don’t know what they want to study or want to
study range of subjects, explore new ones.
•Lack of connection to UK culture
•Impersonal, lack of individual attention
•Only 8-12 class hours per week in some
subjects.
•More expensive than continental Europe
•Stress of conditional offers including subject-
specific grades; what if you miss your offer?
Where They Go: UK
London
Imperial College (civil engineering, computing,
electronic engineering, biomedical engineering)
Kings College (biotechnology, biomedical science,
liberal arts, international politics, management, dual
law with the Sorbonne, medicine)
University College London (human sciences, civil engineering, electronic engineering, history-laweconomics)
• LSE (law, accounting-finance)
• Queen Mary (law, design engineering)
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England
Oxford (human sciences), Cambridge (law, HSPS, Spanish & Russian), Bristol (neuroscience, medicine,
economics, biochemistry), Manchester (life science), Surrey (electronic engineering/computing, liberal
arts and sciences), Kent (biomedical science) Sussex (medicine), Exeter (flexible honours, natural
sciences), Southampton (computing, mechanical engineering, music), Essex (dual law w. Nanterre),
Reading (fine arts/film), Leeds (management)
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Aberdeen (biomedical science), Dundee (biomedical science), Queens University Belfast (biology)
What Our Students Say: UK
«I wanted an English-speaking country, Bristol is one of the top ten universities and has a very
good economics program. It’s quite demanding but it’s what I wanted. A lot of students are
international. England is very different. It takes a while to get used to it.»
«The environment at Exeter is very friendly. I find myself with a lot of free time and I’ve joined
many clubs and societies. It does take people a while to get used to you if you’re foreign but
English people are very nice.»
« I liked Warwick’s openness and campus atmosphere and the fact that there is a significant
amount of international students. We have several hours of lectures per week though the lecture
halls have several hundred students so contact is limited. There’s very little supervision. The
incredibly high number of French students makes me feel like I never left the lycée.»
Where Else They Go
• Canada
• Netherlands/Germany
• McGill (engineering, management,
• University of Maastricht (liberal arts,
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sciences, arts)
Concordia (engineering,
management, arts, sciences)
U of Montreal (architecture)
U of Toronto (computing)
U of British Columbia (management)
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• Switzerland
• EPFLausanne (science)
• EHLausanne (hospitality)
business, medicine)
Erasmus University Rotterdam
(management, liberal arts-sciences,
communication-media)
BA International Studies, Leiden
Hotel School the Hague
Veterinary Medicine, University of Berlin
• Ireland
• Trinity College Dublin (medicine, history
of art-Spanish)
• Royal College of Surgeons (medicine)
What Our Students Say: Canada, Etc ..
“My first semester at Toronto: History of China, Italian, Math, Cognitive Science
and Computer Science. Although I only have 13-14 hours of class a week, it is
as much work as what I had to do at the Lycée. But it isn't tedious: it is actually
fun to go to a large 200-300 person lecture and listen to an amazing prof!”
“If you want a fun but also hardworking university experience, Rotterdam is the
place to go. The first year is tough, we have a lot of exams and our grades
determine where we’re able to go for the 3rd year exchange, but the students
are very open-minded and culturally-diverse and the parties are amazing!”
« I really like that McGill has a campus in the city. McGill was also appealing
because you have more flexibility in your studies than in France. The
professors and classes in the management program are interesting and
challenging. Classes are large but professors are accessible. The social life is
fun. It is very competitive and thus a lot of pressure on students. You have to
work hard and be motivated and interested. »
So– how to figure our what’s right for you?
• Vist our Wiki! boalchcounseling.pbworks.com for background information, news
articles, world rankings lists, application deadlines, alumni surveys
• Talk! To former students, to me, to your family and friends, on social media
• Travel! Go to Open Days, plan trips over vacations– ideally not their vacations, meet
with admissions officers, attend College Fair in Paris, other presentations.
• Read! College guides, alumni surveys, articles, websites to get a ‘feel’ for campus
ambiance. Rankings give an idea of reputation but often based on graduate-level
research, not quality of undergraduate experience.
• Study courses carefully and consider about what is the right fit for you. Talk to
professionals, alums. Explore summer/online courses/stages, subject taster days
• Choose! Be aspirational yet realistic. Have back-up options for ambitious choices.
You need time to prepare a strong application, it’s not just a question of sending in
your grades. You need to show that you are a good fit for whatever you’ve chosen.
Useful Websites
• www.ucas.com (info on UK courses, subject taster days)
• www.timeshighereducation.com (world university rankings)
• http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best•
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colleges (US News and World Report)
http://www.fairtest.org (US schools that do not require SATs)
http://www.theguardian.com/education/nginteractive/2015/may/25/university-league-tables-2016 (UK
university league tables
http://www.macleans.ca/education/best-of-the-bestintroducing-the-2016-macleans-university-rankings/
(Canadian university survey rankings)
www.studyinholland.nl (Dutch English-language programs)
How to Apply
USA:
‘Early Decision/Action’ Deadlines
Regular Deadline
Nov. 1 or 15, 2016
Jan. 1 or 15, 2017
Required: Transcript, school report, two teacher references, SAT/ACT test
results and possibly SAT subject tests, essays and supplements
UK:
Oxbridge, medicine
All other courses
Oct.15, 2016
Jan. 15, 2017
Required: statement of motivation, predicted grades and school report
(includes relevant teacher comments). LNAT, TSA, UKCAT. Offers conditional
Canada:
Required: Last 4 bulletins
Jan. 15 – March 1, 2017
Netherlands: Bulletins, statement of motivation
Jan 1-April 1, 2017
Application Timeline for 1eres
January-April 2016
Prepare ACT/SATs
Meet with counselor
Decide on summer plans—short courses, visits, etc ..
May-June 2016
Ask teachers for references
Bring bulletins to counselor for translation, predicted grades
Take ACT/SATs and Subject Tests if needed
Submit preliminary list of college choices
Application Timeline for Terminale
Sept-Oct 2016
Submit rough drafts of personal statements, college essays
Take or re-take SATS as needed
Submit Oxbridge, EA/ED applications
Edit preliminary list of college choices
Nov-Dec 2016
Last chance to take SATs, Subject tests
Complete personal statements, essays
Oxbridge interviews, ED/EA alumni interviews.
Submit final list of college choices
Advice from Me
• Stay in touch
• Check your email, Asalink, and Facebook
• Be professional
• respect deadlines and your teachers’ time
• Thank teachers and others who have written on your behalf
• Spell-check your emails to schools
• Keep your social media private
• American universities in particular but others too will Google you.
• Stay supportive of each other
• It can get tough to do so when people are getting offers at different
times, when someone is experience disappointment at the same time
as you’re in the clouds– be aware of others’ experiences.
Advice from The Class of 2015
• “Don’t choose your school based on rankings. They won’t
comfort you if during the first week of school you feel like
dropping out. It may sound cheesy, but go where you feel
most comfortable. Also don’t be afraid of being rejected from
a uni. It stings for a day, but after it makes you stronger and
more determined to find a school that suits you.”
-Louis, Law, King’s-Sorbonne dual degree
• ”Do not burn out for the bac, it is but a small step to the rest
of your life. And keep an open mind.”
•Alex, Prepas MP, Lycée Ste. Geneviève
• "It's hell to go through, and I changed my mind halfway
through, but it's a thousand times worth it.”
•–Ana, Medicine, University of Maastricht, Netherlands
More advice …
• « Thank you APB for keeping me out of prépas! You offered
me such a great experience abroad!"
•
--Robin, aeronautics, University of Southampton
• “Don't overlook the option of taking a gap year! At least, don't
eliminate the option just because it's not the norm.”
•
--Daniel, Intl Relations, Duke University (gap year in Shanghai)
• Start now, study! Don't just dream where you would love to
go; fight to get there!”
• -Francois, computer science major, University of Toronto
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Final Advice
• “Everyone I've kept in touch with has said that their university
ended up being the perfect fit, whether a campus or London
or the US ... or France! It’s easy to get so enthralled with the
idea of prestige that you forget about happiness day to day.
• Ariane, King’s College London, Liberal Arts
• “It's okay if you're not sure about where or what you want to
study. You can't always know if you'll like something until you
try it. Don't be afraid to just change your mind completely,
and don't be afraid to ask for help!”
• -Sarah, McGill, Management/Arts