university admissions -catherine boalch...
TRANSCRIPT
Student Destinations 2014- All Lycée
Destinations 2012 - 2014 – US Section
Subjects to Study• Most popular subjects, in roughly descending order:
• Engineering & Computing (6-10 per year)• Business Management (6-10 per year)• Prépas (usually MP, MPSI, ECS) (4-8 per year)• Economics-Politics-International Relations (4-8 per year)• Medicine, Sciences (4-8 per year)
Languages-Literature-Liberal Arts (4-8 per year)• Law (3-5 per year)• Art, Drama, Architecture, Music (2-3 per year)• Gap 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 USLiberal 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-law-economics)• LSE (law, accounting-finance)• Queen Mary (law, design engineering)
EnglandOxford (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 IrelandAberdeen (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
• McGill (engineering, management, sciences, arts)
• Concordia (engineering, management, arts, sciences)
• U of Montreal (architecture)• U of Toronto (computing)• U of British Columbia
(management)
• Switzerland
• EPFLausanne (science)• EHLausanne (hospitality)
• Netherlands/Germany• University of Maastricht (liberal
arts, 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-colleges (US News and World Report)• http://www.fairtest.org (US schools that do not require SATs)• http://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2015/may/25/university-league-tables-2016 (UK university league tables• http://www.macleans.ca/education/best-of-the-best-introducing-the-2016-macleans-university-rankings/ (Canadian university survey rankings)• www.studyinholland.nl (Dutch English-language programs)
How to Apply
USA:
‘Early Decision/Action’ Deadlines Nov. 1 or 15, 2016
Regular Deadline 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 Oct.15, 2016 All other courses Jan. 15, 2017
Required: statement of motivation, predicted grades and school report(includes relevant teacher comments). LNAT, TSA, UKCAT. Offers conditional
Canada: Jan. 15 – March 1, 2017
Required: Last 4 bulletins
Netherlands: Bulletins, statement of motivation Jan 1-April 1, 2017
Application Timeline for 1eresJanuary-April 2016
Prepare ACT/SATs Meet with counselorDecide on summer plans—short courses, visits, etc ..
May-June 2016
Ask teachers for referencesBring bulletins to counselor for translation, predicted gradesTake ACT/SATs and Subject Tests if neededSubmit preliminary list of college choices
Application Timeline for TerminaleSept-Oct 2016
Submit rough drafts of personal statements, college essaysTake or re-take SATS as neededSubmit Oxbridge, EA/ED applicationsEdit preliminary list of college choices
Nov-Dec 2016
Last chance to take SATs, Subject testsComplete personal statements, essaysOxbridge 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
•
•
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