Now many parents want to send their children to study abroad when they are in high school. What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying in high school abroad? Let me have a look with you!

According to Harvard University's own daily newspaper "Harvard Crimson", taking Class 20 17 as an example, 6% of the students enrolled only come from 10 high school. For every 20 freshmen admitted to Harvard University, one student must come from one of the following seven high schools:

Boston Latin School Boston Latin School

Phillips college andover Phillips andover high school

Phillips Exeter College

stuyvesant high school

Noble and Greenough School Noble and Greenough High School

Sanyi school

Lexington high school Lexington high school

These high schools include public high schools and private boarding high schools. * * * Similarly, these high schools are all good schools that are difficult to get into, and the admission rate is very low. Take stuyvesant high school (Stevenson High School) as an example. The admission rate of this public high school is only 3%, which is lower than that of Harvard.

It can be seen that American universities, especially famous schools, still attach great importance to students' "origin"-attending high school. Today, this paper will analyze the importance of China candidates attending ordinary high schools, international high schools and American high schools in the comprehensive evaluation of hardware, the advantages and disadvantages of applying for famous American schools and remedial measures.

First, the advantages and disadvantages of domestic ordinary high school students applying for American universities

Although it is a great challenge for China students studying in high schools in China to apply for American universities, it is actually easier to apply for top universities such as Harvard and Yale than for China students in the United States if they can take precautions, make full preparations, reasonably evaluate their own strength, and foster strengths and avoid weaknesses.

Compared with American high school students, especially students from China, students studying in high schools in China also have certain advantages when applying for American universities, mainly in the following aspects:

In terms of standardized tests such as 1, TOEFL and SAT, the research of test questions and the pondering of test skills in domestic training courses can be said to be perfect. Relatively speaking, students can easily get scores far beyond their own strength in the exam. In addition, domestic students have relatively sufficient time to prepare for exams, and some schools have even completely liberalized the attendance of students applying for studying abroad, allowing students to take time off to review exams at home.

2. Flexible handling of students' application information by schools: In China, there is no unified registration system for students' grades, and a few schools have greater flexibility in handling transcripts for the benefit of their own enrollment; In practice, letters of recommendation are often completed with the help of students themselves or intermediaries, and teachers often only recommend them in name, so the contents of letters of recommendation can highlight the strengths and advantages of students to the greatest extent; In terms of class ranking, if students get good grades, some schools are more tolerant of the specific location where students fill in the rankings, and so on.

For college admissions officers, it is difficult to verify the authenticity of all these information item by item, but they usually comprehensively evaluate all the information of students, such as perfect GPA+ class ranking+recommendation letter, equipped with general TOEFL and SAT scores, and the effect may be counterproductive, so it is very important to maintain the consistency of application information. Of course, we strongly advocate the authenticity of all application information, and the consequences of fraud are extremely serious in the United States.

3. Course content: Compared with the requirements of ordinary high school students in the United States, the difficulty of domestic courses is still slightly higher, especially the difficulty of science courses such as mathematics, physics and chemistry is more easily recognized by American universities, which gives extra points for applying for science.

Of course, there are some disadvantages in applying for American universities in high schools in China, which are embodied in:

1, Essay, unlike attaching importance to mathematics and physics teaching, the biggest difference between American high schools and domestic high schools may be that they attach great importance to humanities, especially English reading and writing. Due to the lack of sufficient practice, the overall level of intermediary consultants and the application mode, the quality of thesis writing is generally low in China. However, after extensive reading and rigorous training in American high schools, the English writing level of foreign students is usually higher than that of native students in China. In addition, the students in American high schools are all private high schools, and consultants usually advise students on their thesis writing, help them check and even help them revise until they are satisfied.

2. In terms of extracurricular activities, American high schools belong to extracurricular activities around 2: 30 in the afternoon. Compared with the colorful extracurricular activities that American students participate in, students in the national college entrance examination system have no time to arrange extracurricular activities at all, and the corresponding preparation and excavation are also lacking. Some students have obvious signs of packaging, which makes American university admissions officers sometimes question the authenticity of China students participating in extracurricular activities.

3. The flexibility of the school in handling students' application information can be used as an advantage; But in most cases, it will become a disadvantage, especially when students attend ordinary schools. The curriculum and assessment system are different from those in the United States, and there are obviously inconsistent information, which is more likely to cause American admissions officers to worry about authenticity.

Second, the advantages and disadvantages of international high school students applying for American universities

Many international departments of international high schools or ordinary high schools have gradually emerged in China, such as Beijing No.11 Middle School and Dalian American International School. These schools generally imitate American schools in teaching setup and teaching mode, and teachers generally employ foreign teachers to teach in pure English. Generally, tuition fees are relatively expensive, which requires students' adaptability and adaptability.

Choosing an international high school still has the following six advantages:

1, high school transcripts are one of the necessary materials when applying for studying abroad, and they are also very important materials. When recruiting students, American admissions officers should first examine the basic information such as student transcripts and GPA. But some international schools use the naviance system of American local high schools to record students' grades. If you use naviance system to send electronic transcripts to your favorite university, it will be easier for this university to identify your transcripts and save you time and money in translation.

2.AP or IB courses are extra points, and many international high schools will offer IB courses. If students can provide scores of 4-5 in several AP courses, or IB courses with good grades and get certificates, these can explain the difficulty of your courses and improve your competitiveness. One thing to note is that IB courses cannot be taught by themselves, and such courses need to be set up in the school's teaching setup to learn. If the high school you choose doesn't offer IB courses, then you won't get IB course grades. Therefore, when choosing a high school, it is very important to know clearly whether to offer IB courses.

3. Many foreign teachers engaged in international high school teaching may have some connections, may know some teachers from American universities or may graduate from your favorite universities, and their letters of recommendation will be more easily recognized and more weighty.

4. All courses in international senior high schools are taught in English. Improving students' listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in an all-round way is conducive to improving students' English level and making it easier for students to adapt to the living and learning environment abroad.

5. The curriculum and teaching arrangement of international high schools are in full compliance with the application of American universities. Teachers often ask students to complete a certain number of papers, group tasks, research topics, etc. Students' writing, teamwork and research skills can be integrated into ordinary teaching content.

Three, the advantages and disadvantages of American high school students applying for American universities

For these students, they are not under the pressure of college entrance examination, so it is easier to take the SAT, and they usually have more opportunities to take AP, IB and other preparatory courses, which are much more difficult than ordinary courses in the United States and high schools. Therefore, for students who want to enter the top universities in the United States, attending American high schools has advantages over attending domestic high schools on the one hand, and on the other hand, they don't need to compete with many American high schools of Niuwa in a certain sense, which makes the competitive advantage of applying for American universities more obvious after graduating from high school, which is embodied in the following aspects:

1, pure English environment, preparing for entering the university. After studying and living in American high schools for several years, students' English level will be greatly improved, and their real English ability will naturally be cultivated and easily recognized by admissions officers. In addition, American high schools have ESL language courses, so there is no language preparatory course. For international students, there is one less threshold to enter universities through language schools.

2. The United States has world-class teaching materials and rich curriculum arrangements. The American high school education model is different from China's, and the elective system is implemented. Students in the same school and the same grade may take completely different courses and complete the credits stipulated by the school. Students studying in high schools in the United States can choose courses according to their hobbies and their own specialties, and they are independent and flexible.

American high schools have enough time for students to develop in an all-round way. Music, art, sports, community activities and competitions are all available to meet the different needs of different children. American high school students' experiences or awards in various competitions in American schools, places, leagues, semi-state or statewide, regional and national competitions are more likely to be recognized by university admissions officers. Because the university admissions office is very aware of the gold content of various activities in the United States, it is easy to be biased in the audit process, which becomes the key for applicants to enter prestigious schools.

4. Students' personal ability has been improved. After leaving their parents, international students studying in high schools in the United States have exercised their ability to live overseas and solve problems independently, and become mature through exercise. American college admissions officers attach great importance to these abilities. On the American campus, a foreign student who is not a native English speaker is more likely to get special praise and affirmation from the admissions officer if he can achieve a certain leadership position and achievements in the whole school (including American students). There are even more cases in top famous schools, choosing to admit students who can cook, rather than playing the piano.

If you get excellent GPA in American high schools, most college admissions officers think that foreign high school students have more cultural background than domestic applicants, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on applying for American universities.

6. Be able to better prepare for college. The process of applying to American universities is long and complicated, which requires taking exams, knowing about schools and majors, and writing papers. Students studying in the United States have more opportunities to fully understand American universities, and the transcripts provided by American high schools are more easily recognized by university admissions officers. In the preparation of university application, students will also receive systematic and comprehensive guidance from tutors.

Of course, domestic students attending American high schools also have certain disadvantages or risks:

1, lonely, frustrated. International students in China are used to being taken care of by their families, lack of self-identity caused by language communication barriers and cultural differences, and at the same time face challenges in life.

2. Self-control ability is challenged. Small international students in China are far away from their parents. If they can't exercise self-discipline and self-control, they are easily influenced by the negative environment around them.

3. The study pressure is great. Although China students can get high marks in the SAT or TOEFL, they still feel great pressure in American classrooms and homework, especially in humanities. There are obvious differences in teaching arrangements, curriculum and classroom teaching between China and the United States. Chinese and American teachers have different expectations of their students, so it is a great challenge to stand out in American classrooms.

Relatively speaking, the advantages of a good student who aims at a prestigious school attending an American high school outweigh the disadvantages. In addition to honing students' ability of independent living and self-restraint, it is also of great help to students' future development (including further studies and employment) and the cultivation of various abilities. For students with a general foundation, the risks seem to outweigh the advantages.

Fourth, how to foster strengths and avoid weaknesses in different high schools?

How can China applicants studying in different high schools make up for the disadvantage that their applications are limited to famous American schools, so as to improve their competitiveness?

1, choosing to attend American high schools, especially prestigious schools, is undoubtedly the most favorable among many choices:

The abilities required by non-standardized tests, such as communication skills, creativity and critical spirit, and playing the role of a leader, can be well exercised in these American high schools, and these abilities are highly valued by competitive prestigious schools. Studying in a private high school in the United States will undoubtedly pave the way for applying for a prestigious American school.

Of course, for the small foreign students from China studying in American high schools, it is necessary to analyze and adjust their adaptability. If you can't integrate into the learning environment of American high schools, it will have a great negative impact on students' ability or interest in participating in the social environment. The students who can really get the offer from a prestigious school are those who are not only good at learning, but also good at socializing and can fully participate in community activities.

2. For high school students studying in domestic high schools:

SAT and TOEFL scores are still the two most important indicators. For students with average grades, it is more effective to improve the scores of these two exams in a down-to-earth manner than to spend time and energy participating in various extracurricular activities.

The so-called American colleges and universities pay more attention to the "outstanding" performance beyond students' grades, which is aimed at the academic tyrants with excellent academic performance, because the gap between TOEFL scores and SAT scores is no longer important when everyone's grades are almost perfect, and the gold content of students' awards, volunteer activities, part-time jobs and leadership in extracurricular activities has become a higher-level competition.

After getting excellent results, I suggest that China students should strengthen their participation in extracurricular activities, pay attention to the public's interests, and show their experiences in papers or interviews according to their own experiences in extracurricular activities, so as to stand out among many applicants. For domestic students who have the spare capacity to study, it is suggested to take AP exams and IB courses as much as possible to improve the difficulty of the courses. These are all factors that American college admissions officers attach great importance to in the admission process.

After years of exam-oriented education, applying for a prestigious American school is in competition with the top talents trained by quality education in various countries. In recent years, more and more overseas study groups and prestigious schools have made it difficult for China students to enroll, which also makes it more difficult to apply for American universities year by year.