How can you prepare and strengthen your application before sending it to foreign universities?

Preparing your application is the final step in the process of applying to universities abroad. In fact, it’s the culmination of all the academic work, experience and extracurricular activities you’ve been putting in over the years! So don’t wait until your final year of high school to enrich your profile, both in and out of school.

You need to plan well in advance – as early as tenth grade, and even as early as ninth grade for particularly selective universities! It goes without saying that if you’re aiming for a university or a highly selective course of study, academic excellence is an essential prerequisite! So, above all, you’ll need to aim for excellence throughout high school (and even as early as ninth grade for the USA). This will help you get excellent letters of recommendation from your teachers.

Choosing the right specialties for your first and last year of high school

What’s more, it’s very important to check the academic prerequisites for the courses you’re considering after your A-levels, so that you can make the right choice of specialization in première and terminale! To help you, we have created a summary table for a large number of courses.

However, it is important to check directly with the universities to make sure that this is the case for the course you are interested in.

Target curriculum	Specialty courses recommended in Première	Specialty courses recommended for final year
Scientific background: engineering, math, physics, computer science, architecture…	Mathematics Physics-Chemistry Engineering Sciences (SI) or Life and Earth Sciences (SVT) or Numerical and Computer Sciences (NSI)	MathematicsPhysics-chemistry or NSI (for computer science curriculum only)Expert mathematics optional (recommended)
Medical or paramedical training: medicine, veterinary medicine, physiotherapy, dental surgery…	Mathematics Physics-Chemistry Life and Earth Sciences (SVT)	1. Life and earth sciences (SVT) 2. Physics-chemistry (PC)Optional complementary mathematics (compulsory)or 1. Mathematics + 2. Life and earth sciences (SVT) Optional expert mathematics (compulsory)
Business or commercial curriculum	1. Mathematics 2. Other specialties from history-geography, geopolitics and political science (HGGSP) or economics and social science (SES) or other possible specialties	Mathematics Other possible specialties Expert mathematics as an option (optional) or Other possible specialties Other possible specialties Complementary mathematics (compulsory)
Cursus liberal arts and humanities	3 then 2 specialties from among: humanities, literature and philosophy (HLP) or history-geography, geopolitics and political science (HGGSP); literature, languages and cultures of Antiquity (LLCA) or foreign languages, literatures and cultures (LLCE); other specialties possible, including scientific ones; mathematics specialization for courses with mathematics.Possible options (optional) : languages and cultures of Antiquity (LCA), arts, law and major issues of the contemporary world, other possible specialties
Law or social sciences: political science, international relations…	Choose 3 then 2 specialties from: history-geography, geopolitics and political science (HGGSP); economic and social sciences (SES) or humanities, literature and philosophy (HLP); foreign languages, literatures and cultures (LLCE); other specialties possible.

Develop your curiosity and interest in your chosen field of study

In many countries, such as the United States and university colleges in the Netherlands Extracurricular activities count almost as much as academic results. That’s why it’s essential to devote time to activities outside the classroom: volunteering for an association, joining one or more clubs at school, playing sports, gaining work experience and showing initiative by creating projects!

What’s more, for some countries, such as the UK, you will be expected to have already developed your curiosity and knowledge in your chosen field of study. It is therefore important to devote time to reading or activities that demonstrate an interest in the subjects of your proposed course of study that goes beyond the classroom.

This can be demonstrated, for example, by the following activities.

Develop your curiosity and interest in your chosen field of study

Sites like YouTube contain thousands of lectures in English in every conceivable field (science, economics, philosophy, international relations, mathematics…) that you can follow for free from the comfort of your own home. You can also find out about face-to-face conferences taking place near you at universities, cultural centers or via meetup.com, for example.

Useful resources

• youtube.com
• meetup.com
• eventbrite.fr
• scienceshumaines.com/agenda

Take online courses

Platforms like Coursera offer completely free introductory courses run by some of the world’s best teachers in their field. So taking one or more online courses is a great way to get to grips with certain subjects and decide if they’re right for you!

Useful resources

• coursera.org
• edx.org
• khanacademy.org
• udemy.com

Listen to podcasts

Today, there are thousands of podcasts by experts in every field (philosophy, psychology, science, history, literature, political science…). The BBC, for example, offers a wide range of podcasts to help you develop your curiosity outside the classroom.

Useful resources

• bbc.co.uk/podcasts
• hbr.org/podcasts
• economist.com/podcasts
• sciencemag.org/podcasts#
• thenakedscientists.com

Read the press, blogs, magazines and specialized books

Pursuing a university course abroad will generally require you to read thousands of pages of newspapers, articles or academic books (in English or another foreign language) on your subject. So it’s essential to get used to reading regularly about certain major themes or issues in the field in question, right from high school.

The Economist, The Financial Times, The New York Times and Foreign Affairs are all highly recommended for keeping up with the latest economic and political news.

In addition, there are many online booklists offered by universities to guide and advise you in your reading.

Useful resources

• economist.com
• ft.com
• nytimes.com
• theguardian.com
• hbr.org
• nature.com
• scientificamerican.com

Enter contests

As a high school student, you can take part in a number of competitions that will demonstrate your abilities and interest in your chosen course of study (concours général, concours national de la Résistance et de la déportation, science or math olympiads). You can also register for essay competitions in English organized each year by certain universities (such as the political science or economics association of the London School of Economics) or organizations such as the Royal Economic Society.

Useful resources

• reseau-canope.fr/cnrd
• education.gouv.fr/olympiades-de-sciences-de-l-ingenieur-9548
• res.org.uk/education/young-economist-of-the-year.html
• blogs.lse.ac.uk/lseupr/essay-competition-2019

Show initiative and realize your own project

Some degree courses (especially those with a link to business) particularly value students with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and who take the initiative – so you could launch a business/start-up/mobile app/website/blog project or a fundraising project for a cause close to your heart.

On the other hand, for courses such as computer science, engineering, design or architecture, you will generally be expected to demonstrate creativity and to have already developed your own artistic or IT projects (learning computer languages, developing programs or mobile applications…) during high school.

Useful resources

• codecademy.com
• wix.com

Create or join an association

There are often clubs or initiatives within your high school that you could join or even create (the school newspaper, a tutoring system to help younger students, a debating club or Model United Nations, a math or computer club, for example). You could also volunteer outside school, get involved in a cause or join a political party during the year or summer. Don’t hesitate to ask your high school, town hall or other associations for more information.

Useful resources

• tousbenevoles.org
• samusocial.paris/devenir-benevole
• restosducoeur.org/devenir-benevole
• my.unicef.fr/contenu/deviens-jeune-ambassadeur-de-lunicef-france

Become a class delegate or member of the student life council

Getting elected as a class delegate, eco-delegate or taking part in the student life council are yet other ways of demonstrating your leadership skills and your desire to contribute to the life of your class and school.

One or more observation internships

For certain vocational courses (business, medical, paramedical, engineering or law), completing one or more observation internships in structures linked to your chosen field is another way of strengthening your application and demonstrating your motivation.

Enrolling in a summer school

Taking part in summer schools abroad on a theme related to your course of study can both help you develop your interest in your chosen degree and improve your English.

Useful resources

• debatechamber.com/summerschools

Draw up a detailed schedule

In order to develop your study abroad project in the best possible conditions, planning is essential! That’s why it’s vital to keep your application deadlines in mind, and to draw up a precise timetable so that you can submit the various elements of your application on time.

It’s important to draw up your admission retro-planning by setting specific objectives for each year:

• seize every opportunity to improve your language skills (in English and other modern languages) and strengthen your extracurricular activities;
• check the dates you need to send in your files and the documents you need to provide;
• check the list of all the tests you need to take, and allow enough time to retake them if necessary.

Below is a table summarizing the main deadlines abroad during your senior year.

Countries or universities	Country or Application deadline
United Kingdom (UCAS)
Applying to Oxford or Cambridge or to study medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicineRegistering for Oxford and Cambridge tests	October 15 at 6pm (local time)
Application to any other university or course of study	January 15 at 6pm (local time)
Common
Early application (early decision or early action)	1st November at midnight (local time)
Regular decision for most American universities	1st January at midnight (local time)
Canada
Applications to McGill, Polytechnique Montréal, UBC, Toronto…Receipt of any additional documents (IELTS or TOEFL results)	January 15 March 15
Concordia application	March 2
Applying to the Université de Montréal	February 1st
Applying to HEC Montréal	February 15
Application to UQAM	April 15 or May 1st (depending on course)
Netherlands
Studielink application to Rotterdam School of Management (RSM)Send OLAF form to RSM	January 15 before midnight (local time) January 31 before midnight (local time)
Application to University College Utrecht	December 15 (early) or February 1 (general)
Application to Amsterdam University College	1st décembre (early) ou 1st février (general)
Majority of other university courses	April 1st or May 1st
Switzerland
EPFL or HEC Lausanne	April 30
Ireland (CAO)
Registration on CAO	20 janvier (early), 1st février (normal) et 1st mai (late)

We explain in whichIn any case, it is advisable to get help when applying to a foreign university.

Would you like to study abroad after high school? Don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss your project!