Overview of the application process
May 2016 by the counselor of the CSI in Grenoble
NB Pour les parents qui ne maîtrisent pas l’anglais, visiter L'EXPLICATION DU PROCESSUS EN FRANCAIS.
This tells you all the things you need to do to apply. It might be good to download this article.
Below, the requirements are those of OUR school so but keep in mind that if you are from another school, that person may have very different requirements. But you can suggest he or she uses the same procedures and documents, simply modifying them where necessary.
1. Please respect deadlines we set: This avoids stress and fatal application mistakes. OUR deadlines ARE:
a. Before April of your 1ère year,
*visit the page of this site give at the end of this page and follow the various links to learn about the application process and tasks you’ll have. You'll find UK rankings, student advice, procedures for various countries, tests to check your aptitude and interests, and TONS more. Please don't expect US to explain things you can find out yourselves by simply reading this site. Learning to read independently is PART of higher education!
*Discuss your desires and the cost with your parents(see various countries for details) and encourage them to visit this website as well. You must download (and both a parent must sign) and give the counselor THE COMMITMENT FORM/ENGAGEMENT FAMILIAL (attached below) as well before April or advisors will refuse to help you.
*If you STILL need career guidance or help on subject choices, talk to professionals in the fields that interest you to discover the positive and negative sides of their professions. visit our CAREER PAGES (with interest inventories, personality profiles and links to other sites that can help you) and then make an appointment with the advisor.
*Contact the countries and colleges that interest you to get documentation, websites, application forms, financial aid information and procedures. (See COUNTRIES AND THEIR UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS.)
b. When second trimester grades come out in 1ère, visit the Reference section to download a TEACHER REFERENCE FORM fill out your part, photocopy it to give to ALL of your 1ère teachers. They’ll give them straight to the counselor by mid-JUNE (earlier if possible.) You do not see these so they can be frank which helps us know you better, but WE NEVER put negative comments on the references we write for you. WE must simply be just and trustworthy so institutions believe what we say.... so we won't say you are attentive if you aren't, but we won't denounce your inattentiveness.
c. Before April of your première year, download, fill out, print out AND give the counselor THE STUDENT DOSSIER found enclosed with this article It helps us help you. E-mail us any questions you have about the dossier... but in general, EVERY candidate must fill out everything on the first two pages that you have even tentative answers for (this is NOT a commitment) and have your parents write a bit too. PUT all your free times on the dossier so the counselor can meet with each of you between April and June of your 1ère year to discuss details and help you decide what you want to do. All appointments take place in D3.21 unless otherwise specified.
Bring copies of all grade reports and exam results and keep the counselor posted on new grade reports and exam results (post 1ère Bac exams, for example.) If you are interested in the U.S., Canada, Australia or New Zealand, (or Oxford or Cambridge in Britain) DON'T fill out the third page, but instead download the appropriate TRANSCRIPT form(s)from the transcript section from our site and fill it out from 3ème through 2nd trimester of 1ère. THEN send it electronically to the counselor.
d. During the summer between 1ère and Terminal:
*select which country or countries and which universities and subjects interest you send away for brochures and application forms, locate websites, sign up for tests, Please see FINANCE and the page for each country you have selected. Look at University rankings via http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings.aspx(U.S.) or http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings for Britain. Much more detail can be found on our COUNTRIES AND THEIR UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS page. These sites also compare universities for a particular program and give you a feel for their style. Visit campuses if you can. Keep in mind that if you don't have quite good grades (14 or over as an average), it is a waste of money, time and effort to try for the top schools, so be reasonable in your ambitions.
e. October 15th: Oxbridge/medical/veterinary applications must be completed and sent before this date for the U.K. You can only apply to Oxford OR Cambridge, only 4 medical schools and if one of your choices is one of these, ALL your choices must be sent by October 15th. For Oxford or Cambridge you'll need a TRANSCRIPT too.
f. December 15th. No matter what deadline the universities give you, OUR deadline is December 15th. Whether you're staying in France, or going somewhere else in the Northern hemisphere ALL applications we're involved with must be SENT by this date. We stop all help to you after this date if you haven't respected this deadline. (this excludes Australia, New Zealand and South Africa...but we have NEVER had anyone go there in the last two decades.) This early deadline gives you more consideration by universities and avoids having to work at the last minute over a holiday. But SOME universities in the U.S. for example have even EARLIER deadlines, so be informed!
g. Moreover, we advise you to download the DEADLINE CHECKLIST enclosed with this article, which gives you most of the things that must be done, by when, and for application to what country. We also suggest you check off things on this list when they are truly completed.
2. Procedures for each country differ.
a. Applying in BRITAIN (please see for detailed instructions.) All British university applications go through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service) or, for creative arts, sometimes through CUKAS,
Search for courses and course/institution codes at UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service) http://www.ucas.com (use course search, selecting diploma, full time 3 or 4 year programs... even around two subjects: combined honors...) You can (and should) apply to FIVE programs, unless you want to do medicine and then it is FOUR. Conservatories for music or art use different processes. See www.cukas.ac.uk Your choices should NOT all be among only the highest ranked universities if you want a chance to get an offer.
Write a personal statement. You’ll find instructions and examples on our website. Don't copy as they have ways to check this and you can be disqualified. Show it to the counselor before sending it for suggestions.
You'll have to list all your qualifications acquired (Brevet, IGCSE, early bac tests) as well as those that are pending and you must be careful to list them correctly.
If an art or design candidate, prepare a portfolio and show it to the counselor before sending it.
Fill out the British UCAS FORM ELECTRONICALLY (explained line by line) at www.ucas.com apply STARTING in September after you've been given the BUZZWORD to apply by the counselor. The cost this year was £23.
The person writing the reference should be aware that a 10 in a major subject is like a C on A levels in Britain, a 12 is like a B, a 14 is like an A and above that is an A* for the OIB, and for non-OIB the corresponding numbers are 11, 13, 15, and 16. See CONVERSION EXPLANATIONS FOR THE U.K. which is attached to the general explanation of our system.
For medicine, law, math, history, as well as for Oxbridge courses you may have additional tests to sign up for as well as interviews. We request that they waive language requirements due to the OIB, IGCSE and Cambridge, but some still insist that you take a language test like the IELTS.
Once you have all 4 or 5 offers and rejections (by May of next year) you keep only 2 offers (if you get that many!) until you have your bac results, declining the others. The more difficult offer is your firm acceptance (this is the place you really want to go most) and the other offer is insurance (it should be easier to meet.)
b. For the U.S.(please see for detailed instructions.) you apply to each university separately and pay a separate fee for each unless it is part of the Common Application schools. To help select unis, visit http://www.usnews.com/college or http://www.review.com, and also www.commonapp.org.
You must sign up to take the SAT (www.collegeboard.org) or ACT, plus two or three SAT Subject Tests. Occasionally the American school of the CSI gives prep classes open to CSI students for the SAT. Check to see if universities recognize the OIB, the IGCSE or Cambridge exams. If not, you also MIGHT have to take language exams like TOEFL (www.ets.org/toefl/sas. ) or IELTS (www.ielts.org ) unless a U.S. citizen or unless they take our word for your bilingual ability. You can train and sign up for these by going on their internet sites.
Send the TRANSCRIPT with parts you can fill out yourself electronically to the counselor who will do the conversions. Read about grade conversion (also in the overall presentation of our system section), so as NOT to make major mistakes and have the counselor do so too. Give any counselor forms requested by universities to the counselor to fill out. We'll find two 1ère teachers to write letters of reference for you (based on the evaluations received from them.) You'll also have to write ESSAYS and provide counselors EITHER with stamped, addressed envelopes for universities (without putting the return address) to send documents OR web site addresses and access codes. If you fail to provide these, your application will not be sent.
c. Procedures are also different for AUSTRALIA, CANADA, IRELAND, or NEW ZEALAND.
3. Other considerations
*Request proper visa, passport and medical tests.
*Provide the advisor with addressed, stamped envelopes or website addresses to send non British Isles applications and more envelopes to send second trimester reports to the same destinations.
*After application, notify the advisor of where you have been accepted and under what conditions, as well as which universities you have chosen to attend.
*Send confirmation of acceptance to the universities of your choice within the deadline they specify.
*Send them certified copies of your BAC results and third trimester results as soon as you receive them in order to confirm and reserve your spot.
*Let the advisor know anything you learn about applications that you felt was important so he or she can pass it on to future generations. Also if you discover mistakes in the information in this dossier, please let him or her know so he or she can correct it.
*Don’t wait until the last minute to apply. This causes mistakes and less consideration.
*Finally, please write back to tell us what it is like, give us further information about things you wish you had known before, and just to keep in touch!