There is no limit to the number of applications one can submit, but a good rule of thumb is that students should apply to a pool of no more than seven colleges: two "reach" schools, three mid-range schools, and two "safety" schools. One of the College Counselor's main goals is to help students determine the most suitable pool. How each piece of an application is evaluated varies from college to college, from one admissions officer to another, and even from one applicant to the next. The pieces are:

The high school transcript, which includes a list of courses, grades and comments from troisième through the first trimester of terminale. When looking at a transcript, colleges first evaluate the degree of challenge in a student’s curriculum. EABJM students are privileged to have two rigorous baccalaureates: the French Bac and the IB and most courses are thus equivalent to “honors” or Advanced Placement courses. French grades are translated according to the Franco-American Commission’s guidelines: 18-20 is an A+, 15-17 is an A, 13-14 is A-, 12 is a B+, 11 is a B, and 10 is a B-.

The EABJM and two teacher recommendations help admission officers evaluate a student by placing his/her academic performance in the context of the student’s participation in the life of the school community. The College Counselor will use the "bragsheet" to help prepare the school’s recommendation, but students must take the initiative to solicit recommendation letters from two teachers. A “protocol,” downloadable from this site, explains the do’s and don’ts of recommendation requests.

Standardized tests results constitute the third, increasingly important factor in college admissions. For detailed information consult the standardized tests page of this website.

The application per se of which there are three types: the Common Application, which can be downloaded at  http://app.commonapp.org/ is accepted by 276 colleges; the Common Application with a supplemental essay; and special application forms, usually online. Optional essays—which colleges sometimes suggest students write in order to add to the picture formed by the rest of the application—should not be considered optional. Write the essay!
Essays present the only opportunity for a student’s own “voice” to come through.

Colleges give special consideration to minorities, legacies, VIPs, athletes, and special talents. Minorities is self-explanatory. To be a “legacy” means that a parent went to that college (siblings and other relatives usually don’t count). VIPs (a very, very small group) are students whose parents are likely targets of the college’s Development Office (fund-raising) or otherwise particularly attractive to a school. To be a student-athlete, one must be really good and be recruited by the college of one’s choice. Lastly, the “special talent” category applies to anyone who achieves an exceptional level of recognition in a particular field, such as music, dance, chess or…mountain climbing.

Some colleges require an interview (with admissions officers or alumni), some don’t and others consider interviews optional. Interviews are usually meant as much to “sell” a school to a student as to evaluate the student. Unless an interview is truly exceptional—good or bad—its  impact on the final decision will be limited.

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