University Bound: Highlighting Valentine B., Elias B. and Luca M.

Each year, our graduating students are accepted to universities all around the world. The College Counseling Office works closely with each student to find universities that best fit his or her goals and interests to ensure that they continue to excel. With the University Bound series, we highlight some of their stories. This week's interview showcases Valentine B. and Elias B., both seniors in the BFI program, as well as Luca M., a senior in the IB program. These three students will be attending Bocconi University next year.

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Congratulations on your acceptance to Bocconi! Can you share with us what made it your top choice? 

VALENTINE: Thank you! Bocconi has always been my top choice ever since I started looking for universities. It was really appealing because of the location, the quality of the programs and its place in the rankings, being one of the best business schools in Europe. I also attended their summer school in July of my junior year, which I absolutely loved, and which confirmed Bocconi as my top choice. 

ELIAS: I've always wanted to return to Europe for my studies, so Italy immediately seemed like a good opportunity. Moreover, Bocconi is ranked among the best business schools in Europe and welcomes more than one-third international students, something important to me. I also had the chance to go to a summer program in 2023 which allowed me to discover the campus, which I loved, discover and interact with the professors who seemed passionate and attentive, and I was able to meet people with whom I continue to speak today. Finally, Milan is a wonderful city with beautiful architecture, good restaurants and a great place to live. So I think I've found the perfect balance between a rigorous education and a way to meet people from all over the world.

LUCA: I have always had a close connection to Italy both with having relatives there as well as having spent most of my summers vacationing in Italy. When the college search started, I had Bocconi in the back of my mind, but I was primarily focused on studying in the U.S. After visiting the school over the summer, however, I fell in love with the campus and the city of Milan as well, and it immediately became my number one choice. On top of being in the heart of Milan, Bocconi also offers an exceptional program for economics – the major I intend to study. I’m also really excited to go to Atalanta soccer games nearby, as it has been a dream of mine forever. 

Do you already know what you plan to study? What types of clubs and activities are you excited to participate in on campus? 

VALENTINE: I am going to study International Economics and Management! On campus, I have started looking for extracurricular activities and clubs to join, and I would love to join the French Students Society and the Women in Business club to have the chance to meet more people and get involved in university life. 

ELIAS: Next year, I'll be studying for a 3-year bachelor's degree in economics and management. On campus, I'd really like to join the university soccer team, as it's the sport I've always loved. There are dozens of clubs within the university that I'm looking forward to discovering and making new friends.

LUCA: International Management and Economics. I would also like to perchance join the basketball team, as well as attend some of the many lectures by prominent business people and scholars who regularly visit Bocconi.

How do you think your time at LFC has prepared you for success in college?

VALENTINE: I think that the extracurricular activities provided by the school helped me a lot in my preparation for college. Joining the DECA Business Club, Math Club, Model UN and being a part of the Flames teams definitely benefited my applications.

ELIAS: My time at LFC has of course prepared me for success in college. First of all, during my nine years at LFC, I was able to learn and master English – a language I barely spoke when I first arrived. Furthermore, this school has allowed me to take part in a bicultural program, the BFI, which helped me develop rigor and discipline in my work. 

How did you approach your college admissions journey? Create a balanced list? Take advantage of global opportunities? Utilize the resources available to you at school and at home?

LUCA: My main way of narrowing my list down was creating a set of criteria of what I wanted from a school, and from there I researched schools and visited their campuses if I was really interested. I also asked Lycée alumni and other friends what they thought about their experience at a particular school which helped me pare down my list. Another way I approached my college journey was based off of my first college tour. I was very thankful and lucky to be able to tour UNC privately with the fencing coach early on in the process, and I immediately fell in love with the campus and the school. It felt perfect at the time, and I would base my opinion of the colleges I visited off of the feeling I received from touring UNC. The only visit that ended up being better than UNC was obviously Bocconi.

Do you have any advice for future LFC students going through the college application process?

VALENTINE: Do not leave things to the last minute! I am a huge procrastinator, but for college applications it is really important to be organized and start things well in advance. Try to have everything planned out by the start of the summer, and ideally finish everything before school starts again in September, so that you don’t have to worry about applications and school work once senior year starts. 

LUCA: Don’t limit yourself to anything. When you're choosing courses for your final two years of classes, don’t necessarily just pick classes because you know they will look good on your college application. Instead, broaden your horizons and pick classes that actually interest you. In two years, I went from wanting to study sports journalism to engineering and now finally economics, and I was able to switch between interests because I took a variety of classes which cemented my interest in different fields. Whatever you end up studying in college you're going to end up doing it for the rest of your life, so you might as well take advantage of being able to dabble in different subjects while you still can. And you never know how subjects can overlap as well.