Hi flyverse!
I’m french as well, currently a rising senior 
we can’t speak french on threads or else our message will be deleted (but if you do want to speak french, PM me !).
I saw your thread a month or so ago, but I wanted to answer after I saw some family friends : they are a couple, he used to be headmaster of the CIV and she was the CPE (they’re retired now). He said that every year, ~20 students of the american section would get into Yale, Stanford, and a bunch at MIT especially!
So, while I recommend not getting your hopes up, there might be slightly chances you’d get into some very good sciences programs (wether it’s at MIT or somewhere else). I haven’t gone through the process yet, but am in the middle of it, and I were to give you some advice, it would be:
- To try and have the absolute best grades possible. In the US, having a 4.0 is doable, and quite a lot of students (over the country, ofc) achieve it. Yet, in France, you can’t have a 20 GPA. However, you could work your way to a 18 or so. This would be really, REALLY impressive. If you want any advice about the french exams for the bac, message me (I got 20).
- Don’t wait for opportunities to arise, create them. This is quite self-explanatory. While there isn’t any EC culture in France, especially when it comes to post-bac admissions, there are plenty available. I’m sure you have a passion or two (music and programming, in your case?). Pursue them as far as possible, of that makes sense. It’s really cultural , in France we are not encouraged to go beyond what is offered to us. Maybe edit and publish some of your projects, or try to do something with your drumming skills. Understand that nothing stops you.
- Take your standirzed testing junior year. Maybe try to register for a sitting in January, this way you’ll be rid of it.
- Finally, enjoy your junior year. And by “enjoy”, I don’t mean sit back and scroll aimlessly on FB/Twitter/Tumblr. Read, a lot. Find a magazine you like (such as XXI or " l’elephant") and stick to it. It will allow you to get read about various subjects, such as history, sociology, arts, philosophy… Expand your mind. Broaden your horizons. Try to do some internships, they won’t come to you and you’ll have to seek them, but they will be valuable. Find a topic which matters to YOU for your TPE, and do your absolute best. Take advantages of your classes to go further, learn more. All of the above, not because it will look good on college apps, but because education is a gift, and everything you learn will be so valuable. It will be beneficial to you, not anyone else. Trust me, as long as you keep your mind open and your intellectual vitality, you won’t regret a second what might seem like “work” but is really just a blessing.
That’s it! Again, I’m available for advice about the 1ère bac, and about the whole process when I will have gotten through it! Maybe you could try to talk to some rising seniors in the american section, they might have some peers who are now entering uni in the US and could give you some advice.
- Iris