How do I become a foreign exchange student to Berlin, Germany?
I am a 16 year old guy, in 11th grade, living in central TX. I would absolutely love to become a foreign exchange student in Germany, specifically Berlin since it's like a nice big city. I need a lot a lot A LOT of info other than "go to this website", if you don't have a lot and/or important information then don't answer please, I am very serious about this. Please Help!!!
Other - Europe - 1 Answers
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It's great that you are thinking of doing this! Being an exchange student is an experience unlike any other. I am a 5-time host mom and volunteer with Youth For Understanding (YFU: yfu-usa.org). One of our kids is from northern Germany. I don't know how to begin - there's so much to write. Unfortunately, I don't know of any program that can guarantee the specific location for placement. Exchange students write letters to their potential host families (the families use this when picking out who they want to host) and it would be OK if you wrote that you would love going to a large city, just make sure that you make it clear that something else is as good (and make sure you mean it - let's face it, if it's a choice between going to a small town or not at all, which would you choose?). Normally I would tell someone considering an exchange to pick a country. You have obviously done this. Next you should choose an agency/program. My biggest piece of advice is to go with a program listed with the Council for Standards on International Educational Travel (csiet.org). They routinely audit programs to help insure quality. I personally recommend YFU (I know, big surprise there - I'm a volunteer for them - but there are reasons why I chose to give up a big portion of my free time to help out with YFU). When I have asked other exchange students why they chose YFU, they basically said because YFU gave them more bang for their buck. 95% of the fees collected go for direct program costs (airline tickets, finding a host family, support in the hosting country, etc.) and only 5% for 'overhead'. When my husband and I started to look for an agency with which to host, YFU was the most responsive to our needs. The basic process is as follows: 1) apply for the program (and scholarships if you're interested), 2) participate in an interview, 3) after acceptance, prepare for your adventure. The application can be filled out online, over the phone, or a hard copy filled out and mailed/faxed to YFU. The application will include basic questions such as name, allergies, etc.. You will have to get an educator evaluation and sign an agreement to abide by program rules. You will also write a letter to your potential host family. In the letter, talk about why you want to go on exchange, what your family here is like, what you do in your free time, what your favorite subjects are in school, etc., anything that might give your potential host family a look at who you are. You can also apply for scholarships at the same time. The website (yfu--usa.org) has the list of scholarships (this portion is still being updated). If you call in, the Admissions Counselor should also be able to help out with information on scholarships. If I give specific information on scholarships, this will take an hour to read. I'll just say there are some REALLY good ones! In a typical year, 500 students go overseas with YFU, 300 will have a partial or full scholarship. When you apply, you will have a $75 application fee. This is the same whether or not you apply for scholarships. You will be notified of any scholarship award before the date that your tuition is due so, if you don't get one, you can withdraw and only lose the $75 application fee. The application deadline for winter (Jan for spring semester) departure dates is October 1, so if you want to go then, you'll have to get busy. The deadline for summer departure dates (June for summer programs, Aug for year/fall semester) is April 1. However, many of the scholarships have earlier application deadlines. After your application gets an initial review and approval, you will have an in-person interview with a YFU volunteer or staff member. You mention you live in Central Texas. The YFU District Office is in Azle, so you may have some things done directly out of the at office. The interview is not an interrogation - I've done one - we just want to make sure we can find an appropriate host family. After final acceptance, you can prepare to go. As a note, Germany is one of the MANY countries that does not require previous language study. As soon as a host family is found, you can (and, in my humble opinion as a host mom, should) correspond with them. Your host family can come in almost any 'form' - anything from a single parent with no kids living in a large city to a married couple with many kids living in the country. Corresponding with the family will help you guys to get to know each other - it REALLY breaks the ice. You will also have a pre-departure orientation. It's a group meeting where YFU will help you get ready for going to Germany. They'll talk about the program rules, what kind of support you'll have while in Germany, who to call if there's problems, and, most likely, some country-specific topics such as food, school expectations, etc. Now the part your parents will want to know: How much will this cost? Assuming you don't get a scholarship, a summer program
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