I have some questions about being a Foreign Exchange Student in Germany...?
So, I am American high school sophomore (Nepali by birth and parents) and i want to go to Germany for my senior year as a Foreign Exchange Student. I speak english, nepali, spanish and im learning german. i want to go to germany because i plan to live there in the future (or austria) and i LOVE german culture as well.. so here are my questions: 1. will my classes in germany count for graduation in the united states? or do i just graduate there? 2. which organization? rotary? YFU? others? rotary is the most famous but i heard that they cant guarantee i end up in germany. im think YFU right now... 3. how much will it cost? how can i be eligible for scholarships? 4. how much money should i take for spending there? how should i take money? cash? debit/credit card? travelers check? 5. if anyone else has been an exchanhe student to germany, what was it like? experiences? likes, dislikes? 6. will i be allowed to take my guitar? (random question) 7. what exactly WILL i be able to take? what SHOULD i take? if you have any other details or things that are useful, please tell me! you can email if you want at samy360@gmail.com thank you in advance, im looking forward to hearing what you have to say. danke!
Studying Abroad - 2 Answers
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1 :
I tried applying for Rotary last September, so I can answer some of these for you. 1) No. Rotary said that its more about learning the language than getting school credit, so it would be like taking a gap year in the middle of high school. You would graduate the year after you come back. 2) You're right there. They ask you to pick five countries, and they do try to give you your top choice, but its not guaranteed. A girl we have here wanted Australia, but she ended up loving Canada anyways. 3) Costs and scholarships depend on the organization. EF High School Year Abroad don't give scholarships, and costs $20,000 on average. Rotary is $5,000, and negotiate with families who can't pay the five grand. 4) Rotary gives you $100 allowance each month, but its really up to you and your family how much you take for spending. 6) Yep. European schools don't have extra-curriculars sponsered by the school, so anything that would help you relate to other students would probably be helpful. 7) Again, it depends on the organization. They will give you a list of suggestions on what to bring once you've been accepted.
2 :
First, a note of warning - it is most likely too late to try to do an exchange with a departure date before next year (meaning before 2011). Application deadlines are generally fairly early. That being said, I'll provide some information to help answer your questions. 1) Each school is different, so your school needs to determine this for itself. What I can tell you is what our school (Cheyenne WY) does -- unless the overseas school is accredited by CITA (forgive me, I forget what that stands for), the classes overseas are treated the same way that home-school classes are treated - they count towards the required credits for gradation but grades and such would not transfer. (If the school IS CITA accredited, everything transfers.) Sorry to be a broken record, but your school is the only one that can tell you what the 'right' answer is for your school. 2) YFU, AFS, and Rotary are frequently called "the big 3" when it comes to exchanges - long histories and good reputations, although a few others are making their way up that list. Please forgive my bias towards YFU - it's the one that I have direct experience with (I am a 5-time host mom and volunteer). I am gaining indirect experience by corresponding with former students. When I have asked exchange students why they chose YFU, I get the following answers: (1) YFU gave them more bang for their buck and/or (2) someone they knew and trusted recommended YFU. 95% of the fees collected by YFU go for direct program costs (airline tickets, support in hosting country, etc.). YFU has been around for 59 years and has learned how to make exchanges successful. Which ever program you choose, make sure they are listed with the Council for Standards on International Educational Travel (csiet.org). They routinely audit programs for quality. 3) The cost may change next year, but the current year's prices are on the YFU website (year (late July to early July OR early Jan to early Jan) = $9895; semester (early Jan to early July OR late July to early Jan) = $9395; "Discover Germany" summer (late June to early Aug) = $6495. The most expensive parts of an exchange program are airline tickets and training the volunteers who will be working with you on a continual basis. These costs don't change much whether you're there for a year or a semester. You can also go on a "gap" or 13th year just after graduating from high school. Things that are considered for scholarships: grades, YFU volunteer recommendation, teacher/educator evaluation, financial need (for some), etc. For most (if not all) scholarships, you will need to have at least a 3.0 (out of 4.0) GPA. You can apply for a scholarship and, if you don't get one, all you've lost is the application fee (usually $75). It is definitely too late to apply for scholarships for 2010-2011. (Unless you want to go to Japan for a year.) 4) How much spending money to take GREATLY depends on your spending habits. I'll ask our German son (to us, our son, to the rest of the world, the boy from Germany we hosted last year) if he has advice. I would think that a credit card WITH NO INTERNATIONAL FEES (they're not as common as other cards but they exist) would be best. Take a small amount of cash, but not too much. I'll check, but you may be able to open a bank account in Germany and just have your parents transfer funds as needed. 5) I wish I could answer that one. The best I can do is refer you to the alumni portion of the YFU website (below). There you can contact former YFU students to Germany. 6) I don't see why not. Some things to consider: 1) the potential for extra baggage fees for the airline; 2) if it's electric, you'll need to have an adapter as Europe's electrical grid is different and even then it may or may not work 100% the same (our European students have complained that their curling/flattening hair irons don't work as well here as they did 'back home'); 3) potential for damage by the airlines (may or may not be a big issue). But as far as YFU is concerned, it shouldn't be a problem. Final say would be with your host family, but I can't imagine anyone not wanting you to bring it so they can hear you play. 7) You'll be able to take many things, as long as the airline allows it. One thing I recommend leaving at home in the USA: your cell phone - it probably won't work there anyway and if it did, the extra international charges would likely be high. What SHOULD you take? Pictures, lots of pictures; clothes (discuss how much with your host family); a book about your area or some other area-specific gift for you host family; a good English-German dictionary; digital camera; a few toiletries (discuss with your host family - they'll probably take you shopping not long after you get to Germany); a diary or some sort of journal; discuss the rest with your host family - they should tell you what they do and don't have (for example, we always tell the girls we host to leave hair appliances and jewelry boxes at home
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