<p>Ah, dumb question. My eyes skipped over that sentence now that I read your post again! :P</p>
<p>What were the positives and negatives of your experience in Austria? What grade did you go? Did you receive credit for your school work? How well did you learn the language? How much did it cost? What year did you go abroad?</p>
<p>FWIW, my son went with AFS & my daughter went with YFU, and I think they were about equal. I had no difficulty at all getting in touch with YFU on my end when my d. was abroad, and on my d's end the local YFU coordinator was the English teacher at the high school she attended... so I am sure that if there had been a problem she could have communicated it. </p>
<p>AFS did seem to be more organized with a more formalized system for prepping students for the exchange ... but both organizations had various goof ups along the way. For example, my son (with AFS) was with a student group of 15 students and they were supposed to have an adult chaperone fly overseas with them, but the chaperone did not show up, so they had to manage a change of planes in Tokyo to Bangkok on their own. I think when my d flew overseas with a plane change in Frankfurt, there was YFU staff there to meet the students... though when she returned there was no help and there was a rather hairy situation with a plane change and needing to go clear customs in Chicago and only 40 minutes to do it. Some stress, but all was o.k. in the end. </p>
<p>Having dealt with both organizations I'd say AFS is a little more polished and did a little more upfront, like arranging visas.... but my d. absolutely adored her host family and in some ways YFU might have been a better "fit" for her more independent-minded ways, and my greater sophistication with international travel by the time of her exchange. That is, by the time she went, both my d. and I were probably happier with a little less hand holding along the way.</p>
<p>Positives: The standard stuff. More international experience, I learned German from scratch to getting my Goethe Institut certificate. Made my college app stand out.</p>
<p>Negatives: School DID accept credit but messed up my rank and GPA. The colleges understoof the situation and took it into account, but I'm still cheesed that they put 'Repeating AP Stats' when I didn't even take AP Stats in Austria. Pfft! And my host sister was from hell, but it was my fault that I didnt transfer sooner.</p>
<p>Cost: 9k, pretty standard for good exchange programs</p>
<p>Year: Full year, Austria, August 06-July 07</p>
<p>Langauge: Great question! I learned a LOT by reading, watching TV, and talking with people. Many of my fellow exchangers sucked at German because they hung out and soke in English or just took German langauge classes and expected to learn that way. They came out with a bit of grammar, limited vocab, and a weird, foreign accent. Always read, watch TV, or do something that exposes you to the language. Being passive about it doesn't work and is a waste of your exchange.</p>
<p>There's a guy that sums this up way better than I can and I can guarantee his tips work: [url=<a href="http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com%5DAll">http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com]All</a> Japanese All The Time Dot Com: How to Learn Japanese. On your own, having fun and to fluency About<a href="Don't%20be%20put%20off%20bu%20the%20title,%20he%20isn't%20some%20crazy%20weeaboo%20anime%20fan.%20He's%20a%20normal%20American%20guy%20that%20learned%20Japanese%20is%2018%20months">/url</a></p>
<p>Hmm, well this is definitely something I want to do.</p>
<p>How long did your app take to complete?</p>
<p>I already have a passport, so I don't have to worry about that. But my AFS advisor keeps pressuring me to turn in the pre-app already, and I don't see the advantage of doing that when I could just do it in like 5 minutes when I've decided I'm really going to do this and not lose out on $75 if I decide not to.</p>
<p>Eh, I forgot exactly how long it took. I'd like to say 2 months but I honestly have only a foggy recollection.</p>
<p>And only turn in the pre-app when you're certain.</p>
<p>While Rotary may not work for OP due to the timing, I want to point out that switching families does have advantages. You get to experience life in a several different families, giving you a wider view of the culture of your local area. Generally, these families are in the same area, so you don't have to change schools or friends when you switch families. Not all Rotary districts require changing families: a girl from our area is in Sweden and she will stay with the same family the entire year. My son is in Germany now - he'll be with three different families during his 11 months over there.</p>
<p>I was going to second this. My D is with one family this year in Peru, and in the Czech Republic, had two families. Initially, yes, it sounds like a pain to switch. The reality is that you learn so much more from being in different situations. In the Czech Republic, her wonderful first host family spoke good English, and she was too shy to try much. The second family spoke no English, and she found to her surprise that she could express most of what was necesary in Czech, so when she returned to the first family at the end of her stay, they spoke only Czech.</p>