Has your child been a foreign exchange student?

Applying to College
1

<p>I mentioned a year-long foreign exchange program to my sophomore son, and now I am beginning to regret it. In this program, he would go to Germany next summer and stay with a host family for 11 months. I didn't think he would be interested, but he is really enthusiastic about it and proceeding with the application. I know it would be a great experience for him (and virtually free for us due to government funding), but with my elder son leaving for college next fall, I am not sure I am ready to handle a prematurely empty nest.</p>

<p>Has anyone ever sent a high schooler overseas for a year? How did they handle it? How did you handle it??</p>

2

<p>I don't know if the program that you are referring to is the Rotary exchange program, but both my older sister and younger brother were/are rotary exchange students. My sister went to England during her junior year, and my brother is currently in Finland. Both of them had/are having a great time. I even got to stay with my sister's former host family in England when I was there last spring. They are truly lovely people. I think, for the right kid, this can be a GREAT experience. Be forewarned, though, that kids really grow over the course of a year away from home. Both literally and figuratively! You will send off a different kid than you will get back. I think it's worth it though. </p>

<p>One thing to consider is that your son may have to/want to spend an extra year in high school to make up for the time abroad. If he is not fluent in German, it may be hard for him to take and do well in all of the needed academic classes while abroad. Imagine learning chemistry in german!</p>

<p>EDIT: You may also not become an empty nester. When my siblings went away, the program required my family to take in one or two exchange students. This is a great opportunity for you to take advantage of! We hosted students from Bolivia, Australia, and now Ukraine. It has been so exciting to help these students get acclimated and learn about the US. Plus, we get to learn about their countries - we convinced them all to cook something yummy and traditional for us at least once!</p>

<p>You can PM me with specific questions if you want, and I'll try to answer them.</p>

3

<p>The program he is considering is the Congress-Bundestag program (only to Germany). Although they say no German knowledge is required, he is currently taking German II. I think all the kids in this program get a month of intensive German when they first go overseas.</p>

<p>There are only two classes my son will miss his junior year that are required for graduation: English 11 and American History. He has already figured out he can take English 11 in summer school this summer before he leaves and save American History for his senior year (when only 1/2 year Government course is required). With any luck he could get enough out of pre-Calculus in German to be able to take Calculus as a senior.</p>

<p>He's a pretty independent kid - had no problem going to a week-long academic program at a college when in fifth grade and has spent weeks at camp since then. I just don't want him to get all swept-up by the excitement of this and suddenly get cold feet once it is too late. His school can only nominate one student, and he is one of two expressing interest. We should know by the end of the week if he will be the one to move ahead into the competition.</p>

4

<p>My daughter did a semester-long exchange to Russia during her junior year. It did make me a premature empty-nester - but I actually really enjoyed the time. It was a very nice break for me. A year would have been a little harder for me, but I know that a full year is better for the student in terms of language acquisition. </p>

<p>The most suprising thing was how much modern technology has limited the impact of distance. My daughter had a cell phone with her, which was used mostly for text messaging - though it was astounding how clear the connection was for a voice call. (Only slightly less astounding than the bill - so voice calls were used only for near-emergencies). One of my d's friends figured out how to tie instant messaging into the cell phone, and after that ... well, it was highly unusual for a day to go by without my hearing from my daughter. </p>

<p>Don't count on your son's getting much from his precalculus class in Germany, unless he is very quick with picking up math concepts. My daughter quickly discovered that the vocabulary needed for academic subjects far exceeded what she had learned in 2 years studying the language in high school - all her intellectual resources were taxed just trying to get a general sense of what was being talked about in class. Plus, at her school, the teaching methods were very different than what she was used to at home -- teaching was by lecture, rather than q &a or class discussion, and the text books had no pictures or illustrations. Math was o.k. as long as it was something familiar --but pretty hopeless as far as exploring new concepts. She eventually realized that school attendance was a barrier to her language acquisition, since it was a big block of time every day that prevented the ordinary conversation that happened with other activities and socializing. </p>

<p>The other problem she encountered was back at home. The foreign exchange high school had a very tolerant attitude, and gave her a transcript with 14 classes showing grade of 4 in each class -- her home high school combined the classes to give her credit for about 8 of the classes, translating the 4's to A's. However, when she started senior year, her GC announced that d. didn't have enough courses to graduate, and that she needed to add another year of math or science -- this despite the fact that they had gone over her plans repeatedly before she left, and my d. should have had enough courses even without being given credit for her work abroad. Since my d. needed to make up courses like US History that she had missed while abroad, there wasn't room in her schedule to take the required course. In the end this problem was resolved ... but the lesson is: no matter what you are told, you can expect problems making it all come together senior year. So step #1 is -- when dealing with the current school - get everything in writing!</p>

<p>My daughter arranged with a teacher at her high school to take 11th grade honors English as independent study (the AP teacher wasn't as friendly) - basically this involved getting the reading list in advance along with appropriate essay assignments. I think that this ended up being a real pleasure for her -- the reading and writing in English was a nice way for her to return to familiar turf. </p>

<p>My daughter did delay US history to senior year - one downside is that there was a scheduling conflict for AP US History, so she is settling for honors - and feeling somewhat out of place in a class filled with 11th graders, though its turning out to be an easy A for her this year. </p>

<p>There is no doubt that the foreign exchange experience was 100% worthwhile. My d. feels that it changed her life --the hardest thing for her really is spending another year in high school post-exchange. I really think its better for high schoolers to go senior year, but that of course makes the whole college app process much trickier. But that last year of high school, post-exchange, is hard -- the kid simply comes back far more worldly and mature, and finds it harder to relate to former classmates. The maturity part surprised even me -- I honestly did not recognize my daughter at the airport at first until I realized that the stunning young woman I was staring at was my little girl.</p>

5

<p>2sonmama - Where in Germany? We're leaving Germany next August, so I wouldn't be much help, but if he's nearby, I could help him make contacts! We're in the middle of Bavaria. </p>

<p>My daughter will have spent 3 years in a German school - grades 9-11 (see elsewhere on this board for our various experiences), but has taken her English class each year on-line via University of Nebraska, so she doesn't fall behind. That being said, we are seriously considering the possibility of having her repeat her junior year next year, rather than jump into her senior year. The jury is still out on that. The advantages are many -- not having to fight to justify so many credits, giving us more time for the college search, more time to indulge her passions in HS (rather than spending all her time jumping through the graduation requirement hoops), more time to readjust to the culture, which will be a big deal, as she's never had the American HS experience.</p>

<p>Also, the German education system is so different, I'm not sure how your son's other credits would transfer. For instance, they don't take "a year of physics, a year of algebra, a year of pre-calc..." All their classes are on-going and cumulative, and not easily divisible into US subjects (and not individualized). My D has 14 classes, each just a few days a week. She is in a Gymnasium; I don't know how the other types of schools work.</p>

<p>I will be really interested in your son's experience, if he goes through with this. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about what it's like to live or go to school in Germany.</p>

<p>By the way, we can call the US for about 1½ Eurocent per minute with various call-around numbers. Keeping in touch won't be a problem, as long as you can work out the 6 hour time difference.</p>

<p>As far as being separated; my middle son finished up HS in the US - for his final semester. We hated it, but had no choice. Both my sons are in the US; one in college, and one working, and we miss them terribly. That part is never easy.</p>

6

<p>Students in this exchange program end up all over Germany, so there is no way to know at this early stage. There is one group meeting in Cologne and one in Berlin, but beyond that the host family could be anywhere.</p>

<p>My son and other other candidate from his school will be interviewed by the guidance counselor today - she must make her nomination no later than tomorrow. This may all come to an end very quickly if the other student is selected.</p>

<p>Thanks to all responders for all the tips about transfer credits and keeping in contact across the sea. I think I'll have a second look at graduation requirements just to make sure we haven't overlooked something.</p>

<p>I'll keep you posted on my son's status in this.</p>

7

<p>Binx, my daughter's Russian high school was the same as your daughter's German school - she had about 14 classes, including algebra, geometry, trig, physics, biology, chem... and she had signed on as a "liberal arts" major! She never could even figure out which class she was having on which day - she said that was something that would be posted each day or each week, rather than a regular schedule. The kids all stayed in one classroom, and the different teachers came to them. </p>

<p>In any case, the way the American high school handled it was they relabeled the multiple science classes as "integrated science" -- and I think the math courses were designated "advance math topics" - it ended up where my daughter was given more than a semesters' worth of credit for it all, but with a course list still reduced from 14 classes to about 8. So my daughter wasn't complaining. My only gripe is that she had a class called something like "health" abroad which meant exactly the same thing as it does here, but the local high school did not include that on the transcript or give her credit for it -- so she still has to take health her senior year to meet her school's graduation requirements. </p>

<p>The problem is, as noted above, that you never know. The one thing we had going was that the principal had given me his personal assurance that "she will be given credit" for her work abroad, even though we didn't know the exact parameters. However, my daughter also got advance written assurance from some of her other teachers that they would give her credit as well - for example, the Russian teacher. I think you have to take a somewhat flexible approach, recognizing that things will probably work out but not necessarily in the way planned.</p>

8

<p>I recommend studying abroad in the summer during high school. A summer program can be very enriching; it certainly was for me (I studied in Spain), and it does not take away from important years like junior or senior years. Furthermore, you can spend time learning at your own level of language, rather than jumping in with limited linguistic knowledge. I'm Russian and I can't imagine how calmom's daughter jumped straight into a Russian high school (props to her, though!), because I realize how different and potentially intimidating the system there can be.</p>

<p>I gained a lot of my summer experience, and didn't have to sacrifice an important local semester to do it (or mess with the credit transfer as a high school student). In college, it's an entirely different issue and in most cases, a different level of fluency. </p>

<p>Just my two cents.</p>

9

<p>The guidance counselor has now determined that she can nominate both students, so it appears my son can apply for the Congress-Bundestag program. I have also learned that for our region, only 150-250 applications are typically received for the 50 slots, so the odds are much better than I had anticipated.</p>

<p>Again, thanks for all the great information. If he gets this, we will definitely be checking into the Nebraska on-line high school for those required classes.</p>

10

<p>My son just got the skinny envelope yesterday, saying he had not been selected for the Germany exchange. He was disappointed, to say the least, but did say he would apply again next year. It makes the logistics of his junior year much simpler, but we all have that feeling of loss for what might have been.</p>

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<p>If your kid wants to go overseas, why not encourage him/her to go somewhere and learn a really important language (i.e. Spanish, Chinese, or perhaps Arabic)? I took four years of Spanish in high school and it was crucial in helping me get my first job (in the field of nutrition) and that was nearly thirty years ago. Spanish is even more important now.</p>

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<p>Are finances an issue? The Bundestag is terrific, in part because of the scholarship that goes along with it -- but if you are willing or able to pay for the overseas experience, then the screening process is much less of a barrier. Rotary offers many year long programs, and outfits like AFS & YFU offer summer community service & and language study programs, as well as semester and year-long homestay programs. Although these are somewhat expensive, it is much less than the cost of sending a kid to college -- basically it is around $5000 for a summer program and around $10K for a year-long program for most of the programs -- Rotary is substantially less expensive. </p>

<p>For what its worth, my d really enjoyed her junior year exchange, but it wreaked havoc on her schedule at home, and she has not been at all happy her senior year here. So I think a senior year exchange or gap year would be better for most students -- it is just very, very hard to handle another year of high school after the exchange, and it also has a tendency to disrupt a kid's social networks. So I would strongly suggest that you and your son regroup and consider other alternatives.</p>

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<p>I suspect that part of the reason my son was so eager to go abroad his junior year is that his older brother leaves for college in August. They are very close and share the same social network. Many of my younger son's friends are graduating seniors, so I think he feels he will be left behind, all alone. Staying here his junior year will force him to develop his own friends and gain a bit of maturity - then if he wants to apply for CBYX next year, he can go for "better" reasons.</p>

<p>SuNa - we tried to convince both our boys that Spanish was the language to take, but both insisted on something else (one French, one German). The others are not a choice at our high school.</p>

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<p>2sonmama-
I noticed this thread because, although I am not a parent, I applied for the CBYX scholarship. I am currently a senior right now, so I will be taking a gap year--I did this because my parents didn't want me to go :) and also because I didn't want to miss high school at home. I just found out today that I got the scholarship so I'm really excited!!!! But I asked a lot of past participants about the selection process when I was applying, so I thought I would share a few things I learned you would like to know in case your son decides to apply later.</p>

<ol>
<li>The thing I heard from a lot of people is the selection committee is more likely to pick someone older, ie a person who will be a senior or will have graduated the next year. This is because they will be more likely to be able to be mature enough to handle/embrace a year abroad. They have had problems with kids who leave the program halfway through the year, which is a $10,000 waste, and so they're really looking for committment, and unfortunately, age is used as one of the determinants. Also, a graduating senior, like me, is more likely to get it because they know that these students will not have another chance to apply for the scholarship.</li>
</ol>

<p>So if your son is still interested in this for senior year, or for a gap year, I would say this would increase his chances substantially.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I have no idea what your son's GPA is, but if he is serious about getting the CBYX scholarship for another year, they do consider it very seriously so if it is reasonable for him to raise it, that would really help.</p></li>
<li><p>If your son makes it to the second round, with the interview, there are a few things that he should really try to do. I spoke with someone who gave me a very detailed description of her interview process, and it was really helpful to me because I knew what to expect. If your son does apply next year and gets to be a semifinalist, be sure to contact me and I'll let you know what to expect, especially since they have a rather odd group interview. However, the most important traits that they look for in the interview (and what you should try to emphasize in the initial application) are: outgoing, responsible and motivated. Also, a VERY strong interest in German culture. I emphasized all these things very heavily, and I think it helped me. I actually have never taken any German (I took Spanish) but I spoke about how dedicated I was to learning the language and becoming a part of the culture, and my sincerity was important.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I am sorry your son didn't get selected, but I'm sure the biggest factor was that he was a little younger. At my group interview, there were 7 other applicants, and every single person was currently a junior or a senior, there was only one person who was a sophomore.</p>

<p>Some other posters spoke about doing a summer program; I did a month long exchange through Rotary to Spain this past summer. I LOVED it, and if your son would really like to do something like that, it certainly was amazing. In fact, most programs still accept applications until April 1st. Money is an issue for me, and Rotary only requires you to pay the airfare, about $1000, but you have to apply by December for it. My Spanish improved so quickly, it was amazing. I saw so much, and really, I could talk about it for hours but this message is already a short novel! :)</p>

<p>Well I hope your son reapplies for the following year, I'm sure his chances wil greatly improve. If you have ANY questions about exchange programs, I have spent a great deal of time researching many exchange programs and scholarships for a few years now, please let me know!!!</p>

15

<p>Our son passed the phone interview and now they are flying him out to New Mexico for the final round of interviews. Does this mean that he probably will be chosen for the CBYX scholarship?</p>

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<p>Did you son apply through AYUSA? I talked to them because I was going to apply to ayusa as a backup for CBYX, and she mentioned that to me. Your son has made it past the first round, so he is a semi-finalist. However, they are only going to select some of the people they are flying out (I don't know what portion). Good luck to your son, hopefully I will see him in D.C. in August!!</p>

17

<p>No, actually I think he applied through CBYX. I guess we'll just cross our fingers and wait and see what happens. Thanks for the reply.</p>

18

<p>I'm sorry, I meant to ask if he applied to CBYX through AYUSA, because you apply to cbyx through one of five organizations. It sounds like ayusa is handling his application, because it's in New Mexico. I hope things turn out nicely.</p>

19

<p>We had been told that 70 kids would be invited to New Mexico and of those 50 would be selected to go to Germany. They may also pick a few alternates, in case one of the selected 50 backs out.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

20

<p>Okay--my son just told me that he DID apply through AYUSA--shows you how much I know. Anyway, he will be a senior next year which you mentioned is an advantage plus was he a congressional page last semester in D.C. so is really bored to be back here in our tiny Kansas town so for his sake, I hope he gets it. Any advice you can give for his interviews would be appreciated. He had two or three other congressional page friends who applied from the east coast but their interview processes were different and I think they already know if they have made it--which I think they all did. He is a lot less concerned about this than I am. Anyway--it has all been very interesting, if nothing else.</p>