<p>Would anyone recommend studying abroad in high school?
It seems like an amazing experience and I heard it looks good on college applications.</p>
<p>If you're only doing it because it could look great on apps, don't do it.
If you want to study abroad, because you'd love to learn a new language and live in another country for some time go for it.
I did it, and it was basically the best time of my life.</p>
<p>Mind elaborating on your experiences Silence?</p>
<p>No I don't mind.^^ </p>
<p>Last year, during my soph year of high school, I spent 4 months in Canada and attended the local High school, which I previously chose. I dont know why Canada or that High School specifically, I just wanted to learn English and spend some time in another country, I guess. By the time I had the idea, all the deadlines except the one for Canada had passed.
Theres something that has to be said about the school though, or the school district, they get A LOT of exchange students, which made it kind of hard to find contact to Canadians, which I wanted to. After All I dont go abroad to speak German. But somehow I got lucky, and had 3 of my 4 classes with a girl, who talked so much, that it wasnt hard to get to know and like her.<br>
Overall attending a school where nobody knew anything about me, made it a whole lot easier to adjust to everything. I could start from Zero again, and made the experience, that despite what Ive came across sometimes in Germany, people could like you for being quirky. As long as you keep an open-mind. Thats what I did, I kept an open-mind, tried new things, new food, new everything. And I found friends and found a place in my host-family, who was really welcoming to me. The funny thing is, I got sometimes better along with my host-family than with my actual family
Id say keeping an open mind is the most important thing to do, while being abroad, because therell be a lot of new things available to you, some you will like, others you wont. Which is totally okay, as long as you have tried it(I could never get used to the taste of root beer).<br>
Another think which you will definitely learn is to be more independent. In Canada my family and friends were far away, plus most people didnt speak German. So I had to do everything on my own, in another language. Which was difficult at first, but after some time the usual. And I dont want to miss my being independent. </p>
<p>I think you can really learn a lot from spending time in another country, whether it be the language, new skills or just that not everybody drives on your side of the road.
Youll also most likely make a lot of new friends. I still email my friends and host-family in Canada and plan to visit them next year after graduation again. </p>
<p>I hope this doesnt sound too confused or anything.^^</p>
<p>I envy you, lol.</p>
<p>I got back about three weeks ago from six months in Italy with AFS (the American Field Service, I believe the site is afs.org ). Amazing experience. I would agree with _Silence, though, don't do it just for the college apps. My time abroad killed my GPA since my school wouldn't let me take credit for the courses I did there, so I had to come back and take some online courses for normal credit and not AP/Honors.</p>
<p>All in all, though... doooo itttt.</p>