<p>Our youngest child is 15 and wants to spend next semester in Spain. She originally wanted to go next year, but her GC said he didn't recommend that, since her junior year is so important. But that puts her in the position of completing an application by next Tuesday, and also sending in $500 that is non-refundable if she changes her mind.</p>
<p>So I am wondering if any of you has any experience with CIEE or sending your high school student abroad to study. I will say that this young lady is remarkably mature and organized - DH says she will probably be a CEO one day. She has made phone calls, set up appointments, done internet searches, etc. Her Spanish teacher told me that CIEE is a reputable organization. DH and I feel like we should be asking questions, but we're not sure what!</p>
<p>“Her Spanish teacher told me that CIEE is a reputable organization. DH and I feel like we should be asking questions, but we’re not sure what!”</p>
<p>Then go have a sit-down with that Spanish teacher, and get his/her advice about this. Find out who has gone on this program in recent years, and then pick up the phone and call those students and their parents.</p>
<p>Two other reputable organizations are [Youth</a> For Understanding - Youth for Understanding](<a href=“http://yfu.org/]Youth”>http://yfu.org/) and [AFS</a> Intercultural Programs | Connecting Lives, Sharing Cultures](<a href=“http://www.afs.org/]AFS”>http://www.afs.org/) You can check their websites for FAQs for families, and then compare them to the information from CIEE to get more ideas.</p>
<p>Sounds like you have a great kid who will probably have a great time in Spain. Best wishes to you all!</p>
<p>We hosted a student through Youth For Understanding. They are very reputable and support the student throughout the whole process. Here in the USA they had quarterly get togethers/orientations for other exchange students as well.</p>
<p>The girl we hosted basically put her German High School eduacation on hold…she got no credit for being here. That allowed her to take courses of interest and skip Math. So she was a junior here, and then when she went back she was the German equivelant of a Junior. She will finish her junior/senior year with the class behind her. That may be an issue and it might not be. She may feel more wordly and also just older than the kids in that grade so consider that.</p>
<p>That is another option for your daughter.</p>
<p>You could ask how many students don’t get matched with Host families (In YFU, the host families choose amongst the students)</p>
<p>Questions to ask are what support do they have for the student while abroad?
-Like in YFU they had a local advisor in addition to the host family that would meet with the student monthly
-YFU has 3-4 orientations through out the year that are helpful for the family and the student and allow host families and students to get to know each other.
-How much orientation do they do before the student goes to the new country?
-How many students come home before the time is up</p>
<p>CIEE is reputable and does a good job, but I only know about them for college-level studies (my daughter spent a semester in London through their program), not high school, which requires another level of support, so I can’t comfortably comment.</p>
<p>Your daughter may also want to consider School Year Abroad (sya.org) which dedicated to the unique needs of high school students. I know a student currently in one of their European programs and I am quite impressed.
one of the most supportive of</p>
<p>ML, my older D did a program last summer through CIEE as a rising college senior. I have no experience with any of their HS programs. The organization including the processing of the required visa was pretty good, but I found out some info from other sources the CIEE people were not aware of, so I wouldn’t give them an outstanding grade. They are based in Portland ME I believe, so if is possible you (and your D) could meet face to face with them.</p>
<p>Like others, I’ve heard of CIEE and worked with them as a college student. Reputable organization for college students and a bit older (18-25 year olds). I didn’t know they worked with HS students - is that a new thing?</p>
<p>CIEE is certainly a reputable outfit. My son’s last study abroad (he’s done three) was through them. In Jordan as a college student though. I think I’ve seen posts here from someone who had done ahigh school program in France, but not sure it was CIEE. I feel like it was through their high school.</p>
<p>FWIW an alternative to a high school program is a gap year before college. I’ve known kids who did Rotary that way, and there are also other programs often organized by the country that attract a more international group than programs like CIEE and are primarily aimed at immersion experiences and becoming fluent in the language. My niece is currently studying in Paris, and I and my brothers did a similar program in Tours, France.</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 32
[<em>] ACT superscore (breakdown): 33
[</em>] SAT II: None taken yet. Future: Chemistry, Math II, maybe Physics.
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[</em>] Weighted GPA: There is no weighted GPA at my school.
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/220
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Biology (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: University: Calc II, Biostatistics + General Chemistry I, General Chemistry II + Physics I ( calc-based), Cell Biology; high school: English 12, Ceramics, Anatomy and Physiology, Spanish IV
[<em>] Number of other applicants in your school: Zero.
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul]</p>
<p>Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Leo club (10, 11, 12), NHS (12 because only seniors can have), Science Olympiad (11, 12), SADD (11, 12)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Regular job. 20 hours a week since beginning of 11th grade.
[li] Volunteer/Community service:[/ul] Leo Club, Volunteering in ER </p>[/li]
<p>Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[li] Essays (Include Subjects):[list] Overcoming adversity through changing my perspective of what I’ve been given and what I’m making of it.</p>[/li]
<p>Other[list]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): MI
[</em>] School Type: Small public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: < 30,000 for three people
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):First generation, Low-income, extreme adversity [/ul]</p>