I really want to study abroad in high school and missed my chance to study abroad Junior year. I am planning on studying abroad with rotary senior year and wondered if anyone had experiences with studying abroad while trying to apply to colleges. How did you get teacher rec’s? Did you finish all your required classes? Did you get your diploma?
A family member did. She did a lot of planning in advance: she’d finished her requirements, had her scores, her list of schools she’d be applying to, arranged for teacher’s recommendations - all of that was done before she left. It’s really quite doable, if you’re well prepared. She even did one of her alum interviews by Skype – in Spanish! She did get her diploma, but chose to skip the graduation ceremony so she could do more traveling in South America.
haha fun perspective on studying abroad
http://www.tripvoid.com/27-gifs-that-perfectly-describe-your-semester-abroad/
I spent my sophomore year in Argentina and I’m spending my senior in Thailand (you should look into the YES Abroad scholarship). I graduated a year early, am doing my essay before leaving, and have my teachers’/guidance counselor’s contact information to request recommendations. It’s as difficult as you make it. One thing is that if you’re studying abroad, DON’T apply to 20 colleges - spending that much time on applications will really get in the way of your cultural immersion. If your priority is to apply to a TON of colleges with intense applications/lots of supplements, it may be best to study abroad during a gap year after exchange. It’s definitely possible!! Where are you interested in going?
@evan241
I really want to learn German to work in the auto industry but my top choice is Croatia. Of coarse, with rotary it’s always crap shoot, my friend asked for all european countries and ended up in Manila. How did you decide on Thailand?
@Basoonitup - I’m going abroad through the YES Abroad scholarship, so Thailand chose me, so to say - for YES Abroad, you rank all of the countries (there are twelve or thirteen) and they assign the finalists to their countries. So Thailand was my fourth choice, but some people got their first, and some got their tenth! You should look into CBYX if you’re interested in Germany - it’s a full scholarship.