As an exchange student, you receive the opportunity to experience another culture from the inside out. You live with a host family, you become part of the local community, and you learn the language. Even so, an exchange year is not one long holiday. It can be tough, and it may take time to adjust to the new culture and find new friends. In The Exchange Student Guidebook, author Olav Schewe presents a practical handbook to prepare you for life as an exchange student and help you tackle common challenges. Schewe considers • understanding the basics of student exchange; • evaluating reasons for going; • choosing a destination country and exchange organization; • living in a foreign culture; • staying with a host family; • finding new friends; and • dealing with homesickness and other challenges. Filled with practical advice and tips, The Exchange Student Guidebook provides you with a foundation to make your experience successful and memorable.

The Exchange Student Guidebook

Everything You'll Need to Spend a Successful High School Year AbroadBy Olav Schewe

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Olav Schewe
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-5159-2

Contents

Preface...............................................................................ixHow to Read This Book.................................................................xiHistory...............................................................................xiiiPart 1: About Student Exchange........................................................1Chapter 1 — Introduction: The Basics............................................3Chapter 2 — Reasons for Going...................................................9Chapter 3 — What Are the Costs?.................................................13Chapter 4 — Is an Exchange Year Right for Me?...................................18Chapter 5 — Frequently Asked Questions..........................................23Test Yourself: Are You Ready for a School Year Abroad?................................26Part 2: Pre-Departure.................................................................31Chapter 6 — Choosing a Country and an Exchange Organization.....................33Chapter 7 — Application, Interview, and Paperwork...............................38Chapter 8 — Preparations........................................................42Chapter 9 — Packing: What Should I Bring?.......................................50Chapter 10 — Departure..........................................................56Part 3: Abroad........................................................................63Chapter 11 — About Being an Exchange Student....................................65Chapter 12 — Living in a Foreign Culture........................................74Chapter 13 — Fundamentals for a Successful Year.................................80Chapter 14 — Host Family........................................................85Chapter 15 — School.............................................................95Chapter 16 — New Friends........................................................101Chapter 17 — Homesickness and Other Challenges..................................105Chapter 18 — Change of Host Family..............................................112Chapter 19 — The Final Weeks and the Travel Back Home...........................120Chapter 20 — Back Home..........................................................126Chapter 21 — Using Your Newfound Knowledge......................................130Chapter 22 — Exchange Student Quiz..............................................133Part 4: Exchange to the USA...........................................................139Chapter 23 — An Introduction to the USA.........................................142Chapter 24 — Living in the USA: Culture and Society.............................152Chapter 25 — The American Host Family...........................................163Chapter 26 — Preparations and Travel to the USA.................................168Chapter 27 — High School........................................................172Chapter 28 — Practical Information..............................................187Acknowledgments.......................................................................203Bibliography..........................................................................205

Chapter One

Introduction: The Basics

You're young, you're curious, and you feel that the world awaits you. You want to experience something new and different, and you want to do it now. Maybe you want to get a taste of American hospitality and high school spirit. Or maybe you want to see what it's like to live in the Far East. Perhaps you don't yet know what you want—and that's okay, too. As long as you are young, curious, and want to experience another culture and learn a new language, the world of student exchange is probably right for you!

What Is a High School Exchange Student?

A high school exchange student is someone eighteen years old or younger who travels to a foreign country to live there and attend a local high school. In some cases, the student can live at the school (boarding school). However, it is far more common for exchange students to stay with a family, commonly referred to as a host family.

How Can I Become an Exchange Student?

If you already know a family in another country where you would like to live, you can theoretically organize an exchange year solely on your own. However, it should be noted that with some countries, such as the USA, organizing an exchange yourself is very difficult due to visa regulations. In any case, you would need to arrange a visa, enroll at a school, and take charge of all the logistics yourself.

It is therefore much more common to use an organization—such as AFS, EF, Rotary, YFU, and others—that specializes in student exchange programs. There are many advantages of using an exchange organization. First, the organization takes care of practical matters such as finding a host family, enrolling you in a high school, providing you with the necessary visa documents, and booking your flights. Second, the exchange organization helps prepare you for the coming year and usually gives you the opportunity to meet other students who are also going on exchange. Finally, the organization provides support before and during the exchange year. They will answer questions and assist you if you encounter difficulties while abroad.

How Long Does an Exchange Program Last?

There are programs of varying lengths. Half-year programs are gaining popularity, but the traditional one-year programs are by far the most common.

Where Can I Go?

Most exchange organizations let students choose from a range of host countries in all parts of the world.

Requirements—Who Can Become an Exchange Student?

The requirements for going on exchange depend on the rules of the host country and the exchange organization. There are slight variations, but the following requirements seem common to most organizations:

- You have to be between fourteen and eighteen years old on the day of travel.

- You have to have been a full-time student prior to departure.

- You have to have reasonably good grades in school.

- You have to be in good mental and physical health.

- You have to be motivated and open to change.

How Will the Exchange Year Fit with My High School Education?

In some countries like the USA and Mexico, where students typically finish high school at age seventeen or eighteen, students can go on exchange after graduating from high school and use the exchange experience as an "in-between year" (gap year) before continuing their formal education or entering the work force. This is also common practice in Belgium, although students there finish high school at age eighteen or nineteen. In most countries, however, students go on exchange while still in high school at home. The students can then either incorporate the year abroad as one year of high school at home or spend it as an extra year of high school. Practices vary from country to country, and sometimes from school to school.

Other Options for Exchange

Some high schools have their own exchange programs or agreements with schools abroad. These programs are often shorter than...