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 ScheweiUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2012 Olav Schewe
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4759-5159-2Contents
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 a full year and can be quite different from a traditional school year abroad. Talk to your school counselor to find out if your school has this type of program.
Useful Terms
Jet Lag
Jet lag is a condition that occurs when flying east or west to another time zone, causing your sleep pattern or day and night rhythms to get out of balance. The symptoms may include tiredness, difficulty sleeping, and irritability. Jet lag is harmless and will go away on its own within one to ten days.
Contact Person/Coordinator
As an exchange student, you will have a person in the host country to assist and support you throughout the year. This person is the exchange organization's local representative and is usually responsible for several students in a given geographical area. Often these coordinators work as volunteers (that is, without pay).
Culture Shock
Anyone who travels to a foreign country can experience culture shock. The new culture may seem confusing and strange, making it difficult for the visitor to know how to relate to others. Culture shock usually occurs at the beginning of the stay, and it rarely lasts long.
Exchange Student
That is you!
Exchange organization
This is the organization that arranges the student exchange. This organization in your home country cooperates with another branch of its own organization or a partner organization in the host country. That organization, in turn, will provide you with a host family and contact person in the country where you will be living.
Host Family
The family you live with in the host country is your host family. It consists of host parents and perhaps host sisters and host brothers.
Host Country
This is the country where you live as an exchange student.
Reverse Culture Shock
Reverse culture shock can occur when an exchange student returns to his or her home country. Because the student has adapted to the host culture, now it's the home culture that seems confusing and strange. This feeling may or may not be stronger than the initial culture shock.
Visa
This is sort of like an entry permit to a foreign country. Most countries require a visa for exchange students. Usually you apply for a visa by contacting the host country's embassy in your home country prior to leaving to study abroad.
Chapter Two
Reasons for Going
There are many good reasons for spending a school year abroad. Here are some of them:
You will have fun and experience a lot.
It is no wonder that many former exchange students look back on their year abroad as the best year of their lives. Exchange students have many new and exciting experiences, and they usually have a lot of fun.
You will learn a language.
As an exchange student, you get free language training all day long! You will speak your new language at school, with your host family, with your new friends, and at the store. You'll hear it on the radio and television. In other words, you'll be learning all the time! You will also learn to read and write your new language in school. How good you eventually become will depend on the effort you put into learning, but everything is set up for you to become fluent in a foreign language.
You will learn a new culture—from the inside out!
As an exchange student, you will not need to read a stack of books to become an expert in your host country and its culture. You're already there, experiencing everything yourself—not as a tourist, but as a family member, as a student, and as part of a group of friends. In other words, you'll learn about your host country from the inside out!
You will get to know yourself better.
As an exchange student, you will have the opportunity to see yourself from a whole new perspective. By the end of your time abroad, you will be more secure about who you are, what you like, and what you stand for.
You will get to know your own culture better.
Just as you will see and experience a new culture from the inside out, you also will see your own culture from the outside. Because you will be confronted by cultural differences on a daily basis, you will learn not only about your host country's culture, but also about your own.
You will make new friends.
Meeting new people is one of the greatest advantages of being an exchange student. You are likely to make strong new friendships, some of which may last a lifetime.
You will pick up valuable knowledge and skills that can help your career.
In today's globalized world, international experience and good language skills are becoming increasingly important. What you learn abroad can be a great asset as you establish your professional career.
You will become more independent and mature.
During your year abroad, you will face many new situations and also a number of challenges. When you do not have your parents nearby, you'll get better at looking after yourself and resolving your own difficulties.
You will promote peace and understanding.
Contact across cultures promotes peace and understanding. This was the original idea behind student exchange, and it is perhaps more important now than ever.
It's the chance of a lifetime.
You can visit a foreign country at any time in your life. However, to live in a country as a high school exchange student, experiencing the culture this deeply and closely, is a chance you'll get only once.
It doesn't have to be expensive.
Since you will live and eat with your host family, life as an exchange student does not have to be more expensive than living at home. In fact, depending on where you go, it can actually be cheaper. And compared to many other educational programs abroad, high school exchange is often relatively inexpensive. Another thing to keep in mind is that you can often apply for a variety of scholarships to finance the experience.
It has proven benefits.
Many of the advantages associated with spending a year abroad have been scientifically proven. In a 2005 study conducted by Dr. Mitchell Hammer, exchange students were found to have gained the following benefits:
• greater intercultural competence
• greater knowledge of the host culture
• greater fluency in the language of the host country
• less anxiety when interacting with people from different countries
• more friendships with people from other cultures
• broader intercultural networks
Chapter Three
What Are the Costs?
The total price for your entire experience will depend on which country you visit, how much you spend there (pocket money plus travel expenses), which exchange organization you use, and whether you receive any scholarships. Since you will be living and eating with your host family, the relevant expenses can be divided into four categories:
• a program fee or participation fee (paid to the exchange organization)
• necessary expenses not covered by the program fee
• pocket money in the host country
• travels and day trips in the host country
The Program Fee
The program fee or participation fee is what the exchange organization charges for arranging your year. The fee covers placement with a host family, school registration, pretravel materials, visa assistance, and guidance during your stay abroad. Usually the travel cost (flight tickets) will be included, as well. The fee may include more help and services, depending on the organization, so the size of the fee will vary accordingly. Therefore, when comparing exchange organizations, it is important to look at what's included in the fee itself. To make this process easier, we have provided a list of common expenses related to an exchange year.
Pocket Money
How much spending money you will need depends on your spending habits and which country you are going to. Some countries are cheaper than others; for example, you would need less pocket money in a country like Costa Rica than you would in France.
What should the pocket money cover?
As a rule of thumb, plan to use your own money for all activities conducted apart from your host family (cinema, fast food, leisure activities, sports, dance classes, bus tickets, clothes, shopping, etc.).
How much pocket money do I need to bring?
It is possible to live economically abroad. However, living on a small budget can have its disadvantages. Having to say no when your new friends ask you to join them for bowling or some other activity that costs money could hinder your social life. Ask the exchange organization what monthly amount they recommend for your host country, or talk with former exchange students.
Traveling in the Host Country
As an exchange student, you will probably get the opportunity do some traveling while in the host country. You might travel with your host family, your school, your exchange organization, or your sports team. In some cases, you may be able to do some traveling on your own or with friends. When traveling without your host family, you should always be prepared to pay all the costs yourself. If you travel with your host family, payment arrangements can vary depending on the type of travel, your host family, and what is common in the host country.
Of course, you can save money by choosing not to travel while you're in the host country. Be aware, though, that you might miss a unique opportunity to see even more of your new country at a low cost. Local people often have access to cheap ways of traveling, and your biggest travel expense—the flight from your home country to your host country—has already been covered. That being said, if you don't get the opportunity to travel as much as you had hoped, don't let it bother you. Travel is not the main goal of an exchange year anyway, so if you do get the chance, consider it a bonus to the rest of the year.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
In some countries, the government offers scholarships to exchange students. Some exchange organizations also offer scholarships for students. Ask your exchange organization about scholarships and financial support. Note that deadlines for applying for scholarships may vary.
Can I work and earn money while abroad?
As an exchange student, you are in the host country to go to school and to experience a new culture—not to work. If you are staying on a student visa, you may even be violating some laws or regulations if you accept paid work. In the USA, for example, taking unauthorized employment is strictly forbidden and may result in you being sent back to your home country.
Sometimes, however, exchange students are offered the chance to earn some pocket money by doing chores, like babysitting or yard work for a neighbor, and this is usually okay. Other jobs, like co-coaching a sports team or tutoring after school, may also be okay, but check to make sure beforehand. Whatever you choose to do, never become dependent on having to earn money while staying abroad.
Chapter Four
Is an Exchange Year Right for Me?
A year away from family, friends, and all that is familiar impacts students in different ways. For some students, a little homesickness now and then is not a serious problem. For others, however, it may be a bigger challenge. In fact, it can sometimes be pretty tough to be an exchange student, so it is important to be motivated if you decide to spend a school year abroad.
Most exchange students report that their year abroad was the experience of a lifetime—often the greatest year of their lives. But there are also exchange students who decide to leave the program and go home early. Some of the reasons for this could be expectations that were too high, poor motivation, inability to adapt to a new lifestyle, homesickness, or problems with the host family.
For many, whether or not to become an exchange student is a major decision. In order to make a good decision, it is important that you know what you can reasonably expect from the experience.
Be realistic!
A common characteristic among disappointed exchange students is that they have sky-high expectations before the year begins. You cannot expect your host family to have a large, luxurious house and a swimming pool. And you cannot expect to attend a school where you do not need to do any homework, or where you will make a lot of friends on the first day. The fact is that most host families are quite normal families with average incomes. Most schools require effort from their students, and it may take some time to make new friends. Remember that a school year abroad is not a yearlong holiday: it is a year as a student in a foreign country. If you have unrealistic expectations, you will be easily disappointed. Besides, it is not the size of your host family's house that will determine whether or not you enjoy the experience!
So what can you expect? You can expect to live in a new and exciting place—a place where you will see, learn, and experience more than could fill a hundred books. You can expect to come to a family that is looking forward to getting to know you better. This family will be interested in learning about you, your way of life, and your culture. You can also expect to come to a new and exciting school where you'll learn things you wouldn't have learned at your own school at home. (Continues...)
Excerpted from The Exchange Student Guidebookby Olav Schewe Copyright © 2012 by Olav Schewe. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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