Study abroad stories?

Question

I'm planning on studying abroad in my senior year, which is about a year and half from now---so in the process of setting everything up, I've been doing tons of research, but one thing I still want to know is the opinions of other exchange students. If you've ever been abroad, I'd appreciate it if you told me a little about your trip. Also, please include details like, which program you worked with, where you went, prices, etc. Anything at all is appreciated. Please and Thank you! Cheers!

Answer 1

I'm not sure if you'll be studying as a High School or College student, but here is some info about my experience:

From Aug 06 to Jan 07 I was a high school exchange student in Ireland. It was my first semester of my senior year and turned out to be an amazing experience. I used CCI (Center for Cultural Interchange), which I had previous experience with when hosting exchange students. The program was about $7,000 which included medical insurance but not my plane ticket. I know that other countries are cheaper but Irish Host families receive money for hosting which increases the cost.

The transition from attending a large public American High School to a small private catholic Irish Secondary school was a little hard at first. I met two German exchange students who were also in my situation and I remain in contact with them to this day. I found it harder to make friends with my Irish classmates, probably because they already were so close and had been together since primary school. My host family seemed nice in the beginning, but my host mom turned out to be nothing like the warm caring mother I left back in the states. I had a host sister who was a year younger than me and we didn't have much in common. I ended up switching host families after my host mom read my journal (if you write one keep it hidden!) and I spent the remainder of my stay with an awesome couple who I wish I was with from the beginning.

It’s important to know that you will need spending money. I had about $200 a month that I spent on school lunch, shopping, buying school supplies (I had to purchase a uniform), and for the bus so that I could travel around and see the sites (which was one of the best things I did!)

Its important to stay very open minded. Chances are you are going to encounter people with very different ideas and beliefs than you or what you are used to. Don't be afraid to ask people for help as well, and always tell your host family or whoever is there to give you assistance when you have a problem. Living abroad for a long period of time can be a shock, be a bit lonely, but also provide a huge opportunity to discover things not only about the country you're studying in, but also your native country. Though study abroad is mostly about learning about the world around you, you'll probably learn a lot about yourself along the way as well. I know I did!

Good Luck!