What high school foreign exchange program should I use to go to New Zealand?

Question

I am a high school freshman (USA) at the moment and I want to go to New Zealand for the first half of my Junior year. I have done a lot of research, and there are a LOT of programs out there for foreign exchange. Any advice as to which I should use?

I want to stay with a host family, and I would love to be in Christchurch or Wellington, though I'm not too picky as to where I stay. I have to raise all the money myself, so I'm looking for a way to do it as inexpensively as possible, while still being safe and having fun. Please help if you have any information!

Answer 1

I would start with which program/programs are available right through the school.  If that isn't good enough, try some of these.  Someone else posted the site, and I kept it.  They are the top accredited programs in the country.  She said that if the program isn't on this list, you shouldn't even consider it, and she had TONs of experience with the whole thing.

http://www.csiet.org/mc/page.do?sitePage...

Answer 2

Here is a list of reputable study abroad programs including AFS, EF and others: http://www.macquil.com/abroad.php

See which one has the features you are looking for - including costs. You could also look for scholarships or financial aid that may help you cover the costs for your study abroad program. Check out http://www.macquil.com/scholarships.php

Also, try contacting schools in New Zealand and see if they have an exchange program to which you can apply.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I would love to go to New Zealand on exchange! I'm actually looking into it right now also. There are only a few programs that actually offer New Zealand as a choice though.

http://www.asse.com/United_States/austra...

http://www.usa.afs.org/usa_en/focus_on/h...

I would reccommend going through either ASSE or AFS if you want to go to New Zealand.

If you want to do an exchange, but it's to expensive, then you definitely shouldn't go to New Zealand. New Zealand is probaly one of the most expensive countries to go to, on an exchange. Try and be more flexible on your country choice. :)

But good luck!

Answer 4

AFS (American Field Service) is a very good program and they take very good care of you. They concern about you getting a good host family and always have very helpful stuffs around. I'm from Thailand and I went to Costa Rica with this exchange program and I got a lot of good experiences. www.afs.org that's their links, check it out.