How do I become a foreign exchange student to Berlin, Germany?

It's great that you are thinking of doing this! Being an exchange student is an experience unlike any other. I am a 5-time host mom and volunteer with Youth For Understanding (YFU: yfu-usa.org). One of our kids is from northern Germany. I don't know how to begin - there's so much to write. Unfortunately, I don't know of any program that can guarantee the specific location for placement. Exchange students write letters to their potential host families (the families use this when picking out who they want to host) and it would be OK if you wrote that you would love going to a large city, just make sure that you make it clear that something else is as good (and make sure you mean it - let's face it, if it's a choice between going to a small town or not at all, which would you choose?). Normally I would tell someone considering an exchange to pick a country. You have obviously done this. Next you should choose an agency/program. My biggest piece of advice is to go with a program listed ...  more