What is being a foreign exchange student like?
A high school foreign exchange student will live with a host family — generally for a semester or year. You will be part of that family, participate in their activities, do chores, eat meals, etc. You will NOT be a guest, nor should you expect to be. (As an aside, host families are NOT paid, they volunteer, so remember that!) You will also attend school in your host country — in the language of that country. So yes, you will be learning the language while you are there. Immersion into a language is one of the biggest benefits of the exchange. Most exchanges are a semester or, better yet, an academic year. Some organizations have summer programs, but they aren’t as beneficial. They are more of a cultural than an academic exchange. Programs are expensive. They can range from $5000 to $8000. Plus you’ll need spending money. The top three are YFU, AFS and Rotary. Rotary is cheaper, but more competitive. The other two also have limited scholarships.
