Guidance and Advising

Students may need some encouragement to complete applications for scholarships or financial aid. Below is a list you may give them to assist in completing the process.

Before the student leaves:

• Meet with the student and explain to them exactly what they need in order to receive credit while studying abroad
• Create a study plan that outlines which credits must be taken here at home and which credits your high school will accept from abroad
• Download this study plan form (pdf) and make sure that the study plan is agreed upon and signed by both the student and his or her guidance counselor. Make 2 copies – one for you and one for the school – and keep yours in a safe place.

While the student is abroad:

• Advise the student to take classes for which she might be given credit
• These usually include math, science, art, history, and your foreign language. The classes that are harder to find abroad will be your U.S. history or government courses and English. (In non-English speaking countries, English is taught as a second language so you will most likely learn grammar, not literature, in an English course abroad). Keep in mind, however, that you may not be able to choose your courses while abroad.
• Advise the student to keep detailed records of his school year abroad
• Exchange Students student should use the Academic Record Form (pdf) to list all of the courses taken and write a detailed description, in English, of each class. Students should bring home the syllabus of each class along with samples of their work including any quizzes, tests, and homework. Advise them to acquire a profile sheet of their host school, if one exists. Make sure that all of this is collected and in their possession before their host school closes for vacation.
• Ask a favorite teacher to write a signed letter about the student's performance in class. They may choose to write it in their native language if they do not know English and the student can translate the statement.
• Bring home an official transcript, if possible. It is the student's responsibility to ask for an official transcript from his or her host school. AFS cannot help once the student has returned home. Be advised that depending on their enrollment status, their host school may not be able to provide this.

When the Student Comes Home

• The student should present documentation of your coursework abroad to their high school in the U.S.
• Don’t forget to bring along a copy of the signed study plan that you created with your guidance counselor.
• To get college credit for their “new” language, advise students to take the CLEP (College Level Exemplary Placement) test soon after returning home. All colleges offer this test or know where it is given. For a summer abroad program, students can earn up to 8 credit hours and for the year or semester abroad program, up to 15 credit hours. The amount of credit will vary from college to college.
• Please remember that while AFS supports students in their efforts, the student is entirely responsible for making arrangements to receive academic credit.