A new perspective: An AFS exchange can be a transformational experience that provides a new perspective on the world and lets students discover more about what it means to be a global citizen. They are immersed in a different culture by living with a host family, making a new set of friends, and attending a foreign school. They are also provided a chance to learn how people in other countries view Americans. Studying abroad could be one of the best ways to understand the social, political, and economic issues that profoundly affect the world.
Stand out to colleges: Admissions officers at colleges all over the country often express how a cultural immersion program can be more valuable than one more AP exam or sports season. An AFS experience offers cross-cultural skills that are critical at today’s universities. For most participants, it strengthens leadership and decision-making skills, and enhances independence and flexibility while allowing a student to explore, persevere, and thrive in another part of the world. For these reasons and more, many AFSers’ successful college application essays are about their exchange experiences. Learn more about how being an AFS Exchange Student gives a college advantage.
The advantage of high school study abroad: Why study abroad in high school? Because at this point in their lives, students are standing at the edge of making important decisions and discoveries about who they’ll become and how they’ll contribute to the world. If your child is open, smart, and receptive to new ideas, being an exchange student in high school could provide them with options they would otherwise not consider, and they may develop leadership skills to leverage in college and beyond.
Learn a new language: Even if a student has little or no previous exposure to their host country’s language, immersion in a new country is a great way to learn a language. High school is a perfect time to study a new language; it gets harder to learn as you get older! A new language gives a student a competitive advantage for schools and jobs, and perhaps more importantly, it helps them discover another culture and truly connect with its people.
The adventure of a lifetime:AFS Returnees use words like exciting, rewarding, and memorable when describing their exchanges and certainly those descriptions ring true for them. But much of the experience will depend upon what a student wants to get out of it. The more open they are, the more they will learn and the more they will share with others.
Lifelong Connections: When a student returns home, they’ll be part of a worldwide network of more than 325,000 people who went abroad with AFS; more than 100,000 live in the United States, while the rest live in more than 100 other countries. Plus, don’t forget about the connections with host parents, host brothers or sisters, new friends, and other AFS Exchange Students while on program.
