Eligibility
Program Description
Visa and Travel Documents
Getting There
AFS Orientations and Activities
Eligibility
To be eligible you must:
- Be between 15 years 8 months and 18 years 6 months old at the start of the program
- Have a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
- Be in good mental, physical, and emotional health in accordance with the AFS Medical Evaluation Policy
- Have an open mind, willingness to be flexible, and the ability to adapt to new a culture, school, and environment
Program Description
As with all AFS high school programs, you will be placed with a volunteer host family while attending a local host school. Learn more about life in Norway.
Students are placed throughout the Norway.
The ability to speak Norwegian is not a prerequisite for the program but we strongly suggest that you learn as much as possible prior to departure.
Vegetarians can be particularly difficult to place, since it is not common in Norway to be vegetarian and vegetables and fruit can also be quite expensive during the winter.
Visa and Travel Documents
In order to participate in this program, you must have a U.S. passport that is valid for six months longer than your intended stay.
In addition to your passport, you also need a Temporary Residence Permit to enter and reside in your host country.
The Temporary Residence Permit process for Norway is straightforward, but it does involve collecting a number of documents and applying for Norwegian Health Insurance.
Please note that fees for obtaining, translating, notarizing, and mailing the required documents rest with you, the applicant, and any additional forms and their costs, as well as requirements, are determined by the consulates and are subject to change.
AFS USA will provide you with detailed visa application instructions in the months prior to your departure.
Getting There
You and your fellow AFSers will travel together from one of the gateway cities in the United States. You all will arrive in in Oslo, collect your baggage and pass through customs. You will be met by AFS staff and volunteers and will participate in a welcome orientation together. After this week of meeting new friends, you will travel to your host family by bus, train or plane or be picked up by your host family at the site.
AFS Orientations and Activities
AFS will provide you with several orientations throughout your experience. These orientations give you a chance to gather important information about your host country, to meet other AFS teens from around the world, to share experiences and make friends. These group activities give you a chance to understand and process your intercultural learning experience during your time abroad as well as when you are returning home.
The arrival orientation camp, organized by staff and run by volunteers from five different regions, is a five-to-seven-day-long language and orientation stay that will help you to prepare for life in Norway. This camp will give you a chance to learn more Norwegian and be better prepared to meet your host family and school, meet other AFSers from around the world, ask questions and learn about AFS in Norway as well as about Norwegian culture.
Some local chapters may organize special events, activities and trips for your enjoyment. You can look forward to a five- to seven-day language camp and a weekend-long mid-stay session where you will meet other AFSers from the same region.
In most regions, immediately prior to the mid-stay orientation, AFSers will participate in a week-long community service project, giving them the opportunity to become better integrated into the community and broaden their perspective of Norwegian culture. The camps are required of all AFSers, and travel expenses will be reimbursed by AFS.
Finally, there is the so-called End-of-Stay orientation. This is a camp or bus trip with the students you met at your language camp and mid-stay evaluation. The End-of-Stay is about looking back at your sojourn and sharing memories with other AFSers. It is also about thinking of the future. The End-of-Stay will end up at the airport in Oslo where you will leave for your home.
These required orientations are intended to help you maximize the AFS experience, prevent culture shock and to gain knowledge, skills and a global understanding.
The camps are required of all AFSers, and travel expenses will be reimbursed by AFS.
