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Smart Strategies
for Finding a Winning Student Exchange Program
Making
the decision to participate in a student foreign exchange is quite a simple
decision. High school and college
students, who opt to take the most important step in life, -- applying for exchange
programs, require a few commonsense considerations.
Aside
from meeting the foreign exchange's academic prerequisites, selecting a program entails a little homework.
To evaluate whether a foreign exchange program is ideal for you, as well
as safe and appropriate for your study abroad
objectives, use the
following strategies to make the right choice.
Reputation
While
most cultural exchange programs offer the same educational, personal development
and life experiences, not all student foreign exchange programs are created
equally. As with any academic or
educational service, the credibility and reputation of cultural exchange program
is critical to choosing an exchange program that will present the benefits
necessary to ensure success.
For
example, Academic Year in America (AYA) offers a highly reputable program for
high school students. The reputation of Academic Year in America’s (AYA) cultural
exchange program has been validated by one of its major sponsors, the American
Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS). Another program is offered through the
Organization for Cultural Exchange Among Nations
(OCEAN) which has been
granted full listing by the Council on Standards for International Educational
Travel (CSIET)
Support
Understandably,
student exchange programs cannot offer a clear-cut guide on how to cope when
students are matched to families with significantly different values.
Nevertheless, a viable cultural program should offer foreign
exchange students with guidance and support.
OCEAN and AYA are two foreign exchange
programs that have a winning
reputation for providing students studying abroad with the support they need.
Credibility
One
of the best ways to determine the credibility of an ethical student exchange
program is to inquire how they screen host families in their cultural exchange
program. If
the student foreign exchange program does NOT issue background checks, it’s an
indication that you may be participating in a cultural exchange program at your
own risk.
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