How To Be a Foreign Exchange Student

It has been decades since I was a foreign exchange student in Cali, Colombia, S.A. I was a small-town girl who had never been out of my four-state region. I had a lot to learn. Yet, I was very sure that I wanted to be an exchange student from the time I was in Middle School. Although many things have changed, you can still be an exchange student if you really want to. There are just a few steps to get you on your way.

First, as soon as you decide you want to be a foreign exchange student, think about what languages and cultures interest you. Some Middle Schools have introductory language classes where you take short courses in three or so different languages. This helps you decide what language you might like to study more.

There are many other ways to find out about languages and cultures. You can watch TV in many different languages by cable or satellite. In some cases, you might have to pay a subscription fee to get a particular foreign language station. It will be worth it if it helps you make a major decision like whether you want to be a foreign exchange student. Check out the documentary-type channels to find out about different cultures. Watch foreign language movies. Learn as much as you can to develop your focus.

Once you have an idea of which language and culture interests you, study that language. Give it a couple of years, if you can. Some language learning programs claim to work much faster, and you might have luck with them. However, you will get deeper knowledge if you take the time to join a conversational class. The best scenario is to spend time with a teacher who is a native speaker of that language, but also speaks English well. It is important that your teacher understands you; it is also important that you learn the authentic way to speak in that language.

When you are ready to actively pursue a stint as a foreign exchange student, go online and search for foreign exchange programs. You will find that a number of different programs have websites dedicated to getting out information to language students. After finding their websites, you can look at their listing of participating countries. Start thinking about which ones seem the most interesting to you.

You may not be given your first choice of country. One reason is that different countries have different lengths of programs available and you might want to stay longer or come home earlier than that country is set up for. You will only find out for sure when you make the leap of faith and sign up for the program, giving them all the information you have about the length of stay, your top choices of country, and your age and language level. You will be made an offer, which you can then accept or ask for another.

If money is an issue, do not be afraid to seek out community groups to help you go. My scholarship came from the Rotary Club in our town. There are so many different groups these days that are happy to help a student further her language education. Your language teacher may also help you to set up this funding. Being a foreign exchange student is being an ambassador for your community after all. The community leaders will often want to be seen as helpful and kind to the country where you are going.

The main thing to do when you want to be a foreign exchange student is to be persistent. Do not be discouraged by the difficulty of learning a foreign language. Do not give up until you have secured a spot in an exchange program to a country you are interested in. Do not let poor finances stop you. And finally, enjoy yourself as you live in an entirely new environment and immerse yourself in a foreign language. It is an experience you will never forget.