Jan 10 2008
Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE)
I’ve mentioned this program a few times in other posts, so I thought I’d go over it more fully. Rotary Youth Exchange is sponsored by Rotary International, the ‘adult’ version of Interact. Because it is completely volunteer-based, a Rotary exchange costs much less than a private exchange: around $3,000, including airfare.
However, you don’t always get your first choice country. This may or may not be very important, but many decide to go through another organization because of this, even with a $7,000 bump in price.
Rotary tends to be more selective than other programs, depending on the area. In San Jose/Cupertino (District 5170), exchange is not very at all big and thus this isn’t a big issue. It does make RYE a more attractive choice for students concerned about college apps…getting into a semi-selective program looks a lot better than just dropping 10k.
Aaaaand there are many other differences, including:
- multiple host families throughout the year, instead of only one
- each district (area) is apart of Rotary International, but still mostly autonomous
- exchange students get a monthly allowance that varies from $50 to $150
Summary: Definitely recommended program.
