sarah nguyen

These are more like common misunderstandings and misconceptions from well-meaning friends and family, but here goes:

1. Classes abroad will be taught in English. In some (rarer) programs, yes, but more often (and in my program), classes are conducted in the host country’s language. It’s not an international school or anything, it’s the exact same school normal kids your age would be attending in that country, like how ESL/ELD students attend school in America. They might not speak English well, but they still attend school with us.

2. Students live in dorms. No, that’s college (or boarding school). A homestay exchange means just that: you stay in someone else’s home for the year. It’s especially hard for some immigrants in America to learn English because it isn’t used at home; a homestay program prevents this by forcing you to speak the language at school and at home. You also get an automatic friend if you have a host brother and/or sister. Fun!

3. You have to be fluent in the language before you go. Obviously not, because I sure don’t speak any German (to my embarrassment when anyone asks). Each program has different requirements, ranging from zero to three years of study in a particular language.

4. Studying abroad is expensive. Not as expensive as you’d think. If you look at the American Field Service (AFS) website, one of the more expensive programs out there, a stay in Japan, one of the more expensive countries to travel to, puts you back:

• Year: $10,100
• Semester: $8,750
• Summer Homestay Language Study: $6,100

Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) is by far the most affordable program out there (entirely volunteer-based) at the $2,000-$4,000 mark, for a year. Our band department had a week long trip to New York City for almost $2,000. Considering that your host family will be paying for food (at home), a roof over your head, and more, that price tag doesn’t look so bad anymore. There are also lots of scholarships out there for those interested.

+1. It’s a waste of time. This is one I get from my parents when they’re steamed at me (my sister also alluded to this a while ago), and it’s very debatable. I, of course, am on the “It’s a once in a lifetime experience” side: you learn a language, grow a bit, and hopefully make some good friends and memories. On the other side is my parents’ occasional argument that staying home would be a better use of time: more AP and college classes, and more predictability/certainty when it comes to college apps. What do you think?

Tomorrow: 4+1 Fun Facts About Germany

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The program I’m applying to is a full scholarship for a year-long exchange to Germany. It’s jointly sponsored by the US Congress and German Bundestag, bringing 250-280 high school students to Germany each year and about that number of German students to the U.S. I was shocked the government supported such a thing, but just last September a bill for a new U.S./Poland exchange program got passed unanimously so we’ll be seeing more of these in the future. Times sure have changed since the Cold War.

The value of this scholarship is about $6,700 to $9,500, though some might argue for “priceless.” About 600-1,000 students apply each year nationwide, giving you a 25%-47% chance of acceptance, about the same as a shot at UC Berkeley (Tufts for you non-Californians) to UC San Diego. Eligibility requirements are:

• U.S. citizenship
• GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale (so unweighted)
• 15-18 year old high school student

The application process consists of several essays and either one or interviews. GPA is very important, and older students are given priority because of SENIORITY. Or because they’re supposedly more mature and less likely to back out in the middle of the year; whatever. Note that prior knowledge of German is NOT a requirement. So no, I don’t know any German, at least not beyond “Hello!” (”Guten Tag!”), “Where’s the bathroom?” (”Wo die Toiletten sind?”) and “Can I sleep with you?” (”Kann ich mit Dir schlafen?”)

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I’ll be focusing primarily on high school study abroad, which is a little rarer than college study abroad, and slightly different. For year-long homestays, the kind of exchange I’m doing, you live with one to four host families, generous people willing to open their homes to complete strangers, for reasons yet unknown to man (actually there are reasons aplenty, but that’s a whole other post). Besides that, you’re basically a normal kid, attending school (in the language of your host country), doing homework, and hopefully chilling…and partying!

Which brings me to my next point: why study abroad? I tend to say “Why not?” when I don’t feel like answering, but there are really endless (and endlessly) cliché reasons. Here’s a quote from the Intrax Study Abroad brochure that neatly sums them up:

“Studying abroad,…you will have a life-changing experience that will help you succeed in school and every day life. You will have the opportunity to discover a new country, immerse yourself in a new culture, become more independent, improve your language skills and make life-long friends.”

My mom, ever the realistic one, nicely pointed out to me after reading marketing lines like this that she didn’t actually feel that changed from going to college in Germany. But those who choose this path are fearless romantics, and we refuse to listen to such joy killers. Anyhow, these are the typical cited reasons for going, and each person (hopefully) has more specific and personal motives.

But really, it’s just easier to say, “Why not?” and make other people think for themselves.

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Hi, and welcome to my blog!

My name is Sarah, and I’m a Vietnamese-American Junior/Senior at Lynbrook High School in San Jose. I made this blog to keep others updated with my experiences as I prepare to go study abroad for a year in Germany. For now I’ll be blogging about such exciting things as applications (just like college apps, but different) and hopes/fears, as well as interesting tidbits about far off places and foreign cultures. No doubt when I actually go abroad, there’ll be more emotional teenage drama (for you soap opera fans) to chew and comment on.

It should be fun to look back on this blog when my year is over. Hopefully all of you will have fun reading it and this blog will serve as a light and refreshing escape from your daily activities or more likely for some of you, sleep. Enjoy!

-Sarah

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