According to the University of California, Merced, 85% of students who studied abroad believed themselves to be better equipped with skills necessary for their future careers, and 100% of students saw improvements in their Grade Point Average (GPA) following their trip. Many alternative education paths are available to high school students, such as international study that — despite straying from the most commonly represented teaching — can be just as, if not more, valuable to any one student’s learning.
One organization that provides numerous study abroad opportunities is American Field Service (AFS). They offer summer, trimester, semester, and academic year programs. Parker Allen, the director of study abroad at American Field Service (AFS), explains that a stronger foundation is built the longer the duration of the trip, noting, “That isn’t to say that a … one-week experience isn’t meaningful or powerful.” Depending on the program, housing accommodations include either living with a host family or living in a dorm with other students.
“There’s an allure [to] Japan as a country and culture,” Allen says, regarding AFS’s most popular high school program: the academic year-long High School in Japan experience. To become fully immersed in the local culture, one stays with a host family and attends classes taught in Japanese at a nearby high school in order to strengthen their language skills. “I’m a huge believer in homestays,” Allen says. “I have worked with alumni who are in their 70s who have stayed connected with their host families from when they were in high school, their entire life.” Participation in the program requires students to be between 15 and 17 years old and have at least a 3.0 GPA, though no prior secondary language knowledge is necessary. The trip begins in March and ends in December, as its start date aligns with the standard Japanese school calendar, while its length aligns with the majority of US school calendars, costing $18,065 in total for students.
One of the largest barriers to studying abroad is the cost, driven by high airfare, program fees, insurance, and housing. Many organizations, including AFS, offer scholarships to lower said barriers because, “When you make studying abroad … only accessible to people with financial means, … it means that the richness of your country is diluted — the richness of the background, the richness of the experience,” Allen states.
He believes those who study abroad act as ambassadors; therefore, only representing the most privileged fails to showcase the range of cultures and identities of one’s country to the rest of the world. AFS has scholarships such as the Yoshi Hattori scholarship, the Asia Kakehashi Project+, and the AATF & AFS-USA scholarship. They also offer scholarships through the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, such as the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study, and the Future Leaders Exchange programs.
For students searching for programs with a focus on STEM, renewable energy, and environmental conservation, AFS offers a full scholarship program called AFS Global STEM Academies. The scholarship covers all estimated costs, ranging from round-trip airfare to housing accommodations and health insurance. Over the course of a 12-week online course and a four-week trip to Brazil, Egypt, China, or India, students will strengthen critical thinking skills, engage in sustainable community initiatives, and learn from existing eco-friendly operations; these possibly include local institutions like the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Federal Institute of Education Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte, International Institute of Physics, or the Brain Institute. “For many, study abroad seems like something you might do in college, but we want to make sure that students know that it is something they can — and should — consider doing in high school,” says Luca Mallon, the enrollment coordinator for the Oregon and Washington territory of The Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE). CIEE, another nonprofit organization, has summer, semester, academic year — focusing on high school course completion — and gap year — focusing on culture immersion and career progression — programs.
Most language immersion programs available are homestays, though there are opportunities through other programs, which may entail staying at a dorm at a local school, a hotel, or a hostel. By selecting one of the summer programs — prices ranging from around $4,950 to $9,150 — students have the opportunity to earn college credits, the Global Seal of Biliteracy — a certificate attractive to educational institutions and employers recognizing individuals as proficient in at least two languages — community service hours, or make a multistop trip, depending on the specific program. Different programs center on certain course topics, such as arts & culture, business, language, leadership & service, social change, and STEM, and are available for student choice.CIEE’s gap year programs also allow students to tailor their experience so it is the best fit for their interests. There are three options available: foreign language development, internships, or multidestination exploration. The first focuses on learning a language as quickly as possible by taking around 20 hours worth of lessons a week while also visiting major landmarks around the city. The second option helps students further their career goals by spending 15 to 20 hours a week interning at a business of their choosing. Thirdly, CIEE offers four-week excursions to European cities for students to develop an understanding of how ways of life compare in different countries. CIEE also offers the Academic Merit Award, which covers $500 of expenses, and the Global Navigator Scholarship, which covers from $500 to the full price. Similar to AFS, CIEE “[wants] to ensure that finances are not a reason for a student to not consider study abroad,” Mallon says. “We are proud to be a non-profit that is able to offer over $7 million in scholarships to high school students each summer.”AFS and CIEE both supply an abundance of study abroad programs for a variety of students with differing interests. Mallon recommends them to anyone who has ever “thought about learning a new language, studying a new topic, or just going on an adventure to a new place for the purposes of learning more about yourself and the world around you.”
