Has anyone been on student exchange in another country?

Host family for foreign exchange student in Japan?

• Anyways, I am curious so anyone who has ever been a a host family, or a foreign exchange student who lived with one, please answer. I am thinking of not going to Japan during High school because I want to spend this time in Canada, but I want to apply for a foreign exchange in university. Firstly, how does this work? Do you go over to said country, and earn credits during the year your there for your own? And can you apply to any university, or does your university pick which you can apply to. Also, as a university foreign exchange student, would you live with a host family? Or would you be living alone and all? I had so many questions, but I forgot a bunch, so if you have any comments, suggestions or experiences on foreign exchange in Japan, or anywhere for that matter, please post! :)

• Answer:

  When it comes to foreign exchanges, it usually depends on the school you go to. The easiest way to do study abroad is through your university, which usually occurs during your junior year of school (I've not heard of students studying abroad their freshman year. You usually have to take your freshman courses first). So it terms of how it works, you usually apply through your school, through their study abroad program. Most times, you have to have a certain GPA (maybe a certain number of credits) to go, but it does vary from school to school. When my friend studied abroad through UMD, she had her choice to apply to a couple different schools in Japan that were working with UMD, and after figuring out which ones she was accepted to, she could attend (all the Japanese schools have their own requirements for school). I also had another friend apply independently from his college (he was a student at Towson) to a Japanese school, and study abroad that way. In both cases, they were able to earn credits for their degree back at their home school. Depending on the university you go to, you might be able to pick a school, or you might only have one choice. Also, in most cases, as a foreign exchange student, you can choose a dorm or a homestay family. The price varies, but I've seen the most positive responses come from students who participated in homestay (living on your own in a foreign country is especially hard when you a.) don't have experience living on your own in your own country or b.) don't know how to budget your money, but if you're good with both, why not give it a shot). With most Japanese schools, you can also apply to get a part-time job if your attendance in school is good. All that being said, if you choose not to go now, you probably won't be able to study abroad until after 2 years of college (in most cases, rarely sooner). However, if you were thinking of starting in a Japanese high school, the new school year started in April of this year, so you might only be able to study for a semester, and since most senior students in Japan are preparing for college entrance exams by November , I'm not sure how that works for a foreign student. Hope it this helps a little!