Become Worldly Wise After A Student Exchange Program
Hello friends how are you all? Today we are going to talk about the Become Worldly Wise After A Student Exchange Program. The period after one’s schooling or college can get boring and uninspiring at times. Instead of wiling away time, students have the option to participate in a summer exchange program from a high-quality institution. Not only is this a very enjoyable time, but students also get to learn a lot about the world and themselves during this period.
How To Find A Suitable Exchange Program?
Sit with your parents and first describe your plan of wanting to learn something new during the gap year. That being done, the next step is to locate a suitable academic institution in your country of choice. You have the option to visit websites of top institutions and consult for Student Exchange Programs. A reputed institute will always give you the best alternative as per your available budget.
Scholarships May Be Available
Check to see if scholarships can be availed for your gap year or not. Their eligibility criteria differ from one institute to another, but most of them focus on academic brilliance. Many rules related to scholarships have changed over the years and you would know best only by visiting the institute’s website.
If the student is chosen for a scholarship, then tuition, board, and room fees are covered, in addition to which a stipend is given. Only very few students are eligible for this scholarship, as per the criteria decided by the institute. Students, in general, must work hard to attain this scholarship as it would have significantly boosted their chances of being part of an amazing study abroad program.
Expenses During The Gap Year
Parents who are looking at gap years to get their kids enrolled for summer exchange programs must be ready for the following expenses:
- Cost of travel documents such as passports and visas
- Payment of round trip airfares
- Cultural orientation
- Any associated tours and travels
- Emergency funds
- Travel insurance, which includes medical, accident, and illness coverage in the host country
- Funds for emergency purposes
Types Of Opportunities During Gap Years
When you enroll yourself with an institute during the gap year, you may be able to participate in more than one of the following activities:
- Getting to learn about work as an intern
- Enroll for volunteer work in a new country with unique rules
- Absorb the knowledge of a new culture and learn an entirely new language
Being able to travel and witness a completely new and unfamiliar country with your own eyes and ears is an indescribable experience. It helps to open up the mind and become more tolerant of the many ways of the world. A lot of time is available during gap years, which helps many migratory students visit their ancestral homelands as well.
Kinds Of Exchange Program
Most of the world’s academic institutes offer the following kinds of Student Exchange Program:
- Family-to-family- Two families in different countries, who have enrolled for the same program, permit their son or daughter to be hosted with each other. At first, one of the students visits the participant country and stays 3-4 weeks with the host family. Once this is over, both students together go to the first home and are hosted for the same time.
- International Youth Camps- You will find these camps majorly in Europe, though they are also in countries such as Mexico, India, Brazil, Canada, and the US. The focus of every camp is on a specific cultural area like arts, though students share much more than that.
Student Visas Are Easy To Get
Getting student visas for various Study Abroad programs is very convenient. This hassle-free process will be your ticket to live and learn in an entirely new land for a period of less than a year. Students will also be eligible for cheap airfares for such programs.
You’ll Be Back
Many of your friends and relatives are likely to think that you are going away from them for a long period of time. This is especially true for the ones who would see you regularly, at home or outside. There are chances of the same insecurities filling up your mind and doubting your decision. However, this period if very important for students like you to take time off from hectic academics at your college and focus ahead.
Gap Years Are Never The Same
You might be able to bump into students who have already been through Exchange programs during their gap years. If you speak to a few of them, you will realize that the experience of one gap year student is pretty different from another. Even the personal and the cross-cultural experiences for each individual vary. A student who has never been abroad or lived independently will be forced to come out of the comfort zone here. In the long run, pushing boundaries is what really helps in understanding one’s true capabilities.