I'm searching for a good high school study abroad program. I'm looking for programs that:

1. Have academic year AND semester programs(or at least academic year)
2. Are around or under $10,000.
3. Have excellent credentials.
4. Offer programs in England.

Pretty basic stuff, I know. I've looked at AYUSA. But a semester in England would be $18,000-$19,000, which I can't afford. Also they've cancelled their academic year and semester programs to England. But they're still accepting aplications.

I'm also looking at ASSE, which appears to be very inexpensive($7,000-$8,000). However, it's website is rather hard to navigate.

I'm not even bothering with TWU(Two Worlds United) anymore, after hearing that it is a scam.

SouthernSpecial

Thanks, I'll be sure to check that out.

I AM really impressed with ASSE at the moment. Not only are they a member of the BBB, but they have an AAA rating, and only one complaint(that was 'quickly resolved'). It only costs about $7,200. It includes tuition and airfare from a 'gateway city'. So I would just have to pay $300-$400 for a flight to NY. I was kind of worried when I read on their site that the host family doesn't receive any money to pay for your meals, lodging, ect. But students are required to take part in chores and stuff like that. When I read that I thought back to a post on the TWU thread that said that their host family couldn't afford them. But as they've only had one, quickly resolved, complaint, I'm assuming thats never happened with this program. Another thing is that they don't have an England program. They have a Great Britian Program. So I could be placed in England, Scotland, or Wales. On a final note, I would have to do the academic year program, because they do not offer semester programs. They offer summer programs, but I really want to experience public school life in England. I'll probably be sticking with this program, unless I find something else.

Now I just wish I knew how to talk to my parents about studying abroad.

J_9

My sister-in-law and her family were host a host family here in the US for a girl from Germany. When I asked her about the families receiving money, she asked her "counselor" if the host families were supposed to receive money. She was told that if it were a reputable company, then no, they do not receive money.

Families sign up to be host families just like students sign up to study abroad. The company that she was with, forgive me I cannot remember the name and she is not available right now, required that the host families as well as the travelling student meet with a counselor monthly.

I will post the name of the company as soon as I get in touch with her. BTW, she is using the same company to send her daughter to Austrailia.

I just spoke with my sister-in-law and the company was ASSE. She said the company was wonderful, although their host child was a nightmare.

She told me that they have yearly programs as well as semester and even shorter terms.

She had to meet with a counselor/coordinator once a month to make sure everything was going as planned.

The exchange student she had was sent money to an account, by her parents in Germany, at the parents' discretion. All money went directly to the student, not the company.

I hope this helps.

SouthernSpecial

I checked the CSIET list. ASSE is on it, and they have a 'Full' rating(that means they have met all of the requirments).

Great! I'm so glad I've found someone who has experience with the program. I've e-mailed the area representatives to request more information. They haven't replied yet. But then again, it's a holiday weekend, isn't it?

As far as my parents...they don't exactly know that I'm planning this. I'm waiting for the right time. My dad probably knows that I want to go abroad already(I left an AYUSA brochure in the living room by accident one time). You have no idea how hard it is to talk to parents about studying abroad. Or my parents at least:

I say: "Mom, Dad, I want to study abroad in England."
They hear: "Hey momz and popz! I'm leaving you for a long long time and I'm gunna live in another country far far away!"

J_9

My sister-in-law does have experience as a host family and as I said is looking forward to using them to send her daughter abroad. She was very happy with them.

Good Luck!!!

iugraham@hotmail.com

Ditto the reputable companies do not pay the host families. As it was explained to me by a "reputable company" that is to eliminate all the potential conflicts of interest and is the "reputable" industry standard. Although in this industry, I don't know what that means....Sounds like you are on the right track. Go with your gut feeling, run if all your questions are not answered well before you leave, and have a back-up plan. Keep us posted as to how it's going. At this point I would love hearing a great study abroad story!

Oh and SOUTHERN SPECIAL--I am one of those parents, just be organized, show your research, and discuss how this experience can make your college apps stand out from the crowd. Emptying the dishwasher without being asked helps too! Good luck!

SouthernSpecial

Thanks for the parent advice!

As for ASSE, they are the company I've decided to talk to my parents about. Just to make sure, I wanted to see if there had been any complaints that were not reported to the BBB. So I searched MySpace for teens that had been on the program. Most of them seemed really happy with it. There was one person(a student from Japan studying in Canada) who didn't get along with his orriginal host family. However(this was in a series of MySpace 'blogs') he contacted the company and was assigned a new host family within a couple of days. I'm seeing no down side to the program.

I requested a brochure today, so I should be talking to my parents within the upcomming weeks. It's just too bad that I can't go abroad sooner. I need to escape this 'bubble' i'm in. Ha, for a second there I actually sounded like an angsty teenager. That's a first...

Thank you, all of you, for helping me and advising me. It means a lot, and I hope I can continue to get advice as I go through the parent-talking/ application process!

iugraham@hotmail.com

Relentless research pays off. Just remember that as parents we don't really sit around figuring out ways to make our kids lives miserable--we're really just trying to keep you guys alive. Keep us posted on your progress. Also, I'd be happy to talk to your parents. I do believe that the study abroad thing is invaluable, it just needs to be done with the right company!

SouthernSpecial

Parent Update- Due to the fact that I left the ASSE brochure on the table, my parents now know what I want to do. The hard part is going to be getting them to take me seriously. At least I'm getting SOMEWHERE with my parents...

SouthernSpecial

Sorry it's taken so long to get back to ya'll. I've been away at camps and on vacation, ect. During this time I've realized that due to a previous commitment, I cannot be away for an entire academic year. I could only study for the spring semester of my junior year, or fall semester of my senior year. However, I cannot find anything on ASSE's site about semester abroad programs. J-9, you mentioned that they DO have semester programs. Perhaps I should inquire about them?