Benefits Of Student Exchange Programs

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An exchange student is a student that leaves his/her country for a foreign one for a year, where she/he usually learns a new language and experiences a new culture. Nowadays, there are more than 35 international exchange programs from which very many high school students benefit. For instance, each year, almost 13000 students travel on American Field Service Intercultural Programs between 65 countries (AFS, 2011). Unfortunately, the number of students who go on exchange is still relatively low, even if the benefits they receive are big. Because the age of 15-18 is the perfect period of time for going on an exchange [1], students discover a new culture and develop themselves [2], adults can have a new experience by taking a student into their family [3] and the students would be equal if they had the same opportunities and chances [4], I think that all high-school students should be required to fulfill one year abroad as exchange students. The perfect time to be an exchange student is while being a high school student. The group of students between the age of 15 and 18 is the one that seems to be the most able to naturally participate and adjust to the lifestyles and values of a foreign family and community (Youth For Understanding, 2013). At this age, teens are also more likely to want to try something new and the most effective way of doing it is to become an exchange student. This was the case for the famous Texan actor Matthew McConaughey, who spent a year on an exchange programme in Australia as a teenager: "I always had a wanderlust for travelling and I wanted to take a year off to go take an adventure, and it was," he has said of the experience (The Telegraph, 2011). In addition, in high school, students are not a... ... middle of paper ... ...rams and because if all the students had the same chances we would have a more democratic society, I strongly believe that all high school students should be required to fulfil one exchange year abroad. Works Cited AFS. (2008). Developmental Model for Intercultural Sensitivity …for friends of AFS; Long-Term Impact Study (2007-2008). New York: Milton, B., & Mitchell, H. AFS Intercultural Programs. (2011). AFS & Exchange Programs. Retrieved from AFS Intercultural Programs website: http://www.afs.org/afs-and-exchange-programs/ The Telegraph. (2011). Education, Celebrities who studied abroad. Retrieved from The Telegraph website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/expateducation/9225920/Celebrities-who-studied-abroad.html?frame=2202935 Youth For Understanding. (2013). History. Retrieved from Youth For Understanding website: http://yfuusa.org/about-yfu/history.php

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