<p>I am thinking about becoming a foreign exchange student for either my Junior or my Senior year in high school. As a foreign exchange student, I would attend classes in another country. Depending on the country, I might be taking classes in another language, such as Swedish. </p>
<p>How would this impact my college application process? I doubt if AP classes would be offered, and my course selections are otherwise going to be dependent on what is provided by the new school. </p>
<p>What do you think? Is it suicidal to consider a year abroad?</p>
<p>I don’t think I’d do a whole year abroad if that’s a concern for you. Do a few months over the summer, or just a semester or something. Even when the US has no school, many other countries do, so you can still go to school there. I know for sure that Japanese schools only have one month off during the summer.</p>
<p>Some foreign schools actually do have APs, but it of course depends on the country. If this is a concern for you, you might be able to work something out by taking some courses at a regular public school and some at an American school in that country.</p>
<p>Of course, colleges shouldn’t penalize you for going abroad for one year, as that’s a very valuable experience. But think about the length of your stay very carefully. If you have so many concerns, it’s probably best that you don’t do a whole year.</p>