<p>Has anybody done school year abroad or know somebody who has?</p>
<p>Me!! Ask me anything, it’s amazing.</p>
<p>Hi, how is the structure different abroad than at your school? Is it more up to the student to make sure homework is done, despite the many other great things you could be doing, like exploring your new surroundings? Is the homework load about the same?</p>
<p>My daughter is in the program. A LOT of homework about the same level as at her home school only taught in a foreign language which adds a layer. Not to mention not being able to use an electronic or Google translator so they dive right in with communication 24-7. Smaller schools (limited to 60 students per year total) but good interaction with local community. She volunteers to teach English at a local elementary school. Plays an instrument with a local group. Her friend is on the local swim team. At least 20 days of travel is built into the schedule (included in tuition) which means compressing coursework to accommodate a full two semesters in the shorter number of days. </p>
<p>We were able to request certain traits before she was assigned to her family to help with the match (non-smoking, etc.). I stay in touch with her host mother via Facebook (probably much to the school’s horror - lol!) There was one student placed on probation for treating the session like a vacation - her host family straightened that out right away and the student is back on track. Most of the families have been in the program for years and I was able to see the photos of the other students when I visited - most of them stay in touch with the family. </p>
<p>But yes - lots of homework. At one point I was able to watch all the exclamations of “There’s a test tomorrow – oh (deleted expletive)” and “Who’s got a study guide” and “What’s due tomorrow?” and see the amazing connections the students were making in creating study groups. The groups from last year where coaching the incoming students on what to wear, what to expect, how much to plan for spending money, etc. It made me feel more comfortable that my daughter had made friends before the group ever left the states for the first time. The students closed the group to the public due to privacy issues (they began sharing personal information on when and where they were traveling and meeting, cell info, etc.) so I can’t peek anymore. </p>
<p>We’re pleased. Feel free to PM me if you want.</p>
<p>Oh, cool! Are grades handed out the same way? How do you keep up with extracurriculars if you can’t participate in the club, music group, or sport during the travel abroad semester?</p>
<p>I’m pretty interested in the SYA program and might participate if I do end up going to BS. Does anybody know if the extra costs, especially transportation fees, are covered by FA? And, after spending a year/semester/etc. abroad and returning to regular school in the U.S., but do students feel somehow left out- like there’s a bit of a rift because they were gone for some time?</p>
<p>Hi, how is the structure different abroad than at your school? Is it more up to the student to make sure homework is done, despite the many other great things you could be doing, like exploring your new surroundings? Is the homework load about the same?</p>
<p>Well, school hours are different (8 till 6), with a lot of free periods in between. Everybody takes the same classes, you can’t change your schedule, except for math. I think that there is more studying than official homework (I used to have 2-3 hours a night, now I only have like a half hour of real homework and then however much studying I want to do).</p>
<p>Oh, cool! Are grades handed out the same way? How do you keep up with extracurriculars if you can’t participate in the club, music group, or sport during the travel abroad semester?</p>
<p>Grades are a little harder, I’ve found. Traveling is done throughout the year, and usually when the entire country has a break. It’s not all at once.</p>
<p>Hmm - my daughter changed her classes, and ended up doing one as independent study as a result. She’s actually working harder that way. </p>
<p>Homework is different because, although in boarding school you have study groups (SYA kids arrange them with each other) you’re essentially going “home” to your host parents every night. So it’s like being at a private “day” school only with a boarding school rigor.</p>
<p>Her school has had a long weekend retreat, several trips to far reaching areas (involving hotel stays) etc. There is more travel scheduled which means they have to cram in more classwork to compensate for the time away. She’s working her “rear” off so it’s not easy and kids who treat it like a vacation don’t last long.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars are usually coordinated with the town, i.e. a community music ensemble, sports team, etc.</p>
<p>We get extensive grade reports similar to what we get from the BS. The great part is since she’s on leave we still get communication from her home school as well, and they get updates from SYA.</p>
<p>I’m not sure where you’re at Panda – each program may be different – but my D has more than 1/2 hour of homework and everyone isn’t in the same courses (there are juniors and seniors and the coursework is tailored to where they were when they left their home school - she has tons and so do her friends as was evidenced by all the back and forth conversations and study guide sharing going on between them on their private FB page. She has a lot of research papers, translation, math, etc. Only thing they don’t do is science which she’ll take when she goes back to her school.</p>
<p>Sounds like a fantastic opportunity!</p>
<p>Since I hear junior year is ‘the most important’ for college apps, would you say that only the most solid students should go for a SYA that year?</p>
<p>OTOH, is it difficult to manage the college application process if the SYA is senior year?</p>
<p>If the student is a senior, they’re asked to do their college visits before they travel to the program since there is no allowance to return to the U.S. for that (schedule abroad is too jammed packed for that, not to mention the expense). There is a dedicated college counselor on each site, but frankly I recommend keeping things coordinated with the home school as well. The Naviance program makes it easy to keep track of colleges and scores.</p>
<p>Junior year is important, but not exclusively so. But yes - those students who are up to date or ahead of schedule class wise do best I think (personal opinion). The only course my daughter is not able to take is science, so she’ll make it up during Senior year. But I did note the matriculation out of SYA percentage wise is actually higher than many of the BS so I think the program is well regarded among college counselors.</p>