Studying Abroad in High School

katliamom
Wed, 01 Jul 2015 17:36:14 +0000

My daughter did a semester in Argentina as a junior through a bare-bones program that found us a school/family, but we had to arrange everything else. Here’s what I’d recommend.

First, check with your daughter’s current high school. Can she get credit for the classes she takes in Japan? Does the school in Japan need to provide a transcript? If so, does it have to be translated and/or notorized? And of course, make sure the school in Japan will agree to providing a transcript.

Usually, exchange students can take classes abroad on a pass/fail basis: will the Japanese school allow that? If your daughter isn’t fluent in Japanese, is there a language class she could attend while also in school?

My daughter did not have to take online/additional classes in order to graduate, but she did double-up on science in her senior year. Our high school awarded her foreign language, history and literature credit on a pass/fail basis.

A few other things to consider: do you have a back up plan in case your daughter’s housing in Japan doesn’t work out for some reason? Look into health insurance issues and read up about all the expenses you may have to consider: public transportation in Japan/travel/school uniform/school books & supplies, etc. If your daughter will be in Japan over a school holiday and her host family will go on vacation, can your daughter accompany them? (At your expense?)

It’s great you’re considering such an experience. Your daughter will grow tremendously during her stay and likely become a more worldly, independent person. College folks also look kindly on this sort of thing