AFS-USA Reviews

I studied abroad for a semester in Italy with AFS, and it was the best experience of my life. I was only 15 when I went, so it was really life-changing. Especially in high school, studying abroad gives you such an awesome advantage over your classmates in the USA. You'll return a completely new person, and having learned and experienced so much more than all of your friends at home. I lived with a fantastic host family in Gravina in Puglia, a teeny town in southern Italy, and I'm still in contact with them three years later. Italy is a really great country for study abroad, especially in high school, because Italians have such a warm and welcoming culture! They'll be just excited that you're there as you are.

Starting with a pre-departure orientation in the US, orientations in Italy, and usually the placement of multiple other exchange students in your Italian high school, you'll make the best friends you could wish for! I went to a regular Italian high school during the week, and made so many great friends. Because of the great public transportation system, you'll have a lot of opportunities to further explore both Italy as a whole and the region of Italy where you're living.

I had a full language immersion with AFS, and left Italy conversationally proficient in Italian. If you are able, study abroad in high school!!! It's such a great experience, and it really will change the way you see the world, especially at such a young age. I left Italy knowing so much more about myself than before I left, and am now studying linguistics and becoming certified to teach english abroad. Bottom line: STUDY ABROAD! If you can do it, DO IT!

My experience while in France was one I will never forget. The program allowed me to discover the type of person I was and am today as well as prepare me for college. The experience allowed me to meet a ton of people. Not only did I meet many of the French but I was able to share this experience with 256 other student from 50 different countries who were in France with me at the same time, it was great. Through the program I was also able to find myself a second family which is not what I ever expected and at this point my host siblings have really become my actual siblings. I honestly wouldn't change a thing and would do it again if I could!

My year abroad in Belgium through AFS was full of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Full disclosure, I went abroad at 16, a mere junior in high school, 10 years ago. With these 10 years of hindsight, I can give the full report, and how it has affected me all these years later. The AFS program, while set up to help each student succeed, failed on a few accounts. I was explicitly told that the host families were not paid to host the participants. The host family in which I was placed was unable to provide adequate food and the family was extremely hostile towards me and Americans in general. I understand this is not within the control of the program necessarily, but when I complained and asked to be switched, I was unable. The country is divided into districts where you are not able to move freely. There was not another host family in my district, and so I was out of luck. My host family was informed (without my consent) that I was unhappy and that made the situation even worse. I feel that AFS put me into a potentially dangerous situation with regard to my host family.

On the other hand, I loved the other people that participated in the program. I was able to learn a great deal about myself. It was a year that was truly full of growth and learning. The experience itself, while difficult at times (especially with my host family) was ultimately transformative. It enabled me to become a stronger person and trust myself. I would highly recommend study abroad as a teen, but I would be wary of the difficulty that could arise with the structure AFS uses to place their students.