PLEASE REMEMBER: These are my own steps that I feel would work and many types of parents. I'll try to create different situations for each type of parent that you may have because if I just base it off my parents it won't help anyone...unless we are siblings...which is impossible because I'm an only child...anyways...
STEP ONE: The Right Reasons
I know that you are probably like what does that have to do with anything but honestly it has to do with EVERYTHING. Please do not believe that this is for you if your friend is doing it and you don't want to be separated or like someone is forcing you. To go you must want to do it for all the right reasons because if you aren't happy now you most DEFINITELY won't be happy in another country that you never even wanted to go to.
You must have the idea already if you are looking at this blog questioning should you even try or not but make sure you are ready for the commitment, this isn't a vacation from school for a year and any AFSer will tell you it isn't easy. So basically the point of this step is to make sure you are going for the right reasons here are mine for an example:
You must have the idea already if you are looking at this blog questioning should you even try or not but make sure you are ready for the commitment, this isn't a vacation from school for a year and any AFSer will tell you it isn't easy. So basically the point of this step is to make sure you are going for the right reasons here are mine for an example:
- I have always been interested in traveling and different cultures especially ones with a lot of history.
- I have a knack for languages and pick them up quickly.
- I've always been an independent child because I AM an only child so I've always had to be resourceful and creative to keep myself out of trouble you might say.
It always surprises me how much people that are actually going on AFS with me currently know about AFS. I have wanted to go since 7th grade and I even applied, but I was sent back a kind email explaining that they were sorry because I was too young to go so since then I've been waiting for the very first year I could go and here it is! I studied AFS and read ALL the featured blogs about....France. I don't think I've mentioned this yet but I was actually ready to go to France and then I thought hey you know what would be fun...going some place random that would REALLY challenge me.
Anyways, please realize that you are going to have to sacrifice a year of high school (for the year program) or you can do a gap year, a semester, or just a summer community service program. See there is already a whole bunch of stuff that you may not have known! Make sure you pick the right program for you specifically! I am going to focus on the year program though because that's what I actually know :)
Anyways, please realize that you are going to have to sacrifice a year of high school (for the year program) or you can do a gap year, a semester, or just a summer community service program. See there is already a whole bunch of stuff that you may not have known! Make sure you pick the right program for you specifically! I am going to focus on the year program though because that's what I actually know :)
STEP 3/4: Make An Appt. W/ Guidance Counselor / Bring Up The Idea To Your Parents
So here's the deal you can do this two separate ways that's why either one can be step three or four. I'll start with the Guidance Counselor portion. Let's say that you have really strict parents, over protective parents, or parents that maybe don't necessarily take you seriously you should the guidance counselor is definitely your first stop. In my school all you have to do is go in and fill out a strip of paper and honestly unless you only have one more month left to apply the urgent box shouldn't be checked off.
You don't want them to get worried or be afraid that you are an emotional wreck that needs to be quickly serviced because you don't. You really want to go through each and every academic year(s) that you have left to maybe figure out what would be the best one to propose with your parents. Also you should figure out if its even good for you to go at all. I'm pretty sure you must have either a 3.3 or a 2.8 average it's one of those so if you don't...you can't apply. Here are some discussion topics you REALLY want to bring up when you're there:
Those are my tips but also remember that if your school doesn't want to work with you AT ALL you either take a sabbatical or even wait and take a gap-year before you go to college and after you leave high school! :)
Now for the second part approaching your parents, I don't know you all personally but here are my super quick tips for what will get you the best results.
That's honestly about it I KNOW this post is really long but I just wanted to get everything out and in the open that people could actually look at for information on how they could approach their parents. Obviously if you are already going on AFS you didn't need to read this but HEY whatevs I love writing on this thing! I am gonna think up some really awesome stuff and my next post will have pictures I promise! :)
xoxo
Kendra Rose
So here's the deal you can do this two separate ways that's why either one can be step three or four. I'll start with the Guidance Counselor portion. Let's say that you have really strict parents, over protective parents, or parents that maybe don't necessarily take you seriously you should the guidance counselor is definitely your first stop. In my school all you have to do is go in and fill out a strip of paper and honestly unless you only have one more month left to apply the urgent box shouldn't be checked off.
You don't want them to get worried or be afraid that you are an emotional wreck that needs to be quickly serviced because you don't. You really want to go through each and every academic year(s) that you have left to maybe figure out what would be the best one to propose with your parents. Also you should figure out if its even good for you to go at all. I'm pretty sure you must have either a 3.3 or a 2.8 average it's one of those so if you don't...you can't apply. Here are some discussion topics you REALLY want to bring up when you're there:
- CREDITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- What classes won't carry over to your American school career.
- Get it in writing.
- Lastly figure out if you can do virtual high school, extra work, or even summer school.
Those are my tips but also remember that if your school doesn't want to work with you AT ALL you either take a sabbatical or even wait and take a gap-year before you go to college and after you leave high school! :)
Now for the second part approaching your parents, I don't know you all personally but here are my super quick tips for what will get you the best results.
- be the most educated that you can be
- print out the "for the parents" info on AFS's website
- be mature (even if their first answer is no)
- keep asking but don't pester
- make sure your reasons are completely planned out
- be prepared for A LOT of questions
- propose a plan to help out with finances if you need to
- be relaxed and calm
That's honestly about it I KNOW this post is really long but I just wanted to get everything out and in the open that people could actually look at for information on how they could approach their parents. Obviously if you are already going on AFS you didn't need to read this but HEY whatevs I love writing on this thing! I am gonna think up some really awesome stuff and my next post will have pictures I promise! :)
xoxo
Kendra Rose
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