Wir, die Austauschschüler der Familie Wolstein

the very first exchange student · Administrator Beiträge: 10 Ort: Altensteig o.a. Butte

Hola!

This might be a good place to exchange our experiences with our exchange agency. Why don't you write down here what you liked and what you not liked? How did you apply?How long did it take until you got your hostfamily...etc.. .

Maybe I start.
I went with an agency called GAPP. Not many people know GAPP, so I might write a sentence or two about it. Gapp (German-American Partnershipprogramm) is an agency that works together with schools. A GAPP student can only go to his or her partner school in the US. Schools do their 4 weeks exchange thru GAPP as well.
Well, I payed 350 $ to GAPP for which they arranged all the paper work and the formal stuff for me. I had to find my hostfamily by myself and I also had to pay the Visa, insurance and the flight. And of course the money I needed over there.
Because of a lazy teacher it took me about 3-4 months until I finished all the application stuff and the paper work. After that I applied for my visa which I got a week later. Thank God.
I havent heard a lot of GAPP during my stay and before and afterwards, but since everything worked out just fine, I didn't really need them.
If I had troubles, I went to the German teacher of Butte High. She is very friendly and she helps you as good as she can. You could say, she has been my area rep.

So, that is my story, whats yours? Tell us about it!

Love,
Luise