Andre Said:

Scholarshipped High School Exchange Student/Study Abroad Programs?

We Answered:

National Security Language Initiative Youth provides full scholarships for students to study critical languages (such as Chinese and Arabic)
Youth for Understanding offers scholarships for specific programs such as Japan and Finland

Tammy Said:

Can 2 high school students go as foreign exchange students together and have the same school/host family?

We Answered:

No. No reputable organization will do that.
It defeats the purpose of an exchange in several ways.
You and your friend would stay bonded together, making it harder to make friends in your new school and to bond with your host family. Additionally, the temptation to speak English would be so great that you would really suffer in your immersion language.
It's great both of you want to take an exchange year, but I encourage you to go separate places and compare your experiences when you return.

Stella Said:

what are some good exchange student programs? i really want to go to japan as a high school student there:] ?

We Answered:

Actually, a lot of people say that sophmore year is the best time to go. SOME people say that 15 year olds are not "mature" enough, but it is all a personal thing, and if you are taking the initiative to find out about the exchange and make it happen, then you are probably good. The reason for this is that there are few graduation requirements your sophmore year, there is no SAT to take, there are no college visits do, and this is supposed to be an "easy" yr. compared to Junior yr. I am hopefully going as a sophmore next year.

Also, I would go for a whole year, because people who go for a semester always (often) regret it. They don't have time to totally get used to life there or master the language as they would.

You should get credit for your time there. As AFS says, there is no reason for your credits not to transfer. You need to go to your counselor now and make a plan of what classes you will take here, what classes you may take there, and if there will be any work in order to graduate. This is another reason sophmore year is the best, because then you have time to complete any credits you missed when you return and can still graduate on time. Check out this website about transfering credits: http://www.usa.afs.org/usa_en/view/5342 .

This will help you get into a good university. The colleges like to know that your independent and have world experience. It is a great way to make you stand out! http://www.usa.afs.org/usa_en/view/5341

Some good prorams that you could check out are Rotary, AFS, and YFU.

Rotary is the cheapest, but also the hardest to get into. The main difference of Rotary is that you may not get to pick your country and you stay with multiple host families. Unfortuantely, it is too late to apply for Rotary for next year. http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYout…

AFS is also one of the best. They have a great reputation. I am going with them and they are super helpful. It is a bit expensive (mayb 11,000 dollars) but there are lots of scholarships. Also, it is easier to get in, and it is more likely that you will get your first choice country (Japan). Especially if you apply early! http://www.usa.afs.org/usa_en/home

YFU is similar to AFS and they have a lot of scholarships to Japan.
It is also a bit cheaper to begin with and a tiny bit easier to get in. They also have a pretty good repuatation. These are all the many scholarships of YFU: http://www.yfu-usa.org/ao/scholarships.h…

Good luck, I'm sure your exchange will be.... awesome