Elsa chose to study in the USA

Hi! My name is Elsa and I’m from Sweden. With the help of STS, I was able to fulfill my childhood dream of doing an exchange year in the USA.

After looking around for different options I found that STS seemed like the best organization for me and I am very happy with all the support I have gotten before, during, and after my exchange program.

I spent 10 months in the state of Tennessee in the south of the United States, and it was the most amazing and exciting experience in my life that can’t compare to anything else.

Welcome Camp in New York City

Before I arrived in Tennessee I got to spend three days in New York City at the STS Welcome Camp. We were about 40 students who got to spend time together preparing for culture exchange, getting warmed up with using the English language, and of course exploring the magical city. The Welcome Camp was one of my favorite parts of the whole exchange year. The bond you are able to form with other exchange students in just a few days is actually crazy, some of the people I met at the Welcome Camp I still talk to and we were able to help each other through our exchange year even though we lived in completely different parts of the country.

My host family

After spending time in New York it was finally time to meet my host family. I remember not being able to sleep because of the nerves and excitement. From the first moment I met my host parents I knew that I would like them and we got along so well. Now that I am back in Sweden, I still talk to them and it’s something I cherish very much. They are like my second family, and they taught me and showed me so much that still impacts my life.

My high school

My high school was huge and it really looked like in the movies. Before getting my placement, I didn’t really have a preference on how big my school was going to be. I havd heard great things about all different kinds of schools and there will always be pros and cons with everything,

School sports

I really embraced the American high school culture and did my best to be part of the school spirit. I participate in the basketball, soccer, and softball team. Being part of sports teams were truly the highlight of my exchange year, and I got to learn so much about American culture and gained so many friendships. And don’t be scared if you aren’t good at sports. If you talk to the coaches they will usually let you be part of the team in one way or another. I for example had never played softball before, but the coach let me be a manager and help out at practices and games and I thought it was so much fun. The girls in the team really made me feel appreciated and loved.

I also loved to watch school sports games. In the spring, I went to a lot of baseball games. But my favorite was Friday night lights in the fall, of course I’m talking about the football games. The atmosphere, the student section, and the marching band really made it feel unreal. One of the most memorable nights was when we won against the school rivals!

Other highlights

Other highlights from my exchange year are youth nights with the church, late night drives with friends to get food, tanning and swimming for the majority of the year, attending my host brother’s wedding, visiting Florida and Universal Studios, hiking, graduation, getting a surprise birthday party, celebrating Thanksgiving and Halloween, and the school dances. I could keep the list going for on!

My best advice

My best advice for future exchange students:

• don’t stress your placement too much, it will work out great!
• don’t be scared to try new things, you will always learn something from it!
• you only live once, so spend your time exploring the world!

Find out more

• Read more student stories from the USA
• Read more about a high school exchange in the USA
• See all our high school exchange destinations