Lucie was on high school exchange in the USA

Lucie Caste from France spent her exchange in Dallas/Fort Worth in Texas, USA. We asked her some questions about her experience.

How was it to live with a host family?

Living with my host family was a bit weird at first because they were very different from my family. But we learned to know each other and they became my second family. I spent amazing moments with them.

How was school?

School was very fun! I loved the school spirit, there were always some fun activities. The students were curious to learn about my culture, which led me to many friendships.

Any new hobbies?

It made me discover many new hobbies that I would never have tried at home such as theater, track and field, and dance!

Was it easy/hard to get friends?

At first, it was a little hard. I was talking to many people, but I felt like no one was my friend. But I understood that friendships take time, and I made lifelong friends.

What was a challenge for you?

A big challenge for me was to be able to travel alone and create a new life there. Before I left I was quite shy and scared to be alone in any situation. But going on an exchange year made me overcome my fears and I became a lot more independent

What was the best thing about your exchange year?

The best thing about my exchange year was definitely the encounters. I met amazing people who changed me forever and I think I did change their lives a little too. But also that it made me step out of my comfort zone and made me see life in a different light.

What’s your best memory?

My best memory was the trip to my host family’s lake house. There, we shared simple but amazing moments, laughing and learning about each other. This is when I really felt like I was a part of the family.

What are your main learnings?

My main learnings are to step out of my comfort zone because this is how you will discover so many new things. To live in the moment because time flies. That home can be anywhere.

Can you recommend going?

Absolutely, this year changed me forever, I discovered and became a better version of myself. I would recommend anyone that has the opportunity to go on an exchange year!

Your top advice?

My top advice would be to live the moment and take all the opportunities that life offers you, but also to create those opportunities by stepping out of your comfort zone and try something new because it’s better to have remorse than regrets.

Why did you choose STS?

I chose STS because I heard many people talking about their experiences with this organization, and when I called to ask some questions, they were really nice and helpful. I don’t regret my choice because I had the best time ever!

How will your exchange affect your future?

I am sure my exchange will affect my future in a positive way. It already did in the way I see things and it helped me understand what I want to do in the future.

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

Lovisa studied on high school in the USA

Lovisa from Sweden went on exchange to the USA in 2019/2020. We asked her about her experience.

1. Why did you choose to go to the USA?

I went to the USA because I wanted to experience the typical high school culture that you see in movies. I also knew a lot of people who had gone for an exchange there and it seemed so fun!

2. Why did you go on exchange?

I wanted to see more of the world, experience a new culture, get new friends, see what American high school was like, and get memories I knew would last a lifetime.

3. How was it to live with a host family?

It was different of course but very cool and interesting. We had a lot of fun together and I got an even deeper understanding and perspective on the culture and their lives.

4. How was school?

Interesting, super fun, and easy haha. It was where I spent most of my time during my exchange year and I have lots of memories from the sports, clubs, different classes, and all my friends. Personally, I found school pretty easy which made the whole experience even better because I could really just enjoy it while making memories.

5. What did you do in your spare time? Any new hobbies?

I was on the cheerleading team in school, so we had some practices in the afternoons. Otherwise, I liked hanging out with my host family and we did lots of things at home such as cooking, playing music, walking the dog, talking, and just hanging out.

6. Was it easy/hard to get friends?

Americans are very friendly and a lot of people are interested in getting to know the exchange students. But it seemed like most of them were looking for more of an acquaintance rather than a close friend so I actually had a more deep relationship with the other exchange students who were more similar to me.

7. What was a big challenge for you? How did you conquer it?

It was very difficult at times honestly, but all the fun and new things made it worth it. You are busy all the time with school, friends, or your host family and don’t have too much time to think about anything negative. The culture shock was definitely challenging, but I was able to talk to my host family about it which made it much easier.

8. What was the best thing about your exchange year?

My host family and the cheerleading team. They were always there for me, and we had real fun together. This has given me plenty of memories that I will take with me for my whole life.

9. What’s your best memory?

It’s hard to pick one but the basketball games in school were a lot of fun. I also remember a movie night with my friends from school that felt like a typical scene from an American high school movie.

10. What are your main learnings?

How different cultures and people are around the world. You can travel a lot but living in a country really makes you experience the culture in a whole different way which is very interesting. I definitely want to live abroad again in the future.

11. How will your exchange affect your future?

It’s given me a bigger understanding of the world and a desire to travel more and see new places. It’s also given me lots of memories and an experience I will carry forever that no one else has.

12. Can you recommend going?

Yes, definitely. You have so much fun and grow a lot as a person.

13. Why should anyone go on exchange?

Because it gives you a new understanding of other cultures, you become independent and grow as a person and get memories and experiences that you’ll never forget.

14. Your top advice?

Trying not to have too many expectations and go more with the flow even if it’s hard.

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

Lisa chose to study in the USA

Lisa from Sweden went on exchange to the USA in 2015/2016. She stayed 10 months in a city called Mechanicsburg, outside of Harrisburg, in Pennsylvania. We asked her about her experience.

Why did you go on exchange?

My mom initially came up with the idea of me going on an exchange. She told me she regretted not doing it herself and wanted to introduce the idea to me. I thought it sounded like a really cool and exciting adventure and I was really intrigued by the idea.

How did you find living with a host family?

My host family consisted of my host mom, who was a single mom, and two host brothers around my age. They had hosted an Italian exchange student 2 years before hosting me. The experience of living with a completely new family for such a long time definitely has a lot of different aspects to it. When I just got there it was all about getting to know them, trying to get a sense of who they are, and getting to know all the different family members. Communication really is key here! If you have anything on your mind, talk to your host family about it, they can’t read your mind and you can’t read theirs. It’s important that you talk to each other and that also minimizes the risk of misunderstandings. With time I became more and more comfortable with them and today, 7 years later, I am still really close to them which is amazing.

How did you find the American high school?

American high school is a lot different compared to high school in Sweden. What I really enjoyed about it in the US was the high school spirit. School, sports, and clubs are much more combined and go hand in hand, which I really loved. Classes in the US are also very different. I had maybe 5-6 classes per day, each class was around 45 minutes long and each school day was identical throughout the whole week. Compared to Sweden where I would have fewer but longer classes, the subjects were spread out throughout the week, and we had a weekly schedule instead of a daily one. In the US all classes are held at the same time, versus in Sweden when everyone has class at different times.

I found high school in the US to be a bit stricter than in Sweden. For example, we had to ask for permission to go to the restroom during class. The teacher had to sign the student handbook that you carried with you before you were allowed to go. We were not allowed outside of the school during school hours and weren’t allowed to use our cell phones in class or during lunch breaks.

They were also very strict about cursing in school, in the US it is strictly forbidden to curse in school. The kids use other types of slang instead like dang, fudge, and shoot. 😊

How was it to make new friends?

I would say I had to somewhat work for it. You shouldn’t expect people to approach you and them being the ones trying to become friends with you. You have to be the one putting in the effort trying to talk to people and get to know them. Your classmates will probably think that it’s cool that you are an exchange student and everything and they’ll be friendly to you, but you still have to make the effort in trying to get to know people and form connections. I didn’t feel very comfortable doing this in the beginning, but I quickly realized that the easiest way to make friends and get into friend groups is to try. Ask people if they want to hang out after school, if you hear that people are going to hang out, ask if you can join. Most likely they will be happy to have you join!

Challenges?

I can’t think of anything in specific that was particularly difficult for me during my exchange, I had ups and downs all the time just like anybody else. But I constantly reminded myself of the amazing opportunity to go abroad as an exchange student that I had been given and I knew it would only last for 10 months and I wanted to make the absolute most of it!

What was the best thing about your exchange?

There are so many things that were truly amazing during my exchange. Getting to experience a different culture, meeting new people, and experiencing the American high school. I improved my English and became fluent, I got to see a lot of really cool places.

I met so many amazing people during my exchange year and I made so many great friendships, lifelong friends. Getting a second family and creating such a strong bond with them. It’s been more than 7 years since my exchange, but I still talk to my host family all the time. We have even gone on trips together and we are planning to travel together again soon!

I made memories for life during my time in the US. The overall experience of going away for almost a year and living abroad was one of the best things to ever happen to me, and I truly mean that!

What’s your best memory?

It’s difficult to point out one specific good memory because I have so many of them! I loved being able to play the different sports I did in the US. I played soccer and lacrosse and was also part of the winter musical.

The Welcome Camp we had before going to our host families was a really fun and cool experience. We spent a couple of days in New York and got to meet and hang out with other exchange students from across the globe.

Your main learnings?

My exchange gave me so much. I have grown a lot as a person, I have become much more independent, and I learned to live in the moment and really appreciate life and the opportunities that come my way.

Can you recommend going?

Absolutely! A hundred thousand percent yes! Going on an exchange truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and an absolutely amazing adventure and experience. Going was the best decision I have ever made, and I would recommend anyone who is given the chance to go to take it!

Your top advice?

Try as many new things as possible! Say yes to things! Time flies and you won’t look back and regret the things you did, only the things you didn’t do.

What are you doing now?

I actually work for STS! I work with our outbound program sending students from the Nordic countries out on exchange. It’s really fun and inspiring getting to work with students wanting to go on an exchange and I am happy to be able to give them the same opportunity as I was.

Why did you choose STS?

I did some research beforehand about which agency I should choose. I had heard great things about STS from former exchange students and together with my parents we decided that STS would be the best fit for me. And looking back I am very grateful I made the choice I did!

Were you happy with STS?

I was very happy with STS! I felt that they had great communication with me throughout the entire process and if I needed help with anything I felt confident in the fact that I knew I could reach out to STS, and they would help me. I would recommend anyone wanting to go on an exchange to pick STS, you won’t be disappointed!

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

Maja was on high school exchange in the USA

Swedish Maja was a high school exchange student in Kansas, USA in 2016/17. Her drive came from a passion for traveling, a curiosity about experiencing a foreign lifestyle, and the urge of making friends from other parts of the world. She loved to immerse herself in a completely different culture, even though it was challenging at times. She reports: “That is the beauty about this experience – you learn so much from living with another family.”

Maja now works as a stewardess onboard superyachts in Florida and the Mediterranean. She is certain that the exchange has been beneficial to her career as it taught her to understand and respect people's cultural differences and boundaries.

Her top advice: “Go! And step out of that comfort zone even if it means trying something you have never done before!”

Maja Bergström, exchange student in the US

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