Scholarship Blueprint

My exchange student trip to Akita, Japan. The song is Ai Uta by greeeen since it was really popular while I was over there. faqs: -Did you take Japanese before you went? Yes, I took 3 years of Japanese language study before going on the trip. However, that doesn’t mean that you HAVE to have language experience for the YFU program. For my scholarship, at least 1 year was required. But most of the scholarships that YFU offers don’t require language experience. -How long did you stay? I stayed for six weeks over the summer, which is considered the summer exchange program. Last time I talked to a YFU rep they told me they were thinking about getting rid of the six-week summer program but that it was only a consideration. As of now, i’m not sure if they’re still offering it. If you have more questions it would be best to call a YFU rep and ask. -Did you have a hard time communicating over there? Well, since I had three years of language practice before I left, I didn’t really find it that difficult. BUT it seemed that when I got there I reverted back to my simpler way of communication (kinda like baby-talk… I think I was just lazy ^_^;). But the Japanese people can tell that you are a foreigner and will meet you halfway with you are trying to say. Also, high school students are required to learn english, so if you REALLY need to you can try speaking in english from time to time. -How much did it cost to go? Well, with the scholarship, I only had to pay $500 to go. But, from the people I talked to that went last year with JAFS, they had to pay $2000. I think it mostly depends on what scholarship you get. Make sure to look into that when considering scholarships and programs. -I got accepted, when will I find out where i’m staying and who my host family is? From experience, I didn’t know who was in my host family or where I was going until maybe 5 days before I left for Japan. But it varies for most people. It turned out one of the girls in my area found out at least a week before departure. And we found out at the orientation in CA that some people STILL weren’t sure where they were going. So it will vary. If you still don’t know at least a week before you leave, keep bugging the YFU office until they tell you.