Student exchange program
Foreign exchange programs provide students with an opportunity to study in another country and experience a different environment.
Student exchanges became popular after World War II, intended to increase the participants' understanding and tolerance of other cultures, as well as improving their language skills and broadening their social horizons.
A short-term exchange lasts from one week to three months and doesn't require the student to study in any particular school or institution.
Upon their return to their home country they are expected to incorporate this knowledge into their daily lives, as well as give a presentation on their experience to their sponsors.
Many exchange programs expect students to be able converse in the language of the host country, at least on a basic level.
Partner organizations in the destination country each have differing levels of screening they require students to pass through before being accepted into their program.
For example, students coming to America may be allowed to come on the recommendation of the organization in their home country, or the hosting partner may require the student to submit a detailed application, including previous school report cards, letters from teachers and administrators, and standardized English fluency exam papers.
Some organizations require a written contract that sets standards for personal behavior and grades, while others may be less rigorous.
[9] The countries that are most popular for Australian students to choose to study are, Japan, France, Germany, USA, Italy, Canada, Belgium, Spain and Argentina.
This gives university students a chance to develop their work experience by seeing how their studying profession is practiced in another country.
International exchange for tertiary students allows them to gain cultural experience in their studies and a chance to travel abroad while completing their degree.
Anne Reynolds-Case found improvements in understanding and usage of the vosotros form after studying in Spain.
Alan Meredith defines culture as consisting "of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts."
He studies how these groups perceive customs, such as concern for personal appearance, physical contact, cooking styles, politics, etc.
[15] At the same time, Angela George's study found little significance in the adoption of regional features during their semester abroad.
Brian Denman's article demonstrates an increase of Saudi student mobility for education, including locations such as Spain.
Students are advised to always have health insurance while traveling abroad, and carry emergency contact details of their local hosts and of family members as well.
For example, in 1998 a number of US students traveling in Guatemala on a college sponsored trip were attacked in the Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa area, with the entire group being robbed and physically harassed and threatened, and in the 1998 Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa attack five of the young women were raped.
