Have you ever wondered what it would be like to study abroad? Are you considering it? At the Academy, you can apply on your own to various study abroad options, or you can work with Mr. Gehres to go abroad with Study Year Abroad. Blaise ‘25 and Lilee ‘25 had two different experiences, but both would recommend you go for it.

Blaise:
Blaise went to Freiburg, a town in the southwest corner of Germany, where she lived with two different host families for about ten months. Not speaking German when she arrived, her first month was spent with other American students on her program, Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX), trying to hone their language skills. That month, however, was nothing compared to the exposure and practice that she experienced while at school. She took 14 classes all year round, and although they were initially hard because they were in German, her grades “definitely improved with fluency.” Even with a busy schedule, Blaise still found time to travel around Germany and surrounding countries. She traveled to Cologne and Berlin with other students at CBYX, and with her host family she took trips to both France and Switzerland. She made many friends, although they have mostly lost touch now, but she still talks regularly to her host sister, who she lived with for the second half of the year.

When Blaise explored study abroad programs she definitely was still nervous about going so young, experiencing culture shock, and having people “hate the American.” Some people judged her for being American, but, for the most part, her biggest culture shock was “seeing people smoke all the time, everywhere.” And, while she didn’t mind German bread and sausage while she was there, she ate “so much meat that [she] came back and became vegetarian.” Blaise’s advice to you if you’re interested in studying abroad is to “be authentic in your applications” and not to try to mold yourself into some simulated persona. Since she’s already applied to several study abroad programs when she goes to college, it’s safe to say that Blaise enjoyed her experience.

Lilee:
Lilee, on the other hand, studied in Rennes, France with Study Year Abroad (SYA) at the American School of Rennes. She lived with two host parents from September to June. Her goal was solely to improve her language skills which she did through “hearing [French], and being able to hear the subtleties of the language over and over.” Similar to Blaise, Lilee found school harder in the beginning because she was forced to learn in a new language, but she quickly overcame that challenge. With SYA, she traveled to Bordeaux, Paris, and Leon, but she was also allowed time to travel independently. She explored 20 different cities, some with her host parents, and others, like Nice and Monaco, with a group of her friends. She felt extremely prepared to leave home when she started her trip, and by fully committing to learning French and taking advantage of the experience, she didn’t struggle with homesickness at all.
Although Lilee went in with the single goal of fluency, she was surprised to make such strong and lasting connections while in France. In fact, the highlight of her year abroad was making such great friends whom she still texts with frequently. She said that “being able to expound on something that’s important to you, like learning the French language, and then being able to do it with people you genuinely love, as best friends, [is] hugely impactful.” If you are interested in studying abroad, Lilee wants you to remember that, while you might miss “little moments” like your parents greeting you with a snack when you get home or studying with friends, studying abroad and making new, meaningful connections is well worth that loss.

If you’re ready to take on a big change and also a significant challenge, studying abroad could be the way to go. Although leaving home may be scary, hopefully Blaise and Lilee’s experiences help you understand just how joyful and exciting studying abroad can be.