What is it like to study abroad during high school?

after taking 3 years of french, i want to study abroad in france for about 4 months. the only thing is, i'm confused about the class requirements. i'll be studying abroad as a senior in high school in the US and i'm pursuing an IB diploma... don't know if that helps or means anything to you, but i'm just wondering how they work the classes out since i probably would not understand all the terms in french classes and such. ANY help is great, thanks.

What is it like to study abroad during high school?
Studying abroad is always a great adventure. You will experience the differences in school system and culture first hand. The younger you start with such experiences the easier you will find it to adapt.


So be prepared for culture shock. Just as examples: the legal age for drinking alcohol is lower and the legal age for driving cars is higher than in the US.





Talk with your guidance counselor and with your French teacher.





If you are lucky you can go with an official exchange program. This would have the advantage that your school knows which classes you will have in France. And they will know how to translate French grades into US grades. Be aware that the French school system is different from the US school system. Senior in high school compares approximately to the last year before the "bac".





If there is no exchange program available, talk with your counselor about the possibility to go to France privately and how to get credit for your studies there. If you go that route, sort the administrative hassles out and talk with your French teacher if and how he or she can help you with these and with finding a nice French school and a nice French family to stay.





The last possibility is going to France with a language school. But then you will not have the full immersion into the French school system and it definitely will not help you with your IB diploma.
Reply:You could go to England instead.
Reply:It's like eating lamb while riding a dolphin that hasn't been caught in the net of a tuna fisherman. Really a rewarding experience. One that should definitely be shared with a feline, preferably obese to maximize the experience. Hopefully your feline friend has a bushy beard that can be stroked by any peacock you come across.





Oh yeah and the pooty is a much easier to tang when you are a transfer student.
Reply:hi,





I too have studied abroad for about 8 years, and have done the IB diploma course. I had studied french during those 8 years. Are you going to be doing the IB diploma in the US or in France?


As you might be knowing, for the IB diploma, you would have to select 3 standard level courses and 3 higher level courses.


If you are new to the French language, then I suggest that you take up the standard level of french. I had studied french for about 6 yeards in Hong Kong and when I moved to Singapore to do my IB course, the level of french was completely different, not to scare you though. It took me about a month to adjust myself to their level, as I had many native speakers in my class.


In the classes, you will have to be prepared to write essays, reports, have oral tests including conversations, lectures that will all be graded, apart from your final exams.


Dont worry about not understanding everything and all the terms in classes, eventually you will get used to it, and a good dictionary will always help.


For your knowledge, there is also a beginners course to french as well, for starters in the language. Dont be tempted to switch over though, a little bit of perseverance and hard work will get you through the two years.


If you need to know any more details about IB and high school experience, feel free to email me at bondaderajdeep@yahoo.co.in