Speaker 1: So, if you're a high school student and for whatever reason you want to go abroad, you might face many problems. And one of them is not knowing how you can actually go abroad. So today, based on my own research and experience of going to Switzerland, I'll tell you how you can actually go and study abroad in high school. Hey, it's Natalie. And as you probably know what we're talking about today, let's just start. So from my experience, I think there are like three legitimate ways in which you can go to high school abroad. And the first one is going on an exchange. The second one is going to a boarding school abroad. And the third one is moving to another country. And today I'll describe each of these and then tell you how difficult they are to arrange, what's the cost and how they can affect your education. So let's start with the most popular option, which is the exchange program. So an exchange program is basically like a gap year, not really, but kind of in your high school. And you go to another country, you study in a school there and you live with a host family. I know people from Poland who went to Mexico, Japan and USA, for example. And usually the goal is to learn a language and learn about a culture of the country you're going to. Now, how difficult is it to arrange? I would say it's quite easy because it's quite a popular solution, I guess. So firstly, your school might even know what to do, like what papers you should fill in. You won't have to, you know, explain anything to them. And secondly, there are many organizations that can help you do that. Basically, how you go on an exchange is you go to google.com, you search exchange program, I don't know, from USA to France or something like this. You pick an organization that suits your needs and that seems legit. You pay, you fill in the papers and you go. I mean, surely it can get more difficult, but you have the organization that helps you and they explain stuff to you. So you don't have to, you know, do anything on your own, kind of. If you want to know more about it, I would suggest to go on YouTube and search for people who went on such exchanges from your country, because that will be the most, you know, relevant information. If you also want to see how a legit organization looks like, I advise you to check out Rotary. I know like three people who use Rotary to go on an exchange, so for sure it works. And I'll put all the links down below. Now, when it comes to the costs of going on such an exchange, I would say it can get pretty expensive. It depends on your organization and like where you go basically, because of course, there are more and less expensive countries in general. But I did a quick Google search and to go to USA from Poland for a year, you'll need about $10,000. Yeah, it's like everything, like flight, pocket money and stuff like that. But I would say it can get even more expensive. Of course, you can get a cheaper option by choosing some, you know, less maybe popular organization or going to a country that's generally just cheaper. Or you can try and get a scholarship. There's scholarship for such exchanges. I know two programs like these and they're called Flex and Assist. You can go to, I think, USA for a year. But I'm saying all of this as a person from Poland. If you're interested in things like this, I would suggest you just go and look for information for people from your country, because I think it can be, you know, completely different if you're, yeah, from another country. And when it comes to the effect on your education, I would say it's medium. But just because you don't take your final exams there, you don't apply from that school to university because it's more like, you know, break in your studies. But I would say it can have a pretty big effect on your life and CV in general, because it's obviously a cool experience. I think it's a chance for you to get more mature, to learn a new language, to get to know a new culture, meet friends. Yeah, there are basically many benefits. Now, another option of going abroad is something that I used personally, and it is going to a boarding school abroad. So just as you can go to a boarding school in your own country, you can, you know, choose a boarding school in another country. And generally, the difference between exchange and this is basically you don't come back to your school in the country. So for example, you study in a Polish school, you get into the boarding school and you go to the boarding school and you finish the high school there. From there, you go straight to the university or wherever you want to go to. You don't lose a year, sort of. Now, how difficult is it to arrange? I would say it should be pretty easy to arrange, because basically, again, you have like an organization, a school that helps you do, you know, all the formal things. So, so myself, I didn't have to apply for any residence permit for like this stuff. I didn't need a visa to go to Switzerland, but yeah, everything is done for you. And when you come there, you already have food, shelter, clothing. I would say the only situation where difficulties can arise is when you apply for a scholarship in such a school. In this video, I'm not going to get into the difficulties of getting a scholarship and how to get a scholarship in the boarding school, because I'm going to make another video on that. So if you're interested, make sure to subscribe. It's going to be out soon. But yeah, basically, if you're applying for some financial aid, stuff like that, you'll need to prove that you're worth getting a scholarship. So that's the only difficulty. You'll have to prove something to them and they won't take you in right away, you know. And if you want to know more about how life is in the private boarding school, I went to one in Switzerland and I had a scholarship there and I made two videos on that. So there's a playlist. You can check it out. Now, when it comes to the costs, I would say it depends on the school again, completely. And I have no idea what's the kind of lowest price point you can get, because it surely depends on the country so much. If you're going to a more expensive country, you'll probably have to pay more. But so you get an idea. For example, UWC boarding schools, they charge about $40,000 according to Google per year. Top schools, I mean, UWC are top schools, but like other top schools, according to Google, might cost even $60,000. The one I went to charges $90,000 per year. And I know a school that charges $160,000, $50,000 per year. So basically, it can be the most expensive option here, depending on the level of luxury you're going for. But of course, you can, you know, find more and less expensive options. And how does the boarding school affect your education? I would say just as any other school. Basically, it can make a huge difference, especially if the schools in your area are not very good. If you're going to a top boarding school, you of course meet amazing students, amazing teachers. You have more opportunities, you can apply to a better university because they help you with that. If you want to know what are the benefits, I'll leave a couple of links for like the boarding schools I know, and you can check them out. I'm sure they tell you about the benefits of education there better than I do. Now, the third option you have is moving to another country. And I would say this is easy when you have a family abroad that you can live with. Then you can just, you know, change your residence, change where you live and go to a public school that's better there. But of course, this option is not available for everyone. It wasn't available for me because I don't have such close relatives abroad. But I know one person that went abroad herself. She went from Russia to Finland and here's her talking about her experience. So today we're joined with Anastasia and she's from Russia and she went to the school in Finland alone. So why did you choose to do that?

Speaker 2: I wanted to get international education and Finland gives free education. So I went there because it's also one of the best educational systems in the world.

Speaker 1: Yeah, that makes sense. And so what was the cost of doing all of that?

Speaker 2: So per month I paid about 300 for accommodation and food. There are also minor charges for visa, like 100 euro, and for insurance it also didn't

Speaker 1: cost much. Okay. Yeah, so it's just because the school was free, it was possible to do that so cheaply. And was it actually difficult to do that? Was it difficult to move, to like apply?

Speaker 2: For application, you need to go to the school directly and write exams there. And there are about 200-300 people writing exams every single year and like 30 people selected. So I think it's hard to get in, but if you're prepared, then easy.

Speaker 1: And this is like the only thing you need to do that in terms of the formal requirements? Yeah. Okay. So if somebody was interested, they should just go and look at the school's website in Finland.

Speaker 2: Yes, but also ID requirements, such as you can't apply till you're 16 or something like this. Remember?

Speaker 1: Yeah. Okay. So guys, check it out if you want to. And that's it for our little interview. Where can we find you, Anastasia, if somebody wanted to learn more about you?

Speaker 2: I just created my own creative writing journal, Juvenile Archive, where Natalie is actually a writer. Yeah, I confirmed that. And it just started and I think it's a very good thing to do. I give students voice.

Speaker 1: Yeah. So guys, if you would like to join as a writer or you'd like to read something on the website, go and check it out. Here's a link and you'll also find it in the description. So it's very fun. Check it out. So I would say this option in general is the most difficult to arrange because there's not much information out there. You need to make a good research and it totally depends on where you're from and where you want to go. So, okay, guys. So I think that's... I think I need to get a proper mic. Don't forget to subscribe if you want to. You can leave a like, you can leave a comment. And yeah, so thank you very much for watching and see you in my other videos.