upper high school year in Finland for US high school grad?

[zsazsa]

My daughter will turn 18 in March 2017. She will finish high school in the US in mid June, 2017. She plans to study Linguistics in a USA university, has been teaching herself Finnish over the internet for a year or so. She studied Spanish in high school, lived with a family in Madrid the entire summer 2016 and studied Linguistics (in Spanish) while she was there. She is overall a pretty good student, very good at learning languages. She became interested in Finnish because of its linguistic significance, as a Uralic language. She would like to study for a year in an upper high school in Finland, living with a family, or perhaps boarding in a folk school. Her primary goal would be intensive study of Finnish in a Finnish immersion environment. She would then likely return to enter University in the USA in the fall of 2018.

I feel that she is a bit "young" for college, and would be better off living with a supportive Finnish family, and attending an upper secondary school with Finnish students who are 17 and 18 years old, rather than living independently in a University dormitory and attending University classes with people who are a little older than her. Can anyone offer any leads on connecting with a Finnish family who might want to do an independent high school exchange year? We live in a safe town with an excellent public high school in Connecticut, between Boston and New York. We would be open to hosting a Finnish teenager in exchange with a family hosting our daughter, if it is possible to do so, or would of course be willing to contribute to household expenses if not hosting in exchange.

[Upphew]

My daughter will turn 18 in March 2017. She will finish high school in the US in mid June, 2017. She plans to study Linguistics in a USA university, has been teaching herself Finnish over the internet for a year or so. She studied Spanish in high school, lived with a family in Madrid the entire summer 2016 and studied Linguistics (in Spanish) while she was there. She is overall a pretty good student, very good at learning languages. She became interested in Finnish because of its linguistic significance, as a Uralic language. She would like to study for a year in an upper high school in Finland, living with a family, or perhaps boarding in a folk school. Her primary goal would be intensive study of Finnish in a Finnish immersion environment. She would then likely return to enter University in the USA in the fall of 2018.

I feel that she is a bit "young" for college, and would be better off living with a supportive Finnish family, and attending an upper secondary school with Finnish students who are 17 and 18 years old, rather than living independently in a University dormitory and attending University classes with people who are a little older than her. Can anyone offer any leads on connecting with a Finnish family who might want to do an independent high school exchange year? We live in a safe town with an excellent public high school in Connecticut, between Boston and New York. We would be open to hosting a Finnish teenager in exchange with a family hosting our daughter, if it is possible to do so, or would of course be willing to contribute to household expenses if not hosting in exchange.

Have you tried to contact the organizations that arrange student exchange programs? Check the relevant wikipedia page and especially organizations mentioned in the Finnish language page.

[Pursuivant]

Rotary exchange would be the "safest" option. And no, shes too old for high school. 16 or so in grade 1 or 2, but the senior students are prepping for the matriculation exams, so its university exam questions and repetition, and the semester is cut in half for "reading break" before the tests... so its not necessarily going to be peaches and cream. Some boring christian college in the middle of the forest would be far less volatile

[Kössi K]

Sorry to say, but she'll be too old for upper high school, 'lukio', already. Most student exchanges are handled via certain exchange programs, like the Rotary as mentioned above, and generally for the 2nd year of lukio, age 17 at the start of that year.

Also, doing an independent highschool year over there (or here), is not that easily done due to all the red tape. Therefore, the high-schoolers here will go through the available organizations and channels (usually recommended by and/or in collaboration with their own schools). That's how a lot of my friends earlier, and friends' kids have done it.
A very quick googling provided this: http://www.goabroad.com/highschool-stud ... s-abroad-1 , has 2 links to highschool exchange programs, the first one, yufuusa.org will tell you the age bracket (I think next year's program starting range was being born 2000-2002).
The second link, AFS, will give some other options, like a 4-8 week homestay in the summer. (I didn't check the age limit for this)

I'd seriously recommend her to enroll in that American university she's interested in first, and then find a suitable academic exchange program. Some universities have their own direct links with 'friend universities', and some students arrange their exchange programs with the help of some organizations, like CIMO. http://www.cimo.fi/ - I and my friends have used their help with getting some paperwork in order for study-related internships abroad, and a friend arranged studies in a French uni through them, as well (as a major student in a Finnish uni).

I know people who came here through Erasmus, and from the USA often with Fulbright, but most statistically have arrived through their Universities' or faculties' exchange agreements. You could look into those options available online, and if you know the college/university she's entering, they'll likely have their own info packages about available options for foreign studies, as well. E.g. those friendship university or other exchange agreements they prefer or recommend.

It's not uncommon here for people to move out at the age of 18, or even earlier, and start studying at some higher education that year. Mind you, most places don't offer the same type of campus dormitories like they do in the States, though, but rather student housing is available as shared flats or singles (often easily attainable to exchange students through their programs' coordinators' help), for example, or from regular rentals.

Wish her good luck in her linguistics studies, it'll provide interesting career options; not forgetting the possibilities of translation work later on, if successful in those languages she's already studying.

[lily_of_the_valley]

My daughter will turn 18 in March 2017. She will finish high school in the US in mid June, 2017. She plans to study Linguistics in a USA university, has been teaching herself Finnish over the internet for a year or so. She studied Spanish in high school, lived with a family in Madrid the entire summer 2016 and studied Linguistics (in Spanish) while she was there. She is overall a pretty good student, very good at learning languages. She became interested in Finnish because of its linguistic significance, as a Uralic language. She would like to study for a year in an upper high school in Finland, living with a family, or perhaps boarding in a folk school. Her primary goal would be intensive study of Finnish in a Finnish immersion environment. She would then likely return to enter University in the USA in the fall of 2018.

I feel that she is a bit "young" for college, and would be better off living with a supportive Finnish family, and attending an upper secondary school with Finnish students who are 17 and 18 years old, rather than living independently in a University dormitory and attending University classes with people who are a little older than her. Can anyone offer any leads on connecting with a Finnish family who might want to do an independent high school exchange year? We live in a safe town with an excellent public high school in Connecticut, between Boston and New York. We would be open to hosting a Finnish teenager in exchange with a family hosting our daughter, if it is possible to do so, or would of course be willing to contribute to household expenses if not hosting in exchange.

I was in a similar situation as your daughter. I was 18 years and 4 months when I arrived for my exchange year in a Finnish high school. I went with STS because they were the only organisation who could guarantee my choice of Finland. Their cut-off age is 18 years 3 months but they allowed me to go because Finnish high school kids are the same age.

I lived with a lovely host family which gave me an authentic experience of the culture and insight into what it's like to grow up there. I learned Finnish to a good level during that year because I was in a small town where there were no other international students so I mixed with the local kids. I attended classes of each of the 3 year levels but the main point was for me to learn Finnish as I had already finished high school in Australia.

I chose the high school exchange option because Finnish universities didn't offer any courses that I was interested in, and I wanted that authentic experience of living with a family. I have to admit that I got a bit restless for independence towards the end of the year but Finnish parents give kids a lot of freedom so I actually still had more independence than I would have had back in Australia.

Definitely look into an organisation like STS and see what they say. Good luck

[Rosamunda]

And I think EF is quite active in Finland (but I have no first hand experience).