My child received an invitation for this program to study in Australia next summer. Has anyone ever participated in this program and if so what was your experience with it? According to their web site it is a student ambassador program that was started by Eisenhower years ago.
Our daughter went her HS Jr yr, it was the European trip. She had a fabulous time and it was great learning experience in many ways.
My sons received a letter too...not sure which one it was supposed to be addressed to (I have 2). His trip is to China for 17 days and he will go...just as soon as someone donates $5999.00 to him for the tuition. Oh, it's $200+ more if you want some kind of 'protection/insurance' for him. I checked out the website for details. Are they kidding??
Be careful about this program. Last year there were some complaints listed with the BBB regarding the substandard living quarters their children were in. They send those invites out to most kids in middle and high school.
No worries here. Even if I could afford it with my teacher's salary and a laid-off spouse, I certainly wouldn't ship my kid off to China from some blind invitation in the mail. No, thank you.:ack:
They do have different trips, they don't all cost that much, insurance is good in case something happens (had one kid who broke his leg a few weeks before the trip and couldn't go, so he went the next yr). Like I said, we had a good experience and before she went, we spoke to several people (that we know personally) who's kids had gone and they too had good experiences. It's not cheap. but we were fortunate in that family members helped (because it was her graduation/senior trip) as well as she worked and saved money and was successful in getting some local donations, but that might be a lot harder to do given the current economy. How old is your child? Personally, I wouldn't do it for anyone younger than Jr or Sr in HS. I think they'd appreciate it more if they're more mature.
Maybe you're thinking about one of the Student Exchange programs - they did have lots of problems with some of those organizations. For P2P trips they stay in hotels for the majority of the time and they usually have a 'home stay' for 2-3 nights with a local family. My daughter really enjoyed that, she had a great family and she still keeps in touch with their daughters.
This is an academically accredited program, your child can earn credits that are recognized by institutions that include Stanford University, Princeton University, Yale University, MIT, Brown University, Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, and Georgetown University. The selection process consists of teacher recommendations, alumni nominations, self recommendations, and the group also uses national academic/athletic mailing lists. Being nominated does mean that your child is "in". If you attend the informational meeting and are interested, an interview is set up for your child - the interviews are held by the delegates of the program, ie: teachers in the area that are involved in the program and chaperone the trip. IIRC about 100 kids got interviewed for my son's trip and 40 were chosen. This is not a scam like the Who's Who directory. It can be a life changing experience for your child, and will look good on their transcript esp if they take advantage of some of the courses they have to offer building up their credits. This trip is best for mature kids, as their hand will not be help every second of the trip. They will see things that are not open to *regular* tourists. I don't know anything about any complains regarding the living standards, but some of the kids are going to third world countries... The Motel Six probably looks like The Hyatt to those folks. I didn't see anything on the BBB about that either. Quite a few kids in our area have gone on this trip. Go to the informational meeting and you will meet returning parents/students as well. That would be the best place to get info.
One in 8th...one in 9th, so yes, that is young to be sending off on that kind of trip, IMO. It helps to know others to talk to who have had a good experience. No one I know well had any knowledge of it so we wouldn't even consider it, even if we could afford it. Our kids also stated a preference on continuing the summer camps they currently go to over this experience (b-ball camp/camp broadstone/marching band/etc), so you are correct that they would probably enjoy this sort of thing later when they are older. Didn't mean to pick on your experience...just not right for us at this time.:lol:
