Parents can remember a time when high school was the road to a successful young adulthood. Throughout the years technology, competition, and countless other distractions have made high school life more complicated for today’s teens. All things that shouldn’t have a place on a high school campus but, unfortunately, exist on most. Peer pressure, hazing, bullying, competition, fashion statements are the most reported and not always best addressed, but there are ways to overcome these obstacles. A brand new phenomenon has made its way and is particularly acute among teens: social media pressure and a constant connectivity to the internet through smart-phones and other devices. It's nothing parents can relate to from their high school years. High school should be a place where a teenager is able to develop their personality in the most harmonious setting but not all campuses have the resources to put up the fight and create the ideal learning and development environment.

 

There are still amazing educational experiences available for adventurous and curious minded students and nowadays they happen away from high school, during summer months. A month abroad can be the best place to grow and gain self-confidence while making new friends. Of course, the common goal is language learning, improvement, and advancing, while in an international setting. For students ready to grow  in a healthy setting, there are many other benefits. Pushing one’s comfort zone, creating new boundaries, building a resume and a positive personality in the process, creates a completely new range of standards when it comes to education and cross-cultural development. All of this sets a teen apart, positively, from their peers.

 

“I was expecting a long and somewhat boring routine during my month abroad, with morning language classes and a few afternoon activities. I got served with an amazing mix that was fun and entertaining and in the process I improved my Spanish more than I did during my 3 previous years of language classes” says Erika Wolfe from Seattle, WA. “All the participants' personalities magically matched, we were all there with a common goal: Embracing the adventure together. We made great friends with our pen-pals as well as our European peers who were studying Spanish alongside us. A study abroad program is both an educational experience and a great human adventure. Whatever your goal is, this is going to blow your mind and go far beyond your expectations.”

 

There’s no need to wait for college for an international experience. In fact, the positive intensity of a high school study abroad program is best when it comes at 15-17 rather than at 20. When a young adult begins to wake up and is starting to define what they want to become, a time away from home and the usual routine is a perfect awakening. Summer study abroad for teens is also the excellent material for a college essay and has a definite appeal to admission committees, setting students apart in a dramatic way. And these experiences will pave the way for more international opportunities and travel while in college; altogether helping to make a student’s resume unique. The best recipe to stand out for recruiters when looking for a job, promotion, and career. Foreign language experience like summer immersion can be beneficial in countless ways and for a lifetime – the timing to begin is essential.

Interesting Reads:

High School Language Learning And Teen Study Abroad:

A Current State Of Affairs

 

Keeping the Pulse on Operations: Our hands-on approach allows us to organize the best experience for our students.

Study Abroad Destinations for Teens: The Seemingly Overwhelming Selection The Spanish Speaking World Offers.