Students at GHS are accustomed to foreign exchange students spending the year in Greenwood. However, most do not realize that they have this opportunity, too.
Senior Abby Worgess, a GHS student, chose to spend her senior year abroad in Germany as an exchange student.
“Life itself isn’t actually that different from living in the U.S. There are definitely more rules and smaller culture shocks living here that I wasn’t expecting, like taking the train and public transportation instead of driving everywhere,” Worgess said.
Another difference in Germany versus America is their approach to school.
“There are a lot of differences between German and American schools, but the thing that I’ve found the most strange and different is the course load. In the US, I only took seven courses a year that you attend every day, but here in Germany, I am taking 14 different classes. Teachers here are less strict on rules and really let students become independent in their studies. A lot of the coursework is determined by me in the sense that the teacher is going to lecture and then it is up to me to decide how I take notes and then how I study the material for the test. In addition to the independence in the classroom, students are allowed to leave campus during breaks or if a class is cancelled because a teacher called out sick,” Worgess said.
Although exchange students are there for school purposes, they get to enjoy life outside school, too.
“One of my favorite things to do in Germany is definitely going out and exploring other cities and countries near me. I have friends in all different parts of the country, so I enjoy going to see them while taking little day trips. Some of my favorite cities that I have visited so far have been Nürnberg for the Christmas Markets and Munich for Oktoberfest as well as Salzburg in Austria,” Worgess said.
Along with the knowledge they get being in school, students gain a lot from foreign exchange opportunities.
“I have gained so much perspective and worldview while being on exchange. There are quite a few refugees in Germany, especially where I live in Thüringen, and it was really eye-opening to meet people firsthand who had to flee their home country due to violence. It really puts into perspective how privileged I am to have grown up where I did and how privileged I am to have the choice to be here,” Worgess said.
Becoming an exchange student was surprisingly easy. I saw the exchange students who attended Greenwood and thought that going on an exchange would be the coolest thing on the planet, and it really is. So, I did a quick Google search one day and ended up finding my scholarship on the Department of Education site. I ended up applying on a whim, and now I’m here,” Worgess said.
There are many different programs and scholarships available for students interested in going abroad.
“I am on exchange with the CBYX scholarship (Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange), and my program is jointly funded by the US Congress and the German Bundestag. It is regionally administered by a few different organizations, and mine ended up being Youth For Understanding. This organization also has programs and scholarships for a plethora of other countries, not just Germany. My exchange year is technically free with tuition, food, travel expenses, and housing paid for, but I do still have to pay for personal expenses. I think I spend around 100-200 euros a month depending on what is going on. Youth For Understanding is a fantastic organization, and I definitely recommend the CBYX scholarship program to anyone interested in going abroad,” Worgess said.
