Tough Situation: Help Needed!!!

[Nonica]

Ok, so here is my problem....

I am 17 and I am an American Student.
During the Summer of 2008 I traveled with a group to Japan and I stayed with a family in Ogaki.I am graduating American Senior High School June 2010, and I have decided to go to Japan after graduation.

I wanted to go into a exchange program, but the one through my school was going to make me miss Graduation, and I was not going to do that. All the other programs wouldn't let me go AFTER High School because I wouldn't be a High School student.

THEN I found out about the GAP year program. If you don't know, a GAP year is taking a break the year between High School and College for traveling. I found the exact program I wanted!!! It was a full academic year in Japan and gave me the opportunity to go to a Japanese High School for a 13th year!!

But it cost $20,000....
So I have decided to plan my own GAP year.

I am looking for a Japanese Senior High School in Ogaki
(possibly Gifu if it is pretty close)
that would accept an American student for an extra year of High School. I have been studying Japanese at home since we have no teachers who teach Japanese, and I am ready to dedicate hours into learning the language.

I would appreciate some help,
it is pretty hard to contact Japan from California....

Please Help!!!

-Nonica

[Nyororin]

I`ll be totally straight - you`re most likely not going to be able to pull this off in the manner you`re looking to.

You`ll have to enter the school as a regular student... Which means you will not get the sponsorship that a program provides. Schools pretty much never deal directly with exchange students. They deal with a company that sponsors and arranges the student. The schools themselves almost never know how to do this. The few that do will not be comfortable with it unless you`re coming from their sister schools.

Either way, you`ll still have to pay full tuition, uniform, supply costs - in addition to housing costs. If you don`t have a program of some sort backing you up, you`ll still need to have a huge amount of cash at hand "just in case".

My suggestion - go to a Japanese language school for a year. I doubt there are any that will arrange the full deal for you in Ogaki, but Gifu is a possibility... And if all else fails Nagoya has a number of schools.

Don`t fall for the GAP appeal. You won`t be a student. You`ll be this weird thing in limbo. English teachers will drag you to their classes as a mini-ALT, and you may be allowed to sit in on one or two classes and MAYBE be allowed to be an honorary club member - but more than half of the time you`ll be twiddling your thumbs in the teachers` lounge.

[Hatredcopter]

Originally Posted by Nonica

But it cost $20,000....

Nyororin is pretty spot on with what she said, and I'll add that even if you were able to pull this off, it could very well end up costing you MORE than $20,000.

I was able to study abroad for a year in Japan as a university student for just under $20,000 - and that gave me full university credit, whereas what you're describing would give you nothing. Your best option is a language school, unless you plan on going to college, in which case I'd say hold off a couple years and then enter a study abroad program.

[Nonica]

Okay, Thanks you guys.

Could you recommend any specific program or company ?

[addictedKool]

Why not apply and enroll in the college of your choice within your country, and see what study abroad programs are offered? I know my home university offers 6 programs in Japan ranging from areas in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido, etc. so I will definitely be taking advantage of the opportunity.

So yeah. I think study abroad would be your best bet.

[plizman]

I think that your best bet would be to enroll in a college or university. You can do an ISEP exchange through just about any school that you go to and they offer exchanges to Japan. The cool thing about an ISEP program is that they'd be able to work with you to transfer the credit back to your school (through your school's study away office or registration office). You might check out this site for information on the ISEP exchange to Japan: ISEP - Member Sites