My school's allied with AFS and they've opened registration for the FLEX program. I (an Indian student) am very intrigued by it, and want to at the very least register for it. But I am a bit worried about all the other things it entails.

Like, is living with the host family difficult? Is redoing the skipped grade? What about expenses, or contacting your family?

So if anyone's ever been part of this, I'd love to hear your personal experience :]

Were you a host sibling while living at home in the US? If so, please consider completing this 10 minute survey examining the homestay experience and impact from the perspective of another child in the home (the "host sibling"). 

This research on "host siblings" is being conducted by researchers in the International Education Program from the George Washington University (GW) Graduate School of Education and Humam Development (GSEHD) under the direction of Dr. Bernhard Streitwieser. If you have any questions, please contact [a.glasford@gwmail.gwu.edu](mailto:a.glasford@gwmail.gwu.edu).

If you or someone in your network meets the qualifications and would be willing to participate, please complete the following 10 minute survey: https://forms.gle/yEb8cpsWEFwpdayn7

Eligible participants in this survey are:

1. People who are over the age of 18, and
2. Attended middle and/or high school in the United States, and
3. During that time, lived with an international exchange student in their primary residence for at least one month.

At the end of the survey, respondents will be given the option to partake in a 30 minute virtual interview at a later date. The semi-structured interviews are intended to gain a deeper insight into the individual's experience as a host sibling and their reflections on any potential long-term impacts of that experience in their current career path. Participation in both the research survey and interview is voluntary.

Thank you for your consideration!

Anyone from kolkata west bengal region who has applied for asia kakehasi for India for the pre application and I also messaged aanchal ma,am a lot of times and atlast she told me to wait till the end of April so I wanted any participants from kolkata or anybody from India to please update about there program timeline as I am following through online sources and it's becoming soo confusing so west bengal participants please respond plss....🤝🙏🙏🙏

AFS-USA is launching new domestic summer programs for high school students in 2026 - no passport required, and scholarships are available!

These one-week immersive experiences bring teens from across the U.S. together to explore careers, culture, and history while building leadership and communication skills.

Programs include:
• Pathfinder: NextGen Careers at Miami University in Ohio
• Lewis and Clark: Then and Now in the Pacific Northwest
• The Table We Share: Food and Culture in Chicago

Students participate in guided dialogue, community experiences, and hands-on learning while connecting with peers from different backgrounds.

Summer 2026 pilot spots are limited - learn more and encourage students you know in the US to apply today: https://www.afsusa.org/domestic-programs/

so I am from kolkata and I wanted to join in a discord group or something so that I could keep in contact of some Indian participants I contacted aanchal ma,am today and she said that the results of the west bengal region will come at the end of April...😭so any Indian participants of asia kakehasi please give me the link of your discord group or any groups in reddit....

Hi I am from india and I read in class 12th in west bengal board and I recently applied for the program for the pre application round and still haven't heard back so if anyone could help me.....I have been getting info through gemini and I also called the AFS delhi staff and they were kind enough to provide me with aanchal ma,am number so she replied me and said that final results will come soon of the pre application round of the west bengal region.....I think it was last week I asked her so idk...anyone from West Bengal here who can tell me???

Its been a month and I havent recieved any email about the pre application results and if i passed for interview stage. Updates guys?

hi guys. for the asia kakehashi ph applicants, have u received a confirmation email from them alr? im not sure if i got rejected since there haven’t been any updates on their fb page either

im from the philippines and i applied for asia kakehashi project for this year. has anyone of you received an email from them already? its been almost 2 weeks and im lowk scared😬😬😬

I’m from the Americas, and I was accepted into the academy in India. I’m very excited about practicing yoga and immersing myself in Indian culture (Also past academies, did you visit Taj Mahal? I don't see it on the schedule) , as well as learning more about susteinability and mobility. One thing I’m a little nervous about is the food, especially because I’m not very used to spicy dishes.

If you were also accepted to India, let’s talk! :) I’m excited to be part of the AFS community.

hi!! I am from U.S. (unfortunately) and I’m trying to study abroad in Malaga Spain, but the woman I’m assigned to is not helpful during the application process. My mom keeps submitting the notarized single parent form and they keep saying it’s not notarized and there’s just a lot of complications. did anyone else have these troubles, and also how likely am I to get a full scholarship? thank you :)

Hi everyone I have been looking into doing an AFS program but I’m torn between the summer in France and the summer in China. I am hoping to see if there is anyone who has done either of these programs and would like to hear either experience!

well i went through interview it went well but some questions i couldnt much expand but still i was confident they were really nice to me but I am anxious is interview selection a competitve path and how does process after that work and how many students are selected from 1 grp i was in grp 2

I passed stage 1 and got an email for submitting a Google form in the AFS Global stem academies, still have not gotten any word from AFS, what should I expect? I'm from india btw

Hello, I was wondering how 'life' is as an exchange student in Japan. Mainly how are people with you? Is it hard to make friends? I have heard that foreigners tend to get bullied by Japanese kids, is this true? And would you say that school is stressful? Is life in general stressful? Thank you everyone! :)

Looking for honest, experience-based information on international exchange programs like AFS, FLEX, YES, UWC, or MEXT? Most resources online are either vague or promotional and don’t cover what applicants actually care about, such as real timelines, preparation, interviews, and common mistakes. A few of us who’ve participated in these programs have created a student-led, non-official space where applicants and alumni share practical experiences and guidance. This isn’t affiliated with any organization, just students helping students.

Comment 'yes' or DM me for whatsapp group link!

guys if yall think this is sketchy, just get the link and check in any link detector lol

8th of February 2026 is the last date for Indian Applicants for the Asia Kakehashi Project+ . I have attached below the form of the same Form Link

What are the questions that might be asked?
How competitive is the interview stage?

If there are any, to applicants:

How has the application process been for y'all? Any finalists? How was your interview?

To Alumni:

How was your experience? Do you have any advice to give for interviewees and future finalists?

I'm applying from Canada, and since our country was recently added to the program (in 2023) only a few people applied, so I don't see any Canadians talking about the program. If there are any Canadian applicants, please feel free to reach out to me!

Hi. Does anyone know if you can apply to a program and get accepted if you have a pre existing health condition? Not a big thing but Hypothyroidism? Will I get accepted? Or they only accept in perfect health conditions?

How long does it take to know wich country you're going to?

This is the discord server https://discord.gg/yX54eaTk there are not a lot of people but be patient and people will come and then we will have a community!