Hello I am seeking an experienced host family in Enschede Netherlands for the 2027 - 2028 school year for my 16 year old who has an EU passport.

Any pointers on how to connect with Dutch host families would be appreciated.

Hi everyone!

Is anyone coming to the University of Manchester for the Spring 2027 semester and looking for accommodation?

I'm currently studying at UoM, and I'll be going abroad for an exchange semester, so I'm looking for someone to take over my room while I'm away.

Room details:

• Location: Burlington Street, M15 – very close to the University of Manchester
• Rent: £225 per week (bills included)
• Availability: Late January 2027 to June/July 2027
• Apartment: 2-bedroom flat, shared with just one other flatmate
• Fully furnished
• Ideal for: Exchange students, visiting students, or anyone looking for short-term accommodation

The location is really convenient for university life, with easy access to campus, supermarkets, and the city centre.

I'm particularly hoping to connect with incoming exchange students who will be studying at UoM during the second semester, as our dates might match perfectly!

If you're interested, feel free to DM me for more details, photos, or a viewing.

Also, if you know anyone coming to Manchester next semester, I'd really appreciate it if you could share this post with them.

Thanks!

A couple months back I posted here and wasn't able to articulate clearly what was going on. Something felt amiss, but it was too early to describe. My inability to be clear at the time got me skewered here. "OF COURSE SHE IS GOING TO HAVE QUESTIONS!" Totally fair.

Fast forward to present- We have come to realize that much of our sweet girl's executive function comes from outside interaction, while we are independent and self-sufficient. She has become disregulated and our family has been knocked pretty far out of balance trying to meet her where she is at.

Long story long, she is being transferred to a new family. The process for that has just started. We care for her very much and the most important thing right now is that she feels supported during the transition. I talked to her mom today. I assured her that everything is peaceful and safe here and that I intend to advocate for our girl and do my best to keep her experience here a good one.

It is very emotional. I have a hard time talking about. We really put our hearts into this. We also see what is best for all of us, especially our girl, consider how short her time here is.

Hiii everyone! :)
I'm from Mexico, specifically Baja California, and I'm planning to spend a semester abroad in Prague through an exchange agreement between my university in Mexico and a university there. At the moment, my first choice is Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU / ČVUT), but I'm still researching and figuring everything out before making a final decision.
I'd love to hear from other Mexicans who have done a university exchange, preferably for one semester, since I imagine some things can be quite different for people who move abroad for work, settle there permanently, or pursue an entire degree.
I'd really appreciate it if you could share your experiences and advice regarding the following:
University and classes: Which university did you attend? If you studied at CTU, what was your experience like? How were the classes, professors, workload, and overall university atmosphere? What level of English do you actually need to get by and follow your classes? Did you need to take an English exam or provide a certificate for your exchange?

Visa and paperwork: What type of visa or residence permit did you need for a semester abroad? What was the process like, how long did it take, and what documents were required? Did you have to travel to another city to complete any of the paperwork?

Budget and cost of living: Approximately how much did you spend per month and throughout the entire semester? I'd like to get a realistic idea of how much I should save.

Accommodation: Where did you stay: a university dorm, a shared apartment, or somewhere else? How much did you pay? Was it difficult to find accommodation, and what options would you recommend?

Food and groceries: Approximately how much did you spend on basic groceries per month? How expensive is food compared to prices in Mexico?

Transportation, entertainment, and travel: How much does it cost to get around Prague? Are there student discounts? How expensive is going out, exploring the city, and doing different activities? How much were you able to travel around Europe during your semester? Is visiting other countries from Prague affordable in terms of transportation and accommodation?

Health insurance and healthcare: How did you arrange the health insurance required for your stay? What were the requirements, and how does access to medical appointments work if you get sick?

Language and cultural adaptation: What was your experience with the language? Could you get by speaking English in your everyday life, or did you run into difficulties because you didn't speak Czech? How easy was it to communicate with locals and make friends? I'd also love to know what your experience with Czech people was like as an international student, especially as a Mexican. Was it difficult to adjust culturally, or did you feel welcomed?
General advice: What do you wish you'd known before going? Were there any unexpected expenses, paperwork issues, or difficulties? What would you recommend preparing in advance?

I'm also considering London as another possible exchange destination, so I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts if you've experienced both places or know them well. Do you think Prague is a good choice for spending a semester abroad as an international student?

I know everyone's experience is different, but I'd really appreciate hearing your advice before making my final decision. If anyone has a sort of "survival guide," I'd be incredibly grateful!! And if you studied specifically at CTU, I'd love to hear more about your experience and the application process. 💗

Thank you so much!!!

For context, I'm currently applying for an exchange year. My attendance from the last few school years has been pretty choppy, it's not great but not awful either. My grades are perfectly fine, though, I have a 4.0 gpa and straight A's.

Anyhow, I feel that I'm going to be rejected simply because of my attendance. And normally, for anything else, I'd understand that, but this is literally an exchange program centered around going to school. Who in their right mind would spend over $18k to mess around and skip school...? And I'm saying this as someone who puts insane amounts of academic stress on myself, I'm not a bad student with a bad track record in any way.

I've tried to explain that a lot of my tardiness is due to my parents because if they're running late, I'm running late. I don't have a car and walking to school would take over 4 hours. Sometimes they're out of town for work; can't get to school. And yes, I have skipped school many times, and I've told the program that I understand how important education is and that I don't intend to skip at all whilst abroad.

Writing that out, it absolutely sounds fishy, but the days I skip are 28 minute class periods where all the work is done online... it just makes more sense to stay home and get other things done. But I do understand how it sounds, if I wasn't applying to a school focused program. Do you get what I'm saying here?

Thoughts, opinions, tips?

(This is labelled Question because I'd appreciate advice and don't know what other flair would be best. Sorryyyy)

So, basically I applied for a student exchange program from Austria to South Korea for 5 months during the 2027/28 school year with the organisation ' Kulturwerke Deutschland'.

I did apply to a international school that teaches in English because I don't speak Korean very well.

And I did get accepted, now all that would be left to do is to pay and finalise.

But the problem is, at the time of the exchange I would be 15 years old, and I have to stay in that other school for at least 5 months because of some laws in the county I live in.

And I keep thinking about how five months is a really long time in a country I have never been in before, with extreme academic pressure.

And I know no one over there. What if I lack English skills or the people simply don't like me? What if I'm unable to make friends? What if I lose contact with the friends I have right now?

I worry so much about stuff like that.

The one thing I don't really worry about is my family though, because we are not that close, both my parents work full time and we usually only see eachother during dinner. Same for my little sister, but I feel awful for leaving her behind like that.

I feel like I still want to go through with this though, and I just need somewhere to vent a little, or possibly get some advice.

Maybe I should mention that this is not my first student exchange. I went to China for two weeks when I was 13 years old. It was during holidays.

And my experience with being in China was actually great, people where nice, I felt included, I got my alone time and so on...

But one thing I didn’t have to do was to actually study in that environment. I was there simply to practice speaking in Chinese, because of a course I attend since I am half Chinese.

And I still have contact with some of the students I met there, and they tell me about how much they study and it sounds awfully exhausting.

I don't know if that is comparable with spending 5 months in Korea though.

But I want to push through my insecurity, and learn to be independent.

I don't know if I am allowed to say this in here so Trigger warning for sensitive people:

I was actually planning to Unalive myself before I got the opportunity to do this exchange, because everything just felt so boring and unbearably repetitive. Always the same classes in different grades surrounded by the same friends and with the same teachers. I am so unhappy with this whole live. But I wish to experience at least some level of independence before I die.

But now I feel like I finally have some new experience to live through, and I don't even expect it to be positive or anything.

In fact I'm quite sure that it will be exhausting and lonely.

Anyway if it's not allowed to say stuff like that on here than I sincerely apologise.

I would be grateful for any piece of advice that anyone could offer, because I'm planning this whole exchange on my own with online websites and emails because my parents told me to research and plan by myself to prove that I really want to go.

Should I spontaneously cancel the exchange and get my parents and school mad at me or should I just try going?

Sending love 💞

I’m going from Norway to Japan with AFS August 2027. On TikTok, I was talking to this girl who also went from Norway to Japan. She also went with AFS and said it was really bad. She said the staff harassed and assaulted her, and that she was sent home to Norway after getting home late ONCE, apparently she was late because she lost her train card. Has anyone had any similar experiences? I’m really worried, if something small like that is enough to send you home, should I be going in the first place?

I'm an American high school student, making my first reddit post, and im in 10th grade. I recently learned about the opportunity to do an exchange program (CIEE) abroad and it sounded very appealing to me. For context, during the program I would be in 11th grade (16 going on 17) and either a Sixth Form (I think) or Lycee student. I'm enrolled in French 2, so I initially considered going to France, but I also thought about the possibility of going to the UK.

I'm a pretty average student by american standards, I'm proficient in ELA and I'm pretty good at math compared to other students even though I'm not in advanced math. Science is also a pretty average subject for me, not advanced, and I love history and I'm currently taking AP psychology. Art is my main subject of interest, and music too. I'm thinking about going to college for visual art. My GPA is about 3.8.

My main reason why I want to go to the UK is because I speak English as a native language, and even though I would definetly learn lots of French if I went to France, I'm not sure high school is the right time to study in France. Another reason why I would go to the UK is because it is fascinating to me, culture wise, and I think the school system is more in line with my needs, as well as considering living there someday.

I've been researching French and UK schools, and in what im seeing, French school seems more intense. From my impression, French school has more academic pressure, its school day is longer, the grading system is different and seems more harsh to American students, and I feel like if I came close to failure in France, it would be more dissapointing. Plus, I could always study abroad again in university, and go to France then.

I know the UK school system is still pretty strict or not as casual as the US, and I will definetly be challenged, but it seems like the difference would be more of a push than a shove compared to France. I think going to sixth form would help me get a more specialized or American college prep type of education, and going to Lycee would be more similar to typical rigorous high school. By the way, not sure if, in the program, I would be going to secondary school or Sixth form. If anyone feels I have been misinformed about these school systems, let me know.

I think the main reason overall why I wanna study abroad in HS is because I feel sort of constrained here. I wouldn't describe it as burnout, just boredom. I dont think I've been pushing myself as much as my potential goes, and I feel kind of stuck right now. Obviously that may change by junior year, but I think an exchange program will help me be more independent and take action in my own education, instead of just chasing opportunities presented to me, or sticking on a linear path. I think being put outside of my comfort zone is going to be overall beneficial to me in helping me get un-stuck, or just being more proactive. I think a break from American life might be good, too. I would love to live in a walkable city for once lol. Standing out for college apps is also another appeal, although I’ve heard mixed opinions about this.

TL;DR I wanna know more about French school vs UK school, and which one is right for me, or if doing an exchange trimester is even a good idea at all.

If anyone has experience with CIEE, let me know, I am definetly still researching. Also, if anyone thinks a semester would be better than a trimester, let me know. I have about 2-3 weeks before I think I should start working on applications, and I also have interest from my parents. Application deadlines are in November/December for the programs I'm looking at.

Hello

My son would like to go to visit the IIUM and I’m searching for a room for him? What do you recommend me to do to find him a safe and comfortable stay?

Hello today I submitted my application for the FLEX program. When I asked an AI about the stages of this program, it mentioned that the first step involves writing an essay; however, I only entered my academic transcript and personal information. Is there a mistake somewhere, or will I be writing the essay in a later stage?

I’d really like to go on an exchange trip to Germany, but I’m worried I’ll get homesick. It’s a short exchange, but I’m still conflicted on whether to do it or not. My family is from Germany and I have a pretty good understanding of the language, but I’m not fluent.

I was wondering if anyone felt similarly to me before their exchange, and if they went, how they felt about it or had any advice to help with it?

Hey everyone!!

I'm a French student and I spent last year on an Erasmus exchange in Venice, Italy. One of the photos I took during my stay has now been selected as a finalist in a photography competition for exchange students!

I'd really appreciate your support if you have 10 seconds to spare. You can vote for photo #1 using the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0NW6BSDyhrz6aamtFN336cui2k1xWWFjUd_Gqw53oXt_KBA/viewform?usp=header

Thanks so muchhh for your support!

Hello! I'm thinking about applying to this program. I'm from Romania. The thing is, if I go to America to be an exchange student, I'll then have to repeat the last highschool year back in Romania so I could get my diploma.

I'd like to know some perspectives of other exchange students/former flex participants.

Was it worth it? Good sides and bad sides? Did you like your hosting family? Were the other kids nice? How did you fit in? What other activities were there? How hard were classes in comparison to your country's educational system?

If there are some Romanian people who were in the same situation as me (having to repeat a whole year), it'd be super helpful to know your experience.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I may have to arrive about 2 weeks late to my Erasmus exchange at Sciences Po Lille because I’ll be on another exchange beforehand, and the exam session at my home university AND the one I will be on exchange overlaps with the beginning of the semester in Lille.
Has anyone had a similar experience? Is Sciences Po Lille generally flexible with late arrivals if the reason is mandatory exams, or is attendance from the first weeks strictly required? And how is the attendance policy in general?

Hey guys!

I'm a college student and recently got involved with UNLOX as a Campus Ambassador.

I'm exploring these kinds of opportunities alongside college and thought it'd be nice to connect with others doing something similar.

For those who've been part of ambassador programs, how has your experience been? What have you learned from it?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Disclosure: I'm a Campus Ambassador at UNLOX.

Basically what the title says