So there has not been a whole lot of news recently in terms of Germany but I haven't updated my blog in a while so I thought I would. I am still anxiously waiting for a host family and I hope that I get one soon! I would really love to be somewhere in Bavaria, preferable around Munich, but I am open to being placed anywhere! I just hope that I am placed with a family that I fit really well into. My only other exchange updates are that my passport came in the other day and I bought my luggage! It is all starting to feel so real and I can't believe that in 70 days I will be in D.C. for orientation and will be on my way to Germany in 72 days! It's coming up so fast and it still feels far away but at the same time I am panicked by how close it is. Until then I will be spending as much time with my family and friends as possible and try to soak up as much of America as I can!
Tschüss!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
CBYX and the Application Process
So I just realized that I haven't actually explained what CBYX is or about the application process behind it. The Congress- Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (a.k.a CBYX) is a program jointly funded by the US Congress and the German Bundestag. The program was founded in 1983 in celebration of 300th year anniversary of the first German immigration to the United States. It was created to strengthen ties between the United States and Germany through citizen diplomacy. Every year, CBYX sends 250 American high school students to Germany on a full scholarship for approximately 10 months. The German equivalent of CBYX, Parlamentarisches Patenschafts Programm (a.k.a PPP) sends a similar number of German high school students to the US on a full scholarship for approximately 10 months. In the US, CBYX is broken up into five different regions, each region being run by a separate exchange organization. The Northeast is run by AFS, the Southeast, my region, is run by CIEE, the Midwest is run by FLAG, the Northwest is run by ASSE, and the North-central region is run by YFU. Each region has a different application and selection process, but they all send 50 students. Each exchange organization has a partnership with an organization in Germany that helps with the selection and placement process.
Since I am with CIEE, I do not know the specifics of the other organization's application and selection process but I have heard that they are similar. CIEE, along with the other organizations, releases their application in late summer. It is a very long and daunting application but is well worth it in the end. For the CIEE application, we had to write 250 word or less responses to six different short answer questions. These questions were things like why do you want to be an exchange student, describe your family life, discuss your relationship with a close friend, describe your participation in an activity, describe a non-academic situation where you have faced defeat and how did you deal with it, etc. Along with the short essays, we had to write a letter to our future host family, get two teacher recommendations, get your school transcript, and put information about us, such as hobbies and extracurricular activities. The whole point of the initial application is for the organization to get an idea of your personality and to decide who they would like to offer interviews to. My biggest advice for the application is to just be yourself and to let your personality shine through but also take it seriously and don't procrastinate on it because the application is a huge part of the selection because this is where they make the most cuts and you don't want to just throw together your application last minute. From the applications, the organization chooses semi-finalists that they would like to give in person interviews. CIEE chooses around 100 semi-finalists, but other organizations pick different amounts. To get an interview is a huge accomplishment because this is the stage where the most cuts are made. This year CIEE had about 1,000 applicants and they only offered 100 interviews, this is why you want to make sure you do the best on your application that you possibly can. I have a whole post dedicated to the interview so I'm not going to put a lot about it in this post but it's really fun to get to meet the other semi's in your area. My biggest advice for the interview is to be yourself and to prepare for the individual interview ahead of time. I did a mock interview with my Dad ahead of time and had my parents drill me on questions that might be asked to help me prepare. In the end you never know what they're going to ask but it helps you relax a little more to go into it knowing you are as prepared as you possibly can be. Also, dress nicely for the interview, it never hurts to overdress and make a good impression. Even though they say it is casual, most of the kids wear dress pants and a nice dress shirt/ blouse/ blazer. After the interview there is a few weeks until they announce finalists. The wait during this time is killer but it's best to try and relax and take your mind off it. It will not help you to obsess over your interview answers and how you think you did because that will stress you out and by this point there is nothing else you can do. After the finalist and alternate notifications come out there is a lot of preparing to do for Germany. I am currently in the middle of this process and it can be very stressful at times but it is all so worth it. I would also like to say, if you are not accepted don't put yourself down, you are not a failure! It is amazing that you want to go out and explore the world at such a young age. There are not many high school students that would even think about leaving their family and friends for a year to study abroad and you should be very proud of yourself for wanting to experience that. If you are not accepted, take that extra year in America to prepare to apply again and use it as a year of growth. If this is something you really want and are really passionate about you will find a way to make it happen.
I'm sorry this post is so long, but I really hope that it helps future CBYX applicants! Good luck to the 2014-2015 applicants!!!
Since I am with CIEE, I do not know the specifics of the other organization's application and selection process but I have heard that they are similar. CIEE, along with the other organizations, releases their application in late summer. It is a very long and daunting application but is well worth it in the end. For the CIEE application, we had to write 250 word or less responses to six different short answer questions. These questions were things like why do you want to be an exchange student, describe your family life, discuss your relationship with a close friend, describe your participation in an activity, describe a non-academic situation where you have faced defeat and how did you deal with it, etc. Along with the short essays, we had to write a letter to our future host family, get two teacher recommendations, get your school transcript, and put information about us, such as hobbies and extracurricular activities. The whole point of the initial application is for the organization to get an idea of your personality and to decide who they would like to offer interviews to. My biggest advice for the application is to just be yourself and to let your personality shine through but also take it seriously and don't procrastinate on it because the application is a huge part of the selection because this is where they make the most cuts and you don't want to just throw together your application last minute. From the applications, the organization chooses semi-finalists that they would like to give in person interviews. CIEE chooses around 100 semi-finalists, but other organizations pick different amounts. To get an interview is a huge accomplishment because this is the stage where the most cuts are made. This year CIEE had about 1,000 applicants and they only offered 100 interviews, this is why you want to make sure you do the best on your application that you possibly can. I have a whole post dedicated to the interview so I'm not going to put a lot about it in this post but it's really fun to get to meet the other semi's in your area. My biggest advice for the interview is to be yourself and to prepare for the individual interview ahead of time. I did a mock interview with my Dad ahead of time and had my parents drill me on questions that might be asked to help me prepare. In the end you never know what they're going to ask but it helps you relax a little more to go into it knowing you are as prepared as you possibly can be. Also, dress nicely for the interview, it never hurts to overdress and make a good impression. Even though they say it is casual, most of the kids wear dress pants and a nice dress shirt/ blouse/ blazer. After the interview there is a few weeks until they announce finalists. The wait during this time is killer but it's best to try and relax and take your mind off it. It will not help you to obsess over your interview answers and how you think you did because that will stress you out and by this point there is nothing else you can do. After the finalist and alternate notifications come out there is a lot of preparing to do for Germany. I am currently in the middle of this process and it can be very stressful at times but it is all so worth it. I would also like to say, if you are not accepted don't put yourself down, you are not a failure! It is amazing that you want to go out and explore the world at such a young age. There are not many high school students that would even think about leaving their family and friends for a year to study abroad and you should be very proud of yourself for wanting to experience that. If you are not accepted, take that extra year in America to prepare to apply again and use it as a year of growth. If this is something you really want and are really passionate about you will find a way to make it happen.
I'm sorry this post is so long, but I really hope that it helps future CBYX applicants! Good luck to the 2014-2015 applicants!!!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
The Insane Pre-Exchange To-Do List
Even though I still have a little less than 5 months until I leave for Germany I already have an insanely long and time consuming to- do list. While applying for CBYX I did not expect the amount of things you need to do to after being excepted in order to prepare for exchange. I'm so glad that I am starting to prepare now instead of waiting for the last minute like I usually do. If you are thinking about being an exchange student, especially on a scholarship, make sure you are aware of the amount of work that goes into making an exchange year possible and that it's not just an application and boom you're studying abroad. There are so many different components that goes into preparing for exchange and it takes a lot of hard work, passion, and determination!
My Ever-growing To-Do List:
I'm sure there are many things I am forgetting and I know as departure gets closer there will be more and more things to do but I am so excited to study abroad next year that I don't care about the million things I have to do to prepare because it is so worth it!
My Ever-growing To-Do List:
- finish the CBYX secondary application and have it mailed to CIEE by March 27th (this app is 23 pages long and is killing me)
- apply for a passport
- start saving/fundraising spending money
- buy important travel items such as luggage
- START LEARNING GERMAN!!! (I currently know about 5 words and absolutely butcher the pronunciation of them)
- work out credits with my high school
- get a residential/student Visa
- work out banking in Germany
- finish second semester with all A's
- take online classes over the summer (most likely AP English 3 and possibly pre-calculus)
- buy things I will need for Germany such as cold weather clothing and electrical adaptors
- get an international plan for my phone
- start planning what to pack
I'm sure there are many things I am forgetting and I know as departure gets closer there will be more and more things to do but I am so excited to study abroad next year that I don't care about the million things I have to do to prepare because it is so worth it!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
I'M GOING TO GERMANY!!!
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO CBYX AND WILL BE LIVING IN GERMANY FOR MY JUNIOR YEAR!!!!!! I honestly did not think that I was going to be accepted and I was hoping to at least be an alternate. When I got the email I couldn't believe it when it said I was a finalist! I was on the bus on my way home from school when I got the email and I just started freaking out and crying. Then I called my parents and texting all my friends! I can't believe this is actually happening and I am so incredibly thankful for this experience! I am so excited to find out my host family and to leave for Germany! Here is part of the email!
Dear Danielle,
Dear Danielle,
We would like to be the first to congratulate you on your acceptance to the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship Program! CIEE is thrilled to have you among our 50 students chosen from the Southeast United States. Now that you have made it through the selection process, we must begin preparations for the year ahead.
I am still in shock and it hasn't sunk in yet that I WILL BE IN GERMANY FOR A YEAR!!!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
YES said No :'(
So the other day I received an email from YES Abroad saying that I was not chosen as a semifinalist. It was so heartbreaking but I will definitely be applying again next year if I don't receive CBYX this year. Luckily, the other three members of SDAC were all chosen as semifinalists! I am so happy for them but I wish I was going to be joining them in Maryland for the IPSE. But luckily there is still a tiny sliver of a chance that I might make the IPSE! I called YES yesterday after school to ask if there was anything I could improve on in my application for next year when I reapply. They said that my application was really good and that there just wasn't enough semifinalist spots. So then I asked if they do alternates for the IPSE and they do! She said that notifications for semifinalist alternates come out on a rolling biases all next week and she said she would make a note to keep me in mind for an alternate spot! I really hope that I become an alternate and that someone decides not to go to the IPSE so that I get the chance to go! I want YES so badly and it is awesome knowing that it may not be over for me yet!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
CBYX Interview
So yesterday was the CBYX CIEE interview in Charlotte, NC and it was soooo amazing! All the other semi's who were there were so awesome and we all got along really well. It was so great finally getting to meet everyone. The interview was pretty laid back and I think I did well in my individual interview. It was kind of intimidating and I was so nervous, especially because I had the first interview, but I think I had good answers, I just hope they were good enough to get me accepted! For the group evaluations I didn't even realize we were being evaluated until after they were over because it was really laid back and we just played some ice breaker games and got to know each other. It was so fun and everyone is so amazing. It's so sad to think that not all of us will make it to Germany because everyone deserves it so much and would be amazing exchange students! After the individual interviews and the group evaluation we had a two hour lunch break. After the break we all went back to the school where the interview was being held for an information session with our parents. One of the ladies from CIEE did a presentation about the program for about a half an hour and then we got to ask questions to the alumni's and the CIEE people. It was great to get to hear their experiences in Germany and I think my parents are a lot more open to CBYX now that they know a lot more about the program. We found out yesterday that CIEE has moved finalist notifications from March, 29th to March, 13th so I only have a couple of weeks until I know if I will be spending next year in Germany!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
CBYX Semifinalist!!!
I have big news, I am a CBYX semifinalist! I got an email today during second block at school. I was shaking as I read it and then I saw that I was a semifinalist and I have not been able to stop smiling since! Here is the email.
I am so insanely excited and happy and I can't stop smiling! I hear back about semifinals for YES within the next few weeks and I really hope to make it! I have my interview for CBYX on February 23 in Charlotte, wish me luck!
Dear Danielle,
As you know, the Congress-Bundestag Scholarship provides 50 scholarships for students from the Southeast United States. We had an unprecedented number of applications this year, which made the review extremely competitive. We were impressed with your application and after careful review, would like to offer you an interview. We are interested in learning more about you and your desire to live and study in Germany.
Following this announcement, you will receive an invitation to our selection events in cities throughout the Southeast. At that time, we will also provide more details regarding the exact location, dates, and times for the interview and information sessions.
Our locations for this year’s selection events include:
• Atlanta, GA
• Richmond, VA
• Charlotte, NC
• Winter Haven, FL
• Lexington, KY
If you do not wish to continue to the next round of selection, please let us know by Tuesday, February 12th, 2013. Congratulations on your advancement to the next round! We look forward to meeting you in person!
All the best,
CIEE Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program Selection CommitteeI am so insanely excited and happy and I can't stop smiling! I hear back about semifinals for YES within the next few weeks and I really hope to make it! I have my interview for CBYX on February 23 in Charlotte, wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)