High school study abroad is always an excellent choice; however, it’s important you identify ahead of time what YOU want to get out of it. Do you want to do some service learning, are you only looking to go for the summer, or do you want an immersive year long experience?
Many students seek opportunities to give back while simultaneously earning high school or college credit. The good news is: Africa is chock full of service learning programs, both short and long term. Service learning placements often place students in an academic setting for three or four days out of the week; the remaining days are spent working on volunteer projects in local communities and villages.
For students interested in mastering critical languages, such as French, Arabic, and Swahili, now is as good of a time as ever to choose a language immersion program in Africa. Added perk: a lot of vocab from the Lion King will start to make sense (Hakunnah Matata, baby!). Without real-world experience living amongst native speakers, claiming true language fluency can be a challenge, making language study in Africa all the more valuable.
Other popular high school programs in Africa revolve around cultural immersion or adventure travel. With 1500 to 2000 languages spoken across 54 countries on the African continent alone, there’s no shortage of cultures to be intrigued and inspired by. There are most definitely plenty of opportunities for thrill seekers too; you can get your adrenaline pumping by white rafting on the Nile, shark diving in Cape Town, or scuba diving in Zanzibar (sign us up!).
For students looking to take a gap year or study for an entire year abroad, be prepared for a more immersive, and in general, more intense experience. Year long high school programs in Africa will most likely put students with host families and be a little less hands on than, say, a four week summer program. The goal of long term placements is to get students fully immersed and integrated into their host community, thereby learning the language and coming back to the U.S. a more mature and grown individual. Many long-term high school programs in Africa will also offer students volunteer opportunities, so look for programs that contain everything you want to do in your year abroad.
For most high school students, summer and short term placements in Africa are ideal, typically lasting for two weeks to three months. These high school programs are usually more varied, with each provider offering different features and amenities. Summer high school program in Africa are great for students who don’t want to miss out on any high school back home, but still want to experience traveling and living abroad. Expect summer programs to have students traveling more and be on more of a fast paced schedule as providers will try to have students experience as much as possible in their short time abroad.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLvAm6momZRjsLC5jqGgoKCjmLWwu8tmqq2tlK56oq7RqJidZ6OarrOvx2iYn6qZmK5wtMign6ybmKS8rXnPq6agqpGiwG6twaummpxdZg%3D%3D