12 Tips for Exchange Students

[@jacquelinenelson-norris5809]

Toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream(guys), or any item if you have very sensitive skin is a must to bring. Drama, Drama, drama is great place to meet crossover students, such as athletes, techies, and fringe students are all active in the drama productions in the Mid-Alantic area. Also, ask which classes are taking national trips such as the choir might be preforming at a national competition in Orlando or LA, the "marketing class" takes a 2 day trip to New York each year and our drama class also heads to New York; easy and usually cheap way to see a different part of the states. Great tips!

[@Malene_Simonsen]

thanks for adding such good advice down here, do you mind if I use it in the follow up f.a.q video I'll be making? I'll credit you if you want :)

[@jacquelinenelson-norris5809]

No, go ahead... I'm a season host parent. Your advise is spot on.

[@Malene_Simonsen]

+Ele warwick My Danish organisation was called My Education, but the American partner organisation was called World Heritage/ASSE :)

[@celinachristensen6346]

Hej Malene! Din video var virkelig inspirerende og hjælpsom!! Jeg skal selv et år til U.S.A som udvekslingsstudent til næste år, og jeg var meget nervøs for hvordan man skulle "approache" nye venner, men med dine tips er jeg slet ikke nervøs længere. Mange tak! :)

[@juliephillip7275]

Thank you so much for this video!!! I'm on exchange in Sweden right now and feel really really homesick but this helped a lot!

[@mialikeseverything]

Thanks for these tips! I'm going to Canada from Australia in a couple of months and these really helped

[@Malene_Simonsen]

+Myjana Chen-Ough aweosme! I hope you have a great time :)

[@TheSHINeelany]

hey im going to be an exchange student next week to Indonesia and you video blog really helps me a lot. thanks

[@Ju-ov8kn]

Mademoiselle Lany I am in Indonesia now from Canada. How was ur experience in Indonesia?

[@lucascastro5329]

I am going to Canada and I am sooo anxious! I am from Brazil and I don't know what to expect!! But the video helped a lot, thanks!!

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Lucas Castro I'm glad that I could help, and don't worry everyone is nervous before leaving :)

[@lucascastro5329]

Today is the day!!! I am scared! :'(

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Lucas Castro oh trust me, so was I, but it all went away when I met my hostfamily and settled in :-) you'll be fine and I wish you a great year! feel free to write and tell me how it goes :-)

[@juliacuevas7348]

Such a great video :D I will be going on exchange in August, and I found this really helpful!

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Julia Cuevas I'm really glad to hear that! I hope you have a great year, remember that if you have any further questions, to just ask :)

[@krejcarkovaeva7773]

Thank you so much for these tips! It helped me, I´m so afraid of being an exchange student next year. I´m going to USA from Czech republic. Super excited, I´m looking for my year there :))

[@Malene_Simonsen]

+Krejcárková Eva I'm so glad it helped you :) I hope you have an awesome year!

[@krejcarkovaeva7773]

Malene Simonsen :)) Thank you so much! :)

[@TaylorWestern]

I love your hair in this 😊totally agree to say yes to have some fantastic memories

[@khadijadjarraya2526]

That's so nice of you! Thanks for sharing your tips ,it's really helpful

[@Malene_Simonsen]

+khadija djarraya I'm just glad you can use my advice :)

[@xSlayerRose]

this is great! Some awesome tips! I miss university it was amazing! The best choice I made!!

[@annadalton3073]

I really liked this. Thank you for the advice:)

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Anna Dalton Thank you, for watching and commenting :D

[@rushellrousseau9197]

This is so helpful!! Thank you so much. I'm going on exchange in a few weeks :D

[@glowish1993]

Thank you for your video, it's really informative and helpful since I'm going to Finland for exchange soon!

[@anjih.4224]

I love your videos and your hair, you're awesome ^-^

[@Malene_Simonsen]

+Wistful Wanderer Aww thank you!

[@trularael6070]

Thanks so much! This was great. What video program did you use to make this?

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Trula Rael since I have linux on my computer (instead of windows or mac) I found this free, opensource program called OpenShot Video Editor :) It's pretty simple to use, And the pictures I edited at picmonkey.com. Glad you liked the video!

[@chrisrodenbeck6327]

Oh Salida haha. I did my high school years in Canon City which was not far from Salida. Small towns for sure. I really love the state though. Lots of nature.

[@agnese292]

such a good video! thank you for the tips, i'm thinking of going on an exchange year so this is very helpful!

[@agnese292]

i have a question - what happens with your home school stuff while you're abroad? do you take the year again or do you study for both schools during the year or what? no one ever talks about that in these kind of videos so i'm a little confused haha

[@Malene_Simonsen]

It's funny, because I actually just answered this in the follow-up F.A.Q video I just recorded :) But it depends on your education system. You won't ever study for both, but you might be able to transfer your scores from the host school to your own school. For me, my country and America don't have compatible education systems, so I did my year in between education stages (I finished what I call "mandatory school" and went on exchange and then did "Youth education") but if those two options aren't available for you, then yes, you might have to do the year again. My advice would be to talk to an adviser at your school about it or the organization you are thinking of going with, since they will know what applies in your situation :) I'm glad you found the video helpful and if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask :D

[@celinachristensen6346]

Jeg skal et år til U.S.A som udvekslingsstudent til næste år, og jeg var meget nervøs for hvordan man skulle "approache" nye venner, men nu er jeg slet ikke nervøs længere. Mange tak! :)

[@celinachristensen6346]

btw, din video var virkelig inspirerende og hjælpsom tak igen!! :)

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Det er jeg rigtig glad for at høre :) Håber du får et godt år!

[@celinachristensen6346]

tusind tak :)

[@Valencr1116]

Thank you for this awesome tips, I'm going to USA for a year as a exchange student on August and this will help me a lot there 😊

[@lindango1157]

Hey, I always want to be exchange student in US. I want to know about the organization, the fee , school, ext... but I didn't know anyone who had been an exchange student. And you are, right? Can you please help me, I really want to know some information...

[@samueloneworldproductions6520]

great video and it seems very informative and helpful for exchange students :)

[@isabelledekok1243]

Thankyouu soooo muchhh, you helptt me soo muchh!!!! I'm going to the USA this year!! And the info about the cellphone was really helpful, soo thankyouuu !! Greetings from The Netherlands

[@Malene_Simonsen]

I'm glad to have helped and I hope you have a grea trip to the us! if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask :)

[@owladdicted3815]

Your video is really good and helpful! Thanks! :)

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Owl Addicted Thank you for the feedback, really appreciate it! :D

[@EmmP3]

Very useful tips, thank you so much 🙈 you're English is spot on girl, wow!! Going to England for a college exchange (only 3 months tho) so these tips are amazing 😌

[@EmmP3]

Also, the cafeteria thing is the scariest thing ever, I really want to make friends there but I'm too shy to go up to people, help :')

[@Malene_Simonsen]

+EmmP3 honestly, the best thing to do, is to gather up all your courage and then just do it. if it seems less daunting, try talking to some people from the hour you have right before lunch, and then just follow them as you all go into the cafeteria :) most people are curious about new things and since you will be foreign you'll also be exciting and they will most likely want to talk to you, so it shouldn't be that hard to find people to sit with the first few days, and once you join a club, sitting with them will seem like the natural thing to do :)

[@EmmP3]

+Malene Simonsen sounds pretty solid actually... Thanks 😄

[@mannatsharma8003]

I'm going for French Exchange!

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Amazing! Hope you have the best time! Let me know if you have any questions 😊

[@allarnahcalleigh6202]

Your hair looks so cute I love it

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Thanks!

[@oliviagranger3896]

Well, I am on tears. I and my family haven't decided if I'm going to do it, but i feel so nervous, like, I don't do anything without my parents and I know that leaving them would be so hard, and on the other hand, i have friends and a boyfriend and I don't know what to do, I really want to go but I am soooo scared

[@misspolska030]

Olivia Granger I feel exactly the same, i'm almost 18 years old and i'm leaving in August. Me and my parents are sooo close, but somehow I feel like being away from them will be just the thing that I need. Keep in mind that it will probably help to evolve you as a person. Goodluck!

[@danzarn7394]

For me, I think walking up to people would be hard, since I'm swedish and we don't like to talk to strangers. Most of us don't at least. Like we need our private space bro...

[@Malene_Simonsen]

trust me, Danes don't talk to strangers either. but seeing as you've already stepped out of your conformt zone, taking this extra small step should be easier and is so worth it! it is a bit nerveracking, but if you are in a country where people do talk to strangers, then there is absolutely no issue. Also, people almost always wanna know more about the new foreign kid, so even if they wouldn't talk to others, they will most likely talk to you because you are new and exciting! :)

[@danzarn7394]

Okay (:

[@edemilsongirardi4501]

I enjoyed your video a lot :) I'm thinking about going to USA in January,I really want to have the experience of an exchange there,do you think it worth to go there and stay for a month?unfortunately I can't stay for a longer time than this yet...

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Edemilson Girardi Thank you! I think it depends on what you are looking for. If it's strengthening your language and getting a quick insight into the culture, then I think it would be fine :) I know a lot of people do language stays for 2-4 weeks with lots of other people, so maybe try and look into that? (not sure what correct English term is, but here in Denmark the organizations call them - directly translated - "language schools" :)

[@astridlarsen5007]

Rigtig gode råd! Jeg vil rigtig gerne til USA næste år, men er i tvivl om hvilken organisation jeg skal rejse med. Hvilken en rejste du med - og kan den anbefales? :)

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Astrid Larsen Jeg rejste med My Education og de kan helt klart anbefales :) De er ikke de dyreste og de var rigtig gode til at informere om ting og jeg følte mig rigtig godt forberedt da jeg skulle afsted :) Jeg havde heller ikke nogen problemer med min værtsfamilie, så det var skønt!

[@MilkNoSugar95]

This was really useful! I'm leaving for a year studying abroad this summer and I'm so nervous (but of course excited). Your English is fantastic, but were you worried at all about your language before you went? I'm going to France and Germany, and I'm really worried that my French and German won't be good enough (I'm English) and it'll affect how I enjoy my year. Did you struggle with this and do you have any tips?

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Florence Thank you, glad you liked it :D I've always had pretty good English (the English education is quite good in Denmark, and I became obsessed with American bands at a young age) but one thing I did to get better was to read a lot and watch a lot of KZbin videos in English. On KZbin there are no subtitles, so you have to understand what they are saying by hearing it, and you also learn a lot of everyday lingo and phrases, since the language tends to be less formal. And reading of course broadens your vocabulary :) I also used to talk to myself in English (might sound a little crazy, but it helped with my pronunciation and getting my tongue used to the language) I would also recommend watching some sit-coms in the language if videos without subtitles are a little daunting :) it all depends on your current level of language. I hope this helped, if not, feel free to ask again! :)

[@MilkNoSugar95]

Malene Simonsen thanks, that definitely helped! I've just subscribed to a few really cool German youtubers, so hopefully that'll help me out. Just a bit daunting to be honest, especially since I've not really spoken French/German since leaving uni for the summer a month ago, I'm sure I'll get by though :) Fingers crossed! Thank you again :D

[@amykortisses3294]

What a great video! I'm going to be a host Mom for the first time and this is the first time you tube failed me. Why can't I find videos on tips for the host families?!

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Amy Kortisses That's a very good question. I have actually never seen one of those. Maybe because KZbin tends to be a "younger" peoples game, and former host-families don't think of it? Maybe you can make one after you've been a host-mom :)

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Amy Kortisses Also, if you have any general queries that you want a former exchange students view on, I'd be more than happy to help :)

[@chrisrodenbeck6327]

Amy Kortisses I am have been interested in hosting and exchange student also. My issues are I am single so I feel I would be depriving the student of the family experience. I have had the same question as you. I have sent private messages to a dozen or so students that have finished their exchange year for their opinions on what makes a good host family. Try doing the same. I received loads of responses and many of them said the same things.

[@apostoliasiskou1603]

which exchange program did u choose?

[@Malene_Simonsen]

My danish organization was called My Education, but their partner one in the US is called World Heritage :)

[@makeuplover4233]

did you go with afs

[@MarianaCastro-fe2mq]

Your videos are amazing! I found your channel a long time ago and I´ve following ever since! Now I´m also an exchange student and because of you I have been making videos abou it! Hope you can see it and that you like it! Congrats for the great videos!

[@nazlakpnar3142]

Thank you sooo much you helped a lot❤️❤️❤️

[@Malene_Simonsen]

+Nazlı Akpınar I'm really glad to hear that :)

[@carlotaverges2733]

With which organisation did you made your exhange? great video :)

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Carlota Vergés Thanks :D My Danish organisation was called MyEducation, and their American partner (who was responsible for finding host-families and such) is called World Heritage and I can strongly recommend them

[@scarah1485]

hey, i have my exchange interview on friday, advice?

[@trinityl906]

Does anyone have tips for the interview I have to do to become an exchange student?

[@daphnebrigham7485]

Love it

[@Opalescent]

"Say yes to everything...except for drugs" Yes great advice xD

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Words to live by

[@irisk.7402]

Hey ! My name is Iris, I'm 14 years old (15 in half a year) and I'm from The Netherlands (Holland). I really want to go on exchange but I don't know if it is possible and if it is a good idea. Like if I'm going next year I will have to continue my study (when I get back) for 2 years at my high school back home before I can go to University. So I'm not sure if it is a good idea to go on exchange to Australia, Japan, South-Africa etc. trough the lag of education I might get. Or won't you get a lag ? I really want to know if I should wait until I've finished High School here in Holland or if it won't cause any problems and it's no problem to go next year! xx Iris

[@ameliecc-wj7zm]

+Iris K. Look out what the rules in the Netherlands are. In some countries you can skip that year. So e.g. if you go in year 10 you come home and continue with year 11. Sometimes you have to take special classes, your school at home will tell you to, or you have to take a test afterwards to find out if you actually have a lag. In some countries it's not possible to skip that year, in others it's normal. In some countries (like Germany, where I live) it depends on the school and you have to ask your principal. But don't care about that. I worried about that too, but in the end this adventure is absolutely worth it.

[@NJ20022]

+Iris K. Een High School jaar wordt niet erkend als een schooljaar hier in Nederland (tenminste, ik weet het alleen zeker van Amerika, maar volgens mij is dat bij alle landen zo. Als je terug komt zal in het begin je Nederlands wat weggezakt zijn, maar je Engels daarentegen zal een stuk verbeterd zijn! Als je naar Australië wilt zou ik je aanraden om even op de site van TravelActive te kijken. Dan kan je ook zelf even alle informatie rustig doorlezen.

[@beautymotherhood]

Great video and also great tips and ideas

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Thank you!

[@beautymotherhood]

@@Malene_Simonsen ur welcome

[@georgiarykent7755]

This may be a really weird question but does Canada have a gun law or not?

[@SachaSacha998]

+Hipster love x Hey I'm Canadian, and yes we do have gun laws! They're pretty strict and it's illegal for civilians to carry guns on their person. It's also a pretty thorough and difficult process to license a gun too, but because of our laws, Canada has far less gun violence than other countries! The least on the western hemisphere :)

[@magiekitete5077]

Do you go back to Denmark in the holidays I ferierne

[@Malene_Simonsen]

do you mean if exchange students go home during vacation? and if so, no they don't. I was actually told that if I returned home (even just for a vacation) I wouldn't be able to return to the U.S. because I would have used my visa :)

[@lizzywentz1966]

I am going on exchange to america next year and i have couple of questions! first, which semester did you enjoy more, the first or second? because I am unsure if i should do one semester or an entire year. Second, do you think i should go in as a junior or senior, which year is better? Final, How can I make friends! what clubs or sports should i join?! I am really excited and nervous! hopefully you can help :)

[@Malene_Simonsen]

***** Hi, thanks for your comment :) Uuh, it's really hard to say which semester I enjoyed more, since they were both a ton of fun, but I am really glad that I did both. The first one were a lot about everything being new and exciting, and during the second I really felt like I belonged and fit in like all the locals, and that was a really great feeling :) If you can swing it, I would go as a senior. I was a sophomore but most of my friends were seniors, and they did have some privileges that I didn't have, because of my grade, so I would suggest being a senior if you can :) Making friends is all about talking to people, and using the new "I'm new, can you help me with..." line is really great. As for clubs, ask an advisor which clubs are available and join one you like. I've always been really into acting, so naturally I joined the drama club, which I can definitely recommend, since drama clubs always have a strong sense of community and teamwork :) I hope that somewhat answered your questions, if not, then feel free to write again :D

[@lizzywentz1966]

Thanks for replying! I'm a drama geek aswell!!! But sadly that is a part of my dilemma. When I do go on exchange it will cut into the first semester of my senior year in Australia, my home country. Which means i will miss out on the senior musical :( that i am garunteed a main role! I will aslo miss senior formal. I am assuming it is similar to prom. Which Did you enjoy more prom or homecomming? I am unsure if i should just go for the first semester and then do senior year in Australia or go a full year and gain the whole experience! Which do you recommend? Atleast now I know one of the club's I am sure to be joining :)

[@Malene_Simonsen]

***** ah that's a hard one. I enjoyed Prom more, simply because I knew people better at the time, and because it's a bit bigger than homecoming, but I found all the dances quite fun :) I guess it depends on how much you are looking forward to the musical and formal in your school? I don't see any harm in just going for a semester though (would it be the first or last of the american school?) I know that a few of the American students I studied with went for just a semester (they did the first one) so they didn't miss out on things, and they enjoyed their experience a lot too :)

[@lizzywentz1966]

Yeah it would be the same as only the one first semester. What other things happen aside from the dances? I heard of something called spirit week and other occasions?

[@Malene_Simonsen]

***** yeah, spirit week is the week before homecoming where everyone dresses up as a theme each day, and it's really fun. There is a lot of sports and our drama club did a play both semesters (which I think is pretty normal). Of course you get Halloween and thanks giving and Christmas, and it's always fun to experience holidays in a different country :) and if you join things like choir and band (which were classes at my school) there are concert that you perform with those as well and things like that, so you'd experience plenty of things :)

[@FrejaTrikx]

I'm danish too hehe

[@Malene_Simonsen]

nice! :3

[@agnesborg4631]

+not a youtube me too hihi

[@victoriagoldmann4263]

+Agnes Borg samme hehe

[@PlayrsWorld]

Hey I am 16 from the UK and I have English grades, I am thinking about going to the US and as I understand in the US students stay in high school till 18. Would I have to go to high school or some place else?

[@Malene_Simonsen]

+Playr's World Because of your age, I definitely think you will be in High School :) I had graduated from Danish school, but was put in sophomore in the US because of my age :)

[@PlayrsWorld]

Okay thanks :)

[@PlayrsWorld]

+Malene Simonsen Just wondering have I misses. exchange for good this year?

[@Malene_Simonsen]

+Playr's World I'm not quite sure what you mean by "misses for good"? Can you clarify a bit? :)

[@PlayrsWorld]

Ops sorry I mean missed. I hate typing on phones. .

[@BakeryBart]

Great video! Did you go with EF, because you said that you got a simcard :p By the way, do the Americans text very much? Don't they Whatsapp? Haha

[@Malene_Simonsen]

+Bakery Bart I went with My Education/World Heritage :) And the Americans I know either texted or use messenger :) I didn't get whatsapp until I came home and even then, it is only one of my American friends who use it :D

[@BakeryBart]

+Malene Simonsen Okey! Haha lol are you serious? :p That's weird in my opinion haha I want to go on exchange next year, I think! I do really look forward to it! :D Thanks for the tips by the way! :p

[@apdroidgeek1737]

im asian and new to america and i dont know how to make friends is student here in america are good im kinda small and skinny most likely to be bullied im too nervous cuz i saw the same age as mine is like boi your so huge you are like 20 yrs old im 16 btw

[@apdroidgeek1737]

also im not good at english when i talked in english my brain just dont respond and saying different things

[@paulosales6322]

+apdroid geek I know how you feel, I'm also not that good at speaking English but I also speak French so that's not a big problem since I'm going to Canada in December. (Staying there for 6 months) I'm Brazilian btw

[@ThespianCrAzY13]

You were such a nerd xP still are! Lol miss ya.

[@Malene_Simonsen]

ThespianCrAzY13 Nerds FTW :P Miss you too, hope you are doing well :)

[@Fidabulous]

Nice video. Good face

[@Malene_Simonsen]

Haha thanks ^_^

[@McSuilenroc]

'xcept for drugs, kids!

[@LipstickLullabies]

Ok maybe this is just me but have you lost your accent? I can hear iy so much here but not as much in your recent videos.

[@Malene_Simonsen]

My accent has definitely changed through the years! This was a year after I came back from the US and currently I've spent 1.5 in England 😊 they still think I sound American or at the very least Canadian (I think my As might be getting broader) so who knows!

[@LipstickLullabies]

@@Malene_Simonsen Yeah i think now you sound american except for a few words. where as in this video i can hear a very thick non american accent. Idk what though .

[@maudealsept-beaty6861]

Your accent is almost non existent! Have you worked on making it less intense, or am I just un-educated on danish accents?

[@Malene_Simonsen]

no, that's very much on purpose :) I think it came somewhat naturally to begin with, since most of my learning came from watching American shows and bands, but as I got older it became a conscious effort to remove as much of my danish accent as possible. I'm glad to hear that I'be almost succeeded :) (my accent was of course much better when I was in the us/just arrived home)