What are some good semester abroad programs?

I am a freshman in high school and either next year or my junior year I want to spend a symester studing abroad. I have always wanted to travel and when I am older I want a job that alows me to do so, but I am still not sure about what I want to do. I just know that I do not want to end up living in a small boring town and being just like my parents.
Also, right now I can only speak english but I want to learn spanish. I am intrested in architecture, design, and writing. I really love learning and I do a lot of voulenter work.

Hi!

Being an exchange student is a great experience!

Generally speaking, to become an exchange student you need to be independent, outgoing and somewhat fearless! Don't worry about the language. Unless you are going to a native French speaking country, you will need at least two years of high school French. Most other countries do not have a language requirement!

I recommend that you go for a year -- you get the full benefit of culture and language immersion that way. Bear in mind that colleges and universities LOVE exchange students and often offer preferred admissions and sometimes additional scholarship monies.

Being an exchange student is expensive. Rotary is the cheapest, but most competitive. Other programs offer scholarships however.

The first step is to find an organization. A list of all those certified to operate in the U.S. can be found at www.csiet.org. Don't use one not on the list. However, you should also talk to your high school counselor for a recommendation. An organization is only as good as its local representatives.

You also need to talk to your counselor about your credits. Taking your junior year is best, because you can catch a missed credit the next year if necessary, have the fun of your senior year and graduate with your class. Your school should give you credit for much of your exchange year -- especially foreign language, social studies, math and possibly English and independent study. Make sure you get the commitment in writing!

There is TONS more to know, but the easy way is for me to point you to
http://www.exchangestudentworld.com/
That's a site written by exchange students for exchange students and covers everything from deciding to go to your return home. One of my former students runs it and I'm an editor.

Good luck! This is a great experience!

Mexico-- my roommate went there are loved it!