hello! I have applied for two summer programs with one of them being a summer abroad. the summer abroad requires not interacting in English whatsoever, so no phones, no music, books etc. I plan on majoring in linguistics with a concentration in psycholinguistics so I know studying abroad will definitely be something in my future with my language studies. money is a big issue when it comes to both programs I am applying for, but I have been saving for something like this since middle school.
I'm just not sure if a summer abroad is something I should do over the summer, especially considering I am still in high school. If I were to get accepted, I would be staying with a host family in a fairly large town/city. I don't feel confident enough in my language skills, even though I am very good at comprehension. The whole point of the program is to immerse the student into the language that will definitely boost their skills and confidence in the language. I understand that I will experience a big culture shock, and I am prepared for that. What I am most worried about is that I will be in over my head. It takes me a while on some listening exercises since I am not used to the pace that they are speaking.
My other option (if I were to get accepted into it as well) is an immersive, online Norwegian intermediate low course that requires a lot of independent work alongside the 4-5 hours for classwork each school day.
The summer abroad is only for a month and the online program is for 8 weeks. If I were to get accepted into the summer abroad program, would it be worth it? If I got accepted into both, should I choose the summer abroad over the online program?
These are all a bunch of "what-if" questions since it is too soon to tell that I get accepted, but it is something I really want to do. I just don't know when.
Simple answer if you mean high school absolutely not , if you mean college however 100% yes.
To keep this community safe and supportive:
I mean I'm also looking into abroad programs as a high schooler. I feel like it just depends on the program and if you get in. For me, I'm hoping to go to an oxford summer course over the summer for a few weeks, which in the end you get a special letter of recommendation from the school. Personally I think it'd be worth it.