I personally feel junior year is crucial if you wish to attend a top school. If that is important to her, then I suggest doing this in college. If she is just planning to attend a local or not that competitive state university, then go for it.

OP here. Thanks for the responses. I appreciate reading the opinions and experiences of others. I’m trying to let DD make the decision on this while also helping her think through the many considerations.

I know a kid who went to Korea on a government-funded exchange program. She had a great time and is currently at an Ivy where she's very happy, so it seems like it worked out. I know other people who went from Rotary Youth Exchange to decent SLACs. If your kid wants to go, why say no? A kid who wishes she was 12 time zones away may not do wonderfully in school or extracurriculars, and won't be that fun to have around.

Anonymous wrote:Parent of current junior here…
That seems like a risky move to me, she needs to have a rigorous, academic set of classes junior year to be competitive. She must be a bright and motivated kid….there will be tons of opportunities for her to do study abroad when she is in college

But sometimes in life it makes sense to take risks. I promise there is a college out there for a kid who took APs in sophomore and senior year and had the wherewithal to apply for an exchange program and actually move across the world. If she can come back with a proficiency in an Asian language, that counts for something too.

Why not find program over the summer? Is DC being bullied or do they not have close friends?

I think it will place more emphasis on her SAT/ACT and 10th grade AP scores. Without meaningful grades and APs from 11th, those test scores will fill in the information gap. I’d do the program if you think the test scores will be strong.

What does she hope to study? I think for many fields advanced language skills will be as or more valuable than whatever AP’s she missed. I think if she is specifically interested in STEM it might be harder, and might require some work around such as a summer class before or after or taking one (not 5!) math class while there.

Parent of current junior here…
That seems like a risky move to me, she needs to have a rigorous, academic set of classes junior year to be competitive. She must be a bright and motivated kid….there will be tons of opportunities for her to do study abroad when she is in college

I did this and loved it, but I was also in need of a break from my life. Senior year after coming back was rough: I had matured a lot and being back in high school at home felt regressive. All my close friends also graduated so it was a lonely year. I would consider these factors. That year was still incredible and I would do it again.

Let her go. Its a great opportunity. APs are not important for getting into college. Keep perspective and send her on this incredible opportunity. She will learn so much more than coursework.

If your DD is excited about this, I would definitely encourage her to do it and not worry about the junior year schedule. It sounds like an amazing opp, way more meaningful than AP psychology She can take a full AP load when she returns senior year, and this is exactly the sort of thing that can and should be explained in college apps in the "is there any other circumstance you want us to know?"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD will be a junior this fall. She’s been offered a full scholarship to spend the academic year studying in Asia. The emphasis of the program is more of a cultural exchange, so her classes will not be rigorous.
DD is an excellent student who is taking 3APs now, and was planning to take 5 APs as a junior.
Will this hurt her college apps? This is something we could never afford our own so it feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Dual enroll into an online school that offers AP, so she can get the prep and credit.

You could if she wants, but having time with her host family and to explore the country is important too.

You will never know if it will help or hurt. She will get in somewhere either way, so I think if she wants to go she should. It will be a good opportunity to learn more about language, culture, independence, etc. I was an exchange student my junior year and even though it meant I took fewer ap classes, it was worth it. It made me different from other applicants from my school/area so maybe that was a good thing. I was pretty grumpy to come home again so just be prepared for that senior year.

Anonymous wrote:DD will be a junior this fall. She’s been offered a full scholarship to spend the academic year studying in Asia. The emphasis of the program is more of a cultural exchange, so her classes will not be rigorous.
DD is an excellent student who is taking 3APs now, and was planning to take 5 APs as a junior.
Will this hurt her college apps? This is something we could never afford our own so it feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Dual enroll into an online school that offers AP, so she can get the prep and credit.

DD will be a junior this fall. She’s been offered a full scholarship to spend the academic year studying in Asia. The emphasis of the program is more of a cultural exchange, so her classes will not be rigorous.
DD is an excellent student who is taking 3APs now, and was planning to take 5 APs as a junior.
Will this hurt her college apps? This is something we could never afford our own so it feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity.