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#in short: school is currently kicking my ass in 2.5 different ways
bigeloo · 3 years
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Bestie my mental health is declining and it's not even funny this time
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enyafan · 7 years
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I heard cbyx flag was easier than the others. If you don't mind me asking what was your gpa and extracurriculars to be accepted into cbyx? Thank you!!!
Holy shit CBYX...... I feel like I'm at a smoky bar in the 40s and some mysterious woman from my distant past just showed up.... *takes a long drag from cigarette* CBYX? Haven't heard that name in years....Anyway I don't talk about CBYX a whole lot because due to a combination of troublesome factors both my own fault and others I ended up leaving early by my own choice but on pretty bad terms with everyone involved save a few close friends. As such, I don't really know the current state of the program, so what I'm saying here applies to it as of around 3 years ago when I was interviewing (with CIEE/Experiment, I can't speak for the other companies which administer it.)Anyway, in my time at least it's really not hard to get into. They don't care much about GPA since it's not an academic program (minimum is like 2.5 lmao), I don't know how much extracurriculars influence it but at the time I was just a freshman so I wasn't very involved, I did band and quiz bowl but I wasn't passionate about or really deep into either one. What's most important on the application is the essays. Good communication skills are the number one thing they look for. They want flexible, articulate people who can find their way healthily in alien social environments. Write passionately and honestly, don't be afraid to seem a little out there if it shows who you really are, uniqueness counts for a lot too. Of course, above all make sure it sounds good and communicates your points thoroughly. Honestly though as long as you're coherent and meet the requirements you'll probably get the interview. We were told that there were 100 semi finalist spots each year and only 83 were actually chosen, I have a feeling that's literally everyone who qualified because some of those people were very obviously not on the caliber you'd expect.At the interview, again, it's all about communication skills. The actual "interview" is very short and mostly for basic practical concerns. They'll ask you some curveballs at times but just keep your cool and don't overprepare. They can tell when you're bullshitting but that's not a bad thing, making up a plausible answer to a wild question on the spot shows very good communication skills while reading from a mentally prepared script is obvious and sounds bad. The real test, however, is how you act before and after the interview. You'll be in a hotel with all the other semi finalists just hanging around, eating, socializing, playing icebreaker games, etc. The more outgoing, confident, fun, etc. you seem the more they'll like you, they're watching the whole time. Talk to the staff too, make yourself known and get on their good side. Don't obviously schmooze, just be friendly! They're all wonderful folks I promise. Also-during the icebreaker games and tasks and such, even when it sounds goofy, take it seriously. I remember we played a little scavenger hunt game and if you were the first one finished you were supposed to come back and claim a prize. I wasn't the first one finished, but I was the first one who remembered the actual instructions and they were very impressed that I actually listened to them and took them seriously. Above all, as corny as it sounds, just be you and try to make some pals. It's easier than it sounds, I was little 15 year old weaboo freako introvert who barely talked but it's a good environment there and you'll come out of your shell a lot easier than in normal life.Some words of warning though, to ensure my terrible fate does not befall another. First off, the partner organization in Germany (Experiment EV) is HORRIBLE. They're strict, rude, and ridiculously unorganized. Many students were assigned temporary families and then forced to stay with them for months longer than planned, without the family or the student's consent. They tell you you'll be able to switch families easily and it's common for students to go through a few bad matches before finding the right place. Not true. Unless your family is absolutely terrible (criminals, abusers, alcoholics, too poor to care for you, etc) you will be blamed for your problem and you will not be allowed to change. This wouldn't be as big of an issue if they would get better hosts, but very many of their families really are not qualified and are only there out of desperation because good families are so scarce. Local counselors are unpaid volunteers who are very poorly vetted and often insanely overworked. It's altogether a mess. Of course, this is just my experience. Things may have improved dramatically in the past few years, and even if they haven't, most people I went with had a good experience (this was a problem in itself though, as all the people who lucked out with good placements would gaslight anyone legitimately in a bad situation who looked for support). The potential problems aren't just on them either, you really really need to be sure you're ready to go. As a general rule, do not go before junior year. I dunno how old you are, but you grow and change so much so fast in high school, and as an underclassman you simply are not actually yourself yet and imo you really need to mature in your home first and find who you are before striking out on such a dramatic life changing journey. Also, you'll be bottom of the social pecking order at language camp which is a pain in the ass. Best to go on a gap year IMO but I understand not wanting to wait! Still, it hurts a lot for me to look back and think about how much better things could have been if I had gone with the knowledge and experience and maturity and sense of self I have today. As an insecure immature little kid, despite being so incredibly precocious, smart, lovable, etc as I've always been, I was not nearly emotionally or socially mature enough to deal with many situations and I missed a lot of opportunities and got into a lot of trouble because of it.Some questions to ask yourself before you go:-Am I socially secure in my own life? Do I make friends easily and comfortably?-Do I process difficult situations with real consequences healthily?-Am I brave and adaptable enough to regularly find my way through unfamiliar places alone?-Am I secure in my own beliefs, philosophies, ideologies, politics, world views, etc? Knowing what lenses you'll process new events through is vital, such views are our toolkit for understanding what we encounter and if you don't have a solid toolkit you're going to get terribly bombarded with new discoveries which you'll never process correctly and will get terribly jumbled up in your head. Knowing your own values also makes finding friends much easier, you know what to look for.-Do I have a history of mental illness? If so, can I process that safely without regular psychiatric care in an unfamiliar environment?-Can I deal with possibly getting put in a family that is unprepared and unwelcoming and being unable to change?No doubt you think you're perfectly qualified already and this is a load of overcautious baloney that won't even give you pause. I know I probably would have given the "right" answers to all of them when I was going even though I wasn't ready at all. And you probably are ready! But it pays to be cautious, and while none of these are disqualifiers if you give the "wrong" answer, if they give you serious pause you might want to put it off a bit. If you're already a senior, go for it no matter what, worst that happens is you get kicked out (which isn't so bad in the long run, trust me).I spoke a lot about the negatives, but it's only fair to give you the positives too, and there are many! Germany is absolutely a wonderful place, there's beauty everywhere. You'll see amazing forests and mountains and castles and more. The transportation network will give you an amazing level of independence American teens, even those with cars, can barely fathom. The food and drink is top quality (I recommend Pom-Döners to eat and Hefeweizens to drink). More than just the usual travel perks, you'll really meet amazing people. I never made any close German friends but language camp is the most intense and wonderful 3 weeks of your life so far, the people there are chosen for a reason and they really are something special. If you're from the Southeast US (And so going with CIEE) the area it's in is definitely magical on many levels too, as I assume the others are but I can't speak for them. Regardless of any of these specific things though, simply the experience holistically will be vital to your personal growth and life. Living in a wildly different area with a huge cultural and language barrier will radically break down and redefine you in ways you can't even imagine right now and I certainly can't articulate. It's well worth the troubles.Damn, you asked some simple advice and I wrote a fucking novel. I hope it helps you and please do come of anon or just message me if you have any more questions or just to talk, I'd love to go more into this!! Good luck!!!!!!!
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