CBYX Program

Deal or No Deal

Deal or No Deal?

When I saw my acceptance letter, I was excited and quickly evaluated my offer. Like “Deal or No Deal”, I could choose to remain in my current state or to take a risk. I was on the edge and could not decide whether I want to participate in the program. Are you are having difficulties evaluating your offer? Don’t worry, I have some tips that will help you decide.

Prizes from playing the game- the Pros

Free program- This program is entirely free, although you do have to bring some of your own spending money. You will also have to fly from your home state the meet up location in the United States (most likely Washington D.C.). The good news is, however, the cost of monthly metrocard and your plane ticket to Germany will be covered! The program also handles insurance and fees for you (the program waives you from paying a fee that is incurred if your family has a television). Did I mention that the German language classes are free, too? You might be wondering whether this is a scam since everything is free. CBYX stands for Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange. The “Congress” part refers to the U.S. congress and the “Bundestag” refers to the German parliament. This program is funded by the U.S. and Germany to enhance the interactions between two countries.

Resume builder- the program is a great resume builder since it shows diversity. It also makes you stand out from other individuals.

Immersing in the culture- Participating in the program is a great way to be fully immersed in another culture. I explored various German food and festivals, such as the Karnival (a German version of Carnival).

Language- After living there, all of the participants during my year could communicate in German on a day-to-day basis. Living in Germany is the express way of learning the language, since you have to speak it every day. Sometimes you will even catch yourself thinking in German!

Travel- Have you imagined looking down at Paris from the Eiffel tower or getting drinks from Oktoberfest? Travelling is one of the major perks of this program. Even if you decided against travelling because trips are sometimes expensive, you will at least have traveled to Cologne, Bonn, and Berlin, where the trips are paid-for. Sometimes, although not guaranteed, the program will also give the participants 5 or 10 euros for lunch or dinner.

Independent- It is likely that you get to learn how to become independent. You will learn to plan your own trips or budget your own money, if you are not familiar with either already.

Costs from playing the game- the Cons

Academic issues- There are some classes that you took in high school, such as calculus, that are used in college. I could not remember much of my calculus when I went to college. Just be aware that this might happen to you, too.

Credit transfer- this program will not get you college credit, except maybe German. You should talk to your college prior to the trip if you expect credit.

Away from your family- The contracts states that you will have to stay in Germany for a year to complete the program (there are exceptions for special cases, such as family emergency). You will spend most of the time away from your family and your friends, except when they visit you.

Graduating later= losing potential income- Have you ever heard someone mentioning that when one pursues education for one year, one loses the opportunity to earn money for one year? Going to Germany is a similar situation. One of my neighbors believed that if I travel to Germany, I would earn less money (one year worth of income). The job market could also potentially become more competitive or it could turn out to be a bad year for the economy, which means students will face difficulties when finding jobs.

Graduating later= graduating college later than your high school friends- By the time I came back, most of the people I knew will be in their second year. I did not see my high school friends when I came back to college. Although, some might argue that part of the college experience is to make new friends.
Are you wondering why there are more pros than cons listed? It’s because these reasons are the expanded version of my original pro/con list, which convinced me to participate in the program two springs ago. If you thought of an idea that I have not included, feel free to leave a message and I will add them onto the list!

Like the T.V. show, sometimes you should consult your family before making your decisions. Family, especially parents, can have a great impact. One of the girls from my year backed out at the last minute because her parents did not want her to take part in this.

If you still have a problem deciding whether you want to say “deal” or “no deal”, you should try talking with someone from Nacel Open Door. I will list out one of the contact information below:

Susan (Sue) Franck
1-800-622-3553, x603
1-515-266-0077 FAX
SFranck@nacelopendoor.org

Sparknotes

Bruges, Belgium

Can you imagine buying a plane ticket from Germany to Edinburgh for only 12 € ? When I was in Germany, I purchased my ticket for just that price. I love travelling in Europe because the transportation fares are affordable, if you know the right source, that is. Throughout the program, you will have endless opportunities for short weekend trips. Want to take advantage of the cheap fares, too, but wondering where to start? No worries, I will set forth a couple recommendations to get you started.

Airlines

Ryanair

Ryanair is an UK based airline, but it also flies from German cities such as Düsseldorf,

Bremen, and Berlin. This company has competitive pricing, but the buyer has to keep an eye out for the best prices. The best way to accomplish that is through the email subscriptions. If you wait long enough, you will find onee-way tickets that cost less than 10 €. Cheap tickets are very exciting, but be sure to check how much the ticket is after tax. For example, When I bought my tickets, the actual fare cost 2€, but the tax is 10€. Additionally, be sure to arrive 2-3 hours before your flight. Ryanair, unlike other airlines, requires customers to get on an additional line to check visa (regardless whether you need a VISA or not) and receive a stamp. Customers can only get on the line for security after they received the stamp. I believe that Ryanair uses visa checking as a method of making profit. The reason is that most travelers are clueless about getting a stamp, so they get on the security line only to be told that they need a visa check. As they look for the line for visa check, they realize that there are only one or two agents there. If a traveler gets to the airport only 1 hour early, then he or she might not make the plane and will need to buy another ticket at a higher price.

Website: http://www.ryanair.com/de

Language: German

Service:

Price: 12€ up for Düsseldorf to Edingburgh

Tips:

-Be there early for the visa and security check!

-keep an eye on the website for cheap fare.

-Read everything on the page to avoid additional charges

Edinburgh

Germanwings

One of the special features of Germanwings is “Blind-booking”. With “Blind booking”, you will not know where you are flying to until you are finished paying for your plane fare. Germanwings provides several bundles of packages that you can choose from, such as “culture”, “party”, and “shopping”. Each bundle includes different cities and you can potentially end up in any cities in the bundle. If you have been to different regions of Germany, you might want to consider paying extra to eliminate these cities from the list. These cities will have a higher probability to be your destinations if not excluded. The cost of eliminating cities will be 5€ per city.

Website: http://www.germanwings.com/en/Booking/blind-booking.htm

Language: English available

Service:

Price: 52€ up

Tips:

Exclude German cities if you have been there already, as they have a higher probability to be your destination.

Hundertwasser Haus, Vienna

Tour bus

Mango Tours

I learned about Mango Tours through a friend’s recommendation. Mango Tours is wonderful when you are traveling to a city not that far away. I went on a weekend trip to Paris with my friends through Mango Tours and I think it definitely stretches the value of my Euros. With 89€, I get a ride to go to Paris and a hotel room (shared by 3). We did not pay extra to go sight-seeing with the tour groups-- we established our own schedule. We left Germany on Friday night and got to Paris on Saturday early morning. On Sunday, we met with the tour group at a designated area to go back to Germany together. If you would like to travel for a longer period of time, there are also other options on the website available. Overall, I would definitely recommend this website.

Website: http://www.mango-tours.de/index.html

Language: German

Service:

Price: 89€ for a weekend trip from Düsseldorf to Paris (hotels included)

Tips:

-Find friends to go with you so you can get the triple room at the regular price.

Eifel Tower, Paris

VISA + Exchanging money

One of the best things about travelling in Europe is that most countries will accept your VISA for Germany. There are a few exceptions so be sure to check beforehand. Most of Europe also uses the same currency (Euro), so unless you are travelling to countries like the United Kingdom, you do not need to exchange money.

One of the most important aspects of the program is budgeting or coming up with your own money. In fact, financing money is such a crucial part of the program that it is included in the interview process. When I had my interview three years ago, I knew very little about handling money. Do not worry if you are drawing a blank on budgeting, too. Here are some pointers that will give you a better idea:

· Exchanging money and the exchange rate- Germany, as part of the European Union, uses a currency called “Euro”. Before you go abroad, you should exchange for some Euros (about 100-200€), so that you will not have to worry about money before you learn to navigate in a foreign city. There are several ways to exchange money, such as:

o Through a Bank of America account- Bank of America partners with the Deutsche Bank, one of the well known banks in Germany. When a Bank of America customer withdraws money at a Deutsche Bank ATM, there are no fees applied to the transaction. For other banks, fees apply every time money is withdrawn abroad (charged by the home bank and the foreign bank)[1].

o Travelers checks- Travelers checks can be obtained at a bank or a financial institution for a fee. Be sure to check with the company that issued the travelers checks for locations in Germany where you can cash in your travelers checks. Note that an additional fee might apply when you cash your checks.

o Currency Exchange booths at airports or train stations-Although there are no explicit fees stated, the fees are often built into the exchange rate. This method should usually be avoided. [2]

One of the details to watch of for while exchanging money is the exchange rate. A tip on saving money is to exchange more money when the exchange rate is low and exchange little when the rate is high.

· Cost of living- In 2008, the value of 1€ in Germany was about $1 in the United States, if not slightly higher. Currently (Feb 2011), a combo meal at McDonald is about 6.17 € and a 1.5 liter bottle of water is about 1.02€[3]. For more information on the cost of living, refer to www.numbeo.com and select “Germany”.

· Budgeting- When I first arrived in Germany, I wanted to try different food, such as currywurst and grapefruit-flavored gelato. I had to restrain myself from spending too much. For your first two months in Germany, many things will appeal to you and it will be very easy to spend a lot of money. Be sure to find the balance point between spending as little as you can and trying out new things. Try only things that you really want to try. You can use the money that you saved up for traveling.

Some of the ways for saving money include:

o Recycle bottles- When you buy bottles of soda and water, you get charged for 0,15€ to 0, 25€ per bottle. By returning the bottles to any store, you can redeem money. One of the past participants mentioned that when he was short of money, he searched for bottles along the street and earned money through recycling.

o Pack your own lunch- After you tried out different food, you may want to consider packing your own lunch. My host mom packed me sandwiches and I saved on lunch money.

Sparknotes:

- Bank of America is the best way to exchange money in Germany

- Exchange more money when the rate is low and exchange very little when the rate is high

- Refer to www.numbeo.com to see cost of living of Germany

- Try only things that you really want to try

- Save money through recycling bottles and packing your own lunch

[1] http://www.moneyexchange.net/individuals/currency-exchange-rates

[2] http://www.moneyexchange.net/individuals/currency-exchange-rates

[3] http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Germany

Uni Bonn

If you decided that you want to go to Germany, here are a few things about school that you should be aware of:

-Applying to College- Many of the participants applied to college during their senior year in high school, but there wre also a couple of people who applied while they were in Germany. If you want to apply to colleges when you are in Germany, just know that the process can be a bit complicated when you have to send in specific forms. You might also need to sacrifice a bit of fun time to write the application.

-Deferring admissions to the school- Talk to the admissions office to see whether you can defer your admission. If they said yes, be sure to send them an email and have them write back to confirm it. People can sometimes forget what they say and you would want to try your best to avoid that situation.

-Financial Aid situation- If you applied for financial aid for the college that you plan on attending, call the financial aid office to find out if your scholarships apply for the next year. One of the schools that I applied to mentioned that one of the scholarships that I was eligible for would not be eligible if I defer the admission for a year. You should also remember to apply to financial aid again when you are in Germany, since it requires renewal.

-Textbooks- if you are fortunate enough and have high school friends who have already attended the same college for a year, you can ask them if they have textbooks that you need. You might end up saving yourself some money.

Sparknotes:

- Applying to college can be complicated when you have to send in different forms, like transcript or recommendation letter, but it is still possible

- Make sure to send the admission office a confirmation email about deferring the school year

- Call the financial aid office to see whether the scholarships will still be applicable for the next year

- Apply to financial aid again in Germany

- Ask high school friends for textbooks to save money.

Nacel Open Door

It is the organization that review applications for the CBYX vocational exchange program. This website has an updated application and relevant information pertaining to the program.

http://www.nacelopendoor.org/traveling_scholarships.htm

How many opportunities in your lifetime do you get to go to Germany for free? Probably very few, if any. U.S. Congress and German Bundestag fund an annual program named Congress-Bundestag Vocational Youth Exchange Program, or Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm. This program offers high school seniors between the ages of 18-19 an opportunity to live in Germany for a year for free. The best things in life are free, so do not miss out on this program! Even if you are not sure whether you want to commit to this program yet, you should still apply. You can make the decision after you find out if you are accepted (see “Pro and Con”).
Are you wondering where to start? Do not worry, I will guide you step-by-step.
Qualifications
-U.S. Citizen
- Graduate from high school in January or June
- Be between eighteen and nineteen years of age (some flexibility available)
- Have a “B” (3.0) academic and/or vocational grade point average- if your high school average is out of 100, then this translates into about 83-86.
- Be highly recommended by their school- usually this should not be a problem. You will need a teacher, guidance counselor or principal to write you a recommendation. If you have no idea whom to ask for a recommendation, you can ask your teachers who wrote or will write recommendation letters for your college applications.
- Demonstrate leadership ability and willingness to serve as a young ambassador of the USA- the leadership ability usually refers to your extra-curricular activities. This portion also appears as part of your application as recommendations from extra-curricular activities.
After you looked through the qualifications and verified that you are eligible, you can move on to the application.

Application

Part I- basic information, extracurricular/jobs, short answers about exchange experience,2 essays, and GPA verification sheet.

As a high school senior, you have probably already used the common application and wrote essays to apply to colleges. Aside from using your existing essays to apply to colleges, I would suggest you to recycle some of the material and use it for this application. For example, there is a portion of common application that asks you for a 250-word essay on your extracurricular activities. You can probably use some, if not most of it again for Essay A, which asks you for your activities and interests.

Part II- recommendation from a principal, guidance counselor, or teacher.

When I was applying, I asked my college process guidance counselor to write the recommendation. You are, of course, free to choose.

Part III- recommendation from activities supervisor

This part is used for evaluating your leadership skills. It would probably be helpful if you have a position for a particular extracurricular activity.

Application Deadline is January 31st, be sure to ask for the recommendations early!

Hopefully the information above will get you started on the application. I strongly encourage you to apply because CBYX is a great program. Several participants from my year enjoyed their time abroad so much that they decided to stay in Germany after the program ended. Many others, myself included, continue to take German courses in College after returning to the United States. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity!
Sparknotes:
Qualifications
-U.S. Citizen
- Graduate from high school in January or June
- Be between eighteen and nineteen years of age (some flexibility available)
- Have a “B” (3.0) academic and/or vocational grade point average
- Be highly recommended by their school
- Demonstrate leadership ability and willingness to serve as a young ambassador of the USA
Application
Part I- basic information, list extra-curriculars/jobs, short answers about exchange experience, and 2 essays, GPA verification sheet.
Part II- a recommendation from a principal, guidance counselor, or teacher.
Part III- a recommendation from activities supervisor
Application Deadline is January 31st!