Applying to CBYX Program

          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!