Talking to Your School
From transferring credit to requesting transcripts, the high school study abroad planning process has many moving parts. That’s why it’s very important to reach out to and start working with your child’s guidance counselor early on in the process. They have experience and resources to answer your questions and help you and your child make the most informed decisions about their time abroad.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you begin working with your child’s guidance counselor:
- Your child’s home school will determine whether or not they will receive credit for coursework taken abroad and how the grades received abroad are translated on their home institution transcript. Ideally, grades should not be transferred directly as grading systems abroad differ from U.S. systems and will not easily factor into a grade point average.
- While some general information about the national curriculum in each country is available, CIEE will not be able to determine specific classes your child will take while abroad. What’s more, they might not have the same kind of flexibility they’re accustomed to in choosing individual courses within that curriculum.
- Differences in course content and the sequence in which it’s covered allow for fresh approaches, new perspectives, and a valuable academic experience. Students often complete some graduation requirements, such as English and U.S. history, prior to or upon returning from their time abroad. It’s important then for students to formulate a junior or senior year class schedule with study abroad in mind.
Students will register for all classes when they arrive in their host country.
- Students will not receive an official transcript from their host high school. Instead, they should request a list of courses taken and grades received from a school official to bring home with them at the end of the high school study abroad program.
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