Prospective Students’ Frequently Asked Questions

Read our Student Travel Guidelines
Read the Standards of Conduct (student rules)

Getting Started

How do I find out more about the SHARE! program? The first step is to contact one of our agents in your home country. They will tell you about the SHARE! program, assist you in filling out the application, provide you with a pre-arrival orientation and help you schedule your flight. If you do not know who SHARE!’s partner is in your home country, contact us.

Can I come on the SHARE! program directly through SHARE!? No. You must apply through one of ERDT’s partners in your home country.

Do you offer any scholarships? No. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide scholarships.

Do I receive orientations before my arrival? Yes. Your agent in your home country will provide you with a pre-arrival orientation, which must include:

A description of the program and a copy of both the SHARE! Standards of Conduct and Liability and Agreement Release form.
The address of ERDT/SHARE! and the name and telephone number of the Responsible Officer, Kelli Jones.
The address and telephone number of the Exchange Visitor Program Services of the Department of State and a copy of the Exchange Visitor Program brochure outlining the regulations relevant to exchange students.
Information regarding the life and customs in the United States, including resources for the student’s hosting community
Information on identifying, preventing and reporting sexual abuse or exploitation.
A detailed profile of the school, family, and community, including notification that the host family is either a permanent host family or a temporary “Welcome Family” (this info might not be given to you during the orientation, but will be given to you prior to your departure from your home country).
A detailed summary of the student’s travel arrangements.

They may provide you with a student handbook, which you can also download here. You’ll receive a Student Handbook upon arrival in the U.S., as well.

How good does my English have to be to come to the U.S.? We expect that you will be able to understand classes that are taught in English, and complete assignments in English without any language assistance. Your agent in your home country will test your written and oral English to determine if it meets SHARE!’s standards. Once you are in the U.S., if your English is not found to be adequate, you will either be sent home or your parents will be required to pay for a tutor. Availability and cost for tutors varies widely across the U.S., ranging from $15 to $40 per hour. The school, host family, and/or EPC can help the student find a tutor, but your parents will be required to pay for additional tutoring.

Do my parents have to host a U.S. student while I am in the U.S.? No.

I have attended school in the U.S. on a J-1 or F-1 visa before. Can I participate again? No. The J-1 visa can only be used for your first time abroad attending high school.

What can I do to ensure that my application stands out to potential host families? A good-quality, smiling photo is often the first thing that a host family looks at, when going through applications. Frowning, bad lighting or focus, an unkempt appearance, or excessive makeup, jewelry, facial hair, piercings or décolletage can be an immediate turn-off for potential host families. Also remember that if your application is late, incomplete or needs corrections, it will be delayed in getting out to prospective host families. Be sure to fill out your application promptly but carefully.

If you have a Facebook page or web page, ensure that the content is either inaccessible, or acceptable to be viewed by prospective host families. Mention of parties, alcohol use, etc. or inappropriate pictures posted on the site may very easily become reason for a host family to reverse their decision to host you.

How important is it that I fill my Student Application out accurately? Host families are expecting to welcome the student that they selected as the student presented him/herself on the Student Application. For example, if a student did not display colored or dyed hair in the student application, then that student should not arrive in the U.S. with dyed or colored hair. Students should also not arrive in the U.S. with piercings or tattoos if these were not known to the host family in advance of the placement. If the student smokes, this must be indicated on the appropriate section of the Student Application. If students do not wish to attend religious services (or are non-believers), then they should be truthful about their convictions. The same applies to allergies, medical history, and willingness to live with children. ERDT, therefore, reserves the right to repatriate with no refund of program fees any students who misrepresent themselves with regard to appearance, smoking, religious belief, medical history, or any other information included on the Student Application.

Can I come on the SHARE! program if I have a history of mental/behavior/learning disorder or disability? The SHARE! program always tries to take in the "whole picture" in order to make a thorough and fair determination whether to accept a student or not. Students with diagnosis of such disorders as those listed above are not arbitrarily rejected, though we must ask for specific information, as detailed below, in order to make a decision.

Physician's statement clearly stating student's prognosis for a successful year abroad.
Additional teacher recommendations with specific comments on their impression of student's ability to handle a year away in the U.S.
Comments from the home country agent regarding the student’s interview
How long ago was the diagnosis made?
What medication does the student take, if any, and how long have they taken prescribed medications?
How are medications going to be provided to the student during his/her stay in the US?
Is this student mature enough for responsibility of taking medications on their own, or will they need supervision?
What are this student's symptoms of diagnosis? (Acting out? Difficulty focusing? Violence? Introverted behavior? Self-deprecation? Academic difficulties? Food obsessions? Chronic dieting?)
Any other special considerations?

As you can imagine, a student who arrives with medical conditions that will require monitoring or any such support from the host family (medication distribution, regular doctor’s appointments, etc.) is information that is needed prior to their acceptance to our program, and most certainly, information that the host family must have prior to their agreement to host. To try to conceal this information in hopes of a “quicker or better” placement is not only unfair to the hosts, but it is certainly a path to failure for the students.

Your Host Family

Can I choose the kind of family I will live with? No. In the U.S., families come in all shapes and sizes. You may be placed with a family that has younger children, teens, or kids who are in college or grown. You may have one host parent or two... or even host grandparents in the home! Students are not allowed to choose the kind of family they will live with.

Can I choose the state where I will live, or the kind of area (snowy, hot, urban, rural)? No. You may be placed anywhere in the U.S.

May a relative host me? Not on the J-1 program; however, you may contact us regarding our F-1 program.

May a family friend host me? Yes, as long as A) they are not related to you B) English is the primary language spoken in the home, and C) SHARE! has an Exchange Program Coordinator (EPC) located nearby. When you apply in your home country, let the agency know that there is a family in the U.S. willing to host you. If you remain with this family for the whole year, you will receive a refund of a small portion of your program fee at the end of the year.

How do I know that SHARE! will find me a good family to live with? A SHARE! Exchange Program Coordinator (EPC) will visit the host family and examine their home to make sure it is suitable for an exchange student. All host family members 18 and over will undergo a Criminal Background Check, so that we can be sure they do not have a criminal background. The family will fill out an application which will be checked by SHARE! and sent to you before you come to the U.S. The host family is also required to provide 2 references, which SHARE! checks by mail and phone.

Is my host family paid? No, all host families are volunteers.

Will I have a support person in the U.S. besides my host parents? Yes. You will have an Exchange Program Coordinator (EPC) in your local area who will have regular contact with students, families and high schools, providing guidance and support to help insure that the experience is going as smoothly as possible.

Health, Safety and Cultural Adjustment

Will I have health insurance during my time in the U.S.? Yes. Your home country agent can give you more information about the insurance you will use.

Will I have to attend church with my host family? On your student application, you will be asked specific questions about your willingness to attend church. Carefully consider your answer. If you are open to sharing this experience with your family, your application will be attractive to a larger pool of host families. You will also get to share in this important experience, which is significant to U.S. culture and family life. However, if you are completely opposed to attending church, please indicate this honestly on your application.

High School

May I go to a school that has recruited me for one of their sports teams, or be hosted by a school coach of a sport that I excel at? No.

Can it be guaranteed that I will graduate, receive a diploma, and/or be able to play sports? No. Each school has their own policies on this and you are expected to respect their policy. If you hassle the school about this, we will take disciplinary action.

Rules

May I work while in the U.S.? You may do occasional odd jobs, such as babysitting or lawn-mowing, for pocket money, but you may not hold a regular or part-time job.

Should I bring a cell phone and/or laptop? Yes, you may bring these items, but if you misuse them or do not follow the rules, SHARE! has the right to limit your use, or confiscate these items until the end of the program. Remember that emailing, social networking, calling and texting with people in your home country limits your integration into U.S. culture.

Can I learn to drive in the U.S.? No. You may not drive any vehicle in the U.S.

Travel & Visitors

May my family / friends / boyfriend / girlfriend come visit me in the U.S.? Perhaps. Students are not permitted to have visitors – or travel to meet up with family or family friends - for the first 6 months of their program. After 6 months, students may request to have family or friends visit. Students are never permitted to have visitors under 25 (unless the visitor’s parent is present), or stay anywhere overnight without someone 25 or over. Single-semester students may not have visitors during the program. Students may travel with family or family friends after the program with permission; however they may not return to the host family’s home.

I have a friend or relative that also wants to come on an exchange program. May we be placed in the same area? No. To help ensure that your primary relationship in the U.S. is with your host family, we will not place you and your friend or relative in the same area of the U.S.

Can I request that I be placed near a friend or relative who lives in the U.S.? No. To help ensure that your primary relationship in the U.S. is with your host family, we will not place you near a friend or relative who lives in the U.S.

May I arrive in the U.S. early to travel? No. Travel before the program is not allowed.

Is there a question you think we missed? Let us know at info@erdtshare.org, and thanks!