Hi,

I'm a high school student near Rochester, New York; and I'm planning
on going to Italy for July and a little bit of June and August in
2004. I'm going with AFS, there'll be a two-week language camp, a few
days in Rome, and then 3or so weeks with a host family.

The total cost is about $5,000; and I really can't afford that. I'm
hoping to get scholarships (I have pretty good grades, and honors
classes), but I've also made a website to hopefully help.

If you could, would you please look at it?

It's at www.wheninrome.iwebland.com

Thanks!
Kelsey

PS. I hope I'm allowed to post url's... if not, sorry.

"Kelsey" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi,
    > I'm a high school student near Rochester, New York; and I'm planning
    > on going to Italy for July and a little bit of June and August in
    > 2004. I'm going with AFS, there'll be a two-week language camp, a few
    > days in Rome, and then 3or so weeks with a host family.
    > The total cost is about $5,000; and I really can't afford that. I'm
    > hoping to get scholarships (I have pretty good grades, and honors
    > classes), but I've also made a website to hopefully help.
    > If you could, would you please look at it?


Sorry for the language, but WTF are we teaching our high school students
these days? Panhandling 101?

    > Thanks!
    > Kelsey
    > PS. I hope I'm allowed to post url's... if not, sorry.

Kelsey wrote:
    >
    > Hi,
    >
    > I'm a high school student near Rochester, New York; and I'm planning
    > on going to Italy for July and a little bit of June and August in
    > 2004. I'm going with AFS, there'll be a two-week language camp, a few
    > days in Rome, and then 3or so weeks with a host family.
    >
    > The total cost is about $5,000; and I really can't afford that. I'm
    > hoping to get scholarships (I have pretty good grades, and honors
    > classes), but I've also made a website to hopefully help.
    >
    > If you could, would you please look at it?

I don't know where AFS gets off charging these kinds of prices. The
two-week language camp should cost about the same as a 2-week course at
one of the Dante Alighieri schools. The school in Florence charges 270
euro for a 2-week course (40 hours of instruction, plus various cultural
activities in the free hours). Lodging in a family is 780 euros for 4
weeks (which would be equivalent to 390 for 2 weeks), including
breakfast and supper. Lunch would run about 70 euros for 2 weeks. Let's
say 800 euro for the language course, to be generous.

The two days in Rome, basic hotel and meals included, plus transport
pass and admissions, should cost about $150.

I imagine the host family (as in usual in AFS programs) not only doesn't
get paid, but is expected to spend lots of time on fundraising for AFS,
which purports to be a non-profit organization. But let's even say the
host family gets paid the same as the Dante Alighieri host families,
about 100 euro a week, for a total of 300 euros.

Let's add $800 for summer airfare. Altogether I make this out to be
about $2000 for an equivalent program. What does AFS do in addition that
makes the total 5000 dollars?

I remember having similar sticker shock when I looked into possible AFS
programs for my own kids when they were in high school. The guest
families (in the US, at least) are more or less required to sell oranges
and grapefruits to their reluctant friends and relatives to raise money.
I got the feeling that this was just to make you think they were saving
every possible penny.

Barbara