Hello!

I live in a small town in Kansas and am on my 13th student! Most were a little disappointed at first to discover they were coming to a small town and not a big, famous city! But, once they got here, they realised in a small school they got to do everything they wanted — played football and other sports, participated in band and choir, had roles in the school play! All of these things are possible because they were in a small school. In a big school, the Americans pretty much have all these activities locked up!

However, be aware if you plan to go through an exchange program (about the only way to do this legally) not all of them offer the opportunity to pick where you want to go! The Aspect Foundation — the one I use, currently has that option — but you have to pay a bit more and apply earlier!

I hope you make it and have a great year!

It depends on what you like and where you want to live for a whole year. Do you want to live close to the beach and experience warm climate year-round, then choose Florida or California. Do you want to experience the four seasons, then choose a northern state. Do you want to live close to big cities, then choose places near New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC. Boston is particularly nice for students, because it has so many colleges in the area. If you want to experience authentic American life with all the traditions, then choose Ohio or any other state in the heart of the country.

Good luck!

For a true American experience I would strongly recommend the Midwest, especially some of the larger cities. Look into the following: Columbus or Cincinnati, OHIO, Indianapolis, INDIANA, Memphis, TENNESSEE, Louisville, KENTUCKY, Des Moines, IOWA, Omaha, NEBRASKA, Kansas City or Saint Louis, MISSOURI, Tulsa or Oklahoma City, OKLAHOMA, Topeka or Wichita, KANSAS or Denver, COLORADO.

There you will find the nicest, most genuine Americans with none of the fake-ness of the east or west coast.