Travel and study blog written by gap year student+prospective Stanford freshie. Find anything and everything about applying to college and taking a gap year here!
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Welcome to my blog, where I write about anything and everything—mostly Germany and college though, probably a couple of surprises here and there.
“CBYX ‘20,″ that’s what you’ll find in my Instagram bio, along with the Instagram bio of hundreds of other kids from both the United States and Germany, embarking on the adventure of their lives as they move to their corresponding foreign country for a year, immersing themselves in a foreign culture, lifestyle, and rhythm that will leave them forever impacted for the better.
But what exactly is the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX), and how does the Congress-Bundestag Vocational Exchange tie into it?
Firstly, it’d help to give a bit of context with exactly how it started.
Taken from the official U.S Department of State website, CBYX is explained as:
“Initiated in 1983, Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange was created to strengthen ties between Germany and the United States through citizen diplomacy. The program was founded in celebration of the 300th year anniversary of the first German immigration to the United States. CBYX is jointly funded by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag, and in the U.S. is overseen by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Over 24,000 students have prepared themselves for success in an increasingly global world by participating in the CBYX program.”
In the simplest form, CBYX is a government funded exchange program bringing German students to the United States and students from the U.S to Germany. However, it doesn’t necessarily end there.
Within the U.S to Germany CBYX umbrella, there’s a number of different programs one can apply to:
The high school version, where American high school students spend a year abroad in the German high school system.
Requirements as according to the U.S Department of State’s website are described as:
The Vocational Exchange, which is my exchange, where recent American high school graduates spend two to three months in the German high school system and then proceed to do internships within corresponding areas of interest.
CBYX for Young Professionals, where young American high school professionals spend a semester in a German post-secondary education such as university and then proceed to do a three month internship.
Requirements as according to the U.S Department of State’s website are described as:
All three of these programs are incredible opportunities that I would highly recommend to absolutely anyone. The hardest part of applying in my opinion is simply deciding which to apply to, and that’s depending on what you’re personally seeking— whether an opportunity to spend a year in secondary school (high school CBYX) , completely immersing yourself in internship and work opportunities (CBYX Young Professionals), or a little bit of both (My program! CBYX Vocational Exchange).
Now that all the logistics have been set aside, it’s time to discuss WHY the opportunity to participate in the CBYX program is so special.
When participating in a CBYX sponsored program, not only does one obtain the benefits of taking a year abroad, but one also obtains the benefits of government sponsored program and the networking opportunities it offers.
Aside from comparable scholarship programs, there is no other way to travel cheaper abroad in Europe and genuinely experience full cultural immersion than through a CBYX Exchange. Financially speaking, the U.S Congress and German Bundestag cover the majority of major costs needed to travel, work, and live in Germany.
In my personal experience through the Congress-Bundestag- Vocational Exchange, major costs such as my flight to and from Germany, housing through a host family, public transportation, health care, and any other necessities needed for academic or work experiences were covered entirely by public funding. From a macro perspective, the only thing I was and have been responsible for covering have been personal costs such as going out to eat or buy a new jacket— an amount comparable to any average year residing in your own household, as it mostly depends on one’s personal budgeting habits.
Not only is the time while you’re in Germany an amazing experience, as you’ll be residing with a host family excited to integrate you into their household, with the entirety of Europe at your dispense to explore, but the benefits continue even after doing the program.
CBYX has an incredible alumni network and strong connection to the U.S Department of State. Universities and employers are genuinely interested and curious in hearing about your year abroad and the experiences you obtained. Especially in the cases of the Vocational and Young Professionals exchange, already having an internship before starting college, throughout, or right after, is an enormous help in our world’s increasingly hyper-competitive workforce. In a room with five other people educated with the same degree and comparable qualifications, how many do you think took a year abroad in Germany, with a second or third language under their belt?
You might be thinking, “Well, I’ve got my entire life to travel Europe. Why postpone my college years to do it now?”
Or, “Traveling to another country seems terrifying. I’ll never learn the language!”
And inclusively, “That sounds expensive.”
In the nicest way possible, those trains of thought could never be more wrong.
From here on, I’ll be predominantly referring to taking a gap year, particularly through the CBYX Vocational Exchange, as that is the program I can speak the most sincerely on.
Since we’ve been children, our minds have been churned with the idea that we MUST graduate highschool and immediately know what we want to do in life, study that life “calling” in University, graduate in 4 years, and continue to slave our labor off to whatever profession we choose for the next 40-50 years of life. However, just because we’ve been told that— it doesn’t make it entirely correct.
Taking a gap year doesn’t make you stupid, lazy, or a procrastinator; instead, it gives one an opportunity to mature and reflect on life. If you’re willing to pay unholy amounts of thousands of dollars to pursue a secondary education (gee thanks U.S), why not enter those 4+ years with a clear mindset of what you are interested and passionate about pursuing?
If you’re like the majority of Americans, you’ve most likely lived in the same place you’re entire life. Although it’s safe and comfortable, the only life you’ve ever known, aren’t you curious to learn a little more about the world outside your bubble?
Right now, a year might seem like a long time, but you have to change your perspective to long term.
By the time a person is 50 years old, a year will only represent 2% of their entire life. Will it really make a difference if you graduate from college at 24 or 25? Start an office job at 25 or 26? Have a midlife crisis at 45 or 46? Probably not.
However, the impact of your year abroad will be everlasting.
Maybe, the ability to speak German will land you an incredible employment opportunity because your company is relocating its headquarters to Dusseldorf. Maybe, you meet the love of your life a foggy Friday at 3 am at a club in Berlin. Maybe, you’ll become a German teacher. Maybe, your year abroad in Europe sparks an everlasting passion to familiarize yourself with new languages, cultures, and foods— ultimately, leaving you with a forever open definition of what is normal or typical— a flame that will last long after you turn fifty.
I reached out to the fellow participants in my program, asking them to share reflections on their gap year experiences, here’s what they said:
“I feel back in the states I had a more straightforward agenda with no worries or frights about what’s to come, but here in the Deutschland I feel I have more freedom— everything is in my own hands, and I control the steering wheel. Throughout this year I can really find myself and figure out who I am.”
“So far in my gap year, I have learned that there’s more to life than what’s shown to us. Being out and emerging into this new culture has given us an opportunity to see things through our own eyes. Going back to stereotypes, we can say whether or not they’re true because we are living in that moment. I don’t like the term “gap year” for our program, as I think of it more as a year of diverging and experiencing another side of the world that many do not know…….When I think of the term “gap year” I think of it as “a year of break.” However, our program isn’t a break, as we are constantly doing something to improve our understanding of the world around us. I think a gap year is a good decision if one does it for the right reasons.”
“As someone who was completely uncertain of what to study or what career to pursue later throughout my entire high school experience, taking a gap year has been such a stress relief. CBYX has given me more time to discover new interests, and is constantly allowing me to intern in new fields of work that I would have never imagined myself in. I’ve also found that it has saved me a lot of money because I most likely would’ve studied something in college right after high school that I don’t even know if I’d enjoy, simply because I felt like I had to immediately do something. I’m so grateful that I was selected for this program, and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering applying!”
“Taking risks, being uncomfortable, not knowing, learning from mistakes and growing to be a person you never thought you would become.”
“As I venture out on my my gap year I have learned so much about the German culture and even more so about myself. Trying to understand what others around me are saying and trying to express myself using a different language have both been one of the most difficult, yet rewarding experiences of my life so far. I have made life-long friendships and have met some of the most extraordinary people both within and outside of my CBYX squad. This incredible opportunity, through the CBYX program, has opened my eyes to more than I could ever have imagined, and I don’t regret my decision for one second.”
“Taking a gap year is one of the best decisions a recent highschool graduate can make. One of the obvious reasons is that after high school, you most likely don’t know what to do with your life; by taking a gap year, I have more time to figure all that out— without spending unnecessary money. However, for me, that’s not the main reason I decided to do this program. I have always wanted to travel the world and not only see visit touristic places but fully immerse myself in the culture, meet new people, and learn the language (hopefully)— a gap year does exactly that. I have not only met some pretty awesome Americans on this program, but I’ve met amazing Germans as well. And everyone has a different thing to say about their lives and where they live. Just as how every American thinks differently, Germans do too. From across the ocean it can seem like everyone is the same, but there are people all over the world living lives that although not dramatically distinct, are still different than mine. And for a year I get to be apart of a person’s life different than mine; yes, I learn some things I may not like, but I also get to experience new things I’ve found to love.
A gap year will not only open your mind, but also your heart, to both people and things that are not the same as you, and that is something worth putting off college for a year.”
“So far from my personal experience I have learned to be more independent and be more responsible throughout my gap year. I’ve learned to make my own decisions instead of relying on others. I think a gap year is a good thing for individuals because you take the time to find yourself and realize what you want to be in the future. In high school, some people don’t really know what they seek as a career choice or a major in college. With a gap year, you get to explore your options— some might get a job, some might travel, and some can do internships. There are endless possibilities.”
“I learned the importance of self knowledge and growth. Through this gap year, I have been able to understand so much about my own personality. It has been said you never really know yourself until you’ve been given a large solo challenge. I have learned how I adapt and change to a situation. I have also grown so much as a person. I am not the same person I was when I left the USA or the same person I was last week. Every day is a new challenge and a new way to discover your true self. It is so important to know who you are and why you are here.”
A Personal Reflection— Alejandra Campillo, Illinois, CBYX Vocational Exchange 2019-2020
Everyone in the umbrella of CBYX programs comes from a variety of backgrounds— races, ethnicities, geographical location, economic status — to name a few.
In my case, I fit the background of the hyper competitive AP student completely focused on school and grades (and eventually college) for the entirety of highschool. My last two years in particular, were solely devoted to the academic grind. Especially after deciding that I’d apply to Stanford REA, my life came to a point where nothing mattered more than my grades, my essays, or my resume. Looking back, although this extremist strategy did ultimately help me be admitted, my plate of values and experiences has significantly changed for the better, even if it took venturing out to a foreign country for a year to do it. Had I immediately went on to study at Stanford, I doubt I would have experienced the same quality of growth.
In the past four months I have resided in Germany, I’ve immersed myself in a completely new language, which is incredibly humbling (and difficult, in a good way). I have had the opportunity to visit cities like Munich, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Regensburg, and Madrid, to name a few— the most traveling I’ve ever done within such a short period of time. I’ve eaten delicious foods I’ve never eaten before, ventured out to explore with a freedom like no other, learned about a different government with one of the most representative democracies in the entire world, and I’ve felt.
I’ve felt happiness, anger, frustration, excitement, fear, and whatever else emotion you can list, just the same as you. But I’ve felt it here, in another place, far away from home, far away from mom and dad, far from my family, friends, and everything else that used to make me feel safe. It challenges you and pushes you outside of your comfort zone in a way you’ve most likely never experienced before. And it takes bravery too. Never in my life have I had to muster up as much courage as when simply trying to order food, saying “Ich hätte gerne ein— ” or responding “Der Zug fahrt nach Dusseldorf” when somebody asks me which train we are on. And it’s incredibly rewarding when you are popped in that exact same situation three months later and you speak in German with no hesitation, you read signs on the street without confusion, or you wholly begin to think in the German language.
For a moment throughout my four months here in Germany, I genuinely thought I was going insane. Never in my life had I been so removed from my lifelong academic obsession— for the longest time my identity was completely tied to my grades, my extracurriculars, awards, work, and admittance to universities. Here in Germany, I was completely stripped of everything that had formerly consumed me, and instead took my ego and crushed it, as it humbled me with a language I had never in my life touched before.
After feeling like I was going crazy because the staple concepts I used to define myself were out the window, I slowly started to regain my identity and the way I perceived myself through different things. I am still the person who loves to study and discuss politics and economics; however, now that love is strengthened not through straight As in my macroeconomics or comparative politics classes, but instead through independently reading, studying, and informing myself about the functioning of the German Bundestag or the economics of the chocolate industry. These last four months have revitalized my passion for learning— the same passion and excitement I used to feel when I read through my children’s encyclopedia set after school when I was little. I know for certain I will be ready to major in economics at Stanford the fall of 2020, and considering the challenge it will most likely be, I know my maturity, experience, and expansion of knowledge from my gap year will definitely come in handy.
A Personal Reflection— Robbie Shaffer, New Mexico, CBYX Vocational Exchange 2019-2020
So far, on my gap year in Germany, I’ve learned a fair amount of German (as intended), but what is far more important about any gap year, really, is the personal growth that comes with it. This is a commonly cited benefit of a gap year, but it is quite the vague claim, and I can say I didn’t really understand what was meant by it before I went on a gap year myself. For most people taking a gap year, it is the first time away from essentially all of the support systems from back in the US (friends, family, school, etc.), so people learn to be more independent and become better self-advocates. While there is a lot of this newness and lack of support systems when one goes to college, it isn’t in quite the same, since a gap year is much more about self-discovery and “living-the-life” than is college. Before I left for Germany, one of my teachers told me that when one comes back from a gap year, “the ground feels more solid under one’s feet”. I understood theoretically what she meant when she said that, but now, even though I’m only about 1/3rd of the way through the year, I can really feel what she meant. Even now, I have already seen so much personal growth in so many people, including myself, and I can’t think of any other way other than through a gap year that such a change would have happened so quickly and, for lack of a better word, elegantly.
It’s easy to disregard or discount gap-years, but it’s one of those things where, to quote Ale, “the longer you’re here, the more you realize what a good decision it was to do”. It’s easy to dismiss a gap year since, other than learning a new language, it’s hard to concretely say what one gains from it. This, however, is because the most important part of a gap year really is self-growth and self-discovery. After a gap year, you will come back with more confidence, with more understanding of yourself, with a better idea of what you want to do, and with more life skills. People often say that school doesn’t properly prepare one for life— a gap year is essentially being-an-adult-lite™, and so helps you develop a lot of the more real-life skills that one never really learns at school.
As well, being so removed from your normal environment, you too will come to know what it is that you really value: You will be faced with many situations and opportunities: social, work, and otherwise, that you otherwise likely never would have. As well, you develop your identity as a person independent of your hometown, your school, your friends, and your family. College gives you this same space; however, there is simply more room for contemplation, exploration, and enjoyment in the process of growing on a gap year.
I think the majority of people our age, myself included, don’t know exactly what they want to do with their life— many of us have a general direction, but no specific career that they know they definitely want. Most people though, and I would include myself in this, sort of chose what they think they may want to do, and just started working towards that, trying to convince themselves that that is, in fact, what they’ve wanted to do all along. And so, at family functions, or whenever writing some kind of academic application, will have a template answer: “I’m doing X to get into Y school, to then get into Z school, to be able to study X topic to then be able to become Y.” And then whichever adult you’re talking to will smile, praising you for your solid-headedness and maturity. And so we sort of shove ourselves down this path for the sake of having the security of knowledge and getting to the destination earlier. I’m not going to say, “It’s all about the journey dude— just relax, and it’ll come to you,” but I will say that probably 90% of people don’t know themselves well enough to actually know what they want to do with their life, even if they think they do. This is, however, not a problem: this is what our late-teens and early-twenties are all about. There will never again be a time in our lives when we have so much freedom and so few responsibilities. In this attempt to shunt oneself toward one’s future, one doesn’t let oneself develop naturally into an adult. It’s important that one recognize where one is in life. The fact of the matter is that as a late teen or early twenty-something, we don’t know ourselves well enough to really know what we want to do with our lives. We project onto ourselves what we want ourselves to become and what we want ourselves to want, but more often than not, it’s simply not congruent with the reality of the situation. The best thing we can do now is explore. In college, this means taking a class on a topic you’ve always wondered about, but never had a real reason to study (Modern Art 101, for example). It means getting out there, meeting new people, enriching yourself and just seeing what you can do. Many people do this in college— and it’s certainly not a bad place to do so, but a gap year lets you do it even more.
You simply need to know yourself more to know what you really want to do. On the prospect of taking a gap year, one may lament on what would amount to one year less of income, but it is far preferable than to regret having hastily gone down the path that we think we should go down and then regretting it, but feeling stuck and continuing nonetheless. It is quite common that college students change their major. If you’re three semesters into your undergraduate and you realize then that you want to change career tracks, it’s better then than 15 years later, but either way, in many cases you’ll be out a year-and-a-half of college. This situation is more common than people think, and at that point, one is in the same position career-wise as someone who has taken a gap year, but with some tens of thousands of dollars gone as well. (If this ends up being your situation, however, remember the Sunk cost fallacy: it’s never too late to get out.)
Our careers are a very long time. This is to say both that one year less of our careers isn’t too consequential, but also that you need to be sure you’re doing what you actually want before you get yourself in too deep. The last time I saw my English teacher before I left to Germany, her parting words to me were a warning. “You don’t realize it now,” she said, “But you will be working for such a long, long time— most of your life will be working. You don’t understand now how long it will feel. Make sure you choose the right career, otherwise you will always regret it.”
It’s important we understand that at this age we simply don’t know ourselves that well. We, or at least I, like to think we do, but we just don’t. It’s important that we not build the foundation of our future on something that we don’t know is actually there. So yes, a gap year will not get you closer to becoming a doctor, or an engineer, or a lawyer. But it will give you the time and the space to develop as a person, to get to know yourself more, to get to know what your values really are, and to find what you really do want. Of course, after your gap year, your future won’t suddenly appear before you like a painting being unveiled, but you will know better what you do know, and perhaps more importantly, what you don’t. And so, because of it, you’ll know much better what you need to do in order to go in the right direction and become not the person you want yourself to want to become, but instead, the person you will come to discover bit-by-bit— the person you truly want to be.
Although this was a very long piece of work, hopefully it offered a bit more clarify as to what the CBYX program is, why you should apply, and what exactly are its opportunities. I would not be putting this much time into encouraging others to apply to this exchange program if I didn’t genuinely believe in the good it offers.
If you have any questions about any of the CBYX programs, feel free to reach out to me with any questions! Next week’s post will solely be dedicated on further detailing my up-to-date experiences and expectations with the CBYX Vocational Exchange.
“Life is a fatal adventure. It can only have one end. So why not make it as far-ranging and free as possible” -Thornton Wilder
Until next time,
Alejandra
Helpful Links
General CBYX Program information, access to highschool CBYX program application:
usagermanyscholarship.org/about
Access to the CBYX Young Professionals Application:
Access to the CBYX Vocational Exchange Application:
nacelopendoor.org/exchange-programs/americans-abroad.html
My name is Alejandra Campillo, I’m eighteen years old and currently spending a gap year abroad in Germany through the Congress-Bundestag Vocational Youth Exchange Program. I’ll also be a freshman at Stanford University the fall of 2020. In this blog you’ll be able to find a plethora of content revolving around political, economic, and social issues, as well as the occasional philosophical pondering and fashion commentary- in addition to of course insight on my time in Germany and experience with applying to Stanford (and a disgusting additional 16+ universities).
A lot of what influences me and the way I think are the different places I’ve lived in the past eighteen years. Born in California, I moved to El Paso, Texas when I was five years old and lived there until I was thirteen. After that, my father took on an expat assignment in coincidentally the Mexican city where both my parents were from- Hermosillo, Sonora. Living there for three years was revolutionary for my identity in many, many ways. After Mexico, my family and I spent two years in the Chicago, Illinois suburbs, Aurora/Naperville area. It was while attending my local high school that I applied to Stanford and my gap year program. I graduated May 2019 and departed for Germany late June. After two months in Bonn, I’ve moved to Wülfrath- where I’ll be spending the next ten months.
This blog is a documentation of my take on it.
In true gap year spirit, my biggest goal this year is to dedicate my time to advancing myself- regardless of how cliché as it sounds. My entire time in high school was either dedicated to adapting to a new school, new culture, aiming for the highest GPA, or going worldly lengths to be admitted into Stanford. I learned the math, the writing, the history, the science, and whatever else was asked of me. But in the process of that, I distanced myself further from- well, myself. School was no longer a tool for aiding my passion of expanding my every curiosity and interest but instead a weapon I used to battle against a society, a university, and a vicious voice inside my head in an effort to prove I was worthy.
This isn’t necessarily a year to take a break, it’s a year to exercise my brain in other ways. To me, this gap year signifies restoring balance. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret grinding my days away for school and am excited to grind at Stanford. I want to challenge myself academically even further than ever before.
But the fuel has to be different. My last breaths of senior year were powered by a feeling that I was way too deep in any of my commitments to quit, regardless of how much of a toll it was taking on me- it was powered by an internal shame and fear of seeming weak in comparison to my academic peers- I was powered by enough cups of coffee to make my stomach twist and ache as my burnt-out brain laboriously churned information for the satisfaction of an A.
I started this blog as a symbol for returning to doing things because I have a passion for doing them, not for a grade or deadline. Additionally, I hope that by sharing my own experiences I can help others who are on the college application journey- or really any journey challenged by obstacles.
I promise all of my writing to be raw; it’ll be real. Not necessarily perfect (in terms of grammar and organization) but hopefully good enough to get the message across (lol). It’ll be opinionated, it’ll probably be bold – but ultimately, it’ll be true, at least my truth.
I hope that my writing is useful for anyone that needs it, maybe it can help some people feel slightly less alone.
I welcome you all to this gap year journey (that sounds really cliché oops).
Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, or anything in-between!
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Alejandra in Deutschland+Stanford