Study and Travel Abroad
Foreign Exchange | Gap Year | School Year Abroad | Student Enrichment Trips | Summer Programs | International Community Service Learning | Upcoming Trips
Bishop’s students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of programs that offer the chance to study, live, visit or work in a foreign country. Some of these trips are organized by school faculty, some are programs with organizations that the School has partnered with, and others are opportunities that students have taken advantage of during their summer vacations.
Foreign Exchange Programs
The Bishop’s School offers opportunities for our students to participate in exchange programs as part of their study of foreign languages and cultures. Hosted by families at partner schools, and with the chance to host foreign students in San Diego in return, exchange programs offer students the opportunity for an immersion experience in the culture and everyday life of the language they are studying.
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Gap Year
More and more American students are imitating the popular practice in Europe of taking a “Gap Year” between high school graduation and enrollment in college. Taking a Gap Year (also known as “Year Abroad,” “Year Out,” “Year Off,” “Deferred Year,” or “Bridging Year”) refers to taking a year out of studying to do something else. Common activities pursued during a Gap Year include work experience and internships; volunteering, community service or philanthropic work (locally or internationally); or a chance for inexpensive global travel (such as backpacking). For some students, a Gap Year allows for a crucial intermission between the stress of high school and the new adventures of college — a chance to refresh and broaden their horizons.
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School Year Abroad
School Year Abroad (SYA) is a program which places American high school juniors, seniors, and post-graduates in China, Italy, France, Spain, India, or Vietnam for a year. Students learn the respective language and live with a host family. The program provides college counseling services and allows students to take the necessary math and English courses to fulfill their graduation requirements at their home schools.
Bishop’s is a member of the SYA Program: in recent years, our students have participated in SYA programs in Spain, Italy, France and China. Below are some profiles of recent and current student experiences with SYA.
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Student Enrichment Trips
Bishop’s faculty members regularly organize student enrichment trips to different countries throughout the world. The purposes of such trips vary from cultural immersion and global awareness to eco-tourism and international community service. Recent trip destinations include Japan (Summer 2007), Ireland (Summer 2007), Argentina (Summer 2008, 2009), Prague, the Czech Republic (Summer 2008), Galapagos Islands and Ecuador (Spring 2009), India (Spring 2008), and South Africa & Namibia (Summer 2009).
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Summer Programs
Some Bishop’s students take advantage of the summer vacation to participate in various programs offering the chance to live and study in a foreign country. Below are some profiles of these summer programs.
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International Community Service Learning
In recent years, The Bishop’s School has provided opportunities for students to participate in international community service trips to India and Africa. During these trips, the School has partnered with local non-profit organizations to raise funds for projects that our students visit and volunteer at during their trip. Such trips expand the horizons of our students, offering them the opportunity to learn about and experience first-hand some of the critical challenges faced by many developing nations around the world as they seek to overcome poverty and establish basic health and education infrastructure.
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