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Student Exchanges

Australian Student Exchange

Since 1978, Lakewood Sister Cities has sponsored a High School Student Exchange program with the Sutherland Shire in Sydney, Australia.

Ours is a unique "twin" program: American students are paired with an Australian student & family. The Australian spends the first semester in the USA with the American student and family, then both students return to Australia for the second semester. See below for details.

Music Scholar Exchange

We also sponsor a music scholar exchange with our sister city Chester, in the UK. Click here for details of the Music Scholar Exchange.

Would you like to be an Exchange Student? Here’s how to do it:

1- Come to an Information Meeting! We meet at local libraries and spend about an hour explaining how our program works. We'll also have some current Aussie and Yank students on hand, as well as former students and families, so you can get your questions answered. We'll end the evening with a short video and Q&A. These meetings are held in late November and early December.

Meeting us and the Aussies is the best way to get a feel for how great this program is. But if you can't make the meetings, get in touch with us and we'll be happy to talk with you. You can also go to the Document Download section and get copies of all the information we will be handing out at the Information Meetings.

2- Get an application by contacting us, or by downloading it from the Document Download page. Once you find out how fantastic our program is, you'll want to apply! Applications are due in January.

The application is a pretty lengthy form and you'll need help from your whole family in getting it done. So don't wait until the last minute! As well as just filling in the blanks, you and your parents will each be asked to write an essay covering topics outlined in the application.

Please be very honest and frank in your application and essay. The information you include will be used to help pair you and your family with an Australian student. Having honest information helps ensure that you get the best pairing possible. We know that everyone is afraid of putting down information that they feel would limit their chances of getting chosen. Don't sweat it. The application is just a portion of the process that is combined with the home and individual interviews to give us the whole picture.

3- Then, we'll start the Interview Process. At different times it will involve your whole family. We do this because your Aussie partner won't just be staying with you, they'll become a part of your family. Also, this program is run by the people participating in it. We need to know that your family is as committed to the program as you are.

And that’s it!