Foreign Academy Exchange Program

jlyons_2016

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Does anyone have any info on the Foreign Academy Exchange Program at USMA? Is it the same thing as studying abroad for a semester?
 
Does anyone have any info on the Foreign Academy Exchange Program at USMA? Is it the same thing as studying abroad for a semester?

Hopefully mom3boys will see this and chime in. I believe her cadet did a semester abroad in Europe.
 
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Does anyone have any info on the Foreign Academy Exchange Program at USMA? Is it the same thing as studying abroad for a semester?

No. FAEP is done in lieu of Spring Break. You spend 7-9 days at a foreign academy. Then, later, your hosts spend a week at WP. I went to Moldova to the Alexandru Cel Bun academy. Great opportunity.
 
My cadet did a foreign exchange semester (he's a German major). He had the choice of two "regular" colleges in Germany, or the Austrian Military Academy. He went with the MilAk. He reported back to WP for re-org week, then flew to Austria w/ 3 other cadets. He had an amazing semester. He traveled like crazy, learned to waltz, learned to ride horses, and had Thanksgiving dinner with the US Ambassador to Austria. He made lifetime friends overseas and came back fluent in German (my other son, also fluent, says his accent makes him sound like it's 'redneck German'). The only con for my son was that he's a corps squad athlete, and missing training and meets messed up his winter competition when he returned. A small price to pay, he says, for the experience. He also had two trips to Germany via the academy: one for spring break yuk year and the other was language academy summer before cow year.
 
My cadet did a foreign exchange semester (he's a German major). He had the choice of two "regular" colleges in Germany, or the Austrian Military Academy. He went with the MilAk. He reported back to WP for re-org week, then flew to Austria w/ 3 other cadets. He had an amazing semester. He traveled like crazy, learned to waltz, learned to ride horses, and had Thanksgiving dinner with the US Ambassador to Austria. He made lifetime friends overseas and came back fluent in German (my other son, also fluent, says his accent makes him sound like it's 'redneck German'). The only con for my son was that he's a corps squad athlete, and missing training and meets messed up his winter competition when he returned. A small price to pay, he says, for the experience. He also had two trips to Germany via the academy: one for spring break yuk year and the other was language academy summer before cow year.

Thanks, mom3boys! That sounds like an unforgettable experience!
 
Thank you everyone for your responses. Mom3boys, that's sounds like an awesome experience! Do you know if the semester abroad program is only open to foreign language majors? I'm trying to decide between International Relations, which requires extra language courses, or Spanish, but I would really like to have the opportunity to do a semester abroad.
 
I'm trying to decide between International Relations, which requires extra language courses, or Spanish, but I would really like to have the opportunity to do a semester abroad.

I'm no expert but perhaps you would consider a double major with international relations or a minor in the language. I know at USAFA poli sci (similar to inter. relations) goes very well and easily with a double major in a foreign language because you are already taking the extra language classes as it is. :thumb:
 
Yes that is certainly a good plan, but the only thing is that I don't know if cadets who study abroad can keep up with the int. relations curriculum when they are gone. Perhaps it depends on what particular schools offer?
 
I know several cadets who did exchanges who were not language majors.
 
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