5/1/2008 - Application to Study in the USA
Congratulations on applying for the adventure of a lifetime! Below please find instructions for filling out the YES application. Please remember that it is very important to fill out the application thoroughly. Please pay attention to all details and instructions, as any missing information will result in delayed processing.
Below you will find the instructions for filling out the application. You can download the different sections of the application by clicking on the links to the right. The application is in .pdf format. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader here.
Cover page:- Your name must correspond to your actual name as is written on your international passport, regardless of what other name is being used in daily life or on other forms. This is very important for visa applications later.
- Please print your name and “Kenya” on the back of a recent photograph of yourself, facing forward, placed in the square on the front cover of the application. It should be a close-up of a smiling face. Please no passport or ID photos.
- Your birth date must be within range: 2 August 1990 and 1 August 1993. We cannot be flexible on this due to the J-1 visa regulations including students with disabilities.
- Please be sure any friend or relative in the USA is listed along with the state they live in and include the nature of their relationship to you.
Form 2—Placement Information
- If you indicate that you cannot live with pets, please indicate whether you have an allergy, a religious preference or a personal preference not to live with pets, and indicate which animal.
- If you can be flexible in terms of placement with pets, please do not check any of these boxes. Pets are members of the family in 61 percent of U.S. homes. More than half of the people with pets have dogs and cats, and 41 percent have two or more types of pets.
- It is illegal for people under 18 to smoke in the USA. If you indicate that you smoke but you will abstain from smoking during your exchange experience, please write a short note stating your commitment to not smoking and include this in your application.
- This form is to be given to a physician (unrelated to you) to complete and sign.
- Please be sure the physician includes any supporting documentation from the doctor for serious medical conditions.
- If the seizure disorder box is checked “yes,” please provide full details (this is usually a mistake, but please double-check before submitting your application).
- These forms provide a history of any medical conditions and a general overview of your health. They will also be consulted to help select a program and host family that can accommodate any medical needs (e.g. allergies). If there are any changes in your health after these forms are submitted, but before departure, please notify your local representative immediately.
Form 4—Introduction to Your Host Family
- Photo Page
- As an introduction to your host family, please prepare one page of photographs.
- Be sure to include a few photos of yourself and your family so your future Host Family can have an idea of your life in Kenya. Particularly, lots of photos of smiling faces.
- It is helpful if the photos are labeled so you stand out right away.
- Please include photos depicting activities your Host Family would be likely to understand and relate to (playing a sport, cooking, photos with friends, your family sharing a meal).
- Letter to Host Family
- Please use a computer, type, or print legibly in black ink and paper-clip your letter to this form.
- Be sure your full name is at the top of the page.
- Please limit the Letter to the Host Family to about 2 pages in length. Use this opportunity to tell your Host Family about yourself by answering the questions given. Please use the format of a letter, rather than answering the questions in a list.
- Be sure to proof-read your letter, and ask an English teacher for help editing. An expression you are accustomed to using might translate very poorly in English.
- Please ask your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to write a brief statement about you, your family, and their relationship with you. They should reference the questions given in Form 5.
- All students selected to participate in the YES program will receive a Parental Authorization Form to be completed at that time.
- Please take these forms to your school official to fill out.
- Form 7 requires certification by school officials with the school seal.
- Class and grades must be transcribed from school transcripts to Form 7. Please do not attach transcripts in place of filling out Form 7.
- Include courses for current school year, even if grades have not yet been given. For the two previous school years include all courses and final grades.
- Please give the Form 7c to a Teacher, Counselor, or Principal who knows you well and can comment on your character, motivation, and personality traits.
- If they would like to attach the letter on a separate page, please make sure it is clearly labeled with your name.
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