Konstantinos Bourlis is an exchange student from Greece. During his sophomore year (2023-2024), he lived in Utah, USA, after being selected as a finalist by the FLEX Program.

My decision to apply to FLEX

The first time I ever heard of the FLEX program was in middle school. My English professor gave my class quite an enthusiastic introduction to the program, so I found myself considering applying. From the beginning, I had in mind that in case I got accepted, I would get the chance to experience such a different and fascinating life. I would be part of the American high school that western movies always showcase, and I would become more self-reliant and independent, since I wouldn’t have my parents to count on. This seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I decided to apply.

Application Process and Advice

The application process consisted of three phases. During the first, I had to submit 3 essays along with my personal information. The essay prompts were centered around challenges I had to overcome and skills/characteristics that could make me a FLEX finalist, so I had to reflect deeply on my experiences. The second phase was an English proficiency test; however, it was not difficult at all since I had been practicing the language for years.

Fortunately, I managed to pass to the last phase, which was the only part of the application that required face-to-face communication: the interview. This phase consisted of more writing as well, yet neither the interview nor the writing was extremely challenging, as their purpose was to validate the authenticity of the rest of the application and my ability to communicate properly in English.

I hadn’t done extreme preparations for the application process, and I really believe that the main skill you must acquire is a decent (not perfect!) knowledge of English. Apart from that, the advice I’d give to aspiring FLEXers is to be honest in their essays. FLEX selects humans and not just perfect students, so be sure to express and show yourself through your application! Additionally, bear in mind that the program coordinators value resilience, since they want to know that you’ll be able to ‘survive’ in the US for a whole year, so don’t be afraid to be sincere when you share your experiences, whether they show success or failure in parts of your life.

My reaction to becoming a finalist

At first, I was not selected as a finalist, but I was placed as the third alternate. I believed, then, that the chances of me going to the U.S. were too small... I was ready to give up hope, when one day I received a phone call from the program coordinator informing me that I had been selected..! It was said that three of the finalists couldn’t make it, and since I was the third alternate, I was accepted! At the moment, I was so content and I called my family and friends to tell them the great news!

And yet, there was still an obstacle holding me back… My parents didn’t allow me to live in America. Fortunately, this changed when they began talking with my assigned host family, and after some time of getting to know them, they finally let me live with them.

My high-school experience

The high school I attended in the USA was Carbon High School in Price, Utah. From the culture to the curriculum, the American high school was extremely different from the Greek one. Firstly, the students had to choose the classes they were interested in, which does not happen in Greece. Among others, I chose business marketing, robotics, coding, food and nutrition, and woodwork (which was my favourite!), while I was also obliged by FLEX to take some basic courses, like language arts and U.S. Histoty. In contrast to my high school in Greece, the lessons in America were easier, and I was able to remain at the top of my class without studying meticulously for hours.

A huge part of my life in Utah was the VEX Robotics team. I would spend hours after school with my team to create our projects for several competitions. In fact, at the end of the year, we ranked among the best teams in Utah!

Host Family & Friends

My host family lived in Spring Glen (Utah), where there wasn’t any public transport. And since I didn’t want to burden my host parents with continuous car rides to Price, I rarely went out with my friends. After all, I would see them at school every day.

From the beginning of the year, my classmates were curious to get to know me, since I was an exchange student. I faced no problem with meeting new people - everyone was willing to approach me - and I actually managed to be part of the friendgroups there. Although the high school had a lot of students, they all seemed to be connected like a family. And even though I was not going out with them, I enjoyed their company during school activities and ceremonies like Prom.

Most of my time I was at my host family’s home. My host parents were good people, and they had two kids - a girl of my age and a boy three years younger than me. I spent time mostly with my host brother and the grandpa of the family. One of the best things about living with them was the fact that they were real-life cowboys (they had a cattle breeding business). With them I drove a tractor, went to family trips, learnt horse riding (after getting permission from the program, of course,) while I also helped them with their business as much as I could. And at the end of the year, I found myself very fond of this peaceful lifestyle!

How my exchange year changed me

When I first set foot in the USA, I was still a kid. A year later, I feel like many parts of my character have been developed. Apart from being more confident in speaking English and overthrowing my Balkan accent, I got a new insight on the world. I was really challenged with new ideas, opportunities, and lifestyles, so now I feel prepared to live on my own and even go out of my country when my studies are finally over. I really saw the world through a different lens, and I understand that in certain aspects, my thoughts are deeper and my mind more mature than it used to be the year before the exchange. FLEX was definitely a life-changing experience, and even though I'm not planning to study in the US for my undergraduate studies, I would love to return one day and visit my host family again!