The New Global Student: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition, and Get a Truly International Education [Paperback]

Maya Frost (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 19, 2009

Good-bye, Old School. Hello, Bold School!

In 2005, Maya Frost and her husband sold everything and left their suburban American lifestyle behind in order to have an adventure abroad. The tricky part: they had to shepherd their four teenage daughters through high school and into college. This hilarious and conspiratorial how-to handbook describes the affordable, accessible, and stunningly advantageous options they stumbled upon that any American student can leverage to get an outrageously relevant global education.

Ready to ditch the drama of the traditional hypercompetitive SAT/AP/GPA path? Meet the bold American students who are catapulting into the global economy at twenty with a red-hot college diploma, sizzling 21st-century skills, a blazing sense of direction–and no debt.

You’ll discover:
• the one thing preventing your student from blasting forward
• why Advanced Placement isn’t so advanced
• why international programs fail to provide a truly global education
• the most critical time for your student to study abroad
• the best exchange program in the world ($3,000 or less per year)
• the strategic way to fast-forward through high school
• how to maximize a family sabbatical
• how to live the life of your dreams abroad–and save thousands for college

Packed with myth-busting facts, laughable loopholes, insider insights, astonishing success stories, and poignant tales from the Frost daughters themselves, this inspiring romp is guaranteed to get you cheering.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Tremendous insight....Essential reading for any family yearning to step off the treadmill and plunge into the world.”
—Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of A Whole New Mind

“Maya’s book lays out clearly and simply how our kids are going to be living as America's First Global Citizens.”
—John Zogby, President/CEO of Zogby International and author of The Way We’ll be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream

"If we want our kids—and our country--to thrive in the global economy, we need to follow the excellent advice in this inspiring book."
—Bill Bartmann, Billionaire Business Coach

"This book is chock-full of fresh ideas."
—Peg Tyre, author of The Trouble With Boys: A Surprising Report Card On Our Sons, Their Problems at School and What Parents & Educators Must Do

"The New Global Student recognizes the truth of the American kindergarten through college education conveyor belt–-it is preparing children for the last century's economy…This inspiring guide shows the way to prepare students for full, satisfying, and self-directed lives. Parents owe it to their children to read this book."
—Bob Compton, Venture capitalist, Executive producer of the documentary, "Two Million Minutes: A Global Examination"

"The New Global Student offers an adventurous, grab-life-by-the-collar alternative to the traditional teenage rat race. Frost's lively prose and the students' eye-opening testimonials make this unorthodox guide a brisk and pleasurable read."
—Dan Brown, author of The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle

“Depressed about college applications and costs? The New Global Student will lift your spirits. It's smart, practical and fun. I guarantee it will make a difference."
—Peter Benson, Ph.D., author of Sparks: How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers

"Maya Frost may sound like a wacky mom who yanked her family somewhere south of the border. But once you read her engaging, witty and above all practical book, you realize: She's you...if you only took a step back and considered: what kind of life would really help my kids, my bank account and my family's future?”
—Lenore Skenazy, author, Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry

“The globalization of higher education is shaping a new borderless innovation economy in which talent, opportunities and resources can come from anywhere. The New Global Student provides a timely manual for those with the foresight to ride these waves of change and opportunity.”
—John Kao, author, Innovation Nation and Chairman, Institute for Large Scale Innovation

“Frost's book serves as a refreshing antidote to the uninspired, expensive, and challenge-averse educational offerings of the day. Never have students and parents needed its bold, possibility-affirming message more than now.”
—Bill Farren, Founder, Education For Well-being

“Some books inspire, some inform, others convince or rouse the reader to action. The New Global Student does all this while being funny, smart, and a joy to read. In the midst of the whirlwind of stress and expectation that surrounds parents and children as college approaches, Maya Frost’s voice whispers: There is another way.”
—Dale McGowan, author/editor, Parenting Beyond Belief and Raising Freethinkers

“Maya Frost is like Dr. Spock for a new generation of paranoid parents…This irrepressible book blows open doors and gets you moving in a whole new direction. Truly a lifesaver.”
—Karen Maezen Miller, author, Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood

“Get your hands on Maya Frost’s The New Global Student. It will open your eyes, get your heart pounding and your mind racing, and maybe set you off on the adventure of a lifetime.”
—Eric Maisel, Creativity for Life and Coaching the Artist Within

"With wit and wisdom, Maya Frost gives us a refreshing look at opportunities unknown to many of us. She offers a bold new way to help our kids discover their passions, develop their talents, and become successful leaders in our ever-changing global economy."
—Jim Fay, Co-founder, Love and Logic Institute, Inc.

“A terrific resource…Maya Frost firmly validates a parent’s choice to give their children a chance to experience life in another culture.”
—Robin Pascoe, author of Raising Global Nomads: Parenting Abroad in an On-Demand World

“Maya Frost's unconventional approach to international education got me thinking about new avenues – particularly to address my own teenage daughters' interests. As I read The New Global Student I found myself sharing its concepts with other parents whose children would like to pursue non-traditional paths for learning about the world and engaging in it.”
—Homa Sabet Tavangar, author, Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World

About the Author

MAYA FROST is a writer, researcher, and teacher. She lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Visit her online at NewGlobalStudent.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (May 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307450627
• ISBN-13: 978-0307450623
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #330,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maya Frost knows a thing or two about using creativity to shine in less-than-ideal conditions. Adopted at birth by a couple who divorced when she was five, she moved to Oregon to live with her grandparents. Within months, her grandfather died of a massive heart attack while mowing the lawn. Her mother remarried and the family moved to a rustic rural property three miles by gravel road from the nearest town of 350 people. Maya worked in the fields during the summers and maxed out her options at her high school, becoming the Homecoming Queen as well as the valedictorian.

She got scholarships and went off to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. Her senior year was spent in nine Asian countries--she studied politics in South Korea, art and architecture in Japan, and history in China. She visited the hill tribes in Thailand, meditated with Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka, wandered through temples in India and trekked in the Himalayas in Nepal. Maya had her "graduation" ceremony on Sigmund Freud's couch in Vienna, Austria, and upon completion of her thesis and finals in London, spent a couple of months hanging out with the surfers in Cornwall and flying the London/Paris/Casablanca/Bombay route with an Oxford-educated airline pilot.

Maya arrived back in the U.S. in the middle of a recession in 1982 and couldn't find a job in Oregon. She grabbed an opportunity to teach English in rural northern Japan, and that's where she met Tom--even though they'd grown up in small towns in Oregon just a few miles apart. They got married, had their first two kids there, then moved back to Oregon, where they owned an export company, a retro/vintage clothing store and a snowboard/skateboard shop. When the Japanese economy tanked, they yanked their four kids out of elementary school and spent three fabulous months in India and Nepal.

The next few years were rather mundane: Maya and her family lived the typical American suburban lifestyle. Clearly, it couldn't last. You'll read about her 'burb-busting epiphany and subsequent adventure in alternative college prep in the book.

After a year in Mexico and three years in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Maya's four daughters were launched and pursuing their dreams around the world. As empty nesters, Maya and her husband embraced their opportunity to have yet another adventure: they moved to a small farm in rural Uruguay.

Maya is the head cheerleader for Smart Education Design, and she and her husband teach parents how to help their kids get a great global education that doesn't cost a fortune. Learn more at http://www.MayaFrost.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing guide to education, parenting, and life May 25, 2009

By Amy Tiemann VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I loved "The New Global Student" so much that I wanted to devour it in one sitting, but there was just too much information to process all at once. So I settled back and enjoyed it.

Maya Frost is a wise, witty guide with innovative ideas for global education. She explains her "Bold School" approach: WHY a substantial, immersive international experience before age 20 transforms students' brains as it creates global citizens. And she provides many ideas about HOW to create such an opportunity, safely and inexpensively. Practical discussions about gaining job experience, getting an education with little or no debt, and helping teens develop independence are spot on for the challenges that today's families face. This is a guide about living with passion and without fear as much as it is about traveling.

Frost shares her own experiences with her husband and four daughters living in several countries, but she also interviews many other exchange students and experts. What I love the most about "The New Global Student" is that Frost presents a smorgasbord of options and trusts the reader to develop a plan that is right for their family and personal situation. She talks about how to break free of traditional high schools, avoiding piling on AP classes, stressing about the SATs, and all that, but in the end she says, "A traditional four-by-four plan [4 years of high school, 4 years of college] could be the perfect choice as long as it's based on an understanding of all options available." That sums up this book's empowering, positive approach.

Recommended for all families, even (especially!) if you have not considered travel abroad. It's a great book to read when the kids are young, to open your eyes to a world of possibility. As someone who blindly climbed the academic ladder all the way to the top, nonstop from kindergarten to my Ph. D., I really wish I had taken a step off the path along the way to gain the independent view that Frost helps readers develop. Using this book for guidance, I plan to open those doors for my own daughter to walk through if she chooses.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How to guide for living a life worth living June 8, 2009

By B. Khalsa

Format:Paperback

I believe sometimes in our life we come across a certain book that completely and radically changes our perspective, and in this case, Maya Frost provided a fine piece of work that has altered my way of looking at not only studying abroad, but education and life in general. That education is not limited to the traditional classroom, it encompasses much more.

The famous quote, "don't let your schooling get in the way of your education," rings a bell here. Due to an increasingly competitive society, parents and students tend to respond by only pushing themselves, failing to recognize that there is more than option. That it's not a matter of life or death where exactly they attend college. And in her book "the new Global Student," Frost illustrates that traditional 4x4 (high school and college years) among students and parents has led to a wrong priority of values.

The current fad is to load up on extracurriculars, AP courses, club positions, SAT prep courses, and the list goes on. However, this is also a very alarmingtrend I believe and after reading "Global student" got the feeling that we are failing to realize that we students and the parents should together be seeking to live lives of meaning and happiness. Far too often, I see an increasingly number of students who are stressed at such tender and youthful ages, boring in terms of their personal and intellectual interests, failing to consider the meaning and purpose of life, and sadly thinking there are no other options.

Not only is this a real eye opener of traditional 4x4 thinking and the the immense benefits of someone who actually went abroad with her entire family (4 daughters and husband), it is an entertaining how to guide of how one can literally change their life for the better. If you are interested in living or studying abroad, I highly recommend this. Even better if you are just entering high school or are a parent of high school student(s) (this is also probably the best and only "college admissions" book you'll ever need).

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring but A Bit Opinionated & Cluttered Layout Was Distracting July 12, 2009

By CrimsonGirl VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

"The New Global Student" is an entertaining and inspiring book. Maya Frost makes many excellent points about the merits of international experience for young people. She also does a great job reassuring parental fears about sending one's child overseas. I also liked how she discussed alternatives to the traditional 4 years in high school followed by 4 years at college. Many students would benefit from such options as homeschooling, dual enrollment, early college, and so on.

I did not care for Ms. Frost's negative attitude towards Advanced Placement courses, the SAT, elite universities, etc. I agree with her that all the pressure on kids today to go that route isn't healthy, and that certainly someone can be very successful without having done any of these things. But her strident tone made me wonder if it wasn't perhaps a case of "sour grapes". It's one thing to say, "hey, there is another path to consider" and quite another to pooh-pooh the traditional route as "old-school".

The other thing that bothered me about "The New Global Student" was its cluttered layout. I found it distracted from what Ms. Frost was trying to say.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book to high school/college students and their parents.