Agnes

Where are you these days?
I’m currently doing my first year of IB Diploma Programme in Kolding.

Has it been online?
No, we’ve been in school the whole time apart from the last three days.*

So it’s been a pretty normal year?
More or less, but usually there are welcome parties and Friday café and stuff like that but that hasn’t been able to happen this year because of corona.

So how’s it been?
It’s been really different, as there are definitely a lot more people.

Do you like that?
At first it was hard because I wasn’t used to that many, but once I made a few solid friends, I was able to be more comfortable around the school and get to know everyone else better. It’s partly because everyone is a lot older. I’m 16, but the average age is 18-19 and then we have one person that’s 23 in our class. So it’s strange at first, but now it’s fine.

What have you taken from ISB that’s most helpful?
I definitely think keeping an open mind towards everything—opportunities, or challenges, or meeting new people. If someone says, like, ‘oh we need help with this,’ and you keep an open mind and are willing to help, then you can definitely meet new people and get better at stuff.

So what have you tried?
I tried Model UN for a while but it wasn’t really my thing. But then I joined student council, where we plan events for the school, like parties or fun games on Fridays. It’s limited this year because of corona. But it’s really fun.

What else do you like about your new life?
I’m enjoying a lot more freedom that the school gives me, also with the schedule. Some days you may only have one class or finish at 11 so you can hang out with friends a lot more.  It’s good to keep a balance between having friends and having fun, but keeping up with assignments and grades and everything.

Did you feel prepared, academically?
It wasn’t that hard of a transition. I think the personal project really does help, not in what you do, but in that you learn so much about how you work. And it’s really good for self-management because you definitely have to do that a lot in IB.

 

*Editor’s note: this interview took place at the beginning of the winter lockdown.