Mylie

Where are you these days?
This year, I am attending Øse Efterskole in Varde. Øse focuses on the arts & creativity and has 4 different lines you can choose: Visual Arts, Film & Animation, Theater, and Music. I chose to be a part of the theater line. I also chose to do the exam-free line at the school.

Why did you decide to do that this year?
Ever since we moved to Denmark in 2019 and discovered what an efterskole was, I thought it would be a new and different experience as there’s not really anything like efterskole in other places. I specifically chose my school because I liked their theater program and it had a pretty cool exam-free line that reminded me a bit of ISB.

What was it like to make the transition from ISB into a new environment?
The transition was a bit difficult, but okay. Efterskole is quite different from normal school in many ways, but coming from an international school did make it slightly more challenging.

What part of the transition have you found the most challenging?
The part where I struggled the most was the language block. At ISB, I only got a certain amount of hours of Danish lessons a week, so it took a bit of time to transition from learning in English, to learning in Danish. The language block also made it a bit harder to connect with other students in the beginning but as time went on and my language skills improved, I was able to connect with more of the students.

What did you carry with you from ISB that’s been the most valuable?
Something valuable I carried with me from ISB has probably been different skills I developed while at ISB. I chose to go into the exam-free class because it focuses on being creative and innovative, something we focused on in ISB. It also focuses on  applying what we are learning to our own lives which is something that I gained while at ISB.

What do you miss the most from ISB?
What I miss the most from ISB is the teachers. They were really supportive and helped me a lot and taught me so many things that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

What advice do you have for the current M5s?
My advice to the current M5’s is to not overwork yourself. Overstudying or overworking does no one any good. You may feel like you have to study 24/7 in order to prepare for your exams or you may think that the exams are the end of the world. Don’t worry, it will be fine. You know more than you think you do. You got this!