Interview with a 10th grade student of the international program of school Salem

Life at Middle School Schloss Salem through the eyes of a student.

Meeting with a 10th grade student of the international Salem program Alexander from Kyiv helped me to understand better the life of international students. Sasha showed me the territory of the school, and we talked for a very long time about how was his addmission process, how the training proceeds, the daily routine, the peculiarity of lessons and extracurricular activities. Sasha is in school for the first year, but he has completely merged into the life and education system of Salem.

Below is a detailed interview with Sasha.

Admission to Middle School Schloss Salem

We arrived for an open day in May. We looked at the school and I liked it right away. In Ukraine, I finished 9 classes.

Immediately after visiting the school, I passed the exams, we were put in a room where there were 3 students. No one looked after us, but we did not dare to cheat. I wrote English I wrote bad enough, as I actually had a higher level, but everything turned out well with mathematics, and that's why I was accepted. Then there were 2 interviews: with the director of the school and the manager who works with international students. Here they select more by interviews than by exams, it seems to me that during interviews they look at spoken English and your attitude to participate in the life of the school. After 2 weeks, I was informed that I had entered, and I received a visa for three years, until the end of my study. Upon arrival at the school, we were all taken to the office in an organized manner to obtain a residence permit, there were about 30 new students.

Accommodation at Middle School Schloss Salem

All boys live in one wing, 4 people per room. There are three of us now living, since the American who started with me moved to Switzerland in January because he did not have good score at this school. If it seems to you that everything here is old and uncomfortable, then it is simply not cleaned up - we just returned from vacation yesterday and did not have time to sort everything out. We like it.

The girls live in separate wings, everything is much more comfortable, everything has been renovated. Toilet and shower on the floor, the same for girls and boys: 4 cabins for 30 people, but in the morning we all have enough time to take a shower.

The room is always noisy and fun, we don't do our homework here. We have an hour after school when we all go to our class and do our homework. In fact, it is not an hour, but much longer. We keep the textbooks in the classroom in special lockers, we come and take them when needed, mainly used for homework.

Tuition and daily routine at Middle School Schloss Salem

Wake up at 6.30 - morning jog, at 7.00 breakfast, where they make announcements and you have to be there. Then there is a break for half an hour, and at 8 a.m. lessons begin. Three lessons (pairs) but if there is a third language, then 4 pairs. If someone does not have a lesson according to the schedule, then you go to the study hall, where you study under the supervision of a teacher. Then the obligatory lunch, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings we have the fourth pair. In the evening from 17.45 to 19.00 we all go to our class and do our homework. At 9 p.m., everyone should return to their rooms and the doors of the floors are closed. At 10 p.m. lights turns off.

There are large outdoor sports fields, an indoor gym and a swimming pool. High school students who want to swim come here 2 times a week by bus.

Up to 20 people study in a class. Everyone brings laptops to class, used only with the permission of the teacher, mainly for presentations and research. 80% of lessons are self-study. The teacher gives the topic and we work in small groups, looking for material, discussing, making a presentation. The teacher is present and helps, but the research is done by the students.

In Ukraine, my grades were good and I studied well, but, as an ordinary lazy teenager, I could study better. Here I’m probably an average student, but if I didn’t want to, my parents wouldn’t force me to. For admission to grade 11 a personal project is set for the whole year and must be protected. You choose your teacher, you arrange a meeting with him. I am writing a computer game. If you do not defend the project, you will not be admitted to IB.

At the end of the 10th grade, there will be exams in core subjects and the grade affects as half of the annual grade. These grades do not affect university admissions but do affect IB admission.

In high school, students are allowed to leave on weekends, but with parental permission, they must return on Sunday evenings.

Extracurricular activities at Middle School Schloss Salem

It's obligatory to choose activities and sports. At the beginning of the year, we had a fair, representatives of the teams stood and told what they were doing. You have to choose three, I go to robotics (creating robots and writing a program). The second game is like Chinese chess. Once a week, they start by telling the rules and you come and play. My third is sports, I do water polo. There are football, basketball, swimming, tennis, badminton, swimming, water polo.

How to prepare for IB in grade 10

There was a choice between creative writing or filming. In the second half of a year, you can go to higher mathematics, if you have sufficient academic performance, or to prepare for one of the sciences. Social sciences are new to me, we only had history. Here you can study economics or psychology at IB.

A very important part is social BITs. From the beginning of the 10th grade there is care for the elderly, children and the disabled, there are lifeguards, there are firefighters. I work in the fire brigade - I really like it. In the 11th grade, it is possible to change the BIT, but usually, they stay on the same one.

I arrived without knowledge of German at all, I am studying for the first year, for now it's A1, but I have no doubt that I will finish my studies to B2 because there is very strong teaching in German, this is the main subject here.

I'm not sure where I will go yet. Most likely something related to programming in Germany, I think I have enough German for this. I can apply to any country, but in Germany, I think, there are more prospects.