Boarding school St .George's in Cologne

After two years of study at the American school in Salzburg Tanya decided to transfer to another school that will prepare her for entry to the best universities of Europe. For admission were selected schools in English in Germany, Austria and Scotland.

For admission to schools of Austria and Germany, a personal visit and exams at school are required. The exams are quite complicated, even for advanced students it is difficult to take all exams at a new school. It's much easier to take exams in your home country in the office of the Agency that allowed by the schools of many countries. But, when visiting schools with the goal of passing entrance exams, a student is shown a school and allowed to attend some lessons. As a result, a full image of the school is created, and that helps to make the right choice.

The first impression about the school St. George's School Cologne

After my school in Salzburg, the school in Cologne seemed huge to me. Despite the fact that only 50 people live at the boarding house, in the school study probably several thousand students, many of whom are foreigners. But a lot of them live with their families who work in Cologne or nearby. Mostly Germans study at the school. At the same time, in school they speak only English, it is forbidden to speak German.

We were welcomed very well, showed the whole school. It was clear that the school is interested in new international students.

Admission to St. George's School Cologne

In this school, there are not 12 grades of study, as in many IB schools, but 13. It means that the end of the IB program is the 12th and 13th grades. The lessons on the IB program have from ten to twelve people in the class.

I've done three tests: an hour was given to mathematics, which was quite difficult. Then an hour on English – I had to write a story after which were given three topics and there were questions on the texts. The final exam was an essay in German for 50 minutes.

Also, I visited three lessons: English literature, Geography and Economics. I really liked the English lesson, but after my American school, I could hardly understand the British accent of the teacher.

Campus of St. George's School Cologne

Very large school yard, but there are no sports fields at all. Many students attend a gym that is 10 minutes from the school. A lot of space in the school is allocated to the painting studio, but if I'm not going to take art as a subject for IB, drawing is available only in the free time that is practically impossible due to a lot of other work. There is a theater studio, but I was told that very few children attend the drama studio, they are not well developed. I asked how the service classes were organized - high school students work with children in the kindergarten and help the elderly.

The high school occupies a separate floor. There is a large library with self-study area.

In a residence rooms are for one or two, conveniences are in the rooms. Small rooms but cosy. I liked the residence and the food in the dining room too.

In the beginning I like this school very much and I thought I wanted to study here, but after visiting schools in Berlin and Vienna, I've changed my mind. Other schools are much stronger and more interesting.