REVIEW OF Neuchâtel Junior College BY Alum, Benjamin Gurd

(5) Overall Experience

Neuchatel Junior College does a great job of facilitating every student's unique interests, which I, a gap year student, was very grateful for during my time at NJC. One of the best ways they do this is by encouraging leadership and extra-curricular participation. For example, during my time at NJC, after taking a group of students on a hike in the Swiss Alps, I was encouraged by the school to initiate a club that focused on outdoor activities. This led to the creation of the Outdoors Club, and eventually the completion of several amazing hikes throughout Switzerland during my year at NJC. Other than club opportunities, NJC continues to provide opportunities for its students through various activities such as Model United Nations (MUN). Though MUN, along with a few of my classmates, I was able to participate as a delegate in Model UN conferences in Leiden, Netherlands, and in Edinburgh, Scotland, an experience that significantly increased my understanding of international politics while immersing myself in the culture and people of a new country. The school has many other travel opportunities, too, including trips to Belgium, France, Poland, and Italy, where students find themselves in World War I and II battlefields and extravagant art museums such as the Uffizi. As I look towards university with a greater sense of independence, as well as new perspectives and ideas, I feel much more confident and prepared for this new chapter of my life, especially compared to before I attended NJC, which was after my grade 12 year, when I was still unsure about my university path. A prospective student should expect opportunities to learn about European history and culture through many different first-hand experiences, all while growing independence by living abroad in Switzerland.

(4.5) School Leadership

The administration at NJC is well-organized and very respected among students. Even though the administration is small, everyone takes on different roles to ensure the school runs smoothly. This included the science teacher, Ms. Kourdache, leading the Youth Wellness Ambassadors group; the French teacher, Mr. Krejci, leading all sports related activities; a social science teacher, Ms. Kleeb, leading and teaching the group of Model UN students; the counsellor, Ms. Persaud, always looking out for the wellbeing of her students; and the principal, Mr. Keleher, who never failed to inform parents of events and activities the students were a part of in the school. Furthermore, the entire administration fostered good relationships with students, even when students were less involved or less communicative with the staff. This created a positive environment in which even discipline issues were resolved quickly and effectively.

(4.5) Teaching

The relationships between students and teachers within the classroom were formal, creating a strong educational environment that consistently promoted learning. However, this was aided through informal interactions outside of the classroom, including during school trips where teachers acted as supervisors, and positive student-teacher relationships were made. In the classroom, I was very happy with the instructional format of classes. Teachers accommodated different learning styles, too, consistently having lessons that implemented a mix of kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learning techniques. Feedback on assessments was always well thought out, and they regularly gave me new challenges or techniques to take on for future assessments. This was especially the case with my philosophy teacher, Ms. Kleeb. She challenged my way of thinking and consistently pushed me to succeed and achieve a greater understanding of philosophy. In the past, I have not particularly enjoyed my social science courses, but Ms. Kleeb made sure that was not the case during my year at NJC. And now, I am happy to say that I will be taking a philosophy course in my first year of university due to her outstanding teaching skills.

(4) Academics

Considering its size, Neuchatel Junior College has a surprisingly wide range of academics. As a gap year student who had completed 8 Grade 12 courses before attending NJC, I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to take 6 new Grade 12 courses, all of which I was interested in taking. This included a data management course that has especially prepared me to go into a data science program at university. During my time at NJC, I was also able to take multiple Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. This is something that NJC highly encourages, as well as provides the materials for, in order to succeed. One of the most unique aspects of NJC is that it's situated in a French-speaking town in Switzerland. With the help of French coursework within the school, something that is mandatory for all students, I was able to gain confidence in my French communication skills, and I can now have simple conversations with French speakers around Europe.

(3.5) Extracurriculars

Being a small school, NJC does not have many extracurricular opportunities. The school has many different sports that it competes in, such as ultimate, golf, basketball, and volleyball, but competitions and games for these sports are usually limited to one or two a year. That being said, extracurricular activities are also extremely important for NJC, with sports events allowing students to travel across Switzerland to compete against Swiss and other international students. Model United Nations also provides students the opportunity to travel to two different countries during the year, which is something I participated in. My MUN trips to Leiden, Netherlands, and Edinburgh, Scotland, were both very memorable as a student. The formation of clubs at NJC is also very flexible, with students being able to create almost any club to suit their interests, such as mine, which was a hiking club called the Outdoors Club.

(4.5) Students

While at NJC, my class size was 60 students in the first semester and 45 students in the second semester. Since NJC is a one-year program away from home, there are students who tend to go back to Canada for the second semester in order to graduate from their original high school. Unfortunately, the people who left included some of my good friends, but it also made the 45 remaining students closer as a student body. While I was at NJC, I had at least one conversation with every student at the school. Typically, students gained respect within the school by treating others with kindness and always looking towards initiating and leading that next activity, whether that was a club, a sports team, or a student trip. The typical student at NJC is curious about the world and how it works, is independent and confident in themselves, and is someone who aspires to learn and grow for the future. Students at NJC are typically Caucasian with wealthy parents.

(5) School Life

My year at NJC was easily the best year of my life. The experiences that NJC provides as a Canadian high school in Switzerland are unmatched, and the consistent smiles and laughter from its students reflect this, too. The ability to travel most weekends with classmates and/or the school significantly boosts the morale of the school community. Furthermore, the size of the school brings everyone together to form a tight-knit community. This environment is what helped me meet some of the best friends I have ever made. The students at NJC were the most engaged group of peers I have had throughout my entire secondary school experience. They are constantly pushing themselves to achieve more as students, which creates an extremely positive and motivated school community.

(4.5) Community

The alumni are arguably what makes NJC, and the broader community of NJC, so great. Alumni of NJC love to stay connected to the school and are always looking for ways to give back to the school to make it a better place for current students. For example, during my year at NJC, a grant known as the Dare to Lead, Dare to Dream Grant was started by the class of 1975 so that each year, there is $10,000 that students at NJC can put towards an activity or event of their choice that promotes and brings together the NJC community. I was able to be a part of this amazing grant while attending NJC, and a group of friends decided to put it towards creating a band that performed for the NJC community online and in person on two occasions. Alumni also consistently help out at NJC promotional events to share their unique experiences, and current students typically help with the integration of next year's incoming students.

(5) School Location

Considering that the school is located in a Swiss town where not many people speak English, it can be fairly intimidating for students to get involved in the community. That being said, during my time at NJC, I was able to play on the local hockey and rugby teams, which allowed me to interact with locals in the community. Furthermore, the school's location in Europe allows easy access for students to travel to different European countries in order to immerse themselves in European culture, which almost every student does during their time at NJC.

(4.5) Admissions

The application process is fairly short, straightforward, and should not be stressful. The main component was a short essay in which you wrote about who you are and what you hope to achieve at NJC. A fairly simple topic if one understands why they want to go. Another one of the requirements during the application process was to have an interview with a school official. This allowed them to get to know me and understand what I was looking for at NJC.

(4) University placement and counselling

The university counselling program at NJC was thorough and proved to be very helpful for my university applications. There were mandatory monthly check-ins where the counsellor and I discussed where my applications were at, or later on in the year, if I was hearing back responses and if they were requesting more information. There were deadlines set by the school as to when you needed to finish particular applications, depending on whether they were European, American, or Canadian university applications. Furthermore, I felt as though I could stop by at any time to see my counsellor and ask questions regarding university applications. I was accepted into my top university choice, and I believe the university counselling program at NJC took a large role in this accomplishment.