So. I figured, looking back, that this account could actually be quite useful to some people. Things like this were quite helpful when I was applying just a couple years ago. And maybe I needed a little moment to reflect, anyways. So here it is, whether or not anyone asked for it: Some things I suppose I’ve realized since coming to UWC-USA.
1. You might spend more time studying than you would have anticipated.
It’s hard. And probably not in the way that you think. Depending on your academic background, and unfortunately which region of the world you come from, the IB will either be a breeze or will be quite challenging. Different education systems give you different skills. Some of them help with the IB, some don't.
2. UWC is not what you think it is.
Guaranteed. The way that it is perceived, especially by applicants, is a utopia that simply does not exist. Lots of people come to UWC to escape something back at home, and they, mistakenly, take refuge at UWC. This is not a place that will cure your depression. This is not a place that will make you happy.
3. You will feel out of place, at least at first.
The environment that you will be thrown in will likely be foreign to you, at first. After all, that is the point. At first you won’t know how to react, but don’t worry. None of us do.
4. You may change so much that you fail to recognize yourself.
At least I did. 1.5 years in and the school, as well as its people, have altered me to the core of who I am. For better or for worse, only time will tell.
5. You will develop some of the most meaningful friendships that you will ever experience.
At least I didn’t know how much I could care for people until I came here. And I know it will be hard for me to reach that same level of intimacy with people outside of this school.
This one seems a bit more obvious, but it’s something that we always forget, and never fully understand. UWC, no matter how beautiful, is not even close to what the real world is. When you leave, you have to re-adjust yourself to the same world you inhabited before you attended. The only problem is that you are now drastically different, in irreversible ways.
I suppose one of the biggest questions that lingers in the back of our minds, one that I am asking myself right now, is what happens when we leave?
And I have absolutely no idea.
Just a few months more, and I’ll have to figure it out.
