Øyun is from Hokksund and finished her education at Drammen upper secondary school in 2020. She is now in her second year of studying for a bachelor’s degree in political science at the university of Oslo. We asked her to reflect on why she chose DI, how she experienced her years there and whether Drammen International has proved to be advantage in her present studies. 

Why did you choose to go to Drammen International?

• As I lived in Hokksund, Drammen upper secondary school was not my most obvious choice. I had a counselor at my middle school who told me about Drammen International and how many subjects were taught in English and the fact that there was a great international focus in this study programme. This seemed very interesting to me. The possibility to go on excursions internationally was also an important selling-point.  For example, I joined the committee for the school’s charity project in Nairobi and was fortunate enough to be able to go to Kenya.
• DI students are taught in English in many subjects (social studies, geography, history, religion, and partly natural science). To what extent has the competence in English you developed at DI been important and useful to you in your studies?
• It has been extremely important. Even though my studies are now mainly in Norwegian, all my textbooks are in English, and some of my classes are taught in English. So, the fact that I had already learned how to study different subjects in English has been a huge benefit for me. A lot of my fellow students, who have not spoken much English before or who have not studied various subjects in English in upper secondary school, are surprised at the level of English which is expected of students at university. When we graduated, we were given a diploma from Drammen International, in addition to the ordinary diploma from upper secondary school, so when I apply for a job, I think having completed Drammen International makes me stand out from the crowd.
• What was the most important lesson you learned from your time at Drammen International? 
• I think some of the most important things that I learned were to adapt and to expand my knowledge. On a personal level, it was a very interesting experience for someone coming from a small town to be in a multi-cultural class. Speaking such a lot of English has of course contributed to my developing my English skills considerably. I also think the program is very good in the sense that we were given many different kinds of learning experiences and  the fact that some teachers always chose to angle their lessons in an international perspective.
• How did your years as a Drammen International student shape or help you in your choices as a student and as a young employee? 
• I think it has made me more disciplined. Even though this might not be stated explicitly, there are high expectations for Drammen International students. I felt that I developed a lot of discipline from attending this programme, which has made the transfer to university, where we are expected to work independently most of the time, easier. 
• When you started at Drammen International, did you feel that you met students who shared the same interests as you? 

I definitely think so, as many of my class-mates had similar interests. This was something I really liked because in Hokksund there were not a lot of my fellow students who were interested in politics. Finally, I think I was very fortunate with my class, and I think that there is  a general tendency for Drammen International classes to be friendly and open-minded. 

Tekst: Emma Slevikmoen og Siri Hunstadbråten.