UWC

UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.

~ UWC mission ~

If there is anything you should know about United World Colleges in particular, it is what is written here above. If you are ever going to get a bit into this idealistic organization, you will be bombarded with this mantra. No, seriously, wake me up in the middle of the night and this is what I will recite.

By hearing this sentence so often, it is becoming a bit translucent, which makes its message easily ignored or forgotten. But if there ever was a proper description of UWC, this is the way to do it.

UWC has 14 schools in 14 countries around the world: Italy, the Netherlands, Wales, Swaziland, Singapore, Hong Kong, USA, Costa Rica, Bosnia, Canada, India, Norway and the two brand-new ones in Germany and Armenia. This does not mean that only children from those countries can apply: UWC has National Committees (NC’s) in more than 140 countries worldwide and about 181 nationalities are represented at the colleges.

There are two ways to apply: directly, or through your NC. Applying directly to a college means that you will not go through the (normal) selection process and you will not get a scholarship. Applying through your NC means that you will go through three rounds of selection (at least in the Netherlands), in which you will not be judged on your nationality, religion, financial/political position, etc but on your capabilities and motivation. If you are selected in the end, you may get a full or partial scholarship, depending on how much you can bear to pay. So some pay the school fees fully, some do not pay anything, but they all get the same opportunities and the same education.

Some key words:

Education:  after all, a United World College, with all its prestige and offers, still is a school ;). The education system it offers is the International Baccalaureate Diploma. The IB is a demanding and rigourous course, one of the most well regarded and widely known secondary school qualifications and is recognized by the world’s leading universities. It prepares the students for university and future leaders in politics, charity, medicine, artists, accountants, diplomats, environmentalists, and so on.

CAS: creativity, action, service; involvement in artistic pursuits, physical activity and community service. A very important aspect of UWC, and something not to be underestimated. For me, CAS was a major reason to apply.

Idealistic: UWC is a serious movement, with an idealistic touch to it. There are 9 crucial values that UWC promotes and rotates… So, hold on, here they come:

• International and intercultural understanding
• Celebration of difference
• Personal responsibility and integrity
• Mutual responsibility and respect
• Compassion and service
• Respect for the environment
• A sense of idealism
• Personal challenge
• Action and personal example

It is a mouthful, but then, UWC is not something explained in just a few words.

Commitment: UWC takes a whole lot of effort, courage, stamina, perseverence and motivation. The decision alone (“Do I really want to do this? Living on my own in an unreachable country abroad at sixteen? Will and Can I take up this challange?) is serious. The moment you say “yes”, is the moment you have to start facing responsability. The application process is time-consuming, tiresome, sucking up your thoughts and time while you should be busy with school and homework. Getting through does not mean that all the stress is over, oh no, no sir! It means you were fierce enough to withstand the introduction to UWC. And then real commitment begins.

* soothing note: It may sound a bit scary, and honestly, it can be in the beginning. But really, I would not want to turn back (it is possible though), through all the stress and new discoveries I am feeling as if I am living on the edge.

Selection: It takes time, effort, and sweating. It is a nerveracking yet amazing range of meeting new people, learning about yourself and about others, and a little taste of a day at a UWC. In the Netherlands, selection consists of three rounds.

The first requires you, your parents, tutor/dean and one teacher to fill in some forms about you (who you are, what you are interested in, they even ask you about achievements and your family history!). It is important you have the right age, the right grades, and the right nationality. It is mainly about the ‘hard criteria’, but also about showing that you can do this, that you are the right person to fit in a UWC. As we say in Dutch: Haal alles uit de kast! 🙂

The second round takes you and half of the other applicants for a day to meet each other, play games, learn new things, speak about yourself, debate, and to have a short interview.  In my experience it was an amazing and eye-opening day, but I was so, so tired when I came home… My thoughts, literally: How am I ever going to be fit to be such a student if I am already exhausted after one day?

The third and final round: a long interview, based on you and your application form. All questions vary from person to person, so this is something you just cannot prepare for. One well-known advice: be yourself. If you are chosen, you know that you deserved it and that you can do it. If not, you know that maybe this is not for you or you are not yet ready for it. You simply do not want a wrong selection.

After this, it is a loooooong and restless wait… for an e-mail 😦 or a phone call 🙂 I recall mine to be a rush of pure happiness!

Unique: because that is what UWC is.