The Boarding School Experience: Freedom to Be You

Two international students at Grenaa Gymnasium’s Boarding School explains about settling down in Grenaa.

“This place is like heaven. You are treated with respect and there is freedom and personal space, responsibility and trust.” This is how Jagna Zajac characterizes her daily life at Grenaa Gymnasium’s Boarding School.

Together with Andrea Calline and many others she has been an international IB Diploma student at Grenaa Gymnasium since August last year. Jagna is from Poland and Andrea is from Italy.
Watch a video about Grenaa Gymnasium’s Boarding School

Talk to an IB-student about IB and the Boarding School

Why Grenaa?

But how did they decide to go to small town Grenaa of all places for their IB Diploma? Andrea explains that in Italy many students have their fourth year of high school abroad. “A parent of one of my friends told me about IB in Denmark and I applied at several IB schools in Denmark. I am happy that I was admitted here at Grenaa Gymnasium.”
Read here what Jagna and Andrea say about IB at Grenaa Gymnasium

Jagna explains that before she came to Grenaa she spent a scholarship year at a boarding school in Palestine. “I wanted to go somewhere completely different, and I liked what I read about Grenaa Gymnasium’s Boarding School,” she says and adds that she has not been disappointed. “Everything here is organized and you don’t have to worry about security. Life here is calm and with no stress. You can have your own sphere and organize your time.”

Andrea also stresses the freedom one has as a boarding student in Grenaa. “I would not like to live at a school where you are being checked all the time and there is no freedom to be you. So I knew that Grenaa Gymnasium would be for me when I read on the homepage that as long as you follow the rules and thrive, you can do what you want,” Andrea explains. “Luckily, my parents were ok with that,” he adds with a twinkle. “And people actually do respect rules here.”
Feel free and safe at Grenaa Gymnasium’s Boarding School

How does one settle down well at the Boarding School?

Jagna and Andrea have lived at the Boarding School for five months now and have settled down well. They explain that in the beginning there were a lot of activities that eased the process of making new friends. ”All the teachers, the student tutors and the other students were very helpful and available all the time. You were shown around and everything was explained to you. Every explanation, no matter who was giving it, was rounded off with “and if there’s anything, you just ask one of us,”” Andrea explains.
“Especially in the beginning it is important that you do not hide that you would like to have friends,” Jagna says. “It is important to be open, for example during the meals.”
Read about meals at Grenaa Gymnasium’s Boarding School.

“You might need to become more nature and responsible than you have been used to,” Jagna continues. “You have to do your own laundry, for example. And sometimes it can be difficult to be with so many people all the time. But then you have to remember why you came here, and try to find places where you feel comfortable.” Jagna explains that for her one of those places are the study rooms where students cooperate and help each other with homework.

Andrea explains that he often misses going out to be with friends at a café. In Italy you do that every day, but in Denmark people tend to meet in one anothers’ homes. “So I go to the chill out corner over there,” he says and points at big sofa. “It is always available, you can just go there and that is so cool.”

For Andrea being generous is essential if one wishes to make friends. “If I do someone a favour, that person will return it because now you’re friends.”

“The boarding school is like home to me, and it is important to me that everybody sees it that way,” Andrea concludes.