Studying at the international IB school in the Armenia

Editor: Alexander Pavlov Text: Nozima

Hello! My name is Nozima and I am from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but for the last 2 years I have lived in a small city in Armenia, Dilijan. Yes, the one with “the second best quality water in the world after San Francisco”! (reference to “Mimino” movie). In Armenia, I studied at the UWC Dilijan international boarding school following the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP) and graduated in May 2023. In this interview I’ll tell you more about my journey :)

1) Why did you decide to apply to UWC? Was it difficult for you or your classmates to get in there?

At the time of applying to UWC, I had completed the 10th grade at a public school and entered the 1st year of the Westminster Lyceum in Takshent (AL WIUT). Around the same time, I was actively exploring my interests and involving myself in various programs and activities in anticipation of applying to universities abroad. Before this, in the spring, I accidentally learned about UWC from the YouTube channel of a graduate from Germany, and after that from my mother’s good friends from Armenia.

Since childhood, I dreamed of studying abroad, communicating with people from different countries and was not afraid of living alone far from home, so I was glad to learn about this opportunity and try to apply to UWC. In addition, I the IB program caught my interrest. I did not have much opportunity to study it in Uzbekistan.

The application process is fairly standard for students from all over the world: through the National Committee (NC) of the country corresponding to the citizenship - to apply for funding, or through the Global Selection Program (GSP) - without funding. Details can be found on the official websites of UWC and your NC. I can only add that during the interview we were asked non-standard and rather creative questions. Based on my discussions with friends from UWC who applied from other NCs, they faced the same situation, but those questions were quite interesting to answer! It seems to me that here, as in other parts of the application, it was important to be honest and understand what and why you are doing.

2) How was the adaptation, especially when moving to dorm life?

Surprisingly, in the first year I didn’t miss home much. I got absorbed my school assignments, new acquaintances and activities. At the beginning of the second year, my academic workload increased significantly; at the same time, I worked on my college applications. It would be a lie if I said that there were no moments when I missed home in Tashkent. However, the school had a supportive atmosphere both in the classrooms and in the dorms. Dormitories consisted of 6 toons (from Armenian “house”) with a toon parent (“parent of the house”) assigned at each. Accordingly, all students were divided into 6 large groups. All of us lived on campus, and the residence buildings are located very close to each other, so the “division” between houses was not particularly noticeable. We lived in rooms for 2 or 4 people, with corridors divided into women's, men's and mixed/gender inclusive (with representatives of different genders). The administration and students of the school support the value of inclusivity and try to create a comfortable environment for everyone’s development, regardless of gender, nationality and other characteristics (for more details: read the UWC mission).

3) How good is the infrastructure in Dilijan?

Dilijan is a small city with old multi-storey buildings made of the characteristic Armenian red-brown stone and many authentic catering establishments. Though what I remembered as much more valuable and unique about Dilijan is the wildlife, the endless hills, mountains and caves where we often went hiking. Dilijan also has all 4 seasons of the year!! Winter! As a person from Tashkent, for me it was the coldest temperatures, the snowiest time with boxes of tea bags of different flavors and the largest set of socks I have ever owned! It was all worth it and, having lived all the time in the capital city (Tasheknt), I personally am incredibly happy about this vivid experience “at my grandmother’s country house” :)

4) What courses does the school offer and did you choose?

The standard set of IB DP courses is divided into 6 groups with the following subjects offered at our school:

(1) Studies in language and literature: English A (Lit/Lang&Lit), Armenian A (Lit), Russian A (Lit)

(2) Language acquisition: English B, Spanish B, Spanish/German/Russian (ab initio)

(3) Individuals and societies: History, Geography, Philosophy, Global Politics, Economics, Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS)

(4) Sciences: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, ESS

(5) Mathematics: Mathematics Analysis & Approaches (AA), Mathematics Applications & Interpretations (AI)

(6) Arts: Visual Arts, Theater

In addition to the division into the 6 categories above, there is a division into Higher level (HL, in-depth study) and Standard level (SL, standard level). Each one usually takes 3 items.

My set was as follows:

HL → Global Politics, Economics, Math AA, English B

SL → Russian Literature, Physics

In addition to the six subjects, all IBDP students take a “Theory of Knowledge” (ToK) course. This ended up being one of my favorite ones! In ToK lessons we discussed a lot, reflected in writing and orally about where knowledge comes from and which sources we can trust and which we cannot, what aspects we should take into account when reading information, what biases may be embedded in it. For example, from the topics proposed, I wrote my final work on the following one: “For artists and natural scientists, which is more important: what can be explained or what cannot be explained? Discuss with reference to the arts and the natural sciences.” Thus, ToK teaches students to look at the same issue from different perspectives.

5) Is it hard to study in IB? Are the teachers good?

It seems to me that studying in the IB program is different for everyone, depending on their academic background and depending on the complexity of the courses chosen. In general, I’d say that the IBDP workload increases significantly in the second year due to accumulated experience, Internal Assessments (=courseworks) and Extended Essay (=IB diploma work) season, and the university application process. From that you can tell on top of everything else IB makes an impressive contribution to the development of time management skills. There’s no other way around. It is also worth noting that IB develops self-studying skills. The knowledge gained in class is only a small part of what will be on the test, so students spend most of their time preparing for lessons and studying topics on their own in the libraries or common residential areas.

Teachers are distinguished not only by their knowledge and experience, but also by their enthusiasm in working with students. They are always open to questions from students during and after class. Some organized field trips and invited special speakers to expand our knowledge of the subject beyond the classroom walls. Thus, I was able to visit the branch of the Central Bank of Armenia in Dilijan and participate in an interactive lecture by a representative of the USAID Office in Armenia thanks to the initiatives of my economics teacher. Some other students managed to go on a field trip (organized by the same economics teacher) to fish shops near Lake Sevan, not far from which our school is located. Purpose of the trip: to study the local fish market, determine the type of competition and the factors influencing it applying theory and practice.

Though it was not only the economics teacher who brought knowledge and memorable learning approaches to my UWC experience! My literature teacher introduced me to linguistics and, through endless and engaging discussions and analysis, taught me to appreciate it in a way that no one had before. I’ve never thought I would actually be interested in discovering various interpretations of a metaphorical Sun appearing multiple times throughout the narration. My physics teacher showed me what physics actually means in practice. He was the one who guided me while writing my coursework on the element of rotation in figure skating. He kept patiently answering every item on the list of my questions during after-class office hours. The physics lessons were also memorable for the many experiments that we had the opportunity to experience in practice thanks to the school equipment. I can continue to write about politics lessons with negotiation sessions, lots of debates and other subjects, but you can read more about this on my blog :)

6) What activities are there for students and which ones did you choose? Is it possible to combine them with studies?

Upon arrival at UWC, I was overwhelmed with so many new acquaintances, study opportunities and extracurricular activities that I wanted to learn and try as much as possible! The school actually has many resources for personal development. Though I think it’s worth noting once again: it is crucial to wisely distribute personal priorities, resources and time.

As part of the IBDP, each student is required to take extracurricular activities (student clubs) in three categories (CAS): creativity, activity, and service. At the end of each semester, we had to write reflections on the experiences and lessons learned during these CAS sessions. In addition to the official three CASes, we could also attend other clubs unofficially.

Over the course of two years, I was able to try myself in: debate club, French club, TEDxYouth organization, MUN, knitting club, student cafe, intercultural cooking club, hiking club, table tennis club, swimming, social entrepreneurship club. All this happened at different times and many of them I tried for the first time ever. I stayed longer on some things, and in others I realized that my priorities and interests had changed.

Most of all, I am glad to have had the opportunity to open an Uzbek dance club! I had never done national dances before and learned only one before arriving at school to perform at a cultural evening of Uzbekistan. I received lots of support and saw interest in Uzbek culture from the student body and teachers, and so the first Uzbek dance club was opened at UWC Dilijan :) We performed with the club members at school concerts and I also passed the school selection process to perform at the graduation in front of students, teachers, parents, school administration and donors.

In addition to the above, I think it is important to note that UWC is not only an IB program and a boarding school, it is also a rich life in an international environment. Students often organize events dedicated to social activism, support, charity highlighting local and global issues and important topics. Such events included focus weeks with lectures and interactive sessions on the topics including but not limited to the Armenian genocide, mental health, queer communities, Black History Month, current conflicts with guest speakers and others. There were also more entertaining events, including regional (cultural) evenings of countries from different parts of the world, watching Eurovision, watching football cups :)

7) What advantages does your school provide for entering abroad and simply in life? Are there separate scholarships for such graduates?

We are supported by a college admissions counselor during the admissions process. UWC students also benefit from Davis scholarships, which provide additional funding to partner American higher education institutions.

8) Why should you NOT apply to UWC?

If you are not ready to change, change your views, devote your time to studying new themes, interests and cultures, then it is better to think twice about applying to UWC. Moreover, it will be sad if a person enrolls in UWC only because of the university privileges, since UWC is much more than just IB. Learning occurs not only in the classroom, but also outside through communication. On top of that, you often have to make sacrifices in favor of studying/sleeping/socializing. Everyone’s priorities are different and they can also change during their studies. As a result, even if a student was a straight A student at home, everything can change at UWC. But even in this case, it does help that the Davis scholarship supports funding for admission to universities.

9) Are you grateful or do you regret this experience?

I am eternally grateful for these two bright, transformative, albeit sometimes quite challenging, years in such a lively and diverse community and environment! There were a lot of ups and downs, but I always had the support of family and friends from school. In the end, we went through it all together. Besides, I have made many new friends and good acquaintances all over the world, with whom I’m happy to be staying staying in touch even after graduation :)

If you would like to learn more about my experiences at and after UWC, I would be glad to welcome you to my telegram channel Culture Shock!! - so subscribe!