In August of 2022, now senior Zuzu Knox received an international call that ultimately changed her high school career.
She received a call and email congratulating her on her acceptance into the Leysin American School (LAS) in Switzerland. Though Knox had already been expecting her acceptance, she was still beyond excited to receive an official yes. However, the acceptance brought bittersweet feelings knowing she would be leaving her friends/family and would no longer be living in her hometown, Lake Forest.
While transitioning into the new environment and beginning her junior year at LAS, she encountered numerous challenges and differences compared to her old school life.
The curriculum and rigor of these classes were the hardest part for Knox as it was much different than a standard U.S. program.
“I was a full IB (International Baccalaureate) student, meaning I had to take three HL (Higher Level) courses and three SL (Standard Level) courses,” Knox said.
She shares that her classes brought more homework each night and many more tests per week. More curriculum was taught in shorter periods, which essentially took her longer to become accustomed to since she wasn’t familiar with these intense and rigorous fast-paced classes.
“I was constantly learning new study strategies to keep up with the workload. I learned what worked for me and what didn’t and then I was able to do well in my classes,” Knox said.
In addition to her challenging classes, Knox described it as ‘nearly impossible’ to communicate with her friends and family.
Knox said, “The hardest thing about the time difference was the fact that if I needed to talk to someone or someone needed me at a specific moment, we would almost always have to wait hours before speaking.”
Even Knox’s friends noticed the challenges of trying to talk frequently.
“Even though we didn’t talk frequently because of our busy schedules, we still stayed super close friends. It was hard knowing she wouldn’t always be a 5-minute drive away when I needed her,” said senior Hannah Balmelli.
With having rigorous academic curriculum, mandatory activities, and required check-in times, free time wasn’t very common.
Knox quickly became accustomed to the strict schedule which kept her plenty busy. On a typical school day at LAS, she would wake up around 6 a.m. and commute to the main campus at 7:30 a.m. Her school day would end at 3:35 p.m. and then she attended mandatory activities until 5:30 p.m. The rest of the night she had study hall time and 30 minutes of in-dorm free time. Lights out at 10:45 p.m.
Typically weekends were available for students to travel to destinations near the school. Montreux, Vevey, and Lausanne were the most popular day trip destinations. Knox explored different cafes/restaurants, shopped in malls and local boutiques, sat by the lake, and walked around the areas.
A year later, Knox moved back to her hometown. Knox realized how grateful she was for the life-changing experiences and forever-lasting bonds she gained from her time away. She still remains in contact with some friends from Switzerland.
“Whether it is a quick call every few weeks for some people, or texting multiple times a day in the same group chats, I am so thankful for all of the friends that I am still able to be in touch with,” Knox said.
Adjusting back to the Lake Forest High School curriculum has been particularly easier for Knox due to her time in Switzerland, which ultimately prepared her for more demanding workloads. She was used to her work being completed in the “IB ways”, which is not what most Lake Forest teachers look for.
“Even though it was a really last-minute decision to go to Switzerland, I’m so glad that I took the opportunity and will always be grateful for everything I got out of the experience,” Knox said.
