By: Jessica Bruening and Katie Greppin

Jessica went to Australia two years ago to participate in the Australian Exchange here at HB. Katie is going this summer.

Expectation- Katie

I expect Ravenswood will be fairly similar to Hathaway Brown, although it will also be very different. From what I have heard from my exchange sister, Ravenswood is much less stressful because they do not have as much homework. They have a four terms as opposed to the two semesters. They have two weeks of holiday (vacation) after each term. I look forward to living in Australia and attending Ravenswood.

Question and Answer

– Questions asked by Katie and then answered by Jessica

Q: Do they take the same core classes as we do?

A: Kind of. They have English, language and history classes like us. Instead of having specific types of math like geometry or calc they just have general maths, it’s the same with science.

Q: Do they have finals and midterms?

A:  Yes, they have exams at the end of every term.

Q: What is their lunch like?

A: They have a canteen at school where they can buy food, but most of the girls just pack a lunch. Instead of eating in a cafeteria, everyone sits on a deck outside. There are no chairs or tables, so everyone just sits in circles with their friends.

Q: Do the teachers have a different teaching style?

A: Some of they teachers are a lot like HB teachers, but others are much more formal. There were some teacher that expected everyone to stand when they walked in the room and greet them before sitting down. I also noticed that a lot of the work was much more independent compared to the many group discussions we have in our classes here at HB.

Reflection- Jessica

In terms of academics, Ravenswood is pretty similar to HB, but there are definitely differences as well. There are many individual friends groups and people tend to stick with their close group of friends. The students also don’t spend that much time at Ravo outside of the school day, whereas I feel like I’m always at HB. Ravo definitely made me appreciate our dress code, because there, the students not only have a uniform, but have restrictions on what kind of shoes and jewelry they can wear and can’t even have their hair down. I did really enjoy my two weeks at Ravenswood, meeting both the students and the other exchanges. Everyone was super nice and welcoming and I made a lot of friends who I hope to go back and visit one day.