Digital Media Concepts/Hurdal Verk Folk High School

Hurdal Verk Folk High School
	Hurdal Verk Folk High School's Main building "The White Hall."
Founded:	1945
County:	Akershus
Municipality:	Hurdal
Address:	Hurdal Verk 5, 2090 Hurdal, Norway
Headmaster:	John Petter Stangeland
Owner:	Norwegian Lutheran Mission

Hurdal Verk Folk High School is a Christian Folk High School located in Hurdal, Akershus, Norway. Hurdal is a small town in the eastern part of Norway located an hour from the capital (Oslo). The school is owned by Norwegian Lutheran Mission, and was established in 1945 on the premises of an old glass work factory. During the off-season, the school rents out its facilities to summer camps, conferences, and so forth while the Folk High School part is done for the season. ^[1] Even though the school is Christian, students do not need to have a christian viewpoint.

Folk High Schools

Folk High Schools are boarding schools which lasts for 1 academic year (9-months) where students live in a small community on campus along with other students and staff. In short Folk High Schools are meant for students to grow as individuals both socially, and academically by living away from home, and having to share the next 9 months living with other students. An important aspect of going to a Folk High School is to form communities both in and outside of the class; this way you get the most out of your year where you may find friends that will last you a lifetime. ^[2]

Folk High Schools do not conduct any grades, so the academic pressure is not something you have to worry about. The reason why there are no grades, is so that you get to focus on yourself instead of having to stress about grades. You have the freedom to pick and choose what topics you want to focus on, i.e, Sports, Music, Snowboarding. The average age of the students is 19 years old, and is typically suited for students 18-23 years old.^[2]

International students

The school accepts international students and also offers a Norwegian language course where Norwegian students alongside a Norwegian teacher will help non Norwegian speakers learn the language.

This is a great opportunity for any international students who would like to spend a year abroad without having to think about grades, and instead getting to learn a new language at the same time as they're having fun alongside with Norwegian speaking students. Communication won't be a problem either as Norwegian students learn English starting from 4th grade. Should you later on want to study in Norway, then a year at a Folk High School is definitely a great prerequisite. ^[2]

Life on Campus

Students will be living on campus alongside 100+ other students. The students will be living in dorm rooms that range from single bedrooms with shared public restroom, to double bedrooms with private bathrooms. The students can choose between a few; single bedroom with restroom, shared double bedroom with restroom, or a single bedroom with a public detached restroom. These dorm rooms are located in different sections around campus, 8 sections in total. Each section has its respective living space and a kitchen for the students to use. Other students are welcome to visit different sections.^[3] Since the students will be living under the same roof(s), they get to experience what it's like having to live with other people. In this case, most students have never lived away from home. The students will also get to know each other better this way as there is always someone to hang out with. On campus you get to know pretty much everyone by the end of the year as there are several activities going on every day where most people get involved, whether it be card games, karaoke nights, soccer, and so on. A year on campus, is a year of new experiences. A typical weekday for a student consists of a morning seminar, breakfast, classes, lunch, activities, dinner, socializing/spare time, supper. The first couple of weeks however are focused on getting to know each other where the students will attend activities, e.g, the students might go on a trip together to engage in social activities followed by climbing, rafting, and so forth.

The students will be served four different meals every day* which are included in the school fees; breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper.

*Depending on how the trips are laid out.

Traveling

Throughout the year the students will also be traveling in their course groups. e.g Snow Kite Surf - Bali travels to the Alps in Austria, Ål (Norway), Portugal, and Bali (Indonesia), where they will be snowboarding, surfing, and more.

All the expenses for the trips are included in the course costs, however, pocket change is needed. On the trips, the students live in hotels, hostels, and so forth, it depends on what your groups focuses on e.g backpacking most likely wouldn't be living in hotels.

Campus Facilities

Activity room:

On campus there is one activity room which features a skate ramp with skateboards for the students to use, a boulder wall, and a slack line for the students to train their balance.

Beach volleyball:

The campus has its own beach volleyball field featuring first class sand.

Frisbee Golf:

Around the school premises there is a 9-hole Frisbee golf field where the students can borrow equipment from the school. The field is also open to the public.

Gym:

On campus there is a cross fit room for the students to use which features modern equipment like free weights, power racks, kettle bells, and so forth. There is also a separate training room which can be used by the students, however, it offers slightly older equipment.

Gymnasium:

There is a average sized gymnasium on campus used for both courses, concerts, gatherings, etc, which is also open for the students to use on their spare time.

Music rooms:

Around campus there are several pianos for the students to practice their skills on, some of them being in the common areas, while some of them are in private group rooms should one prefer to practice privately. Alongside with pianos, there are also a few guitars that the students may use.

Park and Pond

There's a park alongside with a pond right on campus. In the winter the pond is used for ice skating and ice bathing, while when the pond is not frozen, it's used for swimming, canoeing, kayaking, etc.

Soccer field:

On campus there is a large soccer field which features natural grass for the students to use. Alongside with the soccer field on campus, there is also a brand new soccer field around 20 minutes walking from campus which the students are more than welcome to use, this field however features fake grass.

Off-Campus Facilities

Horse center:

A couple minutes walking from campus, the school has access to a horse center featuring stables, a riding hall, and a large riding area. The stables can be rented by the students, while it's also used by the horseback riding course.

Ski center:

30 minutes walking from the campus there's a large ski center that's open during the winter. The students also gets discounts here as it's used in some of the school courses.

Sports hall:

Next to the local soccer field around 20 minutes from campus, there's a large sports hall which the students has access to use both during their courses and on their spare time.

^[4]

Course Options

The school currently offers nine different courses in which the student has to choose one. These courses makes up for the main part of the educational part of the school. Alongside one of the main courses, the students are obliged to take the following core courses; Common Tasks, Christianity and Ethics, House Group, Life Mastery, News, Quire, Saturday Seminar, Make it a better place. However, the students may also take several elective courses throughout the year, however the courses available tends to change by year. The elective courses could be anything from chess, baking, snowboarding, and a whole lot more to chose from.

Costs


Enrollment fee	270 USD*	Fee upon being accepted into the program.
Diet and lodging	8,960 USD*	Includes 4 meals a day and your room. (Supplement for higher standard rooms – look further down)
Shared costs	1,706 USD*	Includes excursions with the whole school, expenses for shared equipment, copying, internet fee, semester fee, accident insurance, student ID, etc.
Individual expenses		There are extra costs for a few electives
Room supplement		Single room without private bathroom (shared bathroom) 0 USD Double room with en-suite bathroom: 70 USD per month* Newer double room with en suite bathroom (highest standard):103 USD per month* Newer single room with private bathroom (highest standard): 135 USD per. month*
Course costs	3,683 USD* - 5,316 USD*	The courses range from as low as 3,683 USD being Explore Norwaywhile the Horseback course being priced at 5,316 USD if you do not have your own horse.
TOTAL	10,936 USD*	Course costs not included in total costs.