Private college offers unique Swiss experience

In Switzerland, a country where time is measured with impeccable watches, it’s fitting that a private school with a twist on the boarding experience aims to make its students have the best of times as they get a pre-university year education abroad. Neuchâtel Junior College is a Canadian school that is located in a French-speaking Swiss city.

“What makes Neuchâtel’s program unique is that our students actually live in the community with Swiss-French families. They are not living in a boarding facility,” says Dorit Tepperman, the director of admission at the college’s offices in Toronto.

Most of the homes are in outlying villages, with an efficient and safe public transportation system. “Aside from the academic opportunities, the students can develop language skills, learn how to manage their time, attend authentic events and cultural experiences, and become part of a family and a community.”

The small city of Neuchâtel sits on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel and has been a temporary home to students visiting from Canada since 1956. “Given that we are a Canadian school with a focus on academic rigour, we offer great opportunities for students to travel in Europe and learn about Canada and the world while they do so, with safe and structured trips to historic locations such as Normandy, as well as independent travel,” Tepperman says.

Most of the students come from Canada. More than 5,200 Neuchâtel alumni span the globe, and many maintain the life-long relationships they developed during their time at the college, Tepperman says. “Whenever I meet anyone who has been to Neuchâtel, they say it was a pivotal time in their lives.”

Often, parents who decide to send their child to the college know someone who has previously attended.

Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.