Why must going to high school be so complex?

I dare not presume that with this post I will be able to adequately explain the complexity of choosing an Italian high school because we are currently in the thick of the learning process ourselves.

"Terza Media" (3rd year of middle school) is almost said with a shudder in every parent's voice here as this is the final and crucial year in which your 13 or 14 year old must choose what he wants to do with the rest of their life. It is almost like choosing a major and university in the USA if we had to equate it with anything. Not that you can't switch a major or university at that, but the length is almost always effected by changes. Thus, the choice of where one will spend the next five years of high school is no small decision. We are in the funnelling process of narrowing down a decision for Samuel.

Step 1: Know Possible School Options

• Professional instruction and formation (3/4 years)
• Professional Institute (5 years)
• Industrial-Craft Sector
• Service Sector
• Technical Institute (5 years)
• Economic Sector
• Technological Sector
• "Liceo" high school (5 years)
• Classical
• Scientific
• Human sciences
• Artistic
• Linguistic
• Applied Science
• Socio-economic
• Music

The obvious choice for Samuel was "Liceo" as this is considered college preparatory.

Step 2: Choose Type of Liceo

For a while Samuel was leaning towards a scientific high school or even linguistic. It is helpful to be strong in many areas, but also hard when trying to narrow down your highest interest. However, as we began to talk with more people and conduct our own research we started leaning towards a Classical high school where a well rounded education, strong in many fields would better prepare him for a university setting and leave the door open to pursue a career of his choice in any of the above fields when he has some more time and maturity to make those choices.

Step 3: Research Classical Liceos

This is really where the stress starts to set in. We live outside the city limits of Torino so we have to weigh accessibility into our school selection. How many trains, trams, metros, buses, walking is realistic for a 14 year old boy to navigate on his own when he has no sense of direction? Can you hear my mamma's heart pounding yet? The nearest Classical high school is downtown Torino. The nearest Liceo of ANY kind is 20 minutes away, just to put this into perspective. Our city only has school facilities through middle school. This certainly is not uncommon and many kids have to travel a good distance to pursue their education past middle school.

15 km (9.3 miles) will take 45-60 minutes depending on traffic

Some school websites are great (usually the private ones) and you can find all the information you need in one spot. Others are completely horrible and make you want to throw out the option just because of their website. Italy is a bit behind in the world of technology so it isn't a surprise, but honestly if the state schools are reliant on recruitment methods then they really need to step up their game in web appeal. (Rant over)

We have researched all Classical high schools within a 20 km radius and our top two choices are based on location, traveling expenses, regional ranking, and "Saturday free" options (many high schools still require a 6-day school week).

Step 4: Visit Schools

Schools have a very limited number of "Open Days" in which prospective students and parents are allowed to visit and learn more about the school. You have to be very strategic in scheduling your time and visits. So far we were able to visit one school in December and another this coming weekend.

We chose to travel via public transportation so we could get a sense of what that might look like on a daily basis for Samuel. Thankfully there is a coach bus line that runs from Caselle right to the main train station of Torino, which then only requires a 2-block walk to arrive at the school. The one way trip took us 45 minutes.

"Hurry Mamma!! You have the tickets...stop taking pictures!"

The 2-hour admissions presentation at Massimo D'Azeglio was very professional, informative and left us with a good impression. It was relieving to us to actually see and hear about the school in person. This school was founded in 1831 and has a long history of tradition and distinguished alumni.

So there are no athletic fields or stand alone school facilities that immediately give one notice that this is a high school, but what can you expect for an old school located in the heart of an old city? What it lacks in grandeur is reconciled in the fact that it is close to many university facilities and historical sites and museums will make for accessible field trips.

A daytime view

School hallway

Even Samuel was beaming after a tour and separate presentation to the students.

Lest not you think our choices are complete by merely selecting a school, now he has to narrow down which scholastic track within this Classical school he wants to pursue. Traditional, Science, Cultural/Humanities, or ESABAC (dual diploma in Italian and French). All will include a heavy load of Greek and Latin.

Step 5: Register and Apply

On January 16, registration opens at which time you better have a good handle on where and what you want to do. You are allowed up to three selections of schools, listing them in order of preference. The school will receive your pre-registration and make the final selection for class openings after the final term of middle school grades and exams are complete. Exams take place the week after school is out in June where the student has to complete both written and oral examination over the entire years worth of material studied. The exam results will then determine your acceptance and placement. We should know by the beginning of July where Samuel will go in September. Lots of academic pressure in this culture, it's just too bad well educated students have very little future for work in this country. (That's another discussion for another time.)

So, that is how you choose an Italian high school...I think!