Whether through birthing a lamb, bumping into senators on the streets of Washington D.C. or carving your poetry into a linoleum block, three semester schools offer Urban students a new way of learning. The Mountain School, The School For Ethics and Global Leadership and the Oxbow School are experiential learning opportunities sophomores can apply for and participate in during the fall or spring semester of their junior year.
While Urban only partners with these three semester schools, they are a part of the larger Semester School Network, including nine semester schools across the world. This network offers semester-long experiences — internationally and domestically — for high school students who have a range of focuses from art to environmentalism. The Semester School Network’s purpose is to advance students’ educational and personal passions and help them gain a broader worldview through reflection, real-world application and tight-knit communities.
Urban began sending its students to semester schools in 1999 when the Oxbow School opened in Napa, California. In 2019, Urban began a partnership with The Mountain School in Vershire, Vermont. During that same year, they also partnered with The School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL), which boasts campuses in London, England, Washington D.C. and Johannesburg, South Africa. Currently, a total of four juniors from Urban go to these semester schools each year.
Each semester school has its niche. Oxbow delves into the visual arts with its rigorous studio arts curriculum and culminates in a public art exhibition. The Mountain School focuses on learning to respect one’s environment through shared work on a functioning farm — its core seminar final project invites students to weave together their own identity and concepts they have learned over the course of the semester to create a solution to current issues in the U.S. food system. Lastly, SEGL engages in global and domestic affairs to prepare future leaders capable of addressing pressing issues. SEGL culminates with students completing a collaborative policy document, ethical credo and a social venture project.
Some students cite a feeling of confinement at Urban as a motivating force in deciding to apply to semester schools. “The biggest reason I [attended Oxbow] wasn’t because of the art or the academics — it was mostly just because I needed a break from Urban,” said Taryn Jones ‘25, who attended The Oxbow School during the fall 2023 semester.
Other students attend semester schools because of their drive to learn in new environments. “I decided to go [to SEGL] because I wanted to experience what it was like to go to school in another place. [A] lot of the people that I talked to … left [home] because they didn’t like their school [or] didn’t like their friends, which was not why [I attended],” said Leili Kamali ‘25, who attended SEGL in London during the fall 2023 semester. “I didn’t leave [Urban] because I didn’t like it here, I just … thought it’d be cool.”
Many Urban students connect with the semester schools’ interdisciplinary and personal approaches to learning. This emphasis on self-discovery is a large part of semester programs. “You really are immersed in everything you do,” said Lilli Means ‘24, who attended The Mountain School during the spring 2023 semester. “[At The Mountain School], everything is connected and intertwined. … The work that you do on the farm is similar to the material that you learn about in English class. … We were always urged to think about ‘how does this relate to [you] and your experiences?’”
Furthermore, some students found that semester schools offered an educational environment that allowed them to dive deeper into their passions and academic interests. “I am really passionate about environmental science and gardening,” said Means. “I was [already] pursuing that in San Francisco but not really to the extent that I wanted to. … [I think] going to school on a farm … was [exactly] what I wanted to do.”
Semester school attendees appreciated being around similarly passionate peers. “[It] was really nice to … be surrounded constantly by people who really want to get into [their classes],” said Kamali.
At times, students found that the passionate and exciting learning environments at their respective semester schools differed from Urban’s, especially when dealing with more challenging content.
Urban Alum Cito Garcia ‘23, who attended SEGL in Washington D.C. during the fall 2021 Semester, said, “I don’t think Urban ever strayed away from having tough conversations. … I think the main difference I noticed was at SEGL, those conversations would leave the classroom, while at Urban, they [tended] to stay in the classroom.”
Ultimately, Urban’s semester school alumni had positive experiences at their respective institutions. “[I don’t think the word] ‘incredible’ … captures it quite enough,” said Garcia. “[SEGL] transformed the way I saw myself and saw the world.”
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Whether birthing a lamb, bumping into senators on the streets of Washington D.C. or carving your poetry into a linoleum block, the three semester schools Urban offers students to attend provide a new way of learning beyond San Francisco. All three schools are unique experiences exclusive for Urbanstudents to attend in the fall or spring semester of their junior year.
Taryn Jones ‘25, who attended The Oxbow School during the Fall ‘23 semester, said “[the classes at Oxbow] felt more integrated versus Urban, [where] all your classes are pretty separate.”
“[In my sophomore year], I was kind of looking for opportunities that could take me out of my small bubble in San Francisco,” said Means. “I was pursuing [my passion for environmental science and gardening] in San Francisco but not really to the extent that I wanted to, so getting there and going to school on a farm … was just [exactly] what I wanted to do.”
