When senior exchange student Charlotte Enquist, originally from Stockholm, Sweden, stepped foot in New Trier High School at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, she had to make a few adjustments.

Back home in Sweden, Enquist attends a three year school that is a mix of an undergraduate and high school education. She attends fewer general education classes and more courses specific to her future career aspirations.

“I’m learning the natural science program. So I do a lot of math, science, physics, chemistry,” Enquist says. “Per grade, there’s three classes, and you read everything together with your class. There are [many] programs and they’re made specifically to prepare for university.”

Her school has a total population of around 900 students—New Trier’s senior class alone is just over 900 students. With a total student body of around 3,600, New Trier’s large size was a major change. 

For Enquist, who joined the girls flag football team in the fall, another adjustment was the level of commitment to sports at New Trier.

“[At home] we only have clubs outside of school, and if you want to do sports professionally, then you go to a high school specified for that one,” Enquist says. “So when I do sports here, it’s really different, because not everyone can do it. But then also it’s really hard, like six times a week. It’s a real commitment.” 

While the idea of participating in a high-commitment sports team felt daunting at first, Enquist thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was a way to make a big school feel smaller.

“It was really nice because it [flag football] started before school. So I felt [good] going into school with new people,” Enquist says. “I feel like it was an easy way to make friends.”

Something unique about Enquist is that she’s a twin—her sister, Gabriella, is currently doing an exchange year in Buffalo, New York. Before this year, the longest the twins had been apart for was only a week. While Enquist says she misses several aspects of home, her sister is who she really feels homesick for.

“I miss the cooking. I miss talking [in Swedish]. But it’s not like I’m homesick,” she says. “I miss my twin sister because everything’s so easy, like I don’t even have to tell her anything. And she just knows, we kind of connect that way.”

Enquist also notes that speaking English full-time isn’t always easy.

“It’s kind of draining, yeah? I remember the first month I was tired all the time because I had to constantly think about how I was saying stuff,” she says. “And that’s something I guess I [have] evolved from.”

In addition to the language difference and new school system, the mindsets, habits, and routines of New Trier students differ significantly from those of Swedish students, too.

“Another culture shock is that people aren’t really independent,” Enquist says. “I feel like a lot of people are kind of stuck to their parents, or like they’re very dependent on their parents, versus in Sweden, people are more independent. I’m more expected to be grown up.” 

Having seen several videos about American culture on TikTok before her exchange year, Enquist was excited to try all of the typical American “high school” experiences.

“I thought the first day of school was really cool and seeing the lockers, it’s like everything is so High School Musical coded that it’s crazy,” she says.

Enquist has also enjoyed sampling various fast food chains she has seen online.

“I really like Chipotle. It’s great, it’s really good,” she says. “You have a lot of fast food places, it’s fun. Canes is very popular, like online, so it’s fun, trying that out. It’s good, [but] I would say it’s a bit overhyped.” 

That said, she misses healthier cuisines.

“I don’t really like American food. I’ve crossed the path where the cheese is not really good anymore, and everything is really deep fried,” Enquist says. “I sort of miss salad. I miss stews, curry, French cuisine, and delicious rice.”

However, she hopes to bring some of her experiences and favorite US keepsakes back to Sweden with her this summer, despite the luggage limitations.

“My friends wanted me to bring Crumbl cookies. So I’m probably gonna buy a big box and bring it home,” Enquist says. “I’m already over a full suitcase so I have to buy a new one… I’m always coming home with a new sweater from shopping or something.”

With the end of the school year approaching at a rapid pace, Enquist has one last request for her peers at New Trier.

“Say hi to me in the corridor maybe?”