For my secondary school, I went to the 'Stedelijk Gymnasium' in Leeuwarden, comparable to the french Lycee. It was a relatively small school, with around 550 students and a nice atmosphere. Not only the size of the school was special, also that they Latin and Greelk were taught (as at every Gymnasium) so you can call it a classical education. This school specifically prepares for University and the level is generally high. The school can be called liberal, as student had a lot of own responsibility. For instance, until the age of 16, school is mandatory, but once you were 16, attending classes was more or less up to the students. Not that a lot of the classes were skipped, most students knew that education was important and, of course if you couldn't follow the pace of the rest of the class you had to leave the school.I had no problems following the lessons and got quite good grades. I also had a lot of friends, although I did not belong to the most popular people. In such a small school, social control was high and as far as I know, no kids were really bullied. There were parties organized by the students about 6 times a year, the school offered their canteen for beginning bands and once a year we had the 'Big Party' in the city theatre. Especially in the higher classes, we often went to play billiards between lessons in the 'Strohoed'. At the end of each school year, we also organized a weekend at a lake for the entire class. So all in all, a good time with plenty of socializing.