Studiestart 2026 Tale fra studentrådsleder Tobias Sørhus Hosøy

To begin with, I want to say welcome to KHiO – congrats on being accepted. As we say here at KHiO: THIS IS IT. They fucking love those letters on the roof. So anyway, my name is Tobias, and I am the leader of the Student Council. I’ll be your voice this year and represent you in this school. I’m starting my second year now in the Art and Craft department at metal and jewellery art, so it was only a year ago since I stood where you are standing now. During my first year, I learned a lot. I have also asked my peers, and together we have made a list of tips for you new students. Seven tips to be exact.

Tip number 1: Come to school.

This might sound obvious, but there is a reason I say it. How much time you must be at school varies greatly between the different fields and departments. For example, the metal programme’s first year has school every day from 9 to 4, but the Fine Art department has way more flexible days and few times you have to be in school. So if you have a more flexible timetable, I really advise you to come to school in the daytime and eat lunch between 12 and 1 with those of us who have to be in school. It’s easy to become a bit isolated, and I think a good network of people is important for artists.

This brings me to my next point.

Tip number 2: Talk to people in different departments than just your own.

This is something I really advise. I didn’t really do that myself when I started, but I wish I did because now in the first weeks, I feel like the bar to say hi is lower. During lunchtime when it is sunny, many people from all the departments will sit in the sun in the stone stairs outside. This is a great opportunity to get to know each other. This school has so many great people, so I would hate for any of you to miss out on each other.

Tip number 3: Go to exhibitions in the school.

The school has multiple rooms where art and design are exhibited. Fashion has runways in the halls, and theatre, dance and opera have plays and performances that are open to everyone. Do yourself a favour and go to as much as possible – my biggest inspiration is my peers. In the beginning there won’t be that many exhibitions, but as the weeks go on, more and more exhibitions will pop up in the school. Many Thursdays and Fridays will have multiple exhibitions in a day.

On that note, there is a really cool exhibition tomorrow at Seilduken 2. So check it out – it’s about bad art, ha-ha.

Tip number 4: Walk around and find out.

You have all gotten a keycard by now, I hope. This keycard opens way more doors than you think. This school is massive and has lots of rooms and secrets, so when you have time, explore. Tap your card – if you get in, you’re allowed in.

Tip number 5: KHiO is overstimulating.

You will be bombarded with information these first few weeks. There are apps to download, names to remember, mails to be answered and a whole new life to get used to. It is okay not to remember everything, and I hope none of you are afraid to ask when you have forgotten something or are unsure about something. Help each other with understanding the Canvas platform, it’s a messy system that is hard to learn. I have been here for a year and I still don’t fully understand it. Help each other with the school mail, because that mail will be flooded with information and you will definitely miss a few of them.

Tip number 6: Don’t talk yourself down.

This goes out to everyone, even the teachers. Be proud of your art and abilities. There are many people here who have wanted to go to this school for a long time, people who have applied again and again, and finally they are here. Every person here wants to be here and has fought to be here. You have fought to be here, and you deserve to be here. So later, when you talk to new people about your art, present it with the respect that it deserves. I don’t want to hear anyone saying, “Oh, I don’t know, I just paint a little, but I wouldn’t call myself an artist.” Be proud, respect others by respecting yourself.

Tip number 7: KHiO is here for you.

It is easy to feel small when you are new here. I know I did. I had such respect for this school, and extreme expectations to it. This was the real deal. I felt like the school was kind of untouchable, and I was just lucky to be here. Maybe a feeling of imposter syndrome – this was not my school, but someone else’s. But I still had certain things that frustrated me: knowledge and rooms that weren’t accessible, and some of the teachers frustrated me. I met a teacher in the halls when feeling this, and she might have seen my frustration. She asked about how I felt, and I ended up having a little rant that maybe got a bit out of hand.

But she was not bothered – she told me that I should not be afraid to critique the school, because the school’s entire purpose was to educate us students. That changed my perception, because she was right. KHiO is nothing without its students, KHiO is nothing without you. All the scary teachers, all the workspaces: everything here is here for all of us. It wouldn’t be here without students, it wouldn’t be here without you.

That was all the tips I had, so thank you for listening. This year is going to be wonderful! This is it!