Alex, Year 12, Gubei Campus

I must say that the comments of the senior IB students had me thinking during over my summer holiday. The major Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) projects, and the 4000 word Extended Essay made IB sound like a rather daunting journey; however, after actually becoming an IB student, I’m finding that it’s actually a lot of fun.

The IB program is without doubt, challenging and time consuming, yet there are many positive sides to this program. Studying the IB at YCIS is very enjoyable because of the way the programme is structured. We have personal study periods which allow us to manage our time well, and our teachers are always very willing to help during breaks and lunchtime. All of these aspects makes the IB a very self-dependent and comfortable study experience.

Being an IB student requires a lot of self-discipline, and as a result, every student including me is learning to manage their time more efficiently. In addition to developing time management skills, this course gives us a great sense of achievement at certain times when we have completed all of our tasks, whether it’s a pile of homework or revising for all of our subjects. The sense of achievement that comes from finishing a pile of work you’d never imagined you could finish in time is especially satisfying.

Personally, I’m very excited about the content we learn in the IB course, because the IB goes into a lot of depth no matter which subject you take. It revolves around many different subjects, like Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and history, and provides us with a much more holistic view on many topics, and gives us a greater understanding of the subject. Furthermore, perhaps because every single senior has recommended it to us, or simply because we get to have two weeks off to go to another country, the ‘Thailand Trip’ toward the end of the school year is definitely something our year level is excited about.

The IB course has many challenges and good times ahead, and it is the challenges that I look forward to the most.