For many students, the first days, or maybe weeks, back to school are relaxed as they are getting back into the groove of things. For International Baccalaureate (IB) program seniors, it's a different story. For those of you who are unfamiliar, IB is an international program that is offered to all willing students from right here at our very own Hoggard High School. From the first day back, this particular group of IB students have been grinding through not just college applications, but a multitude of challenging coursework encompassing everything from Shakespeare to the origins of life on Earth.
The IB curriculum features a culmination of rigorous coursework that focuses on instilling an “international mindset” within its candidates. IB classes within the hyper specific curriculum are as varied as they are complex: IB Math Applications, IB Biology, IB History of the Americas, and IB Latin are just some of the classes that students in this program can choose from. In which, IB students are put through everything from Advanced Statistics to the intricacies of the Spanish Civil War. IB Biology itself covers everything from the origin of cells to the nature of water and viruses as a whole which are covered in just under a month. While in IB English, students analyze how Hamlet has given way to both classic poetry and modern street art and essays are written by students to explain it all.
Alongside this piling coursework, senior year is full of other fun activities. One in particular is rather important to many students' futures; IB students have spent the last month working on their college essays. Work ranging from creating propaganda posters to figuring out how much water a beetroot can absorb and everything in between lend little time to writing college essays and filling out activity sections. For many IB students it has been tough trying to balance this all, as one IB Senior, Diego Delgado, has lamented, “It's been really tricky coming back trying to balance college apps with schoolwork, that is in addition to extracurriculars like clubs or volunteering, honestly I’m just sad I haven't been able to really enjoy the year so far and I hope to at least get some time to hang out with friends.”
All this painstaking coursework is just a prelude for what is to come next academically; reports of 4,000-word essays and math research papers to do just lurking around the corner. IB is a constant battle with students just trying their best to succeed with the promise of setting up a better foundation for success in college, and in many ways, that makes the hassle of fighting for balance this college season worth it. The students are sure to have quite the fun October, and this writer wishes them all the luck in the world (including himself, also being an IB Senior).
Sources: Photo by Monstera Production: tired studying student
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