The International Baccalaureate (IB) program, specifically receiving the IB diploma, is very integrated into the ISB community. Out of 144 students taking at least one IB class in the class of 2022, 114 of them were awarded the full IB diploma. Although the IB is an effective method of measuring academic achievement and presenting it to university admissions, I believe that it is not necessary to participate in the full IB diploma program to succeed in university applications, and that ISB should push to decrease the social stigma of having to take the IB diploma.
During my 11th and 12th grade years, I chose to go through the personal choice program, to the dismay of my parents and friends. My parents believed that because I didn’t go through the program that the school and its community heavily pushed, I wouldn’t be able to be accepted in a good university. My peers often made fun of the free time I had, as they embraced the rigor of the IB program.
I always felt pressure to complete the IB diploma, as the ISB community proved to value it over all else. When my teachers in 10th grade talked about class choices for the next two years of high school, IB classes would always come first, and the non-IB choices would always be pushed to the end of the presentation. This external influence caused me to sway between both choices, confused and stressed on making the right decision which would affect the rest of my high school tenure, as well as the college I went to. In the end, I ended up on the path less traveled, as I chose the personal choice program. I took 3 IB classes at the time - IB Business Management HL, IB Spanish ab initio SL, and IB Math AA SL.
Throughout my junior and senior year, I noticed my workload being significantly lower than my friends who took the IB diploma, and I saw myself spending my time working on myself - working out and sleeping well, while my friends spent long nights studying and working on projects. I saw some of my non-IB classes, specifically non-IB English, being significantly less intense compared to its IB counterparts, while still teaching a strong selection of essential skills needed for the future of our careers. My parents were skeptical about the amount of free time I had, as they criticized my work ethic. But I felt proud of my time management, as I gave myself time to improve outside of school, and maintain a healthy sleep schedule. However, I also found myself worried about the effort I put out academically. If I wanted to go to a good college, I would have to develop my transcript to one stronger than my peers, who I saw as my competition.
I wanted to study in the United States, which accepted many more academic options other than the IB program, but I still felt like my classes lacked rigor compared to other IB Diploma candidates. Because of that, I strategically chose more rigorous classes my senior year. AlthoughI ended up dropping IB Math AA SL, I replaced it with AP Statistics, a subject my math teacher recommended to me based on my strengths and my pursuit of studying business in college. I also took AP Macroeconomics, a subject I believed would help build skills I could use for my collegiate future. These AP courses were described by my college counselors as significantly important to the US college admissions, and not being in the IB program allowed me to take a wider variety of classes differing in rigor, such as my AP classes as well as other electives I found interesting, such as Media Studies and Financial Math.
The free time I got from choosing the personal program also let me put more time into other important supplements needed for applying to college, such as studying for the SAT, writing my Common Application essay and constructing additional essays for the colleges I applied to. I worked hard during my final two years of high school, achieving good grades and working hard on my college application. I also took advantage of the flexibility and down time the personal choice program offered, choosing a wider variety of classes and spending free time working on my health. When college admissions came around, I found myself committing to my top college - the University of Virginia, which I got accepted through the Early Decision program. Along with myself, I also saw a lot of my non-IB friends accepted into colleges they were proud of, while those who chose the IB diploma got into similar schools while putting in much more effort.
While talking to my friends about the IB program who applied to the United States, I noticed most of them chose the IB as they believed it would boost their transcript and get them into world-class colleges. However, I found that the colleges that IB and non-IB students got into were not that far apart, which leads me to believe that the IB diploma program might not be the right choice for everyone, especially those looking to study in the USA. Because of that, I believe that ISB should look into changing their culture to treat the Personal Choice program to the same regards as the IB Diploma program.