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WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BECOMING AN IB
STUDENT |
The International
Baccalaureate (IB) Program is for students who want to
be
challenged.
For many, the IB program
will be the first time they have been part of a peer
group with similar goals and abilities. The IB Program
is an environment where accelerated learning and
academic success is cool.
The IB curriculum can
take students as far as their desire and abilities can
go. It's possible to complete the freshman year of
college through the IB program while still in high
school.
The IB program doesn't
just focus on a student's best abilities but on the
student's total abilities. It's a rigorous but well
rounded program which recognizes the need for technical
skills as well as communication skills, team work, and
international understanding. It's ideal for students
seeking careers in business management, medicine, law,
science, engineering, and computer science as well as
the arts and humanities. It teaches students how to
think and how to handle a challenging work load. The IB
graduates themselves say it best:
- "It did a marvelous
job! While other college students are stressed about
work, I just sit down and do it. The advanced
classes of the IB and the time management learned
gives you an edge in college."
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- "I didn't just get
an education of facts in the IB Program but I also
learned how to learn. It was an environment where I
could push myself to my educational limits . . . I
am sure I have benefited from my IB education in my
college studies."
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- "College is much
easier than IB."
Southside IB graduates
have gone on to schools like Yale, Harvard, MIT,
Duke, the Naval Academy, Bryn Mawr, Notre Dame, Emory,
Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Tulane,
Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Institute of
Technology, Wake Forest, and many others including
the honors programs of various South Carolina
universities. They pretty much have had their choice of
universities. Many IB students have obtained college
scholarships.
The IB program is more
than just academics. It is a place where lasting
friendships are made with a very special group of peers.
IB students develop close relationships with teachers
who take a personal interest in their lives. Upon
graduation, IB students join the international family of
IB students with world wide contacts.
The International
Baccalaureate Diploma Program is a rigorous
pre-university course of studies that meets the needs of
highly motivated secondary school students between the
ages of 16 and 19. Designed as a comprehensive
two-year curriculum that allows its graduates to fulfill
requirements of various national education systems, the
diploma model is based on the pattern of no single
country but incorporates the best elements of many.
Diploma candidates are
required to select one subject from each of six subject
groups: native language, foreign language, experimental
sciences, the arts and electives, mathematics,
individuals and societies. At least three and not more
than four subjects are taken at higher level (HL); the others at
subsidiary or standard level (SL). HL courses represent
240 teaching hours, SL courses cover at least 150 hours. By
arranging work in this fashion, students are able to
explore some subjects in depth and some more broadly
over the two-year period; this is a deliberate
compromise between the early specialization preferred in
some national systems and the breadth found in others.
Successful diploma
candidates meet three requirements in addition to the
six subjects. The interdisciplinary Theory of Knowledge
(TOK) course is designed to develop a coherent approach
to learning which transcends and unifies the academic
areas and encourages appreciation of other cultural
perspectives. The extended essay of some 4000 words
offers the opportunity to investigate a topic of special
interest and acquaints students with the independent
research and writing skills expected at university.
Participation in the school's Creativity, Action,
Service (CAS) Program encourages students to be involved
in sports, artistic pursuits and community service work.
The IB Diploma Curriculum:
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Timeline for
IB Diploma Candidates |
Grade 10
- With your counselor,
plan which high-level and standard-level courses you
will take in grades 11 and 12.
Summer after
grade 10
- Beginning July 1st
start to accumulate CAS hours. Remember to have them documented.
Grade 11
- Continue to
accumulate CAS hours and documentation as you
complete each activity.
- At the end of each
quarter, submit documentation of the completion of
your CAS hours to the CAS Coordinator.
- October: Register
for IB exams as an Anticipated Candidate if you are
enrolled in an IB standard-level course.
- Second semester:
Select topic for your extended essay and find a
teacher mentor. Together with your mentor, establish
a timetable for completion of your research paper.
- December - March
(approximately): Complete internal assessments in IB
standard-level courses in which you are enrolled.
- First three weeks in
May: IB exam session
Summer After
Junior Year
- Continue to
accumulate CAS hours and documentation.
- Research and write
the first draft of your extended essay.
Senior Year
- On the first day of
school, turn in your extended essay draft to your
mentor.
- Continue
accumulating CAS hours and documentation.
- August - December:
Work with your extended essay mentor to revise and
polish your paper.
- December: By the
established deadline, submit to the Extended Essay
Coordinator your extended essay in the official IB
folder, signed by your mentor. Also submit an
electronic copy to the IB Office.
- December - March
(approximately): Complete internal assessments for
all IB courses by the deadlines set by your
teachers.
- End of March:
Submit all CAS documentation to the CAS Coordinator.
- First three weeks in
May: Written exam session
- By the end of May,
submit your Results Request Form to the IB
Coordinator to have your IB scores sent to your
college or university.
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