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WHY YOU
SHOULD CONSIDER BECOMING AN IB
STUDENT |
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is
for students who want challenge.
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IB
Juniors at work on Group IV Projects |
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 years. 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 are taken at higher level (HL), the others
at subsidiary or standard level (SL). HL courses represent 240 teaching
hours, SL courses cover 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
- Begin 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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