The following words are from some of the students who went through the entire IB Diploma process at Hilton High School. Many of them received the IB Diploma; some did not. Most of the thoughts are positive; some are critical. All of these people, however, have proven themselves exceptional by undertaking and completing the program, and as IB Coordinator, it was a privilege to have worked with each one.
Jessica Marengo:
IB completely revolutionizes your way of thinking. It takes you from being this little kid from Hilton, and makes you someone with an adult-like thinking pattern. You begin to understand the ways of the world (and you realize that there is a world in the first place). You start to think about the ramifications of things (the implications), the impact of certain events, and "the extent to which..." I honestly don't think I'd be the way that I am without the Diploma program. Yes, it's hard, but the maturity and the skill set that you come out with - and go into college with - are well worth it.
Chelsea Dobson O'Brien:
It allowed me to graduate from college early. It instilled time management and study skills. It helped with critical reading and essay writing at the college level. It also helps me in my career in higher ed, because I understand AP and IB credit and the benefits they provide to incoming students, in regards to both credit and education benefits.
Colin Kinz-Thompson:
U of R gave good scholarships for an IB diploma. Additionally, I'd like to echo what everyone is saying about figuring out personal habits (e.g. quickly identifying what's important, time management, etc.) that wouldn't have developed as rapidly without the structure provided. These skills made the difference in undergrad, and doing well there made it possible to continue on to a good Ph.D. program. In all, I wouldn't be where I am had I just taken AP or traditional courses.
Drew Wellington:
I had a rather unique experience with IB. Mostly, it taught me that I only truly enjoy learning when I find the material to be interesting or applicable. While IB did teach me how to work effectively, I found that, given the rigor of the program, nothing I pursued in college required as much attention or effort. So while my classmates in college were struggling, studying, and working long hours on papers, spreadsheets, coding, and presentations, I was paying video games, hanging out with friends, taking walks, and generally enjoying myself. IB taught me how to be comfortable in my own shoes, or t least helped me, and as such, I "winged" every presentation I ever gave, including my senior capstone presentation (15-20 minutes, powerpoint optional). I used no notes and still got an A.
The credits I got from IB transferred but did not cover too many classes, although they should have. I was able to choose classes first in my year, since in year 1, I was technically a sophomore, and a junior in year 2, and etc...I received $30,000 to attend school... too bad it amounted to less than an entire year's worth of tuition, but beggars can't be choosers
IB didn't seem worth it to me while I was in the program. It seemed like an unnecessary quantity of work for an unreasonable or disproportionate payout. But, after the song and dance, I can attribute it to running a marathon.
Mile 1: Cautiously optimistic
Mile 5: Not so much
Mile 10-26.1: I don't think I'm gonna make it
Mile 26.2: Glad I made it
Patrick Vaughan:
AP would have been a much better choice in terms of college credits. Due to the rigorous load that many of us were willing to take, we all could have easily came into college with 30-50 credits. However the IB program taught us how to budget our time, the importance of helping out in the community, how to write a high-level research paper, and it made the transition into college an easy one as I would say that the IB program was more rigorous and difficult than anything I am doing in college. I'm not taking it easy either doing 120 hours of community service, working a part time job, and working towards my major of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Utilizing the skills I acquired during the IB program, what I'm doing isn't that overwhelming at all. I can still balance fun with everything I'm doing, and other things as well
Josh Bray:
I still don't believe that IB was the right choice for me to take, but I will say that the most important thing that it taught me is the ability to distinguish between what is important and what is not. The program gave me the sense that having a grasp on the deeper understanding of something is much more valuable than simply knowing facts or being book smart. I don't think that IB has paid off for me yet, but I think in the long run I will be better able to intellectually judge my life and make decisions because of the concepts that IB taught me.
Jon Jackson:
In terms of getting accepted to college, there is no better thing you can do for yourself than go through the IB Diploma program. While some colleges prefer AP in terms of transferring credit, they are all impressed when they see the words IB Diploma written on your application. Even my classmates are impressed when I tell them I did IB, and I go to school with some pretty impressive people. In terms of preparing you for college work load, I don't know that IB is that far off from an all-AP curriculum, but it definitely helped me realize that stressing out about tests, assignments, and presentations will get you nowhere and that if you focus and work hard, you'll do as well as you're able to and that's all you can ask for. If I had to go back and do it again, I'd choose IB without a second thought
Jake Zoghlin:
Neither philosophers nor lawyers are known for their brevity, but you assumed that risk when you solicited our opinions, so here goes...
I wasn't the best student in high school. I did well in classes, but I didn't work too hard. I never had to. I got "A"s without much effort. And I never felt bad about that. Mr Blake, one of my IB teachers, suggested that, while I might be a smart kid, I'd probably get more out of it if I gave a damn (I'm paraphrasing). He didn't say it in a mean way, but I remembered it. [Shout out to Mr. Blake and the Ack-attack, the two best IB profs out there!] Why bother putting effort into thinking about what I was learning when I could get an A either way? This isn't just a rhetorical question. Why bother?
The IB Diploma programs was the most rigorous academic coursework available at Hilton. It was a great program that challenged us to work harder. That's what I enjoyed, the challenge. I enjoy learning, even for learning's own sake. Or at least I came to enjoy it for its own sake. I appreciated that IB focused on depth of knowledge rather than merely breadth. While I certainly value breadth, I think learning to think deeply and critically is a more transferable skill than memorization. In this way I think IB develops one of the core values of a liberal arts education, the cultivation of intellectual virtues.
Intellectual virtues are like traditional virtues (here's where I get a little Aristotelian). Courage helps us act courageously, it helps us find the mean between cowardliness and rashness, just as challenging what we are told helps us find truth by guiding us toward the mean between gullibility and skepticism.
My favorite class was in the IB program was Theory of Knowledge. Is it any surprise that I became a philosopher? (Yes, a philosopher, no just a philosophy major). The word Philosophy comes from Philo Sophia, or lover of wisdom. And that's a virtue too. A love for wisdom and truth guides us towards the mean between a desire for truth and an aversion to falsity. Intellectual virtues are about learning to think, and they can be applied to any situation.
But aside from Theory of Knowledge, why do I think IB teaches intellectual virtues? I felt that other programs were more focused on the answer than on the process. I always found the answer to be the least interesting part of education. In history, for example, there's only so much we can learn from the facts. And they don't change. History doesn't exist in a vacuum. So, in IB, we studied historiography too. We learned the events, sure, but we also learned how our interpretations of those events changed over time. And why they changed. Essentially, we learned that the same thing looks different depending on where you are standing, and how far away from the thing you are. We thought about our own thinking, both individually and societally. These metacognitive processes, coupled with discursive reasoning, challenge students to engage with the world, challenge assumptions, and find an answer by genuine interaction with the world. Or, better yet, to find multiple answers, or to find no answer (in the case where there is no good answer). This process stands in contrast to teaching where the goal is memorization, where students are treated like receptacles where facts are to be deposited.
So why bother doing the difficult work of the IB program when there are easier options? Why think critically about a problem when you can solve it with less effort? Why try when you'll get an A regardless of your effort? Because our brain is like any other muscle in our body. When we use it, it gets stronger. When we don't use it, it atrophies. Critical thought and discursive reasoning develop intellectual virtues in ways that mechanical memorization simply does not. How do you encourage such effort? Make it challenging. Make it relevant. Make it interesting.
Many will say that they learned time management. Others will say it broadened their intellectual horizons. While I agree that these are all positive takeaways from the IB program, I valued the way it helped me learn to think. Today I am a law student. Analytical reasoning is at the core of what I do every day. While I cannot say that IB CAUSED me to think this way, I can say that it helped cultivate the intellectual virtues that I continued to nurture in college, and which I use each day in law school. It certainly made me a better student.
For those that want it, IB can help plant a seed that can grow into many things: good time management skills, fine-tuned intellectual virtues, an appreciation for education and learning, or an easier course load in college (because of the credits that transfer from the IB program). Whatever the benefits for each individual, it fosters a community that values a diversity of educational opportunities. Hilton should continue to support a strong IB program in the school district, but should also continue to invest in all other areas of education, arts, sciences, math, AP, music, theater, engineering, and sports.
Christie Spencer:
It got me an extra 20,000 dollar scholarship to come to school for one thing, so I'd say that in itself is worth it! But it also taught me how to write much better and to learn to balance having a lot of things to do at once. I got some credits for college which was nice too! It definitely makes the transition less of a shock, especially in terms of grades. So many people come to college expecting to keep doing as well as they were in high school but college grading makes high school grading seem extremely generous! Hope that helps...Also...it's what you make of it so you can get as much out of it as you put into it.
Courtney Sotile:
I want to say that being someone who was unable to get the diploma, and went to a school that didnt accept IB credits, I have no regrets. IB prepared me for what classes would be like in college to the point where the classes I was taking were actually easier that the IB ones. While other people were struggling with a much more rigorous workload for them, I was relaxing. My freshman Bio class was reading about things we DID in IB. It taught me how to work under pressure and the importance of studying even when youre doing well in a course. It also prepared me for failure, something I had not experienced before and that many college students are not prepared for (one of the reasons suicide rates are so high in college). So coming from someone who "got nothing" from the IB program, its worth it. I have no regrets about being in the program.
Emily R Drewel:
Undertaking the IB program was unquestionably one of the best decisions I've ever made. I completely agree with Nick in that IB instilled in me a love of knowledge and curiosity for its own sake - it carried a huge personal reward, even if I didn't have the AP credit that some of my friends entered college with - and I would most definitely do it again. The fact that it was an integrated program combining and relating all subjects has seriously impacted my way of thinking/learning, and I think that I look at the world in a way that even many of my college peers do not. TOK in particular had a huge impact on the way I approach college work and on my capacity to question what I learn and form new and original ideas. I should also note (and please feel free to pass this along to Mrs. Wattie) that her emphasis on research/writing, especially in regard to historiography, has really given me a leg up in college. I took a a 300 level history class on a whim, and not only was I not totally lost, but I got an A! I have also come to appreciate the curriculum choices - some of my friends are just discovering Howard Zinn! I pity them. Fools. Also: TAKE IB ART. You will be a different person for it.
Matt Cole:
The IB diploma was literally hell on earth for me in high school, but it was because of the IB program that i got into Purdue. It definitely changed me for the better so it was really worth it in the end.... BOILER UP
Meaghan McSorley:
I've already given my spiel to group after group of students and parents, a video camera, and lots of professors/teachers and administrators, but here is yet another version in writing:
IB is probably the only reason I ever learned how to be a good student. Never before had I ever been challenged in school intellectually, mentally and emotionally the way I was with IB. I was forced to learn how to segment my work instead of sitting down to do it all at once, how to schedule what when, and how to balance an insurmountable pile of homework with sports and a menial social life. College was a breeze after my senior year in IB. I came in with my nose to the grindstone and have found most of my classes easy, and been able to challenge myself further because of that--I have more freedom to ask questions, think deeper and read supplementary material because I know how to write an essay, do research and budget my time. I agree that having some more college credit might have been nice, but I feel that that's more the fault of the universities for misunderstanding the program than the program itself. Without a doubt, doing the whole IB diploma as a program is what got me into Cornell. IB was my ticket out into the world beyond. It launched me into my current trajectory and now I have the world at my feet because of it (Literally... I'm writing this from Paris, France where I'm living for the year facing the daily challenges of communication, and where the universities are more disorganized than a first semester IB-er.)
Adam Falcheck:
I’m currently majoring in politics, but next year I’m beginning my double major in Politics and Pre-Med. It should be really fun. I’m looking forward to it. Because I got that year off for IB, I ended up getting 28 [credits] which is great, I plan on being in school for a while anyways…
Jennie Seidewand:
[when asked about what was learned in the program] “I’m a lot more capable of being myself around everyone. I’m not as afraid to express my opinions. I’ve learned a lot about who I am and what I’m capable of.”
Alicia Dean:
Taking IB courses has helped me prepare for college. I was used to a larger workload, especially when it comes to reading for classes. Also, college has a lot of long-term assignments which I was also used to from IB...IB courses got me out of a lot of basic college classes. I don't have to take any writing, language, or history classes in college. I transferred in 13 credits so second semester I'm technically going to be a sophomore. I was put into 200 level biology classes and 200 level chemistry classes. Next semester since I'm going to be a sophomore, I can register my classes before all freshman which gives me a better chance of getting the courses I want.
Alexandra Vasile:
My first semester in college has been rather decent. The work load isn't enormous and the excessive studying hasn't bothered me so far. Taking the IB Diploma program has definitely prepared me for the extent of work I am receiving in college. It helped me to manage my time and understand how to study properly. I also covered many of the topics that I am now studying in college in a few of my classes, which is quite helpful. I received credit in both English and History because of the IB exams. I also was placed into 5th semester Spanish and I am only required to take one semester since I placed so high. I was also placed in Chemistry 109, which is the advanced level Chemistry class.
Kaleigh Reid:
Wells College has a lot of alumni that give back to the school (aka $$$). Therefore doing the IB Diploma made me stand out to Wells, and I was not only granted scholarship money, but was also given more opportunities to waive tuition fees through the school. I was also able to earn 10 credits toward my freshman year before I began Wells.
The workload here is actually really heavy. I've heard from more than one source that it is definitely one of the more difficult schools to be successful in. But IB definitely helped in the "freak out" aspect of the initial college experience. When other people are pulling out their hair while starting their essay the night before, I'm looking over my final draft before
calling it a night at 11pm.
I feel that if I were faced with the question as to whether or not I would take the IB Diploma program again, I think I would. Looking back, it helped me tremendously. If I had only taken the "easy" classes that I knew I excelled in, I would not be as prepared to take classes in college that are not my forte, but are still mandatory (Wells is big on "breadth"). Time management was also a large lesson learned by taking the full diploma.
Josh Mooney:
First of all, things are going great here and I am having the time of my life. Although I did not earn any credit for my IB classes (they only accept 7's in HL courses), I was surprised at to find out that IB was almost exactly like college. Academically, the IB program truly replicates the atmosphere of Cornell. Courses are challenging and thought provoking. Like with the IB program, you truly get out whatever you put in. If you work hard and stay on top of things, you will succeed. I found this out pretty quickly, as in the beginning of the semester I was kind of just going with the flow, going to class, and doing the assignments as they came up. However, if you aren't you just do things when they come up and you aren't actively working outside of class, you are going to struggle to retain material. That is the way I treated high school, which is one of the reasons I got so behind and stressed out. I figured out that the same thing applies here in college after the first prelim I took (which is like a midterm). I thought I was doing well, but when I opened the test, I realized that I was actually pretty clueless. Luckily for me, I still did okay because most of the class was in the same boat as me. It reminded me of Chem last year. I only did assignments as they came up, would study only right before the tests, and put off work until the last minute. I think it showed in my final test score. Had I been doing what I do now (studying material and doing problems after each lecture, watching supplementary videos on Khan Academy, etc.), I certainly would have been able to get a much higher score. The biggest difference between IB and college is the difference between the application of content in a high school versus a university setting. In high school, you go class to class and take 6 or 8 classes in a day. Here, I have no more than 4 in a day, and there is lots of time in between so that I can go study right after or do work in between classes. Also, I know its probably not the best strategy, but once, I had a paper due that I needed help on so I read up on my math lecture beforehand so that I could go to office hours and get help on the paper instead of going to my math lecture. Here and there, its obviously not a problem, especially if you are able to stay on top of things. The other thing which is nice in high school but sucks when you get to college is that in high school, teachers want you to succeed. They provide you with resources, study sessions, give you extensions (or avoid assigning work at the same time as other big assignments in other classes) and care about how you're are doing. In college, your professors do not care. I knew this coming in but didn't really know what it was like until I got here. I definitely took advantage of this in high school, sometimes too much, and it was strange coming here to actually experience what I was told all the time. Last week was the most notable example for me. On Thursdays, I have a 3 hour chemistry lab from 12-3, and I have a problem set for math due at 9am on Fridays. That Thursday night, I had a prelim at 7:30 until 10, and I happened to also have a writing seminar paper due at noon on Firday. Of course, this would never compare to having multiple IAs due on the same day, but I was surprised considering that approximately 90% of students in this chemistry course are in the same math course that they didn't extend the math problem set deadline or cancel the lab for chem that day, despite many students complaining. Since most of my time was spent focusing on studying for my chem prelim, I had only gotten half way through my math problem set and only had a rough idea on how I was planning on approaching my paper. Needless to say, I was up pretty late that night working in the library. If I had one suggestion, I would say that adding a course syllabus in which there is a schedule for classwork/homework/IAs explicitly laid out for students would definitely help. It definitely has helped me plan way ahead and I know exactly what will be going on each day. Tomorrow specifically, the marching band is going on an away trip to Penn and I've been able to already do my readings for the lectures I would be missing and I have turned in my problem set early for math. This would be helpful in the IB program because when students are absent for illness or for whatever reason, they can easily get caught back up without having to take the first few minutes of class with the teacher getting papers and explaining things for them. Also, it would definitely help with the music (band/chorus) problem because students can look ahead and work it out with the music teachers and standard course teachers to figure out which days they will be able to have a lesson for half the class without missing significant amounts of content. I'm sorry if this is too long but if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me!
Kelly Martin:
Hi Mr. Ackroyd! Everything is going great here! The way my credits ended up working out I came with forty-something so I am officially considered a sophomore! I definitely think that IB helped me in a ton of ways. The work load here is nothing compared to what I was used to last year and that has made the adjustment so much easier. It also helped because in my classes I have to do a lot of critical thinking and because of the way IB classes are structured I've already learned how to do that, so it makes it easier to participate in those discussions all the time, which is important because it's a big portion of my grades for those classes. I would say in general the IBDP was definitely the right call for me and it 100% helped prepare me to be successful in college!
David Bocach:
Hello. I definitely think the diploma program helped me prepare for college. Not only did I come in with over 30 credits, but all of my classes even now mirror what I learned in the program. Plus with all my credits I can earn my bachelors and masters in four years with a minor in mathematics and an associates degree in French language and culture. Plus I'm now used to the work load and college seems even easier than senior year.