College

What do I do about college?

Plan early.

Where do you want to study? Do you have a school, course, or country in mind? Think about what you want and figure out what your deadlines might look like. It's also very important to talk to your parents and counselor so that you can critically consider your options ahead.

Research, research, research.

Keep a spreadsheet of schools you want to apply to, take note of their application guidelines, and be very mindful of what schools require. Know what you need early on so that you can choose the right courses and make good preparations. This also helps you avoid missing important deadlines.

Ask for help.

There are loads of achis, mentors, orgs, and alumni who might have good insights on how to help you! Don't be afraid to reach out, even just to say "Hi, could you tell me about your school/course/app process?" Majority will gladly advise you, especially for college essays.

Testimonials

Honestly, college wasn’t really in my mind when I chose IB as my strand. I chose IB because I wanted the freedom of choosing my own subjects and the experience of switching rooms per subject; I was also more worried about getting really good grades and how I would do it. But thinking back now, despite all the hardships, pain, and suffering, IB has equipped me with a lot of values that I didn't think I'd have otherwise.

What I first would want to say is that you don't need to go abroad if you go to IB. Do your research and really think hard if you want it. Don't do it just because you want to leave or you think studying abroad is this glorious thing because at the end of the day, you will still be studying, so don't feel pressured to apply abroad just because others are doing it. I previously thought that studying abroad was my dream but in the end, I actually found my dream college right here. One might ask, then what's the use of IB if you're just gonna end up studying here? And to that I would probably say, the struggles and assessments you will face in IB aren't like any other. A lot of people ask me if I regret picking IB and, partly, I say I do but in actuality, I wouldn't be who I am today without going through it.

IB helped me narrow down the courses I wanted to take in college. It has offered me an avenue to develop my skills and a clearer idea of subjects I enjoy, helping with the selection of my desired courses. The grueling workload in IB also gave me an insight into how strenuous each subject would be, and it helped me decide whether I wanted to face these subjects for four more years (and probably for the rest of my working life). And trust me, studying the same subject for 2 years really puts things into perspective on how difficult the itty bitty details can be. But if you still enjoy studying and learning these minute details at the end of the 2 years, then your passion in life is most likely a course under that subject!

Aside from the selection of courses, IB also helped me get a glimpse of the hardship in college life. I have family members who claimed that the demanding assessments in IB are quite similar to the assessments in college, so the workload in IB really prepares you for college life. As the program is rigorous in general, I have learned to improve my study habits, manage my time better, and view the world through various perspectives, a skill that I believe will be important for me as I venture into college. (Jana Ang, Sophia Chan, and Stacey Kong, Cohort 1)

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