As I approach the last month of my high school career, I
can’t help but look back at what was. Freshman and sophomore year…I think we
can all agree to forget. But near the end of sophomore year, I was faced with the
pivotal choice of joining the IB Programme vs. taking the typical Advanced
Placement courses. As it’s all said and done, I think I can easily say that I
made the right choice.
“But Chris, the way you described it all year, it sounded
like IB was a living nightmare!?”
Hey now AP student, I wouldn’t go to an extent to explicitly
say that, though IB was a lot of work. There
were lots of long nights doing homework, internal/external assessments and
studying for tests, but there were also numerous positive moments. Through IB,
I was able to meet new people who I had never even seen before. People who have
similar interests as myself and the dedication that would not be seen in any
honors course. Through IB, I was able to participate in unique presentations
such as Canterbury Tales stories, re-enactments of prominent historical
events, and of course, the presentation of our long-awaited Extended Essay.
Through IB, I established an understanding of how to manage time accordingly
and develop a productive work ethic that will allow me to succeed in both
college and beyond.
The IB Programme definitely lived up to its reputation of
being a challenging, rigorous programme, but I think with that came the
promising success it guaranteed. Without the IB Programme, I’m honestly not
sure if I would have gotten into the college that I’m going to next fall (go
Heels!). In addition, if I had just taken a bunch of AP courses, I’m not sure
I would have developed unique skills that will help me in the future. Some of
these skills include public speaking, essay writing (I’m essentially a pro
now), and most of all, an understanding of the diverse cultures that surround our
communities. College is a place of numerous people from all over the world, and
I think the IB Programme furthered my understanding of how differently things
can be perceived, and how these perceptions influence the ideas of differing
individuals.
It was meeting similar, dedicated friends that will last beyond
high school. It was getting out of my comfort zone and exploring new things. But
most of all, it was an experience of a lifetime; one that I know will further
my perseverance, work ethic, and ultimate success in life. It was the IB
Programme.
Chris, your comment led me to respond on your blog. We've certainly come a long way since freshman year, and even though we've only had 1(?) class together in the Programme, I'm still proud to call you my friend and I still think our friendship is strong even though we don't see each other much during school. I completely agree with you; the trade off for the long and tedious work of IB was the incredible community that we were brought into by the Lord Baron, and I'll always be thankful and proud to have spent these last four years with you. I know it's not over yet (EXAMS!!!!!) but I know you'll do great things in the world and I can't wait to see what you become.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm following in Matt's footsteps and commenting on everyone's blogs, but these are too good not to read. We have some fabulous people in this IB programme, and for that, I feel sorry for the AP kids that didn't have the opportunity to spend as much time as I did with these awesome IB-ers. Like Chris Bakolia.
ReplyDeleteI've known you for a very long time now and I've kinda liked to think of us as casual friends? I don't know. I've always thought you were pretty cool and I've enjoyed the semi-sparse conversations that we've had. It's going to be weird going to a school without you next year because our classmate-ship dates back to elementary school... maybe earlier?
I applaud you for surviving your personal struggle through the IB. I agree with everything you've said in this post and I know we all make fun of the IB, but I feel like we love it and become defensive of it when AP kids attack us. Kinda like a younger sibling. But I love the bond that our IB 2015 crowd has had. I feel like we're all family, even though we don't see half of the "candidates" and I haven't had conversations with some of them. But IB kids pretty much rock. Including you, Chris Bakolia.
This post was great, truly heartfelt. I know for sure we had 2 classes together but the times we shared were past the classroom; from complaining about French to wondering if we were ever going to get the darn film done. This post was literally great as well with your parallelism in the first and last paragraphs. Can't wait to see what greatness you become with the dedication and character you've shown over the years.
ReplyDeleteWow, I absolutely love this. I posted my last blog before reading anyone else's, and you said a lot of things that I couldn't put into words so eloquently. It's super weird that we have never had a class together. I think you are one of like four or five other people in IB who I can say this about. But it's cool how we went through the same things and had the same experiences side by side without knowing it! (that was maybe weird, haha). I think I agree with just about everything you said in this post. You should definitely share this with Mr. Baron. I think it confirms all of his hopes for this program's impact on us students.
ReplyDeleteChris-
ReplyDeleteYou were/are one my secret faves- super-under-the-radar kind of student who really knew what we were talking about, made great comments (albeit most of them were in writing), and was helpful to seatmate Kyle at all times. It's unfortunate that you are going to Carolina, but I know you'll love it and probably be just as under-the-radar fabulous there as you were this year.