中文
HOME
HOME / LATEST NEWS / Content

Grade 9: Academy Lecture - Recommendations Provided by Juniors

March 1, 2021

On February 25th, the ninth-grade class attended an Academy lecture where junior students had shared their learning experiences. They also gave freshmen valuable insights and advice regarding course selection.

Starting off the lecture was Jessie Wang who shared her experiences regarding the IB curriculum. She first emphasized that, among the three very outstanding systems on offer, there is no so-called “best” system, only one that matches a specific individual the most, and that, instead of obstinately focusing on one system, the students should instead focus on finding which course fits them best. She then told the freshmen how she got into IB, as well as how moving up to the highest level is quite important. Then she clarified the mandatory courses for IB, including classes like Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay. She also further explained the differences between Standard Level (SL) and High Level (HL) as well as Language A and Language B. Finally, she stressed that IB is an extremely rigorous program and the skills, such as self-discipline and time management, are of the utmost importance.

Next, Max Chen explained to 9th graders the nuances of the AP curriculum. Speaking from his own experiences, Max shared that, before choosing an AP course, three questions should be asked: “Do I like the course?”, “Do I have the ability to take this course?”, and, finally, “Will this course be useful for my development?”. Only after answering these questions should you choose to pick up an AP course. He also advised the students to use the time during vacations to research the AP program so that they could make appropriate decisions during course selections and to approach teachers should the students have any questions.

Finally, Thomas from 11(3) clarified what the A-Level curriculum is. He explained that A-Level is a system more popular in the UK and that it will only be open in 11th grade. He recommended freshmen take the time in 10th grade to thoroughly research the A-Level system before coming to a decision.

Overall, these insights and advice shared will be very helpful for9thgraders' future decision making.

(Written by Edward Shen Pictures by Adam Yang Supervised by Hazel Gu)