Firstly, I would like to congratulate everyone who has managed to get through the two years of IB. The two years have been tough, especially with the social unrest and COVID. It is easy to view everything with a negative lens, especially as an IB student – we have gone through a rollercoaster ride. However, we often forget the positives – think about how far you’ve come, how proud your teachers and parents are, how much you’ve grown as a person. Although IB was tough, it has undoubtedly taught us how to deal with deadlines, huge workloads, and writing long long essays. We cannot deny that the program has equipped us with so many skills that we might not be able to learn in textbooks, and we definitely have an advantage over others at university who did not do the IB. We also often forget to thank our classmates and friends who have gone through this rough journey with us.
Some of you might be disappointed and some of you might be on cloud nine when you received your results. The results this year may not be what you would have expected as we all did not have the chance to do our exams. By now, we should all realize that our grades do not define who we are and we should not let it define us. It is time to think about the bigger picture – what do we really want to achieve in life? This may sound cheesy but this should be our ultimate goal in life, and we should not worry about what we got in our exams. Ultimately, everyone has done their best in the past two years, and we should all now be focusing on our future.
Most of you should be attending university this September, and during these uncertain times, we might feel unease about our future. The only thing that we can do right now is to do our own part and prepare as if the academic term will start as usual. Some things I have been doing to prepare for university is to research about the accommodation, term dates, visa application, opening a bank account, how to budget for my expenses, etc. There is much more to university preparation so I would recommend you to search up a checklist regarding what you need to prepare. Sometimes, things can get overwhelming because we are all moving to a new stage of our lives. I always take a step back when needed and remind myself that I can always ask for help by contacting alumnis, the university or my parents for their advice. It is also important to relax and do what we love during these few months before we head back to our academics because this is the last chance for us to live as teenagers, not needing to worry about finances and work. There will not be another chance like this so we should cherish this time and not waste it!
Class of 2020 has been a strong cohort! Wishing every one of you all the best and I hope that you are one step closer to your goals in life 🙂
Editor’s note: You managed to ride the waves despite the uncertainty, these setbacks could actually be steps to building good mental health. If you need guidance on seeking help, please click here.
Stay tuned for a transition to university booklet on our website!