Student feature – students from the Class of 2020 share their experiences of studying at SISHK and the IBDP.
Jayden Lim – Class of 2020, IBDP
Jayden Lim
- Captain, Volleyball U20 Boys
- SISHK PE Sports Person of the Year awardee
- ISSFHK Volleyball U20 Boys, Gold Award
Q. How long have you been studying at SISHK?
One and a half years in the primary section (Primary 3 and Primary 4), and three years in the secondary school (S4-DP2)
Q. What advice do you have for students looking to study the IBDP?
Have a goal in mind that isn’t academic related, perhaps something sports related or even related to personal growth. IB isn’t just about academics and getting that 45 points, it’s really about developing yourself holistically. Most importantly, take this IB journey as an opportunity to learn more about yourself as a person, inside and outside of school.
Q. What is the highlight of your IB journey at the school in the last two years?
My highlight of my IB journey is the submission of any IA/EE/TOK work. It’s just a time where you and all your friends have one burden lifted from your shoulders and the collective sense of relief and joy is really a feeling you’ll never forget.
Q. What is your studying strategy?
It varies from subject to subject. For more content heavy subjects like Biology, I usually make notes and make a question bank for myself with all the model answers from the marking scheme. For more logic oriented subjects like Economics, I just practice by making essay outlines.
Q. What are some of the mistakes that you have made that you would not make again?
Thinking that my IAs weren’t that important – for some subjects, I didn’t put so much effort into the IAs as I just thought to myself, “I’ll just do better in the written exam”. But with the exams being cancelled, the IAs were suddenly the most important piece of work. If I could go back in time, I’d definitely pay more attention to my IAs.
Q. How did the teachers support you during the IB programme?
The teachers gave us plenty of notes and practice questions for our revision. As I am a more independent learner, I usually will do the questions at home and contact my teachers if I have any doubts, and they have been nothing short of supportive 🙂
Q. How would you describe the student life and student leadership opportunities in SISHK?
The school offers plenty of leadership and extracurricular opportunities to the students, allowing us to develop in areas outside of academics. For the sporting extracurriculars, the school hires external coaches to ensure we develop our skills at the highest level possible.
Q. How do the IBDP mock exam and its predicted grade (PG) help you with university admissions?
Early in DP2, we will receive our final round of predicted grades which we apply to universities with. If the universities accept us, they will send us either a conditional or unconditional offer. In the case of the former, we will have to obtain a certain final IB score to be officially granted a place at the university. For the latter, the final IB score would not matter (unless it’s really really bad). So a good performance in the mock exams will give us a higher chance to obtain a higher predicted grade and thereby increases the likelihood of us being accepted by universities.
Q. Can you share more about your university admissions experience?
I applied to study Psychology at Oxford, UCL, Kings, LSE and St. Andrews this year. However, as I have to serve the Singapore army for the next two years, I paid less attention to my university applications as compared to other non-Singaporean male students. Additionally, UK universities tend to avoid giving 2 year deferments, thus I knew my chances of getting in were hindered. Thus I decided to focus more on my IB revision and my IAs. I still wrote a personal statement, and I believe that I have learnt a lot from this experience and I will definitely work on improving it for next year’s application.
Q. What is the one thing that you will miss after leaving SISHK?
I’ll miss many of my teachers whom I’ve grown so close to during this two-year IB journey…they have really seen the highs and lows of our entire cohort and I will cherish the times we shared – even those where they were scolding us…
Q. What is one part of the school that you would like to see preserved and not changed?
I’d love to see the plaza remain the way it is – it’s really a good place for everyone to socialise and mingle.
Q. What is your advice for your juniors?
Be open-minded to the different kinds of people you will meet, and don’t be afraid to try new things 😊