Student feature – students from the Class of 2020 share their experiences of studying at SISHK and the IBDP.
Zoe Schlossmacher
- Head of House, Zubir Said
- SISHK Achievement Award recipient
- Year Head Commendation Award recipient
Q. How long have you been studying at SISHK?
I studied for four years in SISHK, completing both the IGCSE and IBDP Programmes.
Q. What is your advice for students who want to join or currently studying in the IBDP?
Work hard, have a strong heart and strong mind and never lose sight of your goals. Be sure to sleep early and do not forget to have fun!
Q. What was the highlight of your IB journey at the school in the last two years?
My highlight is definitely being Head of House. It was fun and enjoyable. I got to develop my leadership skills and lead my house to win the House Cup at the end of the 18/19 Academic year. I was able to work closely with both staff and students and improve wellbeing and student belonging to the entire secondary school cohort. It was a lot of fun and definitely my highlight of my IBDP journey.
Q. What is your studying strategy?
In the IB, each subject is examined very differently from each other. Hence, I did not have one particular study strategy across all subjects. It is important you find out what works for you and for what subjects. For example, in my Science subjects I revised using lots of practice papers and past questions, whereas for my Humanity subjects I focused on creating robust, strong case studies and real-life examples to back up points I would make during my essays.
Q. What are some of the mistakes that you have made that you would not make again?
I would definitely take more time to plan my IAs particularly in Maths! I would also rely more on teacher support- they are all keen and want to help you succeed
Q. How do the teachers support you during the IB programme?
They supported me by providing one-on-one meetings and support particularly during the IA writing process. They also helped me with my University application process by helping me with references and scholarship applications. They were also there for me in general, not just for academic related issues and were always happy to lend a listening ear and help me with any holistic needs.
Q. How would you describe the student life and student leadership opportunities in SISHK?
Student life in SISHK is extremely fun- there are loads of leadership opportunities available, even more unique opportunities such as organising the charity fashion show Equinox. I always had lots of fun participating in student run events such as the Vertical Marathon, Winter Ball and the annual musical. The student experience here is a fantastic blend of both the academics but also the more fun and light-hearted activities.
Q. What are you planning to study after IB?
I am planning on studying Veterinary Medicine at the University of Bristol.
Q. Can you share more about your university admissions experience?
I had one personal statement, 5 weeks of husbandry work experience and 3 weeks of clinical work experience, questionnaires for each school I applied to. I also had multiple interviews and ethics based assessments to pass. It was a lot of hard work and I would not have been able to do this without the support of the college admissions team and my year leads who made sure my application was the best it could be.
Q. What is the one thing that you will miss after leaving SISHK?
The teachers. They are the backbone of the school and a very large reason why SISHK is as excellent as it is. I will miss them a lot and wish all of them well!