Girls step into an IB student’s shoes!

The following report was written by Year 10 students, Annabelle Johnson and Natalie Petrykowycz.

On Monday 31 October 2022, eight Year 10 students embarked on a trip to our national capital, excited at the prospect of experiencing what school is like for girls doing the International Baccalaureate Diploma at Merici College, Canberra. This enlightening experience was organised to assist St Ursula’s students in making our final decision about our senior study pathway: the IB or the HSC. It was integral to allowing us to make an informed decision about our futures. 

At 6:00am, we met in the cold outside our school, got on the mini bus and began the three hour trip to Canberra, where we had a short stop at McDonald’s which gave us momentum and kept our spirits high. After the long bus trip, we finally arrived at Merici College where we were warmly welcomed by the girls undertaking the IB Diploma Programme. The best thing about this trip was that we had the opportunity to experience first-hand what it is like to do the IB on a daily basis. We were given the chance to follow the girls to all their daily classes and see how the IB changed their learning and their lives. Not only that, but we could ask any questions we wanted to! 

During our time at Merici College, we attended World Religions, HL Literature, Theory of Knowledge, HL Chemistry, and went to a community assembly. Although the assembly may seem the least important, it really opened our eyes to seeing life as an IB student, and established the idea that being an IB student doesn’t mean being separated from your school community. Seeing some of these girls inducted as senior leaders helped us feel comfort in knowing that we could still be important and active members of our school community and maintain a sense of belonging despite the different classroom curriculum. 

Attending Merici College gave us an insight into what it’s really like to be doing the International Baccalaureate Diploma in Years 11 and 12: both the ups and the downs. After this, we felt that we could make an informed decision about our own pathways using first-hand experience and the experiences of other girls who have already begun this journey. It was great to see how the Merici College students maintained the relationships they had with other students in their grade and to get a glimpse of the diverse content and critical thinking skills that we will be learning next year. Not only that, but this excursion allowed us the time to bond with our own peers who were possible candidates for the IB Diploma and develop relationships which will help us to excel and enjoy the IB next year.

We appreciate this opportunity and the hard work that went into organising the trip and we look forward to being a part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at St Ursula’s next year.