ISD Seniors from the Class of 2021 Finding Ways to Stay Motivated
Are you at Risk of Senioritis?
Congratulations to our Grade 12s, many of whom have received offers from universities in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Suppose students thought the university application process was challenging.
In that case, they will soon enough realize selecting from their list of acceptances and staying motivated in their final months of high school are also important moments in their senior year. The spring of 2021 will be another unusual season as students learn about changing expectations for the IB Exams. Tempting as it may be, students aren’t yet able to relax and start counting down the days until graduation. ISD administrators, counselors, and teachers are here to remind students to avoid senioritis. Senior slack symptoms can set in when students receive acceptance to the university and may lose motivation in their high school classes, activities, and assignments. Side effects may include procrastinating, a lack of motivation, a decline in attendance, and missing deadlines. These side effects may lead to students missing out on meaningful learning in the second year of the Diploma Programme and missed opportunities to practice and gain feedback from their teachers and social learning when students participate in-class learning with peers.
BridgeU, our college counseling Platform, suggests Tips to Overcoming Senior Slack
- Praise your Progress- Write down three significant accomplishments achieved this past year while learning online, re-read your list, and add new items throughout the spring.
- Trim Down To-Dos- Break down big tasks into smaller steps by creating daily and weekly to-do lists that can be checked off when a task is completed.
- Track Time- Prachi Daring, in Grade 12, reports using something like the Pomodoro technique. She sets a time for a set time, like 25-minutes, and works continuously during the time with no phones, no social media, no distractions. After working for 25 minutes, take a 5-10 minute break before resetting the work time for another uninterrupted period of 25 minutes.
- Reap the Rewards- Reward yourself after completing tasks with your favorite food, exercise, or calling a friend.
- Wipe Your Workplace- Tidy desk, tidy mind. It may have become routine for students to study and attend classes in their bedrooms now; after a year of learning online, take 15 minutes to clean and organize your study space, including your digital desktop on your computer.
- Anticipate and Think Ahead- Students can begin to take practical steps towards putting their future university plans into action. While some students await acceptances to their universities, students and families should keep in mind many universities want to hear back from students on their decisions by 1 May 20201.
Meeting ISD Alumni
Rudaina Reaz, ISD graduate of the Class of 2019 and current student at the University of Toronto, spoke to Grade 12 students on Wednesday, 17 February, during a free block in the seniors’ schedule. Students had the opportunity to talk directly with her. Students asked relevant questions and gathered authentic information about housing, food, course selection, university facilities, and why choosing the University of Toronto was a good fit for Rudaina. While learning online, ISD students are invited to learn from alumni studying abroad, ask how the worldwide pandemic may be impacting their studies as the Grade 12 receive university acceptances, and consider where they will decide to study in the Fall of 2021. The purpose of having alumni speak to our current students is to make them more confident and comfortable in selecting their future universities. College Counselors are looking for more ISD alumni interested in speaking to our Grade 11-12 students. Interested alumni may contact Ms. Tasnuva Ahmed at tasnuva.ahmed@isdbd.org.
Engaging in University Visits
Rob Medrano, Director of International Admissions at Pace University in New York, visited ISD on 15 February during H Block to speak with Grade 11-12s. Joining our session was ISD Senior Samdeet Kabir. When university admissions staff visit our campus virtually, our students demonstrate their interest in the university and learn what specific schools have to offer. When College Counselors host university visits, we also teach universities about ISD, our school, the curriculum we offer, and during COVID, inquire as to how we are continuing learning while online. A silver lining to the pandemic has been that meetings between ISD students and colleges continue to occur and allow students to hear from universities in Canada, the UK, the US, and worldwide. The kinds of questions students can ask include advice for completing applications, programmes offered, requirements or what each university is looking for, and how schools respond to COVID. For our seniors, Mr. Medrano shared a critical note about the conditions for maintaining acceptance at US universities, including students graduating with their ISD diploma and maintaining the IB predicted scores.
For a crash course on the various terms students may receive when admitted or not admitted to the universities they apply to include the terms conditional, unsuccessful, withdrawn, deferred, waitlisted, and revoked.
Additional Links referenced in this article from BridgeU
https://app.bridge-u.com/students/articles/102?source=manual_email
