The college and university application season can be daunting. All of the deadlines and paperwork, to writing statements and even interviewing, can make you feel overwhelmed! This article, then, will help you better understand what skills you have as an IB student and how they can help you to stand out in an application process. It’ll also briefly look at how you can best showcase your talents when writing statements or speaking to prospective universities.
So, you’re looking at applying to college but are unsure where to start? Firstly, congratulations, and secondly, you’re in the right place! As an IB student, you have many unique skills that make you a strong candidate for university-level learning. Sometimes, however, it’s hard to know where to look for or how to articulate those skills. So, here are some ideas that you can develop, to showcase different attributes when speaking or writing to prospective universities:
Subject specific knowledge
Your Extended Essay (EE) and Internal Assessments (IAs) are great starting points to show your subject-specific knowledge and passion.
In both cases, the IB asks you to investigate a sub-topic of your choice within a given subject area, allowing you to explore what you are learning in a practical and personal way. In turn, you can showcase both your academic skills (research skills, critical and analytical thinking, dedication, professionalism and so on) as well as a personal passion for your subject. You can do this by linking what you have written or explored, with an element of your chosen degree subject. Not every student will have completed this many projects by the time they start applying, so it is an asset that you can use to help you stand out in applications.
University-based skills
Learning how to reference or set out a scientific report may not always be the most exciting thing about being an IB student. It does, however, give you an edge when starting university or college.
Many of the skills that you will develop during your IB programme – referencing, structuring essays and reports, critical and interdisciplinary thinking – will become essential for much of the work you will do beyond the IB. University classes may ask you to: consider and craft arguments from multiple sources, read long and sometimes complex texts, and create structured responses that are supported with evidence.
As an IB student, you learn how to do this from the start of your course, which is a definite advantage. If you can communicate these skills in a university application, it demonstrates that you have the foundations of a University-level learner, which is a great reason for admissions teams to choose you! It also prevents you from having to learn those skills from scratch in the first few weeks of classes (an added bonus!).
Personal Character
Whilst it can feel like added load, the fact that the IB asks you to pursue non-academic activities gives you a great opportunity to talk about yourself and your interest in your chosen subject, outside of academia. CAS is one way you could do this. For example, a volunteering project may show that you value your community and are caring. Alternatively, sport and physical activity shows discipline, a hard-working attitude and an ability to work in a team. Developing these types of examples within an application shows what is important to you and gives colleges an insight into your personal character. These insights are just as important as your academic knowledge. They exemplify that you are a multi-dimensional and well-rounded person who can try new things and who can think outside the traditional ‘academic’ box. You can also link personal attributes to your decision to pick the university or degree that you did for added context.
So, how do I write or verbalise this?
Now that we have identified some of the skills that you have as an IB student, with quantifiable examples, the question follows: “But how do I show that?”
Of course, every university system is different, so this is a generalisation, but, a strong piece of (persuasive) writing or speech tends to be:
- Authentic – shows who you are, as a learner but also a person, in a genuine way. In essence, why does what you’re writing or speaking about matter to you?
- Specific – It’s tailored to your skills, the university/universities that you are applying to and is clearly linked to your experiences. Aka, don’t just list your talents but tell your reader why they will help you with what you want to achieve!
- Direct – With small word counts or limited time to get your ideas across, if you can convey your authenticity and specific talents in a concise fashion, then you likely have a strong foundation.
So, in sum: establish your ‘why’ (authenticity), show how your skills and values link to your ‘why’ and be concise with your words.
If you would like to read more on the university process and how to write a college admission statement, then have a look at these articles from:
– Times Higher Education (Applying to university overseas: what to consider | Student)
– UCAS – the UK’s university admissions service- (How To Write Your Undergraduate Personal Statement | UCAS)
– Harvard’s Summer School programme (12 Strategies to Writing the Perfect College Essay – Harvard Summer School)
Applying in the UK? Check out our guide!
Applying in the US? Read our blog post .
From medical school to Dutch university admissions, we’ve got plenty of advice for IB students.
To summarise then…
Studying six subjects from multiple disciplines, submitting coursework, writing an extended project (your EE) and completing non-academic activities (CAS), has deepened your knowledge but also helped you gain valuable skills. To list a few amongst the others that have already been mentioned:
- Time management
- Critical thinking
- Interdisciplinary thinking and understanding
- Presentation and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work to deadlines
- Resilience
- Dedication and ability to work hard
- Creative thinking
.. and many more.
These skills show that you are not only knowledgeable but also that you can: face challenges, think creatively and think on your feet. Essentially, being a well-rounded and multi-dimensional IB student is a strength and you can show this by being: authentic, specific and concise when writing and speaking to admissions teams! Be sure to research your prospective universities’/ country’s admission policies, systems, deadlines and requirements, as they often differ from place to place.
Work steadily on your university applications to prevent the dreaded ‘deadline rush’ and give yourself time to write, process and importantly rest in what can be a busy period.
Don’t doubt yourself, keep going, and good luck to all of you writing and applying, you’ve got this!
Imogen Maher
