Looking Behind and Ahead at AISG 2017-18

AISG students have finally reached the second semester of the year, as well as completed their first round of semester exams. Slowly but surely the seniors are getting ready to depart AISG, whilst the juniors are finally getting used to the IB, and sophomores and freshmen are feeling the reality of high school.

This past week, all students received their exams and feedback. Around the halls I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about how students felt they did. Were exams really as bad as most say?

Keeping an open mind, I decided to speak to a variety of students from a few grade levels, to see how how they felt exams went. The first individual I spoke to, Max Chen from grade 12, said it went “surprisingly okay.” He mentioned that, considering the amount of time he studied, he wasn’t expecting the results he achieved. As a senior, he is cramming in work, completing college apps, and has too much on his plate in general. This is typical for the seniors.  Max said, “I have applied to a bunch of schools, some of which include Cornell, Syracuse, and University of Toronto as well as Carnegie Mellon. I’m hoping that the IB, as well as the 4 years of practicing for AISG final exams, helps me achieve positive results on my mock exams as well as final IB exams.” Best of luck to all the seniors.

On the bus ride home, the topic of exams also came up with freshman Marco Luo. He feels fairly confident about his first year of high school. He mentioned that school is “pretty easy” and that he doesn’t feel as though he is having any issues. Marco said, “Exams were pretty easy, besides Chinese, as I am not good at Chinese.” Marco admitted that he didn’t study too much for exams; however, he still managed to achieve good grades. When it came down to what he could improve on for his next exams, he didn’t mention anything personal, but said, “I wish they would decrease the overall test time. I finished my math test in 40 minutes, however I had to wait another hour until I was able to leave the gym.” From my personal perspective, and what I gained from the conversation that Marco and myself had, the freshmen seem to be adapting to the rigors of high school with ease.

Personally, I feel as though I was able to achieve decent results on my final exams. Being new to the school, I am not only focusing on the social aspect of the school, such as making friends and fitting in, but also getting used to the emphasis that is put on academics at AISG. Although I struggled in math, I was able to get my grades up, and gained a bit more confidence in myself. At my last school, Pechersk School International, I never experienced semester exams. Exams were part of the curriculum; however, at that time I was focused on the personal projects (a project all sophomores participated in). Since the idea of midterm exams was new to me, I definitely appreciated the fact that AISG implemented review week, as this saved me from pulling all-nighters and cramming content in until the last minute. Next year as a senior I am hoping to not only improve my study habits, but also gain more confidence in myself.

This semester will be challenging for most. Seniors are preparing for their departure from AISG. They’ll be finalizing collage apps, as well as bonding as a grade during senior lock in, not to mention attending prom. Second semester for juniors will also be hectic. Not only will they be loaded with work, but in some classes they’ll be starting internal assessments, as well as having two or more summative assessments per week. Most of the teachers are encouraging them to hang out during the weekends with friends while they still have time. Sophomores have found that they are finally getting comfortable in high school. They are no longer the “newbies”, and are getting prepared to start the IB Diploma Program. The “freshies” have just begun high school. They are slowly adapting to the change from middle to high school, and are pushing through successfully (or at least, most of them).

With this being said, we are all hoping that second semester will be filled with academic achievements, as well as a good social scene and a sweet farewell to the seniors. Good luck and Happy Chinese New Year!