FIND BIS | How to Prepare Yourself for College Application

2021 Korean graduate Jiyoung (Lucy) Hwang has been accepted by Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), one of the top universities in South Korea and ranks 97th in the world according to QS World Ranking 2021. Her major, Materials Sciences, ranks 29th in the world!

How did she achieve her goal? Follow us in watching FIND BIS – How to Prepare Yourself for College Application.

 

When you applied universities in Korea, did you use IB score for application? 

I have used my predicted grade and my school grades to apply Korean universities.

Except IB score, what do you think are valued by admission officers during application? 

I think who you are in school in general is very important for application as well. Who you are in school will be reflected on your report cards and your recommendation letters so I believe respecting others or being kind to others is also very important.Showing leadership in school, participating in every school activities, respecting teachers, I believe these will all somehow affect your application.

When the universities ask you some questions based on in-school activities or experiences, you will be able answer them easily if you have participated in different school activities.

What extra curriculum activities have you participated in? How are these activities valued when applying universities? 

I have participated in a lot of different activities but the top three extra curriculum activities which I valued the most were student council, sports and sciences.Student council and sports allowed me to write and share to the university how I have improved my leadership and teamwork throughout my high school years.

Since I want to major Material Sciences, I have joined the science club as an assistant. I have helped some students with their science homework or anything which they did not understand during science class. This could show how much I am passionate in Sciences and how I am building up towards my dream university.

How did you balance your academics and extra curriculum activities? Especially in DP period?

Most students think if you want to get high grades, you have to study all day. However I disagree. I believe every students have to balance their academics and their hobbies in order to not get tired of studying. I love playing sports, so participating in sports has motivated me to study.We have 7 classes per day, that’s approximately 5-6 hours of studying. Before I go home and do more work or studying, I refreshed my mind and released some stress by playing sports in school with my friends. I believe this is how I have survived my IB DP.

How did you decide you future major? 

I have first listed my favorite subjects then I went online, searched different types of majors. I love Sciences and Mathematics. Within Sciences, I liked Chemistry so I have searched which majors go deep in Chemistry. After listing the majors, I have narrowed down to my favorite.I recommend students to decide which path they want to go during their Grade 10, so they could choose their IB subjects based on their majors, because some majors require you to take specific subjects in HL. So I think research is very important when you decide your major.

 

What do you want to say to younger students? 

Just remember that you guys are very lucky to have this opportunity to study in an international school and how much your parents are trying to give you guys these opportunities. Do not waste it! Use it!

 

How did teachers help you? 

Every single teachers have helped me and supported me to be here, but I want to thank Mrs. Ward who is our mother figure in school. She has always supported me not only academically but in personal level. I also want to thank Mr. D’Souza who has made me to fall in love with Sciences and who always have supported us with his best no matter what.

 

What will you miss most about BIS? 

I will miss every single thing about BIS. Even the tough times, because they have taught me a lot. I will miss my best friends Ana, Bella, Julia, Xavier and teachers. I will miss playing volleyball with our girls, playing basketball with my friends and how we cheered ourselves before the sports game.

 

Comment from Teacher

I have been teaching Lucy for the last 4 years and have seen her being transformed from a shy girl to a confident young lady. When she was in school she said she hated Science. But after attending my classes she has learnt to enjoy Sciences. She said that I make Sciences learning easy and fun to learn. She has done higher level Chemistry and standard level Physics.

In class I asked probing questions and always allowed her to come up with the answer. This encouraged her to work hard and achieve success.

Another way Lucy was motivated was by doing practicals which she enjoyed very much. This helped her to understand the concepts better and apply them in other situations.

 

Lucy came to me at the beginning of 10th Grade. She was this wonderful, vibrant personality who was passionate about English, but doubted her English skills, understanding and abilities.

What I realized immediately was here was a young woman who had plenty of abilities, but we just had to support her through risk-taking and to building up her confidence to realize that English is not a scary subject.

Actually, she was exceptionally talented and able to express herself, not just in academic writing, but communicating her feelings and her knowledge to her teachers and her peers. Now that Lucy has left 12th Grade, I have no doubt of the successes that Lucy will have in every aspect, especially her English capabilities. Lucy is ready to take on the world no matter what language she attempts in.