About Kelly
Can you share more about yourself?
Hi, I’m Kelly. I love learning about the arts and humanities and am quite passionate about social justice issues. I am an introvert but still enjoy being active in school by participating and organising events.
Since when did you join SKIS?
I joined in Year 7, back in 2013.
Can you share your study methods?
I find doing past years very helpful and I take note on the marking scheme to understand the examiner’s expectations. I make sure my notes are concise and effective by simplifying the content in the textbook or from our lessons so that they are easy to be memorised. For subjects like Geography and History, I find discussions with my classmates is very useful.
About IBDP
Why did you choose to do IBDP?
I find a course that has coursework very appealing as a course with full focus on the exams is too much pressure. The full scholarship I received from Sri KDU also played a part in choosing to do IB over A-Levels.
What subjects did you take for your IBDP? Why did you choose this subject combination?
I took Higher Level Geography, History, English Language and Literature. Meanwhile, I took Standard Level Maths, Biology and Malay B. I have chosen to do this subject combination because I was more interested in the Humanities than Sciences and Maths. I also knew that my strength was essay writing which has led me to take mostly essay writing subjects.
Can you share your experience studying the IBDP?
There were times where I felt I had a lot of work to do, whether academic or related to the events I was organising. The Internal Assesment (IA) season, which is in Term 1 of our senior year, was very tough due to mounting deadlines as all of our coursework was suddenly due. However, I’d say I still enjoy studying in SKIS IB. My relationship with the teachers was unlike what I experienced from Year 7 to Year 11 due to the class size. This enabled the teachers to give us extra attention. The small class size which only comprised of 20 people, also meant that there was a very close-knit and supportive community in SKIS IB, and I know I have made lifelong friends here.
Being able to go on class trips such as CAS trip and Cambodia trip also strengthened my bond with my friends. Academically, there are content in the IB that I enjoyed learning such as in English, where we were able to analyse song lyrics. Even though I didn’t get to do the IB exams and prove my ability fully, I would still not regret doing IB at SKIS.
What are the challenges and obstacles you faced during the IBDP programme and how did you overcome them?
Time management will be one of the biggest challenges an IB student will face, as we not only have to juggle 6 subjects, but also an extra-curricular commitment for CAS and our Extended Essays and TOK work. To overcome that problem and to keep myself organised, I write down all my work due along with daily work goals on the sticky notes application on my laptop desktop. Another challenge I had to face was a more personal one, where I often took more tasks on my plate than I could realistically handle. I overcame this issue by being able to say no and relying on my classmates more—not that that was difficult since a lot of them are very dependable!
How has the IBDP developed you as an individual?
The IBDP has developed me to become more independent as I often had to do a lot of independent research, but it also taught me that if I needed help, there is no shame in asking for help, whether from my peers, seniors or teachers. I also gained a lot of confidence as a leader; When I first took on the role of Head Organiser of TEDxYouth@SKIS, I doubted myself a lot as I was not sure if I was capable enough. Now that the event has passed successfully, I realised that I was indeed capable, and I just had to trust myself more. More specifically to SKIS IB, being in this supportive environment has helped me gain more confidence in social aspects. Most would say that IA season was the toughest, but for me, the toughest was in Term 1 of Junior Year, as at first, I felt like I didn’t fit in at all. Nonetheless, realising how friendly and inclusive my class is, especially with the fun things we did together like Secret Santa, Ice Skating and Rock Climbing, pushed me to become more open and now I have made a lot of good friends and good memories.
Would you be able to share any tips on achieving a high score in IBDP?
Pay attention in the class. Even if you may not have studied much, if you had paid attention in class, more information can be gained still.
Procrastination will be the biggest inhibitor to your full potential. Even though the teachers can be quite flexible with deadlines, don’t take advantage of this and do your work before the due date.
Future plans & Advice
What are your plans now?
I am currently interning for a women’s organisation, ‘WOMEN:girls’, until the end of August. I will then go to the UK in September to pursue Law at the London School of Economics.
Do you have any advice for future IBDP students?
Do what you enjoy. Choose the subjects you are interested in. Look at subject entry requirements if you have a specific major in mind. But I think interest in a subject is what matters as it will motivate you through the two years of IB. I enjoyed most of my English, Geography and History lessons and that’s what made me absorb the information taught by my teachers easily.
Another thing is to do CAS activities that you’ll enjoy doing. One such activity I took up was rock climbing, and even though it took up my weekends, I had so much fun that it just felt like I was going on an outing with my friends every Saturday rather than having it being an activity I was obligated to do.
Don’t be afraid to take risks or try new things as well. If you’re deeply passionate about a history topic outside of the school syllabus and want to do it for your Extended Essay, then go for it. Never taught at a refugee school before? Then try it.
IB may be challenging, but I don’t want to look back at these two years and feel like I wasted it. Take the academics seriously, but don’t forget to do things you enjoy too!
We visited numerous international schools in Klang-Valley and Sri KDU Subang Jaya was not even on our list. Reason being it is way out of our travelling radius. However, we are glad we made the visit to the school before our final call, and it was the best decision ever! It was a huge transition period for us during the first 2 weeks into school, but the school’s team (Teachers, Administrative and Parent’s Teacher Association) made us feel right at home. We were given clear guidance and was kept well informed on the happenings in the school. My daughter blended into the community quite well with the care provided by the Homeroom teacher. All the teachers here are the kindest, as she told me. She looks forward to going to school and has become more disciplined in terms on knowing what tasks she needs to complete daily. She has gained so much confidence during this short period of time and was given the encouragement to explore and develop her abilities here. She was just selected as the new Primary House Captain for Year 6 AY2022/2023.
Every parent want to find the ‘perfect’ school for their child and are afraid of making the wrong decision. For us, as long she is safe and happy, we believe, she will eventually find the way to her own success.