Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Friends and French, or IB?
Dear Guidance Guy,
I saw your page on RMT and I am so HAPPY I FOUND YOU!! OK, well I'm a student in Grade 8 in the French immersion programme. I applied to an IB program and I got accepted. But if I go there I will be leaving all my friends behind and I'm going to be terribly sad. I'm scared if I don't get accepted by other kids there. What if they don't like me? I love my friends so much and I'm going to be so sad if I leave them and also I'm not sure if I want to leave the French Immersion program.
Please help me. with the pro's and con's of everything so I can make my final descision.
Yours Truly,
Confused Child
*****
Dear Confused Child,
I'm happy you found me too! Thanks for the cheerful beginning to your letter. You do have an interesting choice to make. The pro's of the IB, or International Baccalaureate Program is that it is a world class education. It is respected around the globe and will give you tremendous advantages. The curriculum (what you learn and how you learn it) is challenging and fun for people who love to learn. It is also something colleges love to see when you apply in a few years.
Another pro of this program is that you get to meet new friends. They are in the same situation you are in: they will miss their friends and are scared that no one will like them. So you'll have something in common.
The con's? You'll have to leave behind the French immersion programme (I'm assuming you're Canadian or British with that spelling). Hopefully you've picked up enough French so that it stays with you. And like you said you'll have to leave your friends. But I guarantee there are plenty of new ones to be made. Do you have to leave your old friends behind or can you continue your friendship with them? You don't say where you'll be going. There's always phone and email...and school vacations. But my guess is you'll become very close with the people in your new program if you decide to go.
From what I see the decision is pretty clear. Of course I'm not in your situation. My opinion: if you love learning and want to have a challenging and successful future, the IB Programme is the way to go. Either way, I hope you are happy with whatever you decide.
All The Best,
The Guidance Guy
I saw your page on RMT and I am so HAPPY I FOUND YOU!! OK, well I'm a student in Grade 8 in the French immersion programme. I applied to an IB program and I got accepted. But if I go there I will be leaving all my friends behind and I'm going to be terribly sad. I'm scared if I don't get accepted by other kids there. What if they don't like me? I love my friends so much and I'm going to be so sad if I leave them and also I'm not sure if I want to leave the French Immersion program.
Please help me. with the pro's and con's of everything so I can make my final descision.
Yours Truly,
Confused Child
*****
Dear Confused Child,
I'm happy you found me too! Thanks for the cheerful beginning to your letter. You do have an interesting choice to make. The pro's of the IB, or International Baccalaureate Program is that it is a world class education. It is respected around the globe and will give you tremendous advantages. The curriculum (what you learn and how you learn it) is challenging and fun for people who love to learn. It is also something colleges love to see when you apply in a few years.
Another pro of this program is that you get to meet new friends. They are in the same situation you are in: they will miss their friends and are scared that no one will like them. So you'll have something in common.
The con's? You'll have to leave behind the French immersion programme (I'm assuming you're Canadian or British with that spelling). Hopefully you've picked up enough French so that it stays with you. And like you said you'll have to leave your friends. But I guarantee there are plenty of new ones to be made. Do you have to leave your old friends behind or can you continue your friendship with them? You don't say where you'll be going. There's always phone and email...and school vacations. But my guess is you'll become very close with the people in your new program if you decide to go.
From what I see the decision is pretty clear. Of course I'm not in your situation. My opinion: if you love learning and want to have a challenging and successful future, the IB Programme is the way to go. Either way, I hope you are happy with whatever you decide.
All The Best,
The Guidance Guy
