Student Life at International School Bangkok

PantherNation

Student Life at International School Bangkok

PantherNation

Student Life at International School Bangkok

PantherNation

Life After June 9th

Life+After+June+9th

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From IB, with its seemingly endless abundance of acronyms, to SAT’s and ACT’s, to clubs, social obligations, and college applications on top of all that, the first semester of senior year is one of the hardest semesters of everyone’s high school career. Second semester is even harder, if only for the effort taken to avoid senioritis and the infamous senior slump. Many have struggled through this experience, and virtually everyone has come out unscathed, if a little battled and bruised. Rising seniors, and those just starting out their second semester of senior year, could learn a thing or two from those who have gone before.

Ciel Sriprasert is a graduate of ISB’s Class of 2015 and attends Tufts University. David Hallengren, also a graduate of 2015, is studying at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Connor Curtis, Class of 2014, is a sophomore at SUNY Oswego.

What has been the greatest experience of your college life so far?

CIEL SRIPRASERT: Finding an amazing group of international friends and meeting one of my favourite professors ever.

DAVID HALLENGREN: I think every day I experience something at university that has been terrific. My answer to that would change from week to week.

CONNOR CURTIS: The greatest experience of my college life occurred during syllabus week of freshman year. Despite having to do all these wonky activities organized by the school, I met 5 of my closest friends that day, all of whom I live with currently. I think it is the big picture events that count, and meeting friends that you know you will have for a lifetime certainly constitutes as one.

What advice would you give to seniors as they approach their last semester of high school?

DAVID: Seniors really need to take a chill pill. Things are not as grim as they seem, and whichever college you get into, you are going to love it regardless. In any case, you get to go to graduate school anyway. So the stakes are not that high at this point.

CIEL: Enjoy it. If you are taking IB, and it does not have a direct impact on your college admissions, study for it, but also just have fun on the test! It is, as Giles says, a “celebration of your learning”. Second semester is really just a time to have fun and chill with your friends in Thailand–and eat all the Thai food you can get! Spend time with your family, as cheesy as that sounds, because you really miss Thailand when you leave for college, a lot more than you think. Or, you know, you miss the Thai food.

CONNOR: I know that you seniors are probably sick of hearing the advice I am about to give, but I believe that it is worthwhile knowing. Put yourself out there. College is all about new experiences, and learning how to deal with them appropriately. If one is to stick inside their comfort zone, they will find it difficult to truly learn about themselves, and their college experience may be limited because of it. Do not be afraid to try new things, whether it is joining a club you had always had an interest for in high school, or branching out socially to try and meet as many interesting people as possible. Just do not let yourself be bored, there is a world of possibilities out there and you will find the ones that work for you.

Is there anything about high school that you actually miss?

DAVID: I miss the close relationship with my teachers. That is not necessarily an experience you get in college–where you are one in a room of two hundred in a lecture hall, or you meet with your tutors once a week. So I miss being on a first name basis with my teachers, that is what I miss.

CIEL: I guess I miss my teachers here. I miss my friends. The things I miss about high school are more specific to my time, rather than the idea of high school. Oh, and IB sucked. I do not miss that.
CONNOR: My god, is there anything about high school that I do not miss? But in all honesty, I think the things I miss most about high school are the people. The Panthers are certainly an interesting group of people, and one that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. That and the nightlife. But mostly the people.

Sofia M

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Life After June 9th