Want to know what a day at the IB Diploma at Uni Prep is like?

I'll tell you about the IB Diploma Programme experience at Prepa Uni

Many young people like you may not know what a student of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) does during a regular day, that is why I want to tell you how I live it as I am currently in the 4th semester of high school at the Preparatoria de la Universidad de Celaya, as well as what my classmates and I do in our day to day, so that you have a closer idea of the reality of the IB in a city like Celaya in Guanajuato and know, firsthand, some of our learning experiences.

Start of the day at the Prepa! 07:20 h TOK ... TOK ... TOK ... TOK

A day in the IB Diploma Program may start with a TdeC ( Theory of Knowledge TOK) class in which the teachers make us question things; that is, they teach us to ask why things happen; for example, during one of the mid terms we start looking at indigenous societies and questioning the reasons why they are disappearing. I really like the way things begin to be raised from the first class of TdeC because, in a way, it opens you to any kind of possibilities and gives you the opportunity to develop your own criteria on the topics discussed in class, so that we are able to analyze it, express it verbally or in writing, argue it and reach individual conclusions or even proposals for action.

Getting to know the business world: 08:15 h Business management

After the TdeC class, the Business Management course follows, in which we learn how to manage a company and how organizations work in today's world: from how to prepare an income statement to, for example, performing a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats); we also acquire knowledge about the function of income statements, motivation theories, types of leadership, investments, to mention some of those that now come to my mind. Personally, I am very interested in knowing how a company works internally because there are many aspects that I did not understand, such as the way it is managed or the sectors into which an organization is divided, and thanks to this course I was giving answers, class by class, to these concerns through case studies, exercises, etc., which, I believe, will be very useful during my university studies.

10:00 h Gimme a break!

I continue telling you how one of my days in the IB Diploma at my high school is going. After the Business Management course, we have a break, which is a good opportunity to take a break, recharge our batteries, have lunch in the cafeteria and socialize with our classmates.

Let's test our bilingual skills: 10:30 h English class!

English class follows. It is very likely that you automatically think that this is a "typical" English class where they teach you the conjugation of the verb to be, but in reality it is not so; during this class you have the opportunity to learn how to argue in a second language -which implies having to think in English-, and then debate and give your opinion on relevant topics around the world. For example: share your opinion about Greta Thunberg who is a 19 year old Swedish environmental activist and about whom, during the English class, we share opinions, comments and analysis. I can tell you that what many of my classmates commented about Greta is that she has a somewhat rude way of speaking, not because she uses high-flown words to offend others, but -mainly- because her tone of voice is very punchy, strong and decisive. We came to the conclusion that Greta resorts to this technique to give firmness to her speech and thus more easily attract the attention of her audiences to whom she seeks to raise awareness about the actions that humans need to take to contribute to the care of the environment.

Let's learn about life processes: 12:20 p.m. Biology

It is noon and we are still active in the IB Diploma Program at Prepa Uni. The Biology class taught by teacher Paty continues. I can think that for many young students this subject might be tedious because I felt the same way when I took Biology in high school. Honestly, I didn't like this subject because I considered it boring, since they only made us learn the parts of the cells and then ask us questions in an exam, forget them and never touch the subject again for the rest of the school year. However, when I started the IB Diploma Program I realized that here the reality of this subject had nothing to do with the reality that I had experienced years ago, since during this class we do talk and study about Biology topics, but also about topics that happen nowadays... in our day to day life. As IB students we express the doubts we have, no matter if it is a little bit out of the subject of the class; for example, if during class we are looking at genetic modifications and I happen to ask if it is possible to identify the genes needed to modify DNA, the teacher answers you, explaining the answer that she backs up with her experience and this makes it even more interesting because every time we students ask something, other questions arise and this helps us to strengthen our critical thinking and to feed our curiosity to continue learning and not only stay with the topics that our teachers teach us, but to go beyond? questioning, inquiring and discovering... what a great way to learn!

Last class and we finish: 14:10 h Mathematics.

The last class of my Friday in the IB Diploma Program at Prepa Uni is Mathematics and wow, I'm not going to lie, this one might be a bit more challenging than any other math class I have taken so far, because in my experience, I was used to apply the knowledge I had learned only once in a problem that the teacher set and then I didn't use it again. But here that does not happen, all the learning that you are building serves for something else, finally it is about having the tools and using the ones you consider necessary to solve whatever comes up. If you feel identified with me, and you are one of those who suffer with numbers, do not worry, teachers and fellow IBs will never leave you behind. It is true that sometimes you study topics that, at first glance, seem a little confusing, such as logarithms or the graphs of a function, but I assure you that the teacher is always willing to guide you, explain and find a way for the topics to be understood and you can apply them; it can be through real life examples, exercises, practices, etc. ...

What did you think of this day in the IB Diploma Program at Prepa Uni? Would you like to live the experience of being an IB student?

When I am aware of the skills, knowledge and attitudes that I acquire as an IB student, I think it is worth it because it challenges me to think, but not in a mechanized way as I had been used to, it gives me the advantage of developing my own thoughts and personal criteria regarding the events that happen to us as human beings who live in a globalized world and are part of a complex society.

Have you ever been bored during your classes?

I have come to realize that this is because what you see during the classes is not related to what you are interested in. When I started the IB Diploma Program, my perspective broadened more and more and now I see things in a different way that I didn't think was possible; for example, during my current IB Literature classes I have to read books but I find them more interesting than when I was in high school because not only do we read them, but they also lead us to discuss global issues that are in the plot or argument of the book and, I don't know about you, but this motivates me -more and more- and gives me the confidence to express my opinion in front of my classmates and teachers. This is why I think the IB Diploma Program is worthwhile and you should give yourself the opportunity to experience being an IB student ... a high achieving student.

If you are interested in receiving more information about the IB Diploma Program at the University of Celaya or in answering any questions or concerns that you or your parents may have about this program, please feel free to contact the IB Diploma Program Coordinator at Uni de Celaya: Alejandra Núñez via email at: alenugo@udec.edu.mx or by phone +52 (461) 613 90 99 Ext. 1411.  

Make up your mind, be IB!