24th June 2021

LYBS High School Student interview

Stella is the first high school student to receive a scholarship for the IBDP programme, and she scored 112 out of 120 on the TOEFL. What are her secrets to self-motivate and challenge herself on the path of international education? We recently talked to Stella, a 10th-grade student in LYBS High School – English Division.


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"She scored 112 in TOEFL while a full score is 120. "Before meeting Stella, her English teacher recognized her achievement, but in addition to her academic performance, Stella is also a cheerful high school student with her own passion.


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She was the first student to receive the IB DP scholarship, out of four scholarship programs offered by LYBS. When asked how she felt after winning the scholarship, Stella was calm, saying, "This scholarship is an inspiration to me and a reminder to not let up and to work harder. "


Self-motivating


In front of the library of Liaoyuan High School, Stella shared with us about her life at LYBS together with her English teacher. She seemed a bit relaxed after her exams, but as soon as we met she asked, "How long will it be? Is it going to be long?" As in her next introduction, Stella reveals a certain level of self-management, which is one of the skills that many people strive to achieve.


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"I joined LYBS in the second semester of Grade10 and chose LYBS because of the great teachers and learning atmosphere." Having grown up with an international education, having attended private schools at primary school and international schools at middle school, Stella has her own strengths in language subjects. However, when she talks about her life, she also shares her hobbies, such as watching English dramas, playing piano, and listening to pop music. She loves modern dance and she performed in her previous school. This year, she won a bronze medal and individual awards in the ASDAN Business Stimulation competition. When it comes to her strengths, she unexpectedly mentioned the word "self-learning."


Stella has a unique perspective on self-study, saying, "I'm used to consulting study materials on my own, and I read the textbook over and over again until I understand it." Before she joined LYBS, Stella knew she was weak in math and science because she hasn’t learnt the subjects in her previous school, so she improved by taking notes and talking to her teachers. On the other hand, in addition to self-learning, her mother focused on the language environment from a young age, encouraging her to read more and leading her in her studies to help her find her "self-motivation".


Compete with herself


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Current Grade 10 could apply for IB DP scholarship with certain requirements as part of LYBS Scholarship policy. Stella's performance was a perfect fit, as the scholarship encouraged her to challenge herself as she entered the IB DP program.


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It wasn't surprising when she decided to join the IB DP programme. Stella was planning to choose AP programme, but after she understood more about the IB DP programme, she decided to challenge herself. After researching different IB programmess (including her previous school), Stella and her parents were attracted by the LYBS DP programme, especially our learning environment and faculty team. She firmly rejected offers from other schools and joined LYBS.


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She says, "LYBS's curriculum is quite rich. Chinese and foreign teachers take their teaching seriously. For example, teachers read short story collections in class and teach the language in a very attractive way. In math, the class was taught thoroughly and the teachers are willing to continue to tutor after class if we don't understand. In addition, the ESL programme has been the most helpful and has improved my grammar and vocabulary a lot. Ms. Prachi Gupta and Dr. Wu offered a lot of professional support and guidance when she chose her DP subjects.


However, Stella also admits that the science courses at the IB DP level are challenging for her which require a long time to build upon knowledge and vocabulary. The enthusiasm and professions of the teachers gave Stella great support and encouragement, letting her build up the confidence to take on the challenge.


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Usually, the use of electronic devices is clearly regulated in the school, but as long as students achieve their learning goals, the school will give students flexibility and support. 


Stella feels very strongly about that during her studies, the school gave her access to the computer for a certain time and permission after she applied for it because she needed to access the information for her study. "


Stella is looking forward to the upcoming IB DP courses. She is very interested in Economics and Psychology and hopes to continue to take on more difficult challenges for applying to American universities in the future.