BIS Boston students are phenomenal. They’re hard-working, caring, and hugely talented. They also have big plans for the future.
Our goal, as a school community, is to help our students to fulfil these ambitions. Whether it’s studying law at Harvard, right here in Boston, or kick-starting a career in chemical engineering across the Atlantic at Cambridge, we want to make sure they have the knowledge, qualifications, and skills to get exactly where they want to go.
In this article, we discuss our approach to ‘college readiness’ – and explain how we prepare our students for university and career success.
College readiness refers to the set of skills, knowledge, and behaviors a student should have when they graduate and enter university.
To prepare for university, a young person needs to develop a wide range of competencies, which are gained both through and beyond the academic curriculum.
These ‘college readiness’ competencies tend to fall into three key areas:
College readiness starts with academics. Whether a student is accepted by their chosen university is largely determined by their exam results and other performance benchmarks. The curricula a school offers are also hugely important.
At BIS Boston, we teach a combination of British and international programs, including Cambridge IGCSEs (ages 14 to 16) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma (ages 16 to 18). These are globally respected by leading universities and employers.
With its equal focus on subject knowledge and skill development, the IB Diploma is universally recognized as the leading way to prepare for university.
This rigorous curriculum focuses on six subject areas and a core program. The six subjects span language, literature, individuals and societies, sciences, math, and the arts, providing a broad and balance pre-college education. The core program, meanwhile, includes service activities, an extended essay, and a ‘theory of knowledge’ course.
The IB extended essay, for example, is an in-depth research and assignment writing project that replicates the demands of university self-study. The Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) component provides opportunities for our students to make a difference and develop their portfolio of skills, too.
Alongside academic knowledge, our students need to build a wide and varied skillset to thrive at university. We help them do this in lots of ways, both in and through the curriculum.
As part of Nord Anglia Education’s global network, we have access to the very best research, programs, and talent. This includes exclusive educational collaborations with world leading organizations.
Taking part in extra-curricular activities is important for lots of reasons, not least because they develop skills prized by universities. These activities also help our students stand out from the crowd when it comes to competitive admissions processes.
Enrichment opportunities include:
To realize their ambitions, every student needs a variety of specialist support and guidance.
Our university counselling process – which starts in High School – offers exactly that. Working with our families, we identify a student’s aspirations and craft a bespoke plan to help them achieve them. This includes IB subject selection, additional qualifications, and areas for development.
We also encourage our students to think long-term. Our Careers Carousel initiative, for example, brings professionals from a range of industries into school to share their experiences. Students can then ask questions and meet with these experts one-on-one. This provides insights that help our young people make decisions about their future.
Of course, we prioritize our students’ health and wellbeing. Our tailored approach keeps each student fit and healthy, and equips them with the tools to be resilient, overcome challenges, and bounce back from adversity.
As a school, we do everything we can to make sure our students are prepared for university. And in 2023, our college acceptance data spoke for itself.
Our Russell Group offer rate was five times higher than in 2022, while our acceptance rate among the world’s top 100 universities was nine times higher. Recent graduates have gone to study at colleges including Yale, Brown, Cornell, and Columbia here in the United States, as well as Cambridge, King’s College London, St Andrews, and Edinburgh in the UK.
To find out more about college readiness at BIS Boston, please get in touch with us.
Visit our campus or join us in a Virtual Discovery Meeting to take the first step towards your child’s future. We’ll give you clear insights into what personalized learning looks like, and we’ll show you BISB’s unique resources and global offerings.
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