Who Should Enroll in the International Baccalaureate?

March 13, 2023

Established in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland, the International Baccalaureate is respected the world over for its challenging academics within a framework that educates the whole student.

Originally designed for international families, the IB remains popular among international schools outside the Americas, and is increasingly popular in the United States.

What is the International Baccalaureate program?
The International Baccalaureate sets high expectations for students, and requires high standards from the schools that offer it, as well. Before a school is allowed to offer IB courses, it must pass requirements and become certified as an IB World School. IB of the school are ongoing and continual, and faculty receive special training.

For families who move often from country to country, or continent to continent, the IB is a standardized program that makes changing schools an easier transition for students, particularly if the move occurs midyear.

Dwight School, an early pioneer in offering all four IB programs in the Americas at each of its physical campuses around the world, has long offered the IB Diploma Program, a two-year program for high school juniors and seniors that is considered the “Gold Standard” in university preparation. 

Through Dwight Global Online School – Dwight School’s “Campus in the Cloud,” – the prestigious IB program and the IB DP are now offered online. 

What type of student should enroll?
Schools that offer International Baccalaureate encourage students to think critically, and the IB is often considered more challenging than other academic programs.
Student who succeed with International Baccalaureate are:

1) Highly motivated
The students who thrive in an International Baccalaureate school have the drive and motivation to succeed. Whether they have their sights set on a master’s degree, medical school, law school, or pursuing an advanced role in science or engineering, these students are dedicated to their studies.

2) Intellectually curious
In addition to motivation, curiosity is a good sign that a student is right for the International Baccalaureate. If your child has always shown a true interest in learning, and a knack for processing information and concepts, they have the foundational qualities to succeed in the IB program.

3) Academically successful
Students who do well in the International Baccalaureate have a proven academic track record. If your child has previously excelled academically, earning high marks in grade school and showing an appetite for learning, they may be the perfect candidate for the IB.

4) Ready to push themselves to the next level
It is wonderful for a student to be curious and earn good grades, but a student entering the International Baccalaureate must be prepared for a new academic challenge. Successful IB students take ownership of their own learning. They want to dig deep to think critically and expand their minds.

5) What does the IB program cover?
The best IB programs, like those at the highly ranked, accredited, and established Dwight Global, will develop a student’s depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding, and foster open-mindedness. 

To achieve this goal, there are six core subjects that IB students must study. They fall into the following categories:

• Language and Literature
• Language Acquisition
• Individuals and Societies
• Sciences
• Mathematics
• The Arts

IB students must take one class from the first five subjects and then complete a class in The Arts or an additional class within the categories of Language Acquisition, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, or Mathematics.

In 2018, Dr. Siva Kumari, the IB Director General from 2014-2021 said,  “The IB student is successful in whatever field they've chosen. They're able to be the person that colleagues consider a mindful person who asks the right questions, and one who is able to drive consensus, provide a long view on things, and be the wise person in the room.”

What are the benefits of the IB Diploma Program?
Research shows that IB Diploma Program students attend university or college in higher percentages than students not enrolled in IB, attend more competitive colleges and universities, get higher grades while in college, and graduate in higher numbers. 

What is Dwight Global’s IB DP Program?
Dwight Global’s online IB DP is designed to: 

• Teach students a broad range of subjects, including several at a higher level and of their own choosing, ranging from experimental sciences and mathematics, to the arts, business and management, film, computer science, and languages.
• Introduce students to philosophy through the compulsory IB Theory of Knowledge course, where they explore the nature of knowledge and are challenged to reflect critically on diverse ways of knowing.
• Encourage students to explore the arts and creative thinking, physical activity, and community service through CAS (Creativity, Activity, and Service) requirements on a journey of self-discovery.
• Engage students in independent research through in-depth study and writing an extended essay.
• Emphasize the development of the whole student intellectually, emotionally, physically, and ethically.
• Embrace the IB Learner Profile: Dwight students are knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective.
• Empower students to be entrepreneurial innovators.

The benefits of earning an IB Diploma begin in high school and last through college and a student’s professional career. 
For more information on Dwight School’s IB program, and the Dwight Global Online School, contact Dwight Global’s admissions team today.