Matías Sciurano completed the IB Diploma Programme at Colegio San Javier in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sciurano is currently studying political science at Universidad Torcuato di Tella and is also working at the Ministry of Security for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. He hopes to work full-time in an administrative career within local government after finishing his degree.
I was really unsure when I decided to study the DP (Diploma Programme). Like the majority of my classmates, I didn’t know whether I was going to be able to complete it. All we knew was what we had heard from former students and teachers; that it was very difficult, that it meant a big workload and that there was always the possibility of not passing. Despite this, I decided to go for it because it was something new and a challenge like no other that would define what I had learned during my prior years of study. This is what attracted me to the Diploma Programme: the challenge.
“The Diploma Programme develops students’ ability to analyze a large amount of information and interpret it appropriately”.
The DP is known for taking up the majority of students’ free time. It does have a big workload that cannot be tackled without good time management and a lot of time dedicated to studying. However, I was able to continue doing the things I liked without a lot of changes. For example, I remained physically active and went out with my friends. As a result, my free time was not so affected, although I did have to plan the time that I spent studying very well. The difference with the DP is that it requires us to optimise our study time.
Personally, CAS (creativity, activity, service) and history seemed to be the most useful and worthwhile. The extended essay also seemed very practical for my future at university. The main benefit that I gained from the DP was the ability to analyze a large amount of information and interpret it appropriately. I developed a strong capacity for studying that has served me to this day, as well as the ability to study for many hours without losing concentration. I would advise current IB students to not be scared away by what people say about the international exams, since the feeling of overcoming this challenge is very rewarding and worthwhile.