From being an active student athlete at GIIS to achieving remarkable results in the IBDP 2022 exams, Saksham Mathur, an IBDP Near Perfect scorer is an all-rounder – demonstrating excellence inside and outside the classroom.
Having won several medals in track and field events in interschool meets and bringing laurels for the school in football, Saksham believes the formal training sessions helped him to develop perseverance and camaraderie with his teammates.
Another quality he developed due to his involvement in sports, he says, is hard work. And it won't be wrong to say, his recent academic achievement reflects his dedication and hard work towards his goals.
With offers from various universities, including Imperial College, University of Warwick, University of Toronto, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Saksham has committed to NUS.
In this blog, we speak to Saksham to learn more about his IB Diploma Programme experience at GIIS:
I would be lying if I said the IBDP did not come with its fair share of challenges. The challenges would usually revolve around the workload. To the future IBDP students, I would ask them to spread out their work to meet the deadlines. Moreover, I would advise ample amount of rest as students try to pull all-nighters but that only makes one unproductive in the long run. Additionally, if you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you have – take a break, talk to your friends as they would make you realise that you're not the only one going through the rigours of the curriculum.
My Spanish teacher was my favourite as she not only taught me a completely new language but made the classes extremely fun and interactive with music and Kahoot (game-based learning platform). Moreover, she went out of her way to help struggling students, like me, who found certain grammar concepts hard to grasp.
However, my favourite subject would be Physics because the classes and the course content helped me realise the functioning behind everything around me. I have a newfound appreciation for the subject and therefore, am going to pursue engineering in university.
The guidance of the teachers in Extended Essay (EE) and Internal Assessments (IAs) were invaluable and the class material and notes were very helpful for the written exams. Also, the IB Learner profile which was most reflected in the Theory of Knowledge (TOK), exposed me to new perspectives to view the world.
I have contributed to the core teams of various student-led clubs and organisations in high school. My tenure as Sports Club President was impactful as I oversaw a group of seven peers and was responsible for liaising with teachers and school authorities to organise sports activities. This called for not only the ability to lead a team but also organisational skills and the need to be a problem-solver.
The unprecedented experience of living through a pandemic motivated me to be part of something bigger than myself. Harnessing my leadership and sporting skills, I organised and participated in the 24-Hour Race and the ‘SCS Run’ fundraisers to fight human trafficking and support the Singapore Cancer Society respectively.
I was also part of the football team and track and field team in the ACSIS (Athletic Conference of Singapore International Schools) tournaments. I enjoyed sports and taking part in MUNs (Model United Nations) as a delegate or a chair. Apart from the last two iterations of GIIS MUN, I have also organised the first two iterations of GIIS Model Congress and was a judge in the GIIS Law Summit.
Studying at GIIS East Coast initially and then at the SMART Campus in Punggol, from Grade 4 to 12 was an incredible experience and I would not have it any other way. The culture at GIIS made the transition to a new school much easier for me. Teachers were supportive throughout my learning journey and I also made good friends.
From failed experiments to testing our creativity to getting our experiment to work, we had it all. I will never forget the IBDP Graduation Ceremony held in school as holding the scroll after two years of bare minimum sleep and crammed deadlines was extremely fulfilling and satisfying.
Also, the GIIS’ career counselling programme prepared me for the application process and the deadlines. It gave me ample time to complete my essays and apply to universities on time.
With a school average of 38.6 points, 10 students emerged as IB World Toppers (45/45) and 16 as Near Perfect (44/45) scorers in the IBDP 2022 exams. GIIS’ average score surpasses the global average (31.98) and Singapore average (37.49) IBDP score for 2022.
Also read: Top 4 learnings from GIIS’ IBDP 2022 World Topper
If you want to know more about IBDP at GIIS, please feel free to contact our admissions counsellors.
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