Michelle Bulin, Ravenswood School For Girl’s 2021Vice-Captain, is heading to Harvard University after receiving a perfect International Baccalaureate (IB) score of 45 out of 45. She will study regenerative biology, with aspirations to pursue work in the field of inherited diseases and genetics.
“Attending Harvard has been a dream since I was a small girl,” Bulin says. “If you had told me on my first day in Year 7 that this would happen, I would never have believed it. It really is out of this world.”
The IB Diploma is a qualification that is internationally recognised. Unlike the HSC, whose only compulsory subject is English, the IB course is more structured. Students must study six subjects from six subject groups, alongside writing a 4,000-word Extended Essay (EE) and completing a Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course. Similar to the Duke of Edinburgh programme, IB students must also participate in creativity, sports and service (CAS).
In 2021, 2,644 Australian students participated in the program, achieving an average ATAR of 95.20. However, these academic results are not included in the Top 100 Schools ranking, which only considers HSC results.
Bulin chose to pursue the IB due to the unique elements of the course. She was particularly interested in the Extended Essay, which she completed in English Literature. With an interest in both Science and the Humanities, the IB seemed a “perfect fit” for her.
“The IB has been an extremely challenging journey, but in retrospect I have grown and learned so much about myself,” Bulin says. “It teaches you a lot of independence and academic curiosity with the self-directed nature of the course. That being said, I think you can reap all the same benefits in HSC. It’s just a matter of which style suits you.”
Bulin admitted that the lockdowns and uncertainty of 2021 created an atmosphere of “intense stress” as she struggled to separate her school and home life.
“However, the silver lining of it all was realising that, even when nothing was certain, we always had each other,” she says. “I learned deeply how to ask for help – a lesson I’m still learning now.”
When asked what advice she would give to future Year 12 students, Bulin encourages students to look after their mental health.
“I would tell future Year 12 students to prioritise their wellbeing in their approach to study, and not in a cliché, superficial way,” she says. “I hope they can make a conscious effort to be in tune with their mental health and be forgiving towards themselves.”
Despite the disruption of lockdowns and remote learning, Ravenswood’s Class of 2021 IB cohort achieved the best results in the school’s history. In addition to Bulin’s perfect 45 out of 45 score, nine students (more than 20 per cent of the cohort) achieved a score of 44, the equivalent of a 99.75 ATAR.
Bulin is not the only Ravenswood student moving overseas in 2022. Laura Zhang has been accepted at Oxford University, where she will commence her studies in September.