Course Selections 

Course Selections & Additional Qualifications for Grades 9–12

Secondary School, particularly Grades 9-12, is the time to start focusing on your individualized Path to University. Each year, you will choose courses of interest that fulfill graduation requirements and align with your specific university and career goals. 

Our Path to University meetings for Grades 9-12 take place annually with students, parents, and teachers. During these meetings, we introduce you to course options and guide you through the important decisions to be made at each grade level. Additionally, you will learn about optional qualifications, such as preparatory exams, certificates, and diplomas, that may be required when applying to universities worldwide. 

These meetings are announced one year ahead in our ISR school event calendar, as well as in our weekly update newsletter online. 

In Grade 7, students begin their secondary school journey, focusing on developing core competencies in Math, German, English and Science, following the Cambridge Lower Secondary Curriculum.  To complement these core courses, students enjoy lessons in Social Studies, Computing, Art, Music, Drama and Physical Education.  Additionally, students choose lessons in a 3rd language, namely Spanish, Japanese or French.

Personal growth places centrally in a student’s day at ISR. Students are coached by their homeroom teachers on skills such as organization, time management and effective goal setting.   Students have weekly Advising sessions with our Wellbeing Counselling team, where they experience lessons in developing self-awareness, respect, online safety and much more.

Students in Grade 7 are also actively involved in the school community, participating in at least three student extracurricular activities (SEA) a week.  Ranging from football to sewing to homework club, there is an activity to suit every student’s goal and interest.

In Grade 8, students continue study of the core subjects Math, German, English, and Science and are invited to write the Cambridge Lower Secondary Curriculum external examinations in the Spring.  Students continue complementary studies in Computing, Art, Music, Drama and Physical Education.  Additionally, students are exposed to four humanities modules throughout their social studies courses: Geography, History, Economics and Business Studies. With this experience, students can confidently choose elective courses when they transition to Grade 9.

Students continue to have weekly Advising and Wellbeing sessions, while also participating in various student extracurricular activities (SEA) offered by the ISR community.

In Grade 9 students are counseled on their course selection for Grade 10 and beyond. The course selection for Grade 10 may in some cases already have had an impact on future plans and the choice of university courses. In individual student meetings together with the Academic Head of grade 9/IB coordinator and the UCC team, we develop a general long-term perspective that includes a possible IB course selection.

As the scores of Grade 9 are included on transcripts that are sent with the university application, the development of good study habits is essential. Gradually, students need to adopt a proactive approach and assume responsibility for their own learning.

Students should now explore various interests inside and outside of school. The ISR Student Leadership Council offers a wide variety of opportunities to try out leadership positions, work in a team, and demonstrate initiative and creativity. Getting involved and being active are key qualities at this stage. Students are also encouraged to gain first experiences in the world of careers and professions. The UCC team gives customized support for this endeavor.

In October of Grade 10, students typically take the PSAT. In the course of the year, they also prepare to take the IGCSE exams and, if applicable, the DELE (Spanish Language diploma) or DELF (French Language Diploma). These three exams are Middle School qualifications that serve as extra assets when applying to the universities.

We help students refine their career goals by taking interest surveys and personality tests. These are scheduled individually and upon request in the UCC team. We continue to give support to gain work experience. In addition to demonstrating strong academic skills, students are also well advised to hone their non-academic skills to develop an interesting, well-rounded profile for university applications.

In individual course selection meetings, we give careful guidance to matching academic performance with career goals and to defining post-graduation plans.

Weekly UCC sessions cover a wide range of topics, from an introduction to the library resources at ISR to the guided research of careers to the university application systems in the most popular countries. Sessions in the computer lab provide opportunities to practice the research of careers, universities, and courses using specific websites.

At the end of Grade 11, students generate their personal list of universities they wish to apply to, including entry requirements, deadlines, and required documents. An essential part of the UCC in Grade 11 is the writing of an application essay that serves to promote a student’s strengths and motivations to study a certain course as well as give an idea of the applicant’s personality. USA applicants are required to prepare for and sit SAT and/or ACT exams.

By nature, university application plans are individual. Therefore, in Grade 12, the UCC support consists mainly of one-on-one meetings in which we discuss the overall application strategy. The student’s university list functions as a roadmap to determine which applications and which documents need to be sent to which university by which deadline. Whilst the students have the overall responsibility for the application process, UCC staff monitor the process and make sure students are on track.

Students are given assistance in putting all necessary documents together, for example, application forms, transcripts, essays, teacher recommendations, counsellor references, standardized test scores, etc. Depending on the university course, students may need to start preparing for career-specific tests (medical tests, law test, TSA etc.) or put together a portfolio.

For students who are invited for interviews, we offer mock interviews. We track all responses from universities and offer advice if there are “surprises” in the final exam results and if the conditions of offers cannot be met.

German students seeking to gain the “Allgemeine Hochschulreife” for application to German universities are guided in their recognition process with the Zeugnisanerkennungsstelle. See also “German University Qualification” for criteria for the recognition of the IB as “Allgemeine Hochschulreife”.

A culminating event is the annual Alumni Reception, at which we receive valuable feedback for our work. We are proud to hear how well our alumni feel ISR has prepared them for their post-graduate life.

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