IB 'TAUGHT ME HOW TO LEARN'

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February 9, 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here. 

A recent Notre Dame Prep graduate reports back to her alma mater that she is 'flying through' her homework in college and thus able to focus her energy 'on learning new things' because of the IB at NDP. 

Universities in the United States truly are international communities. They’re committed to educating the youth of today to solve the global challenges of tomorrow. They also seek to encourage students to learn from one another, to recognize their common humanity and to reflect on globally significant issues across the curriculum.

The key aim of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is for students to develop an international mindset that will enable them to build a better future. IB students learn to see the world from different cultural perspectives and they study languages that enable them to communicate with peers from different backgrounds. As an internationally recognized qualification, the IB also prepares them for a career anywhere in the world. IB students are global citizens and this makes them an asset to international academic communities anywhere. Perhaps more so than many other great reasons, it’s this that makes IB students so appealing to universities.

To date, more than 1.2 million students worldwide have graduated from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. IB students reflect diverse experiences and perspectives, attend IB World Schools in 147 countries and represent an even broader range of nationalities. 

IB graduates typically are very eager to share their experiences with schools, teachers and parents exploring the Diploma Program. We plan to meet a few of Notre Dame Prep's more recent IB graduates who look back at the impact of the DP on their lives and especially on their college experience.

We begin with Arianna Reid from NDP's Class of 2023.

"As of right now, I’m at Michigan State University majoring in environmental science and management. I’m minoring in soil science, and it’s super interesting. I’m taking 19 credit hours of classes and I just got a job at a dog supply store where I get to play with puppies all day. 

"As a college sophomore at MSU, my IB knowledge helps me every day in class. For example, I am currently in an intro economics class and because of IB economics (and Mr. Osiecki, the absolute GOAT), I’m already familiar with the concepts at a higher level than I would have been if I had taken regular high school economics. Basically, I’m flying through my homework and am able to focus my time and energy on learning new things because I already have such a strong foundation from IB. The same thing goes for nearly all of my other classes as well. IB taught me how to learn, not just what to know. My IB education at NDP definitely has been more than worthwhile."

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndprep.org.