Dmitriy Kolesnichenko, from Kazakhstan, was excelling at school and achieving top marks in all his subjects – but he wanted to challenge himself even further. So he started to look into the International Baccalaureate (IB), an academically challenging diploma programme, where students study six subjects.
His family couldn’t afford an expensive school for him, which is when he discovered King’s InterHigh, an online school that launched the world’s first online IB in 2022. “I wanted to study for this diploma because I heard it was the most challenging one,” says Kolesnichenko, 18. “Then I found out there was an opportunity to do it online, and it was wonderful because of the [lower] costs.”
Students at King’s InterHigh become part of a unique global classroom, something much valued by Julia Maya Moser, 17, who lives in Linz, Austria, and is also studying for the IB. “I have friends in Romania, Congo, the UK, France and the US – it’s amazing,” she says.
Learning alongside students from all over the world makes things more interesting and gives you new perspectives, Moser says. “For example, at the moment, we’re talking about prison injustice in America in our English class,” she says. “Discussions are much more interesting if you have them with people who are all completely different, from different countries and different backgrounds. It’s so much more engaging. It has changed me and changed my perspective – I’ve become more open minded and more aware.”
The IB is taught in 143 countries, and requires students, on top of taking their six subjects, to write an extended essay, study theory of knowledge and to pursue an additional activity, either creative, voluntary or sporting. The qualification aims to develop learners who are inquirers, thinkers and communicators, who are open minded and caring.
The online IB taught at King’s InterHigh includes additional benefits, such as having the support of internationally qualified teachers and greater flexibility – something Kolesnichenko enjoys. “I just returned from holiday and did some of my mock exams on the long flights home,” he says. It also helps students gain digital skills – increasingly important for the world of work.
The programme is structured with broadly three types of classes: small classes, where students explore a subject before delving into it; larger classes, similar to lectures; and seminars where students get to examine a topic, using breakout rooms for small group discussions. “I love the class sizes,” says Moser, who chose the school for its flexibility and reasonable costs. “My smallest class is two people. It’s much better to have that one-on-one time with your teacher.”
Moser says her teachers are engaged and always available to respond to questions. “I really love the teachers,” she says. “I’ve never had teachers who are so supportive.”
And students are able to gain valuable experience in using virtual reality. “We have VR headsets and we do experiments and lessons in VR,” says Kolesnichenko. “That’s really good because we can conduct experiments that are difficult to conduct in real life. For example, we had a lesson where we studied wave behaviour in physics [using VR],” he says. “It was really great for my understanding.”
For Kolesnichenko, one of the best things about studying at King’s InterHigh is the opportunities. As communications representative on the student council, he has helped improve communication between students, creating WhatsApp groups for different subjects making it easier for them to chat outside lessons.
At Christmas, the student council worked with the VR team to create a VR Christmas event – building a room with a Christmas tree and festive decorations for students to have their celebrations in. “It was really fun,” Kolesnichenko says. He says his role as communications representative has helped him to better understand people from international backgrounds.
Moser has so enjoyed studying with people from all over the world that she is planning to meet up with some of her course friends in real life. “We’re going on a trip after exams, probably in the south of Europe because it’s relatively affordable, sunny and fun,” she says.
Another benefit of the international learning environment at King’s InterHigh is that it helps introduce students to career opportunities in different countries. “When I finish, I want to study either anthropology or international relations,” says Moser. “I’m looking at the University of Oxford, London School of Economics and Political Science, a few Irish universities and the University of Amsterdam.” Moser says she’s also keen to work in the UK or to carry out anthropological field work in South America or the Middle East. “It’s definitely broadened my horizons,” she says.
Kolesnichenko is excited at the prospect of studying and working overseas. “I would like to go abroad after I complete my programme. There’s a lot of international opportunities,” he says. “I’m really interested in studying physics and philosophy at the University of Oxford.”
King’s InterHigh is highly supportive of students who want to apply to top universities. “We have university preparation lessons for people who are interested in studying at universities such as Oxford or Cambridge. That’s really helpful,” Kolesnichenko says.
Both Kolesnichenko and Moser champion studying at King’s InterHigh and believe it’s a unique and rewarding experience. “It’s very diverse – on the one hand, you’re sitting at home, but on the other, you meet so many people from different countries that it feels like you’ve been out and about everywhere,” says Moser.
To find out more about the International Baccalaureate diploma programme, visit kingsinterhigh.co.uk/ib-online/
