Full IB Diploma Graduate Will Start College With Credits

Editor's Note: Readers raised questions about the last week after a story ran on Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch about students who graduated from Case High School with an IB diploma. Here is one student's experience.

Hundreds of students at Case took IB classes, and six earned the full diploma this year. One of those graduates—who must wait a few more weeks to find out if he did indeed earn the diploma—explained why that happens. 

Tyler Davis made a conscious decision as a freshman that the IB full diploma was something he wanted. He stayed on track and took the classes, then it got much more intense in his junior and senior year. He said it was challenging to take the required classes and maintain good grades but the hard work was worth it.

“It’s a shame not to do full IB,” said Davis.

At the start of his senior year, there were still 15–20 students who wanted to pursue the diploma. Davis planned ahead and started his research essay over the summer—not everyone else did. “People put off the work and then decide not to do it.”

He enjoyed the Theory of Knowledge class.

“It’s a class that ties together all of the other classes and makes you inquire about ways of knowledge and ways of learning.”  He found that the  creativity/action/service aspect was important, too.

“There’s more to your life than academics,” he said. 

Finally in May, he took five tests in a three-week span and can now relax over the summer.  “It feels pretty good.  It was a lot of work,” he added.

Davis plans to attend the University of Minnesota to study mass communications and journalism. If all goes as expected, Davis’ IB work will allow him to start college with 30 credits for the work he did at Case.