GIIS SMART Campus 2024 graduate, Jaishita Mohta, scored 44 out of 45 at the recently announced IB Diploma Programme results. Jaishita, who joined GIIS in Grade 2, has been a recipient of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Global Skills Scholarship and the Global Future Ready Merit Scholarship. As someone who believes in pushing her boundaries to set new goals, Jaishita’s journey at GIIS has been full of exciting opportunities, new learnings and personal accomplishments.
We congratulate Jaishita as she heads to Imperial College London to pursue medicine. We speak to her to know more about her IBDP experience, teacher support and university guidance at GIIS, and study tips.
Describe your IBDP experience at GIIS
The teachers at GIIS are well qualified and I’ve had the fortune of having teachers that went the extra mile to interact with the students, and offered personalised support. The labs in school have quite a few facilities and if there’s anything extra that you want to use for your IAs you can request the school to procure it.
What study strategies did you find most effective in preparing for IBDP exams? What kept you motivated throughout your IBDP journey?
Shoot for the moon! I think what helped me the most is always the aim to do my best. I would always strive to do well with school grade boundaries and try to strengthen my concepts as much as I could. I also think what helped me a lot is that I started early on a lot of the writing assignments. For example, I started coming up with an idea for my Extended Essay (EE) immediately after the EE briefing, and I worked on my first draft in the June holidays instead of waiting for the process to start in school.
This was useful because in September a lot of things start coming and having finished a good chunk of work beforehand helped. For motivation, I always saw it as a fun experience – IB actually is a great curriculum, and taught me a lot about research and articulation!
How far was the IB Learner Profile inculcated in the IBDP? How did it impact your outlook on the world around you?
It’s definitely well incorporated into the curriculum! It improved my research and collaborative skills, and made me see the world in a more inquisitive way.
What’s your favourite subject? How did GIIS teachers support your journey?
Biology was definitely my favourite subject all throughout the IBDP, and Soniya Mam was really really supportive! She has a very unique way of teaching which helps you remember and be confident in all the concepts, and she’s always willing to help you outside of class as well if you’re struggling.
Which second language did you choose (French/Spanish/Tamil/Hindi)? How was your learning journey?
I chose French B (SL). IB was quite a jump from IGCSE as a lot of real-world concepts were introduced, and there was a lot more focus on French culture. We were expected to have discussions on social issues. Our French teacher, Mayuri Ma’am, was incredibly supportive throughout the process. She held after-school practice sessions and provided us with extensive practice materials. Her dedication made it easier for us to tackle the subject, and as a result, most of us achieved a 7!
‘I chose Imperial College London’
What university offers do you have, and which one have you chosen?
My firm choice is Imperial College London for the course, Medicine. I chose this university because it’s very well reputed and has received awards for quality of teaching, and that is something I value a lot. It also has an intercalation year which gives me the opportunity to explore other scientific areas of interest and also get a BSc side by side. I also received offers from King’s College London, University of Glasgow, and University of Birmingham for medicine, all of which are quite good in their own way but I felt Imperial’s focus on research and teaching is unmatched.
How did GIIS’ career counselling programme help with placement?
Seema Mam was helpful in guiding us through the application process, eg. telling us which universities would be achievable for me based on my UCAT score. She also organised a lot of seminars for us, which were not only very informative but also got us in contact with alumni students who could help us.
‘Understand the value of your work’
Any GIIS workshops, bootcamps, or other school events you participated in and enjoyed in school?
I was in the organising team for GLS and Conference, both of which were really fun experiences as I got to tap into my artsy side (as part of the Design and Marketing team)! I was also the president of the Mental Health Club and was part of two other science and med related clubs.
Any tips for your school juniors studying the IB Diploma Programme?
Don’t go into IB scared! If you stay on top of your work and understand the value of what you’re doing, it starts becoming a lot more manageable. Don’t forget to take a break when needed and feel free to reach out to seniors for help.
GIIS IBDP 2024 results and university placements
Congratulations to the GIIS SMART Campus IBDP 2024 cohort for their outstanding academic performance. Eight World Toppers and Near-Perfect Scorers led 54 students to score 40 and above, and 111 students to score 35 and above. Srinidhi Sundar achieved a perfect score of 45/45, becoming an IB World Topper.
The school’s provisional average of 36.04% surpasses the global average of 30.32%.
GIIS SMART Campus, recognised among the top 100 Global IB Schools, boasts 100% IB-trained teachers, 75% with over five years of experience, and 60% as IB examiners, providing unparalleled support and guidance.
Since 2005, GIIS has offered the IB Diploma Programme, preparing students for university admissions and global challenges. GIIS graduates have been accepted into leading universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, UCLA, and more.
From 2019 to 2023, 250 GIIS students were placed in Top 20 universities. In 2024, almost 240* offers were made to GIIS students from top-ranking universities in the US and UK. We are proud to share four (4) of our 2024 IBDP graduates are heading to the University of Oxford, five (5) to Imperial College London, and more to prestigious institutions across the globe including Singapore.
If you are keen to know more about IBDP at GIIS, please feel free to contact our admissions counsellors.
*The university placement numbers for 2024 are as of date, and will update once we have the final numbers.
Know more about IBDP at GIIS from our Programme Head
Shubhdarshani Mitra
Shubhdarshani has over 10 years of experience in content creation, curation and editing. She has worked for Indian newspapers, school magazines and international news websites where she worked closely with the leadership on the execution and communication of the content strategy. Aside from work, she’s a passionate B&W photographer and storyteller.
