Interviewer: How has school year been so far?

Julia Schulman: I think that it’s been good. People had mentioned that sophomore year would be the easiest; however, I have been feeling that it is just as time-consuming as freshman year and the amount of homework is equivalent. Furthermore, the new grading system has affected my levels of stress because the pressure to do well on tests and projects is immense, and the amount of effort needed for summative assignments has increased tremendously. Moreover, some teachers still put weight on the formative assignments, making it no easier.

Interviewer: How have your after-school activities been?

Julia: I was a Secretariat for the SPMUN conference a few weeks ago. It was very stressful and there was a lot of work to do. However, in the end everything was worth it. The conference was amazing. Also, I was part of the choir CD recording, which took a lot of time and effort, too. We had to stay until late at school and on other recording days, but in the end the unique experience was a great part of my life, and I’m grateful I was given the opportunity to take part in such an amazing project.

Interviewer: Are you already looking forward to the IB next year?

Julia: Somewhat. It’s certainly going to be a drastic change, I know because my sister is in the middle of the program. I know it’s going to add to my stress level, but in the end it’s going to be great to understand a bit of how the college life will be. I’m excited to take Economics, because I haven’t studied it in classes before.