Picture this: a tight knit community, fostering everyone’s individual interests while pushing everyone towards success inside and outside of the classroom. This is typical of the experience of a student in the International Baccalaureate program at DePaul College Prep.
In the past, IB classes at DePaul Prep have been very small, with only 16 students in the class of 2022 being enrolled in IB, 28 students in the class of 2023, and 40 students in the class of 2024. The largest jump in enrollment was from the class of 2024 to the class of 2025, which has 77 total students taking IB, with 9 full diploma candidates and 68 individual course candidates. Full diploma candidates are required to take a course called “Theory of Knowledge” as well as writing an extended essay and completing a CAS (creativity, activity, and service) project. Individual course candidates do not have to meet these requirements, but they aren’t able to receive an IB diploma, only potential college credit.
Over the past few years at DePaul Prep, individual courses have gained more popularity. “Individual course is really taking off,” Heidi Bojorges, IB Program Coordinator and IB Literature teacher says. For the class of 2026, there are 95 individual course candidates, compared to last year’s 68 individual course candidates for the class of 2025.
With individual courses on the rise, the full diploma class has stayed consistent, with around 10 or 11 students each year. According to Bojorges, typically about 20% of a class joins the program.
IB is a point of interest to many students looking for a greater challenge inside and outside of the classroom. Some students enjoy IB for its different and more abstract approach to learning. “The students that join IB classes, they’re looking for that next-level challenge in academics — they want classes that really challenge their thinking, they want more hands-on, more discussion, more collaboration, more project based learning,” says Bojorges. Similarly, Senior Marina Martinez chose to join the IB program to push herself further academically. Martinez, who wants to become a marine biologist, joined IB so she could take a 2 year advanced biology course. She believes that the diverse learning style IB allows for helps students succeed. “IB is really beneficial because students are able to succeed by showing effort instead of simply catering to a strict rubric. It pushes you to really engage with everything you’re learning. This makes schoolwork a lot more interesting and rewarding,” Martinez says.
For many, taking full IB is a choice made with the idea of prioritizing one’s future. According to DePaul Prep’s website, “IB students report significant improvement in writing and critical thinking skills that bolster their confidence in being prepared for the rigors of college coursework.”
Sophomore Reagan Stecz made the decision to take IB courses because she felt that it would help her prepare for managing the difficulties of a college workload in the future.
“I think taking IB courses will help set me up for my future outside of high school,” Stecz says. She believes that IB’s rigorous curriculum is helpful in preparing students for the workload in college.
As a member of the cross country team, soccer team, and student government, Stecz knows that taking full IB will be very difficult, but believes it will help improve her time management skills. “In college I know I will need to balance social life, school, working out, and more, so by figuring it out in high school I will prepare myself for college,” Stecz says. Martinez also sees a strong correlation between taking IB and time management improvement. “IB students often have stronger studying and time management skills and are able to solve problems from alternative perspectives,” she says.
Martinez also values IB for its different approach to learning. “IB really pushes students to think outside the box,” Martinez says. Similarly, sophomore Becky Lechota, chose IB for its “unique perspective on many subjects that standard courses might not be able to provide.”
Although Stecz thinks that Advanced Placement and Honors classes can provide similar rigor for students, she feels that IB is more targeted in its approach to learning, which is helpful when it comes to students discovering what they want to continue studying in the future.“IB helps you figure out who you are as a student. Colleges recognize and respect the growth IB students have experienced,” says Martinez.
With IB’s global recognition, many are starting to shift toward the program. “I think these courses are becoming more popular because people are starting to see the benefits and prefer them over an AP course,” says Lechota. IB is very different from traditional classes, due to the two-year courses, smaller class sizes, international approach to learning, and deep dives into each subject. Additionally, the IB Language courses explore five themes: Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization, and Sharing the Planet.
“I think a smaller classroom setting will help me grow more,” Stecz says. She believes that the small class sizes will help her develop more meaningful connections with classmates and teachers. Stecz is also excited to do more of a “deep dive” into certain subjects.
While IB provides a rigorous and unique style of learning, another thing that distinguishes it from AP or Honors is its strong emphasis on international-mindedness. “A big appeal of IB is to experience an academic system that’s different from the stressful and competitive system we have in the US,” Martinez says.
The IB program is widely renowned for its international approach to learning. With IB Spanish and IB French exploring not only language, but politics, cultures, and customs, IB students get a very holistic approach to language learning.
Both Stecz and Lechota were partially drawn to the program due to the international aspect of it. Lechota is taking IB Spanish next year, while Stecz is taking IB French, while considering minoring in French later in college.
“I do think the international aspect is drawing people in, because many people are a lot more open to traveling outside the US for college, and some even plan to,” Lechota says. IB students are encouraged to explore the world around them, and recently, IB students here at DePaul Prep traveled to Milan to take classes there.
“Overall, all the students at DePaul, although we love Chicago, want to travel and learn more about the world, and by taking part in an international program you get one step closer to learning about the world around you,” Stecz says.
Several students believe that the international nature of the program will help them stand out to colleges. Lechota was mainly interested in IB because she believed it would help her have more options for college. “It looks good on a resume because it shows that you’ve taken time to learn more materials from a wider worldview,” Lechota says.
Although IB is seen as a difficult path to take, many people find it rewarding in the end.
“Freshman year I would have never seen myself applying for full IB. On several occasions I’ve heard that it is extremely challenging, but that’s kind of what pushed me into the program. I want to prove to myself that I can do challenging things,” Stecz says.
