By Ryan Strong

IB students at Shanghai American school recently had a deadline (on November seventh) for their EE or Extend Essay. This is a four-thousand-word essay that has students write about a topic within one of their areas of study or related to multiple areas of study. The way students dealt with the deadline differed: some students turned their Extended Essay in within the deadline, while others asked for extensions from their teachers.

Dr. Mac, an IB Chemistry teacher, emphasized the importance of deadlines in making sure that students were on track for their diploma.

However, she also emphasized the importance of being flexible: “Deadlines are important, but we still need to have flexibility.”

Mr. Baker, on the other hand, was quite enthusiastic about the deadline: “Although early, the deadline is a golden opportunity for students to explore topics of interest and apply that to their IB learning and journey.”

The students, likewise, had a variety of reactions to the November seventh deadline. Colin Jun, an IB Diploma student writing his Extended Essay on tensions in the Korean peninsula, stated: “November seventh was too early. I love extensions.”

However, Jason Kang, an IB Diploma student who is writing his Extended Essay in Chemistry, said: “Just submit it on time.”