International Baccalaureate... I'm in my last year (grade 12) of "Full IB" and it's killer... Can any former IB students give me some words of wisdom or encouragement? Or any current IB students here want to share their thoughts or rant about the program?
Former IB student here... was in diploma until the middle of the first semester of grade 12, then i was like 'meh, screw it, its not worth it' and dropped TOK and IB Calculus. Honestly, i found it was a good experience, except for the diploma portion. All the work you put in for that is ultimately meaningless. I had some 200+ hours of volunteer work and put alot of effort into the program, but I eventually decided it wasn't worth the time.. plus i was getting destroyed in IB calc. Having IB diploma over IB certificate has no effect on university anyway. It makes more sense just to take the IB classes that will actually net you a university credit. By getting a 5 in IB history and a 6 in IB english i managed to get 12 credit hours in university courses, which saved me a bit of cash and time. I'd probably be more bitter about it if it wasn't for the fact that being in IB puts you amongst a group of like minded individuals. I think i made significantly more good friends by being in IB in high school than i would have being in a normal curriculum.
Graduate IB student here well I graduated with the good ol' IB diploma and I must say I don't see how it has enlightened my life. It was a fun experience learning more advanced things, but is it really worth the time and money? Well same as fearless, I got a transfer credit for IB english, IB history and IB biology. Thats 3 full year credits for university and $3000 saved in my back pocket. Plus IB calc was easy and fun. Anyways just stick through it.... If i had a second chance I would take it again.
I'm also a former IB student. I think most IB students take it because it's supposed to be the most academically challenging (as it's supposedly a tier above AP). I actually think it's beneficial beyond the realm of academics. TOK is one of the few classes offered (at least at my high school) that really makes you think...all other high school classes are geared around rote memorization. Also, it's a great experience to have 150 (or whatever the requirement is now) volunteer hours under your belt, as you realistically won't keep that up during and post-college. I don't think universities view IB students as a cut above those that only take AP, and unless you're applying to universities abroad, it won't help you get your foot in the door. It may, however, give you 2 bites at the apple for college credit. If you can't get a 4 on your AP English Lit, you have a chance with a 6 on your IB HL English (that sort of thing). I actually enjoyed it most because I built strong friendships with the people that went through the program with me, as I basically only took classes with them. There were about 40-50 IB students my graduating year, and I could recognize all of them. Graduating in a class of 1200, that's something to be said.
Another full IB grad here. You are probably going to hear alot of people saying IB is useless, blah blah. Depends on how you view it. I admit IB was kind of useless in that I didnt recieve any extra benefit from it (eg. scholarships). I would probably have still ended up where I am today even without it. But I do agree with what shamu says about it building strong friendships. Looking back, I had a great time in IB and dont regret it at all. Now in university, IB doesnt really seem like it matters. It's just a distant memory for me now, lol. I am still in the same boat as everyone else in my class.
even though I didn't go into IB, I took what we call "Pre-IB", basically its grade 10 prep for students interested in entering the IB program. Thinking back, even though I graduated with a normal diploma (along with a french immersion diploma ^__^) instead of an IB french immersion one, it does seem to help in preparing the mentality or way of thinking in university.
holy!! I can relate. I'm currently an IB student but I'm taking any IB tests. lmao. So I don't have TOK
