hosealau Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 (edited) So here I am... my journey of the IBDP starts tomorrow. I have no idea if I should feel nervous or excited! However, not everything is unknown to me I have managed to find out what teachers will be teaching me. Physics HL: A new teacher from New York, coming from a school that seems quite outstanding. (Yes, the one with the student that got in all 8 Ivy League institutions this year.) Physics is my most important subject so I hope I do quite well... Fingers crossed! Mathematics HL: A teacher that known to be nice but quite strict (and looks scary!). Gives out extra homework for those who do well in class, has taught high achievers in the past years. I don't know if he'll like me because I'll be in trouble if he doesn't, and I'm afraid that the students who knew him already will do better. French B HL: A teacher who doesn't teach. Don't get me wrong, he is a nice person. But last time our class was invited into his to watch a movie, there were countless swear words and the movie clearly wasn't educational. His classes are known to not have much homework and to spend a lot of time chit chatting because most people who end up in his class are the French fluent mother tongued students. I know the reason why I was placed in his class was because I got a top grade for my exams last year, but I really don't look for to this class in particular. However, the bright side might be that everyone would have a high level in French and will make me work harder. Chemistry SL: The IB-Coordinator who I personally know quite well due to the charity work I do. She is a nice teacher but whenever someone crosses her lines, she can get very very scary. Although I have never got into trouble with her, I hope I manage to do all my work on time. Geography SL: The standard, funny, interesting, British geography teacher. He is quite a charm. I had this "pre-class" section with him as his is the Head of Department and I loved the way he teached. English Lang and Lit SL: My old English teacher that I've already had for two years. He likes me a lot and I like him as a teacher as well. His classes are quite enjoyable, although they might not have the most work. Although it's not the top class, I feel like I'm gonna enjoy English. So... Any advice on what I should do? Also, do you think I'll have time for my art portfolio and extra-curricular activities that will last until 18:30 everyday? Edited August 27, 2014 by hosealau Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrashmaster Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 Sounds like you know what you're doing. You have excellent teachers - my suggestion would be try to stand out in a good way. Thank your teachers, participate, and build a relationship with them. They'll be your greatest asset for success and you don't want to be on their bad side 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sceptyczka Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 (edited) Sounds like you have good teachers who know how to teach. Except for French - if your teacher doesn't become more strict, you will probably have to revise a lot by yourself. But don't worry - the IB expects students to be independent learners anyway. Teachers are there only to advise. As long as you don't procrastinate and work consistently for a few hours every day (but without any exceptions!), you will be fine. I also recommend buying a planner or a calendar so you could plan your work for every day. It helps me a lot as I can divide my job into smaller pieces and suddenly everything seems easier. As for Chemistry SL I definitely recommend Richard Thornley's videos (http://www.youtube.com/user/richthornley). Love that guy. He's great at explaining all chemistry concepts. Also, I'm not taking Math HL but I have heard that it is very important to choose the right textbook. The difficulty of questions in the textbook should be similar to the difficulty of examination papers. For instance, I have heard from my classmates that Haese&Harris textbook is pretty weak. The questions are too easy and doing them won't provide the highest mark. However, they have recently switched to the textbook from IBID Press and now they feel much better prepared for the exam. So it's good to do some research before buying textbooks as it may have a significant impact on your exam result. There was actually a thread on IBS about choosing the "right" Math HL textbook... Got it: http://www.ibsurvival.com/topic/10427-hl-textbooks/. That would be my advise. Our subjects aren't very similar so I don't have much more to say. I agree with what Thrashmaster said, though. In IB it's very important to be friends with your teachers. Good luck! If you don't procrastinate too much you may actually enjoy the IB programme. Edited August 28, 2014 by Sceptyczka Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yii yann Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 So here I am... my journey of the IBDP starts tomorrow. I have no idea if I should feel nervous or excited! However, not everything is unknown to me I have managed to find out what teachers will be teaching me. Physics HL: A new teacher from New York, coming from a school that seems quite outstanding. (Yes, the one with the student that got in all 8 Ivy League institutions this year.) Physics is my most important subject so I hope I do quite well... Fingers crossed! Mathematics HL: A teacher that known to be nice but quite strict (and looks scary!). Gives out extra homework for those who do well in class, has taught high achievers in the past years. I don't know if he'll like me because I'll be in trouble if he doesn't, and I'm afraid that the students who knew him already will do better. French B HL: A teacher who doesn't teach. Don't get me wrong, he is a nice person. But last time our class was invited into his to watch a movie, there were countless swear words and the movie clearly wasn't educational. His classes are known to not have much homework and to spend a lot of time chit chatting because most people who end up in his class are the French fluent mother tongued students. I know the reason why I was placed in his class was because I got a top grade for my exams last year, but I really don't look for to this class in particular. However, the bright side might be that everyone would have a high level in French and will make me work harder. Chemistry SL: The IB-Coordinator who I personally know quite well due to the charity work I do. She is a nice teacher but whenever someone crosses her lines, she can get very very scary. Although I have never got into trouble with her, I hope I manage to do all my work on time. Geography SL: The standard, funny, interesting, British geography teacher. He is quite a charm. I had this "pre-class" section with him as his is the Head of Department and I loved the way he teached. English Lang and Lit SL: My old English teacher that I've already had for two years. He likes me a lot and I like him as a teacher as well. His classes are quite enjoyable, although they might not have the most work. Although it's not the top class, I feel like I'm gonna enjoy English. So... Any advice on what I should do? Also, do you think I'll have time for my art portfolio and extra-curricular activities that will last until 18:30 everyday? Your enthusiasm is pretty damn infectious How was the first day? As to your portfolio/extra curriculars... Same as with anything non-IB during IB: Manage your time well and you'll be able to do it, except around exam time. Also, see if you can fit it into CAS somehow Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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