IB Class of 2013: advice, expectations?

[haley.the.great]

Sooo who are the 2013ers (um) out there? This is our last summer of freedom, apparently. (naww cheer up! )

I joined this forum today and have been lurking around a bit! It seems like there's some pretty helpful info, but I can't say for sure until I'm actually enrolled in the classes because hardly any of it pertains to me at the moment. Any advice from IB alumni or current students as far as what to expect, aspects of the program you hadn't considered, tips for success kinda thing? Any warnings? Any positives? Are you actually satisfied with your IB journey?...what would you have done differently?

My upperclassmen friends tell me it's social suicide...but then again, those are the ones who aren't in IB. The fact that they're the ones talking kinda proves their point though haha. I'm not entirely prepared to sacrifice my social life. Is it possible to juggle both?

Thanks in advance for any advice, tips, pointers, sarcastic remarks... and feel free to post if you're part of the IB class of 2013!

[Gaby]

Hi! I'm class of 2013 as well! Actually, I can't wait for the IB (foolish, I know, but it's this nervous anticipation you have before you get involved in something new) though I'm going to enjoy my pre-IB summer. I really hope IB will not disappoint me.

[nametaken]

Ah. I'm in the first year of the IB and I have to say, that it's been quite a journey so far. It's completely different to what I was used to before I began it, and to what I was expecting. I'd thought (and this is what the new folk who are enrolling in our school are thinking now) that it would be really fun and I'd take it because of its international appeal and that's how my school marketed it to me. I have to agree that sometimes it can be fun, but other times you wish you'd never chosen it at all. It's tough and not for the faint hearted.

I'm not trying to scare monger here, don't get me wrong. I enjoy the IB; it's helped me open my eyes to a completely different way of thinking. Through TOK lessons, I've now begun to understand a lot about the world around me.

If you have any questions, anything else which you're not completely sure about, you can PM me. I'll be happy to help!

All that remains for me to say to you 2013 folk is good luck!

Edited June 3, 2011 by nametaken

[Drake Glau]

Don't procrastinate.

Not like you'll actually listen to that.

Don't procrastinate.

Find a hobby outside of school academics. I don't care if you knit, find something to do. You won't be able to handle IB and IB only for 2 years of your life without going slightly insane so you need something else to do. And that doesn't mean you get to knit while reading a book for your A1 language...

In all I think IB was nothing like what I thought it'd be. I just took it because they said it was more challenging classes. Turns out I had to completely rework my thought process and get out of the school mode and actually have to think to pass my classes. Best thing IB will ever teach you. On that note, don't be scared of the IB curriculum, they want you to think outside the box but they have to have some sort of structure to it. Put those two aspects together and during your 2 years you should push that curriculum to the edge and sometimes completely leave it just to learn/understand something else. You can do labs on stuff you didn't do in class for example...and ToK can be full of rather "taboo" subjects and you're free to discuss them (or at least we did...)

Lastly, utilize this site please. That means post questions or pleas for advice. There's a ton of posts but they haven't answered everything so you'll need to actually post eventually. Just saying this because a lot of people come here and just read. I'm not sure if they get their answers questioned or not, I hope they do, but it's sometimes easier to just post something in the appropriate forum and someone will answer you in less than an hour probably...

[Gaby]

Now, I'm wondering whether or not what you wrote scared me or made me even more eager to start. Polish school system is not exactly fit to modern world, it does not require a lot of thinking, just studying concepts, dates for history, repetitive stuff like that. At the end of the day, you find out you know nothing in particular. I really hope IB will save me from this. And for you guys, as you're taking IB in your own language, it's easier. I've never been taught in English before (besides some Bio lessons but I'm not even taking bio next year) so I'm slightly scared of it. And the new B language syllabus sounds slightly scary...

[Drake Glau]

The new syllabus isn't too bad. The oral changed but you get to study and prepare for it the whole time basically.

You're english seems good enough to me. Teaching doesn't require extensive knowledge of the language, aside from the A1...

And yea, it was the same for US schools. I don't really remember learning anything before I hit pre-IB. I learned almost everything I know now aside from the math skills and such in just my 4 years of high school...

[Kudzai Mukaratirwa]

Hi! I'm class of 2013 as well! Actually, I can't wait for the IB (foolish, I know, but it's this nervous anticipation you have before you get involved in something new) though I'm going to enjoy my pre-IB summer. I really hope IB will not disappoint me.

ah well i'm first year IB well its only been 4 months but you don't see anything coming but thats the fun part about the entire thing it never gets BORING beleive it or not !!! only advice i can say is TIME MANAGEMENT you'll be over whelmed at first i almost quit in the first 3weeks everyday felt like hell.....then after that its like the most chilled and awesome thing ever !!!!! good luck and welcome to the club (soon) P.s. you will never sleep more than 6hours again for 2 years

Sooo who are the 2013ers (um) out there? This is our last summer of freedom, apparently. (naww cheer up! )

I joined this forum today and have been lurking around a bit! It seems like there's some pretty helpful info, but I can't say for sure until I'm actually enrolled in the classes because hardly any of it pertains to me at the moment. Any advice from IB alumni or current students as far as what to expect, aspects of the program you hadn't considered, tips for success kinda thing? Any warnings? Any positives? Are you actually satisfied with your IB journey?...what would you have done differently?

My upperclassmen friends tell me it's social suicide...but then again, those are the ones who aren't in IB. The fact that they're the ones talking kinda proves their point though haha. I'm not entirely prepared to sacrifice my social life. Is it possible to juggle both?

Thanks in advance for any advice, tips, pointers, sarcastic remarks... and feel free to post if you're part of the IB class of 2013!

yo don't be afraid its hyped up alot i've beeen doing IB for 5 months it takes some adjusting but you get used to it !!! I can go out almost every wknd part chill or whatever but then it means doing your work before you do that or making sure you've got time afterwards!! i've even come from a night out and written an english essay at 3 it was a good essay too i didn't remember writing it but its that type of thing you know if you leave your work it will come back for you !! anywya good luck IB was the best desicion i've ever made you'll see after like 2 months you'll get the hang of it and see how the people who aren't doing IB are foolish good luck one thing you can expect SEVERE lack of sleep its inevitable !!!!! bon chance

HL

maths

chemistry

biology

SL

english

french

business management

Edited June 3, 2011 by Summer Glau
no text speak

[Gaby]

The new syllabus isn't too bad. The oral changed but you get to study and prepare for it the whole time basically.

You're english seems good enough to me. Teaching doesn't require extensive knowledge of the language, aside from the A1...

And yea, it was the same for US schools. I don't really remember learning anything before I hit pre-IB. I learned almost everything I know now aside from the math skills and such in just my 4 years of high school...

But the new B lang syllabus involves a lot more literary analysis and our teacher told us that if we don't like writing essays, we should take SL. Well, I'm not going to, but I'm tad scared. What Polish education system taught me or, rather, what my fantastic teachers taught me, is Maths, Chem (I hope it won't be that bad on SL as everyone's saying) and History (but tad too much so I had to focus on memorizing dates and names rather than event, hope it won't be a problem in IB!). Do you think I'll be able to take extra French lessons after school? I've only just started learning (in September) and I like it a lot, but nobody's taking French in my class so I can't take it as a part of IB but I'd love to carry on learning it, despite it's horrid grammar.

[Summer Glau]

Over the summer, be sure to relax but it's always good to do something over the summer. You don't have to do something academic, doing something like volunteering or travelling is fine. It may or may not help you in IB, it doesn't have to, I'm just saying that because some people seem to be freaking out and trying to learn everything they possibly can so they are ready when IB starts. You don't really need to If you're really bored and you happen to have the list of books you'll be reading in A1 class next year you could read those, but you won't really be disadvantaged if you don't. Your priority should be to relax because next summer you'll probably have some stuff to work on like your EE.

You may find IB hard and maybe even seriously consider dropping out during your first few weeks which is normal. You just have to get the hang of the new system and you'll survive. If you go on in IB and you still hate the program, drop it. No point making yourself miserable if you dont have to. Try to limit your procrastination; yes it is human nature but if you really put it off (like writing your whole EE the night before it's due) then it could end badly.

Like Drake said, do something in your spare time. Your life will be pretty dull if you have nothing that interests you. It would be great if you can count some of your interests for CAS hours =) But if that's not possible that's OK, just have something that you can turn to when life piles up on you

You'll meet a whole bunch of different people and you'll make some good friends. One advantage of IB is that you'll form close friendships because there are less people in IB, so you'll have small classes and you'll get to know people better xP

Have fun in IB, work hard, and you should be OK

[Drake Glau]

I only took 4 years of french total but I can't talk on this subject, it's not something I'm good at...it's probably my worst subject. Hmm yea, there's some analysis on the HL level but I only took SL

Take as many extra lessons as you need, it'll help, they always do, my friend who took HL french taught me several transitions and fancy colloquial phrases the day before our paper2 just so I could use them somewhere. I'll probably never use them again but at least I won't fail french now

SL Chem isn't that bad, it's more concepts that it is math (that's HL) and if you ever get into trouble Keel and I are always excited when someone posts in the chem help thread

Hmm SL History is a lot of remembering but also analyzing the events and such so you'll need to know the events also, not just their names, you need to know what happened and then be able to tell what that did in regards to the overall picture.

[Gaby]

I'm taking History HL and Chem SL. But I won't hesitate and if I happen to have a problem with something, I'll definitely ask for your help. I'm taking English HL but it's only my B language, and the syllabus used to be extremely easy for me (we did some past papers as tests this year and I had very good marks) but now it's not going to be such a Mickey Mouse for me. But I'm glad my school chose to do Polish Lang and Literature rather than Lit only, I so hate analysis and writing commentaries is soooo annoying, I'm afraid Polish A1, even at SL, will be my nightmare subject. But I still have 3 more months to start (where all the time had gone...) so I'll just enjoy my summer.

Thank you all for your advice and good word! It was really helpful.

[Drake Glau]

Oh pfft, by the time exams come around A1 SL will be a breeze for you probably. A1 languages are the hardest to get used to, it forces you to go from reading a book to reading the meaning of a book.

And from what I'm seeing your english is fine except for some add constructions I've never seen used really...and the mickey mouse thing...

People always freak out over their B language abilities because you aren't fluent in it and it's not your first language but it's usually always good enough for IB

For example...i scored a 6 on a practice p2 for SL and my french is horrible...I don't think I can make a single semi-complex sentence without something wrong with it...

[Kudzai Mukaratirwa]

yo ws just wondering if IB was the same around the world in most school so feel free to drop in a post about what ever you want even what time you do homework whether teachers are helpful or not anything basically and any advice

[master135]

In addition to the good advice already given to be (more) successful as an IB student:

- If you haven't yet - choose courses and levels that match your interests and abilities.

- Read over/print out the latest syllabus for all of your courses. Know what IB expects from you as much as possible. Half of doing well in IB has to do with being able to follow its detailed expectations on assignments/exams. Sometimes a teacher/school may overlook something in regards to an assignment/exam - so be aware of them yourself.

- The workload often will come in "waves" with periods of minimal work (yes - there are times with little work!) and periods of work overload (which happens a little more often). So get started on important assignments as soon as you can to avoid the "overload".

- Try not to get discouraged when facing difficult periods. At the end of May 2013 you will feel a sense of accomplishment from what you have achieved.

Seeing your initiative already in knowing what you are getting into and asking for tips and advice, you will definitely do well in IB.

Edited June 4, 2011 by master135

[Pepe]

Hi everyone, i'm 2013 exams student as well.

I'm looking forward to starting IB because preIB class was not what I had really expected.

Especially in my HLs - History and Geography. Honestly I wouldn't have done anything in the second one if I had not participated in the contest outside my school. With a history, situation has been better, because today I feel ready for readysteadygo essays writings . What scares me is... English Literature & Language, this new program... and my english skills in general. I still make mistakes.

My last holidays in the high school... nothing special when I compare to my friends doing Oxbridge Uni preparation courses or something. I'm reading a lot, i'm trying to find IB books, especially those for English (reading compulsory books, until the end of the holidays, is my aim).

My classes:

Polish HL

English HL

Maths SL

Biology SL

Geography HL

History HL

I'm starting with 4 HLs, it will change, I think (;

Future plans? I dream about Law College.

Gaby - have you seen a new languages program for our exams? I know something has changed in these As, Bs and so on.

Edited July 5, 2011 by Pe94

[Amy Li]

Hey guys! I am part of the IB class of 2013 as well and I am SO excited for HL history. My original courses were HL English, history, math, and SL bio, chem, and French. They told me and 4 other students that we had a course conflict (we couldn't take HL math + SL bio). So now my math and bio courses have switched to SL math and HL bio. I must admit I am not all that excited for SL math because I am afraid it will not be much of a challenge for me. As for HL bio... I love biology, but I heard it is a lot of work; I am most worried about the lab reports.

SO SO SO excited for HL history! Everyone says I am crazy to take it because it is hard to get a 7 and it is a lot of work. But I do not care - I love history and one of my favourite teachers is teaching me. It will also be a small class, an environment I always look forward to.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys their summer (or winter) before!

[∫ Jorge δx]

A few things to remember:

• As previously mentioned, have a good hobbie. If it's good enough, it could count towards your CAS hours in either creativity or action.
  
• PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS! - seriously, this is the key to success in both IB and education in general
  
• For texts in history and other humanities (minus A1 and A2/B/AB languages) learn tactics to read faster and highlight material - don't forget that highlighters and stickies are gonna be your friends here
  
• Be open to new opinions and ways of approaching stuff in general - you'll find it useful in ToK
  
• Nobody ever listens to this one, but I'll say it anyway - stop whining about work and just do it!
  
• Have a good relationship with your teacher, it'll make classes so much more enjoyable (and add them on Facebook to stalk them after your IB career is over)
  

[Blue Alien]

Hi! I'm in the class of 2013 as well and despite the scary stuff about IB that I've read on this site, I can't wait to start! I want to study Biology in University and maybe go to Med School so these are the subjects I chose:

HL

Biology

Chemistry

Modern Greek A2

SL

English A1

Psychology

Mathematics

I think it's a pretty wise choice, right? However, I am terrified of Maths SL ( especially the portfolio ) and and a little bit about Chemistry HL but I guess I could make it through with that one. Yesterday I took a look inside the books on Amazon and I couldn't understand a thing .

[Sammie Backman]

I am a May 2013 candidate, and I am very excited!

My subjects are in my signature.

I am very excited about all my higher levels, but not so much about my standard level subjects...

Over the summer, I'm studying chemistry and mathematics (for fun mostly), and maybe reading some of the books for my A1's.

Edited July 5, 2011 by Sammie Backman

[Gaby]

Future plans? I dream about Law College.

Gaby - have you seen a new languages program for our exams? I know something has changed in these As, Bs and so on.

Hi, I wanna study law as well! I hope that in 2 years we will be all here sharing our results and congratulating each other on getting into the most amazing universities. Yeah, one can dream.

I haven't seen the syllabi, I think it had not yet been released before the end of the year. I only know as much as our teachers told us, which is that Polish will be easier and English will be more difficult (but I'm only doing Eng B HL, so not Lang&Lit). I hope it won't be very bad, after all we will be guinea pigs so maybe the exams won't be too hard. Our Polish teacher told us he'll only give us the list of our texts if we really, really, really want to, cause there is only a few of them and he told us to enjoy the summer. What was what our IBC told us as well. So that's what I'm doing, but I'm trying to work on my english as well (okay, I do it all the time, even during the school year), so I read books, watch movies. Right now I'm reading a book on how language we speak affects our perception of the world (hope it'll help me in TOK lessons) and also some newspapers to prepare myself for LNAT.

I know I shouldn't, but I'm sooooo excited about IB and can't wait to start! (Even though I love my holidays ) I'm going to order my textbooks this week and read as much Chem and History as humanly possible, I'm so looking forward to starting history, my teacher is totally brilliant (though he has minor ADHD, I guess ), and I think Psychology will be thrilling as well, judging by how much the class of 2012 at my school loves it.

Btw, where are you from? I'm from Lublin.