Jump to content

Are I-B Students Elitist?


alex_omc

Recommended Posts

I think its like that in most schools, as it is only natural as you spend more time with your fellow IB mates so obviosuly you'll be together more than you'll be with the non-IB students. its just normal that we'll be with our class mates than with people who aren't in our class... but i dont think it makes us elitist, others might think so but then sometimes IB students do think they are better than the others or smarter in a sense...

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

OO. Yeah my school too, there's a batch that takes O's, and theres a batch that takes Pre-IB

pretty much I guess.

I do feel kind of better than alot of people in my school basically my school's IB stands the highest ranking and was in the papers for topping the IB average score.

Around like 80% of the 453 cohort got a 40 Point and above. So yeah.

And I think its better to remain Humble while your in IB so u get more friends, more help and less bashing. :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I think we are to some extent, but we have a right to be. We put in more work than the other option at my school (MUCH more) and the content we study is harder in most cases. If we aren't elitist to some extent what's the point in putting all the work in. You wouldn't train a Melbourne Cup winning horse to never mention it. IB is something we should be proud of....assuming we survive it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Good Evening good people at I-B survival, I bring a question that needs to be answered in my books anyways. Are we Elitist? Do we think we are better than "other" students? My school is split between the I-B curriculum and the regular provincial curriculum (I go to a public school that offers IB), they are both taught in my school and it seems that we as an entity in the school look down upon the individuals that are taking the Provincial Curriculum. Does this occur all over the world or is My school in Canada like Frasier Crane and The Trailer Park Boys going to the same school?

Gosh, I feel completely identified with what you are saying!! Yey! We are not alone! I don't know if the right word is "elitist" but being in the IB program in my school definitely means you are different to the estate education program students. We consider most (there are exceptions) of them to be quite stupid, lazy, violent, and uncivilized. While they consider us to be super geeky, losers, working mules, etc. There is a really... mmm.. strong and constant competition between the estate program students and IB students. They even write in the desks things like "Kill IB people" and other not so kind statements. This is sad... since we are in our senior year and only a year in IB did lots of dividing. Now it is a fat chance that our generation will be ever united again. This is one of those things that you are completely aware of the situation, you know it's not right, and yet, you are part of it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah, I've found that you do see some smart non-IB students, but in general we do look down on them, just because we have to do so much more work than they do, yet somehow half of them fail math ten. The attitude I've seen from the non-IB portion of my school does very little to help the elitism problem, because it shows just how academically superior the IB group is as a whole. Is it elitism? Yes. Do we have a right to feel some superiority over those who put so little effort in to school? I would say that we do. But I would also say that we don't have the right to act condescendingly or make the assumption that our devotion to learning is the standard at which everyone should aim for. Nevertheless, it is almost impossible not to look down on people who live by doing the bare minimum so that they'll have more time to do drugs, get drunk at parties, tag buildings, throw rocks in to school windows, etc.

Anyways, I have some friends who aren't in IB so it's not like a total separation or anything, but despite our school's efforts, you just can't forcibly unite two distinct groups of people at seriously different levels of education.

Link to post
Share on other sites

There is not such strict a gap between the two different curricula in our school. Sure, us IB kids are more likely to socialize with one another than with the folks at the Finnish curriculum, but there are quite a bundle of those who think that it's just stupid.

To my knowledge, there's not much looking down upon the students of the other curriculum going on, but it's still ridiculous that everybody just mostly hangs out inside their own circles. I, for one, am trying to break those habits a little.

Link to post
Share on other sites

In my school we have NHS (national honors society), which is like a less-challenging IB program, and I guess us IB kids think we're above other people in that sense. But I wouldn't say we're super elitist, just kind of exclusive in the sense that we're all in this thing together and we already have IB inside jokes :)

Edited by Torgy
Link to post
Share on other sites

I believe we each are to an extent...at least subconsciously.

I am an elitist in my head but it's not just among the "normal" kids...it's sometimes among my peers. I think it's just a mentality of the competitive intellectual. I know I'm not as intelligent as some of my classmates, but by keeping the attitude that I am equal or greater (in my head, lol) I am able to trick myself into success.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest IBerminator
I think its like that in most schools, as it is only natural as you spend more time with your fellow IB mates so obviosuly you'll be together more than you'll be with the non-IB students. its just normal that we'll be with our class mates than with people who aren't in our class... but i dont think it makes us elitist, others might think so but then sometimes IB students do think they are better than the others or smarter in a sense...

Totally, but IB is great. The smart people shall rule!!!!!!!!! All people even distantly related to George Bush or anyone else in the Bush Administration shall be exterminated (b'cuz they're idiots and must be removed from the gene pool)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But seriously, the IB or programs like it should be available at all schools. Anybody who wants to achieve can, so that we're not totally elitist. Dream, believe, achieve! and go Obama!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't think that the IB students at my school are elitists. What is true is that we don't hang out with the non-IB kids as much, because we don't have any classes with them... What I frequently see, though, is people within the IB who feel superior to the other IB kids, because they are doing Sciences at HLs or Math HL. Also, I guess that the "normal" students are looked upon as "lazy", but the truth is that if they want to go to the US, it won't matter that much wherever they take IB or not. Most of the people at my school take at least certificates though!

Edited by Chesire_Cat
Link to post
Share on other sites

The students in my school are extremely elitist because they're taking IB... and of course, that could include me. Not taking any IB courses at my school is absolutely unheard of, mostly because almost all -- if not all -- of the courses offered are IB. There is an AP curriculum available, but it is done through IB courses. Whatever you try to do, you'll end up taking IB courses.

The IB diploma kids can get pretty arrogant, and they love to boast about how much work they have to the IB certificate students, but then complain about the workload to fellow IB diploma-ers. It's a bit ridiculous, really. Besides taking TOK and writing an EE, there shouldn't be too much difference between a student who takes two HLs and four SLs and a student who takes three HLs and three SLs, and they are probably capable of the same thing, but the student taking the diploma feels like they have the right to be egotistical and... obnoxious. (Oh, and everyone has to do CAS at my school, even if they don't take the diploma.)

*Sighs* Some IB students are elitist. Those who don't take the IB diploma are usually looked down on as incompetent and lazy... but I don't think it should be that way...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Good Evening good people at I-B survival, I bring a question that needs to be answered in my books anyways. Are we Elitist? Do we think we are better than "other" students? My school is split between the I-B curriculum and the regular provincial curriculum (I go to a public school that offers IB), they are both taught in my school and it seems that we as an entity in the school look down upon the individuals that are taking the Provincial Curriculum. Does this occur all over the world or is My school in Canada like Frasier Crane and The Trailer Park Boys going to the same school?

Of course we're elitist. We joined the IB curriculum for whatever reason but we're being put through a more rigorous program and that has to give us at least some benefits. If you aren't in the IB program and it's open to everyone that applies themselves, then the only reason that people aren't in is because they are either lesser than us on an intellectual level (they could still be great people) or they're just plain lazy. If the second reason is the case, then we should act elitist towards them. However if it's the first case, then we would sort of have the right to do it, but it would be kind of mean. Me? I help them if I can, turns out usually in math, without acting superior, just there to help.

Also, there are other programs that are on par with the IB if not above it. Some AP classes could definitely be considered harder than their IB counter-parts. Trying to act elitist towards them would be kind of weird...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest PeanutButter

Hahaha, well, I think of it this way.

AP and IB are similiar to a certain point, but IB kids are able to take a lot more out of it.

It's not passive education, it's the exact opposite.

We're not necessarily better or 'elitist' as people, but we just value the education more than others, I think.

But yeah, I go to a public school too and it's usualy "ew, IB kids" too.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Good Evening good people at I-B survival, I bring a question that needs to be answered in my books anyways. Are we Elitist? Do we think we are better than "other" students? My school is split between the I-B curriculum and the regular provincial curriculum (I go to a public school that offers IB), they are both taught in my school and it seems that we as an entity in the school look down upon the individuals that are taking the Provincial Curriculum. Does this occur all over the world or is My school in Canada like Frasier Crane and The Trailer Park Boys going to the same school?

In Fiji they also look at the guys doing the IB as smart and the guys doing the ACT.....not so smart :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I haven't started at my high school yet because I have yet to graduate grade 8, but i got my acceptance a few days ago and I think that my hihg school doesn't consider IB students elite because in grade 9 and 10, you mingle with the regular kids for you two elective courses, but apprently there was some 'IB only christmas dance' held by the students. Personaly, I don't think IB student's are elitists because IB kids are not special, but some think IB kids are becuase IB students have it harder in their opinion.

Edited by Nancy
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

My school is a bit different from normal. For starters, it's private so they offer only IB as a course after the Os. Second, the rest of the school is all-boys and catholic. The IB section is the only one that's co-ed (IBO regulations), which means nobody minds seeing girls and so IB is a loved section of the school. However,outside school some students in other systems do seem to loathe you once you say you're in IB so I guess they might have an issue with us. I don't really care though because my friends in other systems don't mind if i'm in IB or not.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, yes, the IB students at my school definitely are elistist. It does seem like our workload is way heavier than that of the students in the national curriculum. I wouldn't say that we show what we feel to the non-IB students (the IB students at my school keep to themselves mostly). We mostly go around moaning to each other about their easy workload. However, I think the non-IB students recognize that IB is a bit tougher than the national curriculum.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

This has been an issue of discussion at my school for a while. A lot of people in my school are against IB because they think we have special privelages in the school and are depriving the general education student population. Our school has a free, open-enrollment program; so, I don't understand what all the fuss is about. In other IB schools, they screen applicants and have high tuitions (in private schools).

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...