IB?

[Nali]

Hello!

I was just going to check if someone here could help me out and I guess you kinda do since you're all in an IB school. I'm wondering, how is it going to an IB school, does it matter in what country you are in? I mean if I got o IB in sweden will my grades and all count as much in UK as they will in sweden or will alot of people in UK think ''swedens IB schools arn't good enoguh''?

I'd appriciate if you told me as much as possible, is it hard?, what do you study?, how come you choosed IB? etc.

I have plans to start IB in Eskilstuna (St. Eskilgymnasium) in Sweden, but since I'm only in year 8 (year 10 in UK) I still have 3 months of year 8 left and then whole year 9 but I'm still curious about the school since my gymnasium choice basicly means everything to me.

From what I've heard so far it's really hard going to an IB school, and I mean hard as alot of work, studies etc. I also heard you gotta keep up with the sceduele all the time and that you usually don't have time left for hanging out with friends or doing hobbies and of course I also heard it's a good school especielly if you wanna study abroad or just learn more english.

But please give me as much info as possible I'd like to read about what you study and if it's diffrent from communal schools etc.

[HiggsHunter]

I'm wondering, how is it going to an IB school, does it matter in what country you are in? I mean if I got o IB in sweden will my grades and all count as much in UK as they will in sweden or will alot of people in UK think ''swedens IB schools arn't good enoguh''?

The system of moderation and external assessment should mean that an IB diploma awarded to a student in one country has the same merit as the same one awarded in another. So there should really be no country or school bias in judging the value of your qualification.

Outside the diploma, some secondary country-dependent factors could be in your favour. (For example, it is generally recognized that Swedish nationals are often particularly good speakers of English)

[Sammie Backman]

Hello, fellow Swede here (sorta, kinda).

It can be hard or easy depending on your ambitions. If you want to get 40+ points on your diploma (the equivalent of 20.0/all MVGs in the Swedish system) it's going to be quite tough. If you can settle for 34 or so, it's not all that bad. We study normal high school stuff, but as we only do six subjects (compared to 15+ in the Swedish system) we go deeper into each of them. I chose the IB because my mum told me to.

From what I've heard so far it's really hard going to an IB school, and I mean hard as alot of work, studies etc. I also heard you gotta keep up with the sceduele all the time and that you usually don't have time left for hanging out with friends or doing hobbies and of course I also heard it's a good school especielly if you wanna study abroad or just learn more english.

Don't worry. While you will probably spend more time studying than your non-IB peers, you will still have time for friends and hobbies. The IB is second to none if you are considering going to university abroad, and will give you a considerable advantage if you decide to stay in Sweden. You will not regret it.

The IB diploma is the same everywhere, and you are given your grades by external examiners rather than by your school. Hence universities do not care whether you did your IB in Sweden, in the UK or anywhere else.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Sammie Backman

[Nali]

We study normal high school stuff, but as we only do six subjects (compared to 15+ in the Swedish system)

Wait so in a normal swedish communal school you study 15+ subjects and here you study only 6?! But that means ìf you decide to stay in sweden a swedish university wouldn't accept you to study there since you've only had 6 subjects?

Edited April 4, 2012 by Nali

[Sammie Backman]

We study normal high school stuff, but as we only do six subjects (compared to 15+ in the Swedish system)

Wait so in a normal swedish communal school you study 15+ subjects and here you study only 6?! But that means ìf you decide to stay in sweden a swedish university wouldn't accept you to study there since you've only had 6 subjects?

That's not the case at all. As long as you pass your IB diploma you have what they call "grundläggande behörighet" which allows you to attend Swedish universities. You apply to university on the same premises as someone who took Sam or Natur.

http://www.studera.n...7/IB-svensk.pdf

Edited April 4, 2012 by Sammie Backman

[Marrehj]

Another swede in the house!

You are (or at least should be) equally respected with an IB diploma, wherever you studied for it. Many IB students from Sweden go on to study in universities such as the Ivy League ones, which should show you that being from Sweden is no obsticle.

The IB is hard, but it will teach you alot and open many doors, so I definetly think the work will be worth it. Just as Sammie said, you only study six subejcts (plus theory of knowledge) which you choose yourself and also on which level to study them.

I chose the IB because there just wasn't anything else that I felt fitted me. I also love english and math, and IB certainly gives you the option to study the both of them on a high level.

It is true that you have to stick with the schedule in order to make it, but the teachers will help you with that so it shouldn't be impossible. I actually go to the same school that you are thinking about so I can guarantee that what I'm saying aplies to what you would go through in a couple of years. About the social life, sure, you'll have to give up hardcore partying every weekend ;P No but seriously you have to have some activities outside for the subject CAS so you won't be completely stuck in the books 24/7.

Sammie already told you that you'll have "behörighet" in Sweden as well with the IB diploma, but to be honest; if you think you wanna go to a swedish univeristy later, just don't do the IB, take sam, np or ekonomi instead, the IB is undervalued in swedish universities... And if you want to be a doctor you got to have more subjects then just the IB ones, and that just (for me at least) doesn't feel worth it.

Ask more questions if you're intrested, and I'll try to answer them.

[Nali]

Sammie already told you that you'll have "behörighet" in Sweden as well with the IB diploma, but to be honest; if you think you wanna go to a swedish univeristy later, just don't do the IB, take sam, np or ekonomi instead, the IB is undervalued in swedish universities... And if you want to be a doctor you got to have more subjects then just the IB ones, and that just (for me at least) doesn't feel worth it.

Ask more questions if you're intrested, and I'll try to answer them.

Thank you for the answer =) Well I've been kinda sure my whole life that I want to live in an english country but what if I change my mind, what if I wanna keep working in sweden and not move right away to another country, I mean maybe I don't have money enough to move to UK when I'm 19, there's so many questions but I can't remember them all

[Marrehj]

You can study in Sweden with an IB diploma, I just mean that if you didn't plan to study abroad, you shouldn't choose IB About the money factor, there are certain countries in the EU which are free to study at the universities in, if you are a member of the EU yourself. I think Holland and Scottland are two examples.

[Crazy Gemini]

You can still hang out with friends if you manage your time efficiently.

Although my only regret is not studying Swedish (my mother tongue) within the IB - I would have loved to go back home to Stockholm and study journalism at JMK but can't because I don't study Swedish and I don't have time to do the TISSUS examination. But other than that, the IB is world-class (pardon the pun). As an IB student, I have been constantly tired for the past 2 years, and not seen my friends much, I also know a girl who suffers from vitamin D deficiency, but I don't think it's that common for IB students to stay indoors studying on sunny days-we can sit outside studying too

I disagree with the above replies that say you shouldn't do the IB if you don't plan on going abroad. The IB is brilliant both at home and abroad. Studying the IB shows that you're a cut above the rest, you can do what everyone else can, probably just as well as them, but you're special because you've done the IB. For example, I have had my Theory of Knowledge essay on linguistics read by a professor at Oxford, which is where my boyfriend wants to go, but because he does A-levels, he hasn't even been given the opportunity to write an essay on linguistics, he writes essays in German and French on drugs and such things and if I hadn't done the IB.

The IB gives you opportunities you might not get with the communal system, and vice versa. The IB is incredibly hard work, but it's goddamn worth it.