Couple questions about IB from a grade 8!

[C-Dack]

I'm scheduled to join Pre-IB Next year and i would appreciate it if i could get some answers for these questions i have:

Is it mandatory for an IB student to take a 2nd language course like French every year?

How hard can i expect the IB to be?

What benefits does the IB offer?

Should i just take Academic classes if i have an 86.6% average in grade 8?

I don't enjoy being constantly under stress but if i have to, i operate very well. I enjoy having an active social life and i want to pursue a healthly realationship with a female. I am VERY bad at French and it is really one of my big concerns. I want to have an easy yet well paying job that doesn't require a long amout of time in post secondary school when i am old enough such as an elementary school teacher. (I would love it if any other easy yet well paying jobs where brought to my attention ) I know i can mantain a 85% ~ 90% + average in academic classes but i don't know about IB courses. Also, i have no intention of leaving Canada, I will only study and live In Canada. Based on these facts about me, do you think i should enroll in the IB program?

Also, if i score low on the IB Exams how will that affect my future? Could getting the diploma with a low score be worse than not getting it at all?

I would really appreciate help ! I only have a couple days until my courses get finalized so i'm feeling a little bit undecisive

Thanks!

Edited April 7, 2012 by C-Dack

[Jyrgen]

Yeah, you have to study 2 languages at least. Check this out http://www.ibo.org/diploma/curriculum/

It can be hard, it can be easy. Depends on how well the subjects you choose match your strengths and weaknesses I guess.

Benefits of IB include the fact that you get probably a slightly better idea of what it's like to study in a university compared to other high school programmes because IB subjects are studied at a greater depth and we get lots of deadlines and responsibility, and the fact that it's a respected diploma almost all over the world.

If you know what you're going to want to do after the IB, it may be the right place for you, because you kind of get to specialize for your future career when picking your subjects.

If you score low you score low and will have more difficulty finding further places to study.

Anyone with lots of drive and motivation can get a great grade, and if you're averaging that high already I don't think you should have any concerns of failure.

Cheers!

[C-Dack]

Yeah, you have to study 2 languages at least. Check this out http://www.ibo.org/diploma/curriculum/

It can be hard, it can be easy. Depends on how well the subjects you choose match your strengths and weaknesses I guess.

Benefits of IB include the fact that you get probably a slightly better idea of what it's like to study in a university compared to other high school programmes because IB subjects are studied at a greater depth and we get lots of deadlines and responsibility, and the fact that it's a respected diploma almost all over the world.

If you know what you're going to want to do after the IB, it may be the right place for you, because you kind of get to specialize for your future career when picking your subjects.

If you score low you score low and will have more difficulty finding further places to study.

Anyone with lots of drive and motivation can get a great grade, and if you're averaging that high already I don't think you should have any concerns of failure.

Cheers!

thanks for the help! Couple questions though, Let's say i got around a ~30 on my score for IB. Would it have been better for me to get a 90% average in academic or the diploma, I know that French will make my diploma score drop A LOT! I don't really "care" per say about the advantage i'll have learning in University, is the only outstanding perk the fact that i'll have a easier time getting accepted? And, if so, by how much does my acceptance chance get increased by on average, In Ontario?

Edited April 7, 2012 by C-Dack

[Guest Positron]

In IB you have to study two languages, but those two languages are not specified in anyway. So, unless French is the only language your school offers, you don't have to take it. Or you can take French ab initio, if your school offers it.

[C-Dack]

In IB you have to study two languages, but those two languages are not specified in anyway. So, unless French is the only language your school offers, you don't have to take it. Or you can take French ab initio, if your school offers it.

Is their anyway around learning two languages? Languages other than English are my weakness

[Summer Glau]

Is it mandatory for an IB student to take a 2nd language course like French every year?

Yes.

How hard can i expect the IB to be?

It is hard. Not hard as in you have to pull all-nighters, but yes it is challenging and it takes up a lot of time if you want to do well.

What benefits does the IB offer?

In Canada, you get really good mark inflation for IB courses. A 7 in an IB course translates into a course mark between 96-100%, a 6 is 90-95%, etc. Because of mark inflation it's a bit easier to get into university and to get scholarships, but it's definitely possible in academic as well. It's also easier to get into universities abroad because IB is recognized.

Should i just take Academic classes if i have an 86.6% average in grade 8?

Your grade 8 average doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the amount of effort you put in.

If you want to be a teacher, IB won't really help you and you're better off in academic.

Based on your issue with French and your career goals, I think you'd be better off not doing IB.

[C-Dack]

Is it mandatory for an IB student to take a 2nd language course like French every year?

Yes.

How hard can i expect the IB to be?

It is hard. Not hard as in you have to pull all-nighters, but yes it is challenging and it takes up a lot of time if you want to do well.

What benefits does the IB offer?

In Canada, you get really good mark inflation for IB courses. A 7 in an IB course translates into a course mark between 96-100%, a 6 is 90-95%, etc. Because of mark inflation it's a bit easier to get into university and to get scholarships, but it's definitely possible in academic as well. It's also easier to get into universities abroad because IB is recognized.

Should i just take Academic classes if i have an 86.6% average in grade 8?

Your grade 8 average doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the amount of effort you put in.

If you want to be a teacher, IB won't really help you and you're better off in academic.

Based on your issue with French and your career goals, I think you'd be better off not doing IB.

Thanks for the help !

I want to get a few more opinions from others though before i make a final decision !

[CkyBlue]

I will try to address some concerns you might have that haven't really been covered by the above. You need to figure out why you want to be enrolled in this program in the first place. Looking at some of your previous posts, you don't seem to be very motivated to do the IB Program. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that; it isn't for everyone. From my perspective, it is a very rigorous and demanding experience, you will need to stretch beyond your comfort zones many times over if you expect to do well.

A social life will come naturally to you if you have good time management skills. The CAS program will also force you to become involved in your school community, and perhaps your neighbourhood, but I don't think you need to be worried about that. Usually, an IB cohort is segregated from the rest of the groups in school, and they become a closely knit group themselves.

In my opinion, you really should not be thinking of pursuing "a healthy relationship with a female" when you're in grade 8! Relationships in the IB are almost non-existent where you are already too busy already. But by all means, you don't have to believe me, you can try it for yourself and see; I doubt the relationship will be healthy at all. Save that for university, or in an ideal world, beyond post-secondary. Remember your priorities: for me and most others, education comes first and foremost.

If you do not intend to leave Canada, besides the mark conversions and advantages you'll have studying and applying for university, there is nothing IB will really offer to you, besides how it says it aims to make you a "better person". Look up the IB Learner Profile if you want that information. And if French is really an issue, you might want to consider the Certificate Program if it's offered in your school. But I believe anyone without mental deficiencies can achieve a 5 or a 6 if they really work hard for it. In grade 9, you should be enrolled in Pre-IB or MYP, you might want to give that a try before you really get into the IB Program itself, and you can drop it and any time I believe. From my experience, those courses are as easy as the academics OSSD courses.

You have some really idealized views! Things really change when you're in high school, and many of your initial thoughts might be compromised with your new situation. Those are just my ideas thrown at you. Good luck with your decision.

[C-Dack]

I will try to address some concerns you might have that haven't really been covered by the above. You need to figure out why you want to be enrolled in this program in the first place. Looking at some of your previous posts, you don't seem to be very motivated to do the IB Program. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that; it isn't for everyone. From my perspective, it is a very rigorous and demanding experience, you will need to stretch beyond your comfort zones many times over if you expect to do well.

A social life will come naturally to you if you have good time management skills. The CAS program will also force you to become involved in your school community, and perhaps your neighbourhood, but I don't think you need to be worried about that. Usually, an IB cohort is segregated from the rest of the groups in school, and they become a closely knit group themselves.

In my opinion, you really should not be thinking of pursuing "a healthy relationship with a female" when you're in grade 8! Relationships in the IB are almost non-existent where you are already too busy already. But by all means, you don't have to believe me, you can try it for yourself and see; I doubt the relationship will be healthy at all. Save that for university, or in an ideal world, beyond post-secondary. Remember your priorities: for me and most others, education comes first and foremost.

If you do not intend to leave Canada, besides the mark conversions and advantages you'll have studying and applying for university, there is nothing IB will really offer to you, besides how it says it aims to make you a "better person". Look up the IB Learner Profile if you want that information. And if French is really an issue, you might want to consider the Certificate Program if it's offered in your school. But I believe anyone without mental deficiencies can achieve a 5 or a 6 if they really work hard for it. In grade 9, you should be enrolled in Pre-IB or MYP, you might want to give that a try before you really get into the IB Program itself, and you can drop it and any time I believe. From my experience, those courses are as easy as the academics OSSD courses.

You have some really idealized views! Things really change when you're in high school, and many of your initial thoughts might be compromised with your new situation. Those are just my ideas thrown at you. Good luck with your decision.

Would you mind answering this for me please ,

Do you think it would be hard to get into a teachers college with a 90% ~ average? And does IB help in that field of work?

Edited April 8, 2012 by C-Dack

[funny10sport]

Do you think it would be hard to get into a teachers college with a 90% ~ average? And does IB help in that field of work?

Honestly, you're in grade 8. The average you have now will most likely differ two years from now, specially since the difficulty in your classes will obviously increase. If you manage to maintain that average outsde of the IB, you should be fine.

After reading your situation, perhaps if may help you if you decide to take HL English, but other than that, IB may probably not be the most beneficial for you. If you really want to find out wether IB will help you in getting into teacher's college, your best answer will come from university/college websites. If you have an idea of a post-secondary school you would like to further persue your education, I would suggest going to their websites to find out wether they recognise the IB or not because each university is different. Also, find out the prerequisites that a specific program may require before enrollement.

If you intend to continue your studies here in Canada, I would suggest these websites for further referal

1. This is the AUCC website (the Association of Universities and Colleges in Canada). Basically a search engine for universities here in Canada, and it is very ressourceful. Our teacher made us use this.

http://www.aucc.ca/canadian-universities/

2. This is the Campus starter, it is a link of all the teacher education programs offered in Canada.

http://www.campusstarter.com/TeacherEducationPrograms.cfm

3. This is another search engine, not as good as the first one but its another option.

http://www.schoolfinder.com/

Hopefully this helps!

[TogoPogo]

Even if you feel like the benefits of IB are not worth it for the time and effort, I still recommend you take it. I look at IB not as a program that will ensure me a good university placement, but as a program that will prepare me as a person. The stress that IB puts you in will force you to manage your time and set priorities. Yes, it will be stressful in many occasions but it will pay in the end as it will help you adopt good studying habits in the future.

However, don't base your decision solely off of the fact that you want a challenge - it all comes down to what field you want to go into after university. If you want to be a chef, IB will be pointless.

[CkyBlue]

Even if you feel like the benefits of IB are not worth it for the time and effort, I still recommend you take it. I look at IB not as a program that will ensure me a good university placement, but as a program that will prepare me as a person. The stress that IB puts you in will force you to manage your time and set priorities. Yes, it will be stressful in many occasions but it will pay in the end as it will help you adopt good studying habits in the future.

However, don't base your decision solely off of the fact that you want a challenge - it all comes down to what field you want to go into after university. If you want to be a chef, IB will be pointless.

The material you learn and how you develop in IB is geared towards having an advantage in university anyway. To be honest, I would not have taken part in the IB program if all I think it would do is "prepare me as a person". There are so many other things that someone can do instead of taking the IB program that could prepare them for some skill, ability or lifestyle that they may want to take on. Ultimately, if you aren't interested in the IB program, or see no purpose in its service to you, don't take it.

I can safely say that for me and plenty of others candidates in the IB community that the IB has not significantly improved our studying habits or time management skills. Your life and your principles are not likely to change because of your surroundings; they are more likely to do so because of your own motivation to change your own life, and your own initiative as to make those positive changes.