Should I Take IB, yay or nay?

[Lozza_55]

Its alot of work , but well worth it:)

It all depends on what subjects you choose as well

Pick the ones you will enjoy the most

I would advise you to do the IB

[LeeHits]

If you're just a smartiepants, I advice you to stay in a regular program or take Honor/AP classes instead. IB asks not only for your intelligence, but for a lot of your time and commitment. I absolutely hated the first few months of IB because I just thought it was a bundle of honor classes. I hated the fact that they were so many kids who were smarter than I am.

[Zefar]

^ lol, agreed.

If you are someone who is willing to spend all that time, then go for it. If not, go AP.

[circusmind]

If you stick with Ib for all 4 years, you will be a better person for it. I think the program is really a test of mental strength and work ethic. If you have good work habits, are dedicated to your studies, love learning, and like challenge, then I would suggest trying your hand at IB.

[bella_92]

ok, so really want to do the i.b, i think it will be interesting, and something different...

but i have some questions that i want to ask other i.b students (i don't no any) im one of those people who crave to know more, and for some reason i feel like the curriculum im partaking in just isn't suitable for my style working

1. i will be starting 7 weeks later than everyone else, im not worried about catching up. but i just want to no if you think its physically possible.

2. im one of those student who does above average but im not the class genius (i.e last year my lowest end of year exam was 83% highest was 95%) do you need to be one of those student who does 99.9% in all their tests?

thanks heaps

[Sandwich]

I wouldn't take it again unless I was certain that it was well taught and well organised. If you think that the teachers will teach you properly, from the right syllabus, give you good deadlines and not mess you around, I'd say take it. If your brother did it before you, you should be able to get some good inside advice as to how hard the subjects are from him.

If IB is done right, it's worth it [:

[chokophilia]

I would say go for it

It prepares u truly and well for college

and it teaches u to prioritize and its pretty well-rounded as well

the work is definitely harsh but if you prioritize and set ur time well, then you should be fine!

A lot of ppl exaggerate too much, there is DEF social life (if u prioritize)

and plus, u can meet more ppl by getting involved in extra co-curricular and its often fun to make up ideas for CAS

and by the time u finish the diploma, it would be very rewarding

Really go for it (prioritize and time management is the key, keep these habits right from the start)

[aapplesauce]

NAY! -for me.

I'm in my first year of IB and to be honest, I really regret taking it.

I really don't see the point of the enormous amount of workload and having to balance out extra curriculars as well before getting into uni. (And with my teachers & school being as disorganized as they are - doesn't really help either)

It's much harder than A-levels - where getting an A is SO much easier than getting a 7 in IB.

From what I've learnt: Time management, organization and dedication to all of your subjects (from the start!!) is important. I know everyone keeps saying this, but it really is.

But if you really think you can cope with IB, I say go for it! It's much easier for Unis to understand a student's academic ability through IB than it is with something like A-levels.

Good Luck!

Edited March 14, 2009 by aapplesauce

[greaterthaninfinity]

Honestly, IB is an experience that doesn't hurt. It can only make your high school "career", it won't break it. You need to toughen up your work habits for IB, but egregious so to the extent that you need to relinquish your social life and all else to do it. You need good work habits to succeed in life in general, so you might as well start now.

But really - IB won't make you successful and it does make you incredibly stressed if you are a procrastinator like me. If you already have decent work habits, put them to use in IB. If not, IB's not really for you.

[faith]

I went through the same problem last year, deciding whether I should do IB or not.

I'm about a month into it right now. Yes, the workload can be scary and monstrous, but I'm glad I decided to take it. It's just so different from the normal school course here and I think it does more for the students than just enabling us to learn facts.

Give it a go!

[hanz]

If you are willing the hard work, peer pressure, love studying IB is where you belong.

[LinuxBeta]

Take it. Even though you'll face the usual sleepless nights and stressful days, it'll all be worth it. Assuming you're an overall good student, and don't mind working for your grades, then IB is definitely for you.

[Tarz]

IB steals your soul. You get lower marks for more work and then universities don't even care. (At least in Ontario) I have friends that party every other day and they get 90s in the regular program.

[Felhound]

If you like sleep deprivation and continuous stress, take it!

IB seems easy at the start, especially when the pitch the idea...but once you're in, be prepared for skipping meals and sleep to hand in all the assignments (graded ones I mean)

But that's only from the Singapore (can't mention the school lest I get expelled) side, don't know how it goes elsewhere.

[dexter]

You should go for IB, it is really Diverse, and allows you to expand your abilities.

Hope you do good in IB

[biochem]

best thing I have ever done in my life. I see it as my single-most best choice

[RllbBryn]

NAY NAY NAYY NAYY NAYYYYYYYYY..

Yeah as it's been said before, the first years all fine and dandy... Then well personally I got to around christmas in the second year and realised what an utter mistake it was to ever take the IB. It's fun if you like the challenge, but seriously at the moment I get about 3-7 hours sleep max a night, and even that nowadays seems to be filled with IB related nightmares... =p

So yehh go for it if you want a challenge and lack of sleep... If you don't, or can get to wherever you want to be in the future some other way, then I'd recommend that...

[LinuxBeta]

I never really understood the whole 'sleepless night' concept. I have personally never pulled an all-nighter doing work, and have lots of friends who haven't either. If you procrastinate all day, and start your work at 9pm the day it's due, that's a different story. If you work normally, and aren't stupid when chosing your courses, you will be just fine. Personally, I've always prefered handing in work late rather than staying up all night doing it. But I guess that's just me.

[bohemian03]

I honestly think it depends on how you work usually. For me, it was a mistake because of the fact that I wanted more flexibility in my schedule. By that I mean with APs I could have taken 3 or 4 history classes whereas in IB, I can only take 2.

Also if you're a procrastinator and want to do a lot of extracurriculars, don't take the IB! It will honestly kill you.

[idIB]

I think it really depends on what you want to do later on in life and what your school offers.

For my school, we don't have a lot of people so we can't even offer Physics SL and Geography/World Issues SL, even if we have a qualified teacher to teach it. We also don't have Law or any computer related courses or B&M, so kids who want to be engineers and business people often hate it because they can't take the courses they like.

If your school is great and has a lot of choice, I say go for it since you seem motivated and want the challenge