Is IB hard?

[Minnnn]

I really want to know..

tell me your opinion or experience in doing IB

[YellowSpider]

I really want to know..

tell me your opinion or experience in doing IB

the main thing is time management, just don't procrastinate and leave all the assignments for the last few months.. that stuff makes you lose your mind.. it's not actually difficult, work generally piles up so people lose their minds over it.. that's all i have to say..

[JRxx]

I really want to know..

tell me your opinion or experience in doing IB

the main thing is time management, just don't procrastinate and leave all the assignments for the last few months.. that stuff makes you lose your mind.. it's not actually difficult, work generally piles up so people lose their minds over it.. that's all i have to say..

Completely agree. Its all about the time management but that is a lot easier said than done. You may think you can manage time your time and you think you have everything under control but then you do an exam or essay or something and your best effort is still not what the examiners are looking for. IB is probably going to be the most difficult and painful experience you will ever go through in your life, but if you can get through it than you for sure deserve a congrats. Also universities look very highly on the IB so that will definitely help you out for the future. Good luck to you!

[cjy]

I think the entire nature of the IB makes it difficult. Most people aren't superb at every subject they do, which is why getting 45 is so rare. It is about time management, but you also have to be committed to working on your weak areas. I spent every night for 3 months doing French grammar and still only got a 6 in French B SL. I got a 5 in Maths Studies because I'm awful at maths. That said, I got 39 overall, as my other subjects, that I'm good at naturally (English and History) brought me up. It's a lot easier to get A*A*A* in A levels (if you're from the UK) than anywhere from 38-45 in the IB, as you're focusing on your strong points. IB forces you to do things you're not necessarily great at.

[unicornication]

yes.

hehe, actually- the IB's pretty easy if you manage your time well WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MATH HL

If you aren't good with time management, you aren't going to have fun (like me). Make sure you have a way to organize yourself, some people use terrible stickynotes, some people use Wunderlist, and others (like me), use Google Calendar. Also, take a look at the Pomdoro technique for working, it's awesome! I recommend it to everyone who complains about not being able to do work, and it works wonders.

My experience... pretty awful. I procrastinate way too much, end up not getting anything done till 3 days before something is due, end up having to rush work and revision, and end up getting average grades, until the exams, which is like a sudden grade spike for me, haha. I wrote about a day in my life on these forums. If you have time management issues, sleep could become a problem like it has with me! haha. Though my PG is pretty good, and I've managed to do a lot of cool stuff through IB1, and so on the whole I think I didn't do too bad, though I definitely do think I should have worked harder for unit tests rather than rush revision.

Good luck!

[Blackcurrant]

"you think you have everything under control but then you do an exam or essay or something and your best effort is still not what the examiners are looking for. IB is probably going to be the most difficult and painful experience you will ever go through in your life ..."

Quite true. And THAT brings up a crucial point about IB, in addition to those already made: You have to become very familiar with the criteria for the diff. assignments, otherwise you could be wasting your time. What counts as a "good" essay in a non- IB Programme does not necessarily apply in the IB. For example, you might have been praised to the skies in your pre-IB language studies for expressing your opinions (esp. Middle school/ Junior High ...pace) -gaining self-esteem from doing this - only to find that it counts for little at IB DP ... if at all. That can be quite a blow for some. The good thing is that the IB criteria are easily available and clear. You just have to understand them. Everything is spelled out at IB. It may be daunting at first.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Blackcurrant

[Brienna]

Some of it depends on your school and teachers, but yes, it is generally a challenging program. If you enjoy a challenge, go for it! If you feel intimidated by it, go for it anyway, and maybe you'll grow as a student and as a person. It can be overwhelming if you let assignments get out of hand (cough cough EE cough) but I learned how to get organized real quick. IB has a lot of specifics it requires for essays and research, and those can throw off some people, but IB is about adapting. If you learn to adapt to the schedule, you'll do fine.

The biggest thing I noticed about IB at my school is that work comes in waves. It start out easy and slow, but that's followed by a few weeks of stress and a dozen essays, until it slows again. That was the hardest thing for me to get used to and I wish I had known about it so I would have been prepared. They give usually a 2 weeks to a month to get something done, it's only difficult when you fool yourself into thinking you can pull off writing a good essay in a few days. Around testing time, it seems really scary, with IB test scores and worrying about getting the diploma and all. However, I think that even if I don't get the IB Diploma (even though I REALLY want it), I would still consider IB a worthwhile experience.

The main thing to realize when asking for advice about IB is that every experience is different and what works for one may not work for another.

[IBfreakingout!]

I'd say that time management, procrastination all that is obviously there but one thing you need to think about are you subjects.

Some are doing relatively easier subjects such as Math Studies, Bio(they say it is the easier science...so is ESS), geography as well as the compulsory English etc.

If you are like me and decide to go out all science by doing 2 sciences, maths HL and English, econ and a language at SL not Ab Initio - then you will feel the pressure and work build up. Choose subjects that you know you need for the future, but don't make it harder on yourself by picking all the harder subjects but go easy on yourself and do easier ones in the areas you know you are weak in or just don't simply like. I didn't pick an art because I know I am crap at them but if you know you are good in certain subjects do them and do them HL! It will make you feel HEAPS better to see yourself getting 6s or 7s in the subjects you like and you will have more time to speak improving your weaker subjects.

[cricketcrazynerd]

I think from year 10, it's a massive leap and at the start it legit is hard. I was doing this stupid MYP mixed with Australian National Curriculum thing and that was such a breeze. I used to only work the week before the exams, sleep during tests and since we had 1 month+ to work on each assignments, I could end up doing well on everything and have LOADS of free time.

IB isn't like that. In fact, I got a huge shock when I started because I had more homework after my first day then I had in a fortnight the year before. Although I still have a lot of spare time, the thought of work is always at the back of my head. Each separate assignment, like a economics commentary or a chemistry ia, isn't too difficult (you do have to think everything through, but it's doable and interesting at times) it's just when you have 5 things due in a week you do tend to get a bit emotionally unstable and start thinking it's hard and stuff.

I've been doing IB for 3 terms now and I think I have managed to adapt myself into the mould of a typical IB kid now. I guess I can manage my time better (I know the things I should give significance to) and because I love all my subjects (I'm forcing myself to enjoy French these days), I am quite liking this challenge. It's hard, but not impossibly hard.

[Kaja]

When I was entering the IB DP, everyone was talking about how hard and impossible it is. To be honest, I find it less stressful than national curriculum in Croatia, where we had 16 subjects and examinations almost everyday. IB is all about organisation and time management. I have a lot of activities and free time, I didn't have to give up anything. It is good that you have deadlines and know when everything is due so you can plan ahead. We didn't have that in our typical Croatian high school, they always surprised us with tests and oral examinations. If you choose subjects you love, there shouldn't be a problem . Also, this is an awesome preparation for the university, so keep that in mind everytime you think about how "painful" this is. It will be easier for you to adapt to college life .

Stay positive and don't get scared