How did you all enter the IB?

[kevG]

I've seen a few people say that they needed to 'apply' to get into actually doing the IB and how stressful it was into choosing their subjects.

For me it was very laid-back

On the last day of school in grade 10 the counselor called me and asked me if I wanted to do the IB, I was like "sure", then she just asked me to fill out a form on the subjects I'll be taking in grade 11. I filled the form and then she just told me that I needed to work harder cause I was in IB now...

 

How was it stressful for you guys?

[Award Winning Boss]

I walked into the school 2 days before it started and said that I'd like to join. He looked at my GCSEs and said 'sure join us'. After talking me down from doing Maths HL and doing English instead, I was an IB student.

[bguloglu]

Yea it was basically like that for me as well, but I did hear about some people not being accepted because they didn't have good recommendations from other teachers or weren't good enough in regular English classes.

[Excalibre]

I joined 2 weeks after classes had started and the everything was already in full swing. The IB Coordinator at that time simply looked over my results from Grades 8-10, then asked me to pick my subjects. Which I did, in less than 2 minutes. (I was talked out of taking up Math HL as well, so I picked English HL instead.)

The latter required me to write an exam-style essay because I had missed the introductory classes. Piece of cake, that.  

And Voila! I was officially an IB Student. (All within the space of a couple of hours.)

[FractiousArrogance]

In Sweden, everyone has to apply to a high school through a special designated website. I was already attending the middle year program from the Ib and I wanted to continue. Everyone in my class applied to the IB. We all got letters saying we should do the entrance exams. Everyone got excited. After the summer break, we will all begin the pre-IB program.

[Naz]

In my school you had to start from pre ib in 9th grade because of the complications with national high school entrance system, so they made us take a random english and maths tests when we were in 8th grade. Nearly everyone passed that weird middle school exam, we had 20 people in pre ib, most of whom werent even suited to be an ib student. A lot of them dropped out, and the students who did well in the pre ib final exams made it directly to ib1 in 10th grade. I was only 16 years old when i finished the whole diploma program. Pretty strange.

Edited July 7, 2015 by Naz

[IB_taking_over]

In grade 8 we had to fill out an application to apply for pre-IB. As for IB, in grade 10 we just picked IB classes when we went to register for the following year. After registering all of the diploma candidate met with the IB coordinator to finalize some things. At my school there aren't many choices to make about classes. We only pick what science, math, and elective. (They only offer HL history and HL English and group two language is a continuation of the language taken for the last two years. )

[ShootingStar16]

For me, if I picked the IB stream, I was automatically in. My school accepts anyone into IB. No entrance exams, no references and no other requirements. 

[Thrashmaster]

I chose to attend a charter school that had the IB program rather than my local school that only had AP. The local school had been going downhill and the IB school was new and supposedly challenging. My middle school Gifted and Talented teacher recommended it to my parents specifically.

[DJackson]

I had to apply to a charter school that specialized in IB in eighth grade. To get in I had to take an English and Math test that was basically to show the school you're ready for the classes and all that. Then, in tenth grade, provided you're not one of the many who drop out after the first year, you pick your classes for IB in 11th and 12th grade. 

[ellie]

We had to apply and they evaluated our grades and had small group interviews. Most people get in fairly easily, every year grades 11 and 12 are split in about half IB and half national curriculum with some just not interested in the IB.

[IbTrojan]

For us, you had to apply for the pre-IB program (for gr.9 and 10) to continue for IBDP. We had multiple steps to our entrance since competition for the program is pretty high. First we have to write a basic application containing personal details, grades and any clubs/activities you're a part of. Then if you are chosen, you were invited to write the entrance exam where we studied gr.7 English, Math and Science (since not everyone learns the same thing in each subject in gr.8) and write a timed exam with a mini essay at the end. Then if we were chosen, we were invited for an orientation night where we, along with our parents, were introduced to the program and then choose our courses and we were in for the fall. 

[Dazed&Confused]

I was studying at my school for about 3 years BEFORE entering the IB, so basically, in grade 10, there were some specifications that the school gave us that we HAD to fulfil in order to qualify for becoming an IB candidate, including:

 

- A personal project

- A grade of AT LEAST 40 points among 11 subjects (We do the MYP system before joining IB)

- Any subject that you want to do at higher level, you should have a 5/7 in that subject on your final report in grade 10

- Any subject you want to do at standard level, you need to have a 4/7 in by the end of grade 10. 

- At least a grade 4/7 in your personal project

 

Yaddi yaddi ya...

So they tried to mimic the IB diploma requirements onto MYP. In my opinion, it was quite difficult for some people to fulfil this as I saw people getting a grade 3 in their personal project and the teachers then refused to allow them to do the IB as it showed that they weren't 'prepared enough' and would likely fail. 

It is not an efficient system IMO and I don't agree with it because you can't technically be refused a candidacy. Our school just did it to control the amount of students who don't receive a diploma at the end of the year (it didn't really work out). 

[ibprincess]

as long as you're enrolled in my school you can take ib

 

I had to change schools for ib, so i had an enrolment interview where they looked at my grades and suff but they only really care about if you're going to pay the school fees then a few months later is sent in my subject choices and i was set 

[MarieLarissa]

I essentially signed up for IB courses in the spring (knowing what I was getting myself into) alongside a short "About Me" form. At my school there was no official application or test designed to differentiate between those who should take IB and those who should not. However, by grade 11 many students who entered grade 10 Pre-IB had dropped many IB courses and thus there was only 10 IB diploma graduates in grade 12 (as this pattern continued). I am surprised to hear that some had to pay for IB courses (at my school they were completely free).

[Sylvette]

It's my first time hearing people talk about pre-IB. In my school, after IGCSE's you either had a choice of BTEC or IB. I don't think that they even filtered who should do what as I know people who just slack around and don't even pass exams still get to do IB, or opt for the less-recognized option of BTEC. Since most people don't want to do BTEC because universities might not accept them, we had to do IB whether we liked it or not. Where I live, all international schools do IB, so if you wanted to do another qualification you have to either go to boarding school or another school in the 'outskirts'.

 

So yeah, I kinda jst got thrown into IB and tried my best not to down ._.

[artisticsoul8]

In my school, IB serves as an international department because we have many different nationalities and people generally don't speak Danish so they choose IB. That's why there are no requirements to join pre-IB but to get into IB1 you need to have certain grades. However the threshold is really low so everyone usually gets in. I wouldn't say that's such a good idea considering that a lot of people dropped out or were kicked out of the system at the end of IB1 because of these non-existing requirements.

 

So it wasn't stressful or hard to get in at all although I know people have it harder in other places. I guess it depends very much on the school and country you're applying in  . 

[melliflower]

I was finishing my junior year already, when I went to entrance exams for everybody who wanted to enter pre-IB or IB1. I sat 3 written exams (Polish - 1,5 h, Math - 2h, 1,5 h English) and then had to attend an English oral exam, which lasted 10 minutes. I got 327 out of 400 - which was the third best score (nothing special - I have more school experience than the others), so I was accepted despite my awful school performance in grades 7-9.

 

The preparation for the examination session was a really scary and stressful experience for me - I was convinced that I had no chance to get into the class. Right now, I start to doubt my decision to switch schools and do the junior year once again, in another system. I heard that teachers at my new school aren't really that great... However, I hope that I'll make it all work out by studying a lot myself. I've done it my whole life - that's how I learned to speak English in the first place.