Should I quit IB? (grades not as expected)

[Magui]

I'm in Pre IB (grade 10 or MYP5) and I use to be in an international French school before. When I chose IB, it was because I was aiming for Ivy league unis (especially Harvard) and the school days at my Ib school in Sweden are short so I'll have time to train a lot (cycling) as in the French school, we finish every day at 6 pm. Anyways, I thought I'd get good grades cuz that's how it was in the French school but I got my first progress report and I'm so disappointed. Check the attachment. I still have the chance to go back to the French school, should I? (I'll get better grades there but won't have time for training). On top of that, I don't like my current school, the people are not so nice and I only have one friend. Should I quit IB? You think I could have any chances for Harvard honestly? Here are also the grades I got so far on summative tasks:

- French 3: 6 and 7 (I'm so angry I don't get it it's my mother tongue and I'm better than the teacher but whatever...)

- History: A (that was on an A-F scale for some reason)

- Maths: 5, 8, 6

- English: 6, 5, 5, 6

- Swedish: 30 out of 50

Also, my plan was to study immediately after high school at a top college like Harvard, back up plan was Oxford or Cambridge but also colleges in Singapore and Asia, and the back up plan, if nothing works out, was to study in France (but I need the French bac for that I think so I don't know what to do). Also, I want to be a psychiatrist so Ill do medicine studies first.

 

[Lynn Gweeny]

Hello Magui,

So, I just looked at your report card and you engagement ratings in all the subjects except for one is a 2. I'd suggest getting them up to 3 - it would really improve your 'reputation' amongst teachers, which would really help when you are working on Letters of Recommendation for US universities.

Also, the grades you've listed above are out of 7 right? At what level have you taken them? Well, if you're in IB1, then you DO have a lot of time for improvement and I'd suggest you continue with IB. If you think you're capable of getting more (from your French school, I think you are), then persist - perseverance is the universe's solution to everything

If you're applying to British and Singaporean unis, grades matter above all. So, if moving to the French school will help your grades, DEFINITELY consider it. Don't move because you don't have friends or the people aren't nice (unless they bully you too much that it interferes with your work) -  it happens when you move to a new school all the time.

If you're prioritizing American unis, then your grades DO matter but not as much as you think. I had seniors with 44 and 37 and one of them had an innate talent for Math, and yet both of them got into the same unis and got rejected from the same AND didn't get any scholarships. So for US unis, your extracurriculars matter alot. If staying in this IB school helps you practice your cycling, then you list this as an extracurricular, making you a bit different. But still, this doesn't guarantee you a spot in the Ivies and academics do matter. One thing, if you're going to do cycling, participate in a lot of competitions, maybe begin a blog on cycling tips and venture (CAS!!! :D), organize cycling competitions to raise money, etc. In your college apps, make it seem like cycling (or any activity) really changed you, or aided your growth. Also, no matter what you do, try to be the first, best or only person doing it. A word of caution though, cycling doesn't automatically make you unique (unless you competed in the Olympics or something) or guarantee you a spot in the Ivies, your academics, letters of recommendation, essays (could be golden tickets) and other extracurriculars make you slightly more likely to get admitted. Spend the extra time in a few other activities.

So that's my two cents. I can't guarantee this advice will work, but its what I've inferred from articles and research online. I'm in IB2 and currently applying for colleges. Good luck!

[IB`NOT`ez]

On 10/18/2017 at 2:17 AM, Magui said:

I'm in Pre IB (grade 10 or MYP5) and I use to be in an international French school before. When I chose IB, it was because I was aiming for Ivy league unis (especially Harvard) and the school days at my Ib school in Sweden are short so I'll have time to train a lot (cycling) as in the French school, we finish every day at 6 pm. Anyways, I thought I'd get good grades cuz that's how it was in the French school but I got my first progress report and I'm so disappointed. Check the attachment. I still have the chance to go back to the French school, should I? (I'll get better grades there but won't have time for training). On top of that, I don't like my current school, the people are not so nice and I only have one friend. Should I quit IB? You think I could have any chances for Harvard honestly? Here are also the grades I got so far on summative tasks:

- French 3: 6 and 7 (I'm so angry I don't get it it's my mother tongue and I'm better than the teacher but whatever...)

- History: A (that was on an A-F scale for some reason)

- Maths: 5, 8, 6

- English: 6, 5, 5, 6

- Swedish: 30 out of 50

Also, my plan was to study immediately after high school at a top college like Harvard, back up plan was Oxford or Cambridge but also colleges in Singapore and Asia, and the back up plan, if nothing works out, was to study in France (but I need the French bac for that I think so I don't know what to do). Also, I want to be a psychiatrist so Ill do medicine studies first.

 

What if.... you do the best you can without stressing out too much at high school, and if you don't get into Harvard or an Ivy League university for your undergraduate studies, then it's far from the end as you can try and do even better in your undergraduate studies at another university, and then finally get into Harvard and all those top schools for your graduate studies since that's generally considered even more prestigious and important in today's society, not to mention at the graduate level they're far more receptive to international students.... What if..