IB Girls and Guys

[__inthemaking]

let me give you a very simple answer:

guys are all pigs and from age 16-24, all they have in your tiny little brain is sex.

i know that is very general but also very true for most guys. but from my experience, IB guys tend to not follow this pattern. they're usually...too nerdy to be a ****head.

That is not true at all..I find that offensive even though I'm a girl. It's just like if a guy were to say "all girls are b!tches and all they care about is looking pretty and shopping". Seriously, way to stereotype.

My boyfriend and a lot of my guy friends are still virgins and we're all 18 and 19. Some of them are waiting until marriage. Others wouldn't have sex outside of a serious, long term relationship and don't believe in hookups. The guys you may have encountered may have been like that, but not all guys are. Maybe you've been hurt by a bad guy but seriously..don't give up on all guys because of one jerk, not all of them are like that. I prefer to hang out with guys over girls and I have more guy friends than girl friends because guys can be so awesome.

[Forester]

Drugs - as long as you don't get addicted, or take any hard drugs, it's not really a problem. A large proportion of people in university has some kind of encounter with them... (like friends taking them or taking them themselves)

Drinking - harmless. Unless you pass out more than twice a week.

Sex - harmless, just make sure birth control is all in order and get tested once in a while for STIs.

Morality? I agree with the OP in that there are not many 'decent' people around these days with the influence of media and such. Coming from an IB school, I'd say IB students are usually more 'moral'.

[ai_ra]

This is our school's fourth year in doing IB, and hence we are to be the fourth class graduating.

The 2008 graduates of our school were, according to the IB coordinator, student councellor, etc, were practically the best. They were social people, but not to the point they went to the extent of drugs or alcohol or anything (they still went to parties though I heard, and two members were members of bands and one was this amazing artist), they were confident, smart, and very caring. Just the perfect IB students - and they were only 11 students - the perfect size for an IB class.

When I entered IB, I was expecting something like that. I myself am not that much of a party-goer, I've only tried drinking and couldn't take it, so I shall never drink again, and smoking? Please.

But the people in class turned out to be...well. Just the opposite. We are currently 23, and more than half the class are either crazy about sex, partying, alcohol, or all three together (or at least two out of the three. i rest my case). At first I was really surprised. It was just, real weird, and I wasn't really used to people like this. But then you know, time flies, you just don't mingle with those people unless they're for projects and stuff. I mean, sure they're the majority, but there's always your other classmates who are somewhat similar to you and share the same thoughts. I guess that's what made me tolerate all this insanity but now I find it okay. I'm adjusting to the environment. However, our class is pretty much close to each other in a sense that we all comfort each other when we do bad in tests, we all gather around a crying classmate and take turns hugging her. They're pretty nice people, and pretty smart, and I sort of like the way they can just be two people and being able to manage it.

Not all of us IB students are like that though I, for one, am still a virgin (thank god for that), don't drink AT ALL, and don't and will absolutely never smoke. Dignity is all we have left as sane people

[Leen]

Is it me, or did I step into a very judgemental topic here?

I don't see the corrolation between smoking, partying and drinking and doing terrible on your IB. Ofcourse, if it's excess and once you start centering your life around that scene, then yes that would actually mean your IB grades will suffer.

I for one smoke, drink, party, indulge in hookups, and yes I even tried weed and all that sort. I like my lifestyle like that, but I also work hard on the IB, know when to stop, and am very ambitious to rise to high places. Does that mean I'm an idiot for drinking, smoking, hooking up, etc? No, I'm fully aware of the consequences of excess, and that does not hinder my love for knowledge and books.

My social life and my educational/professional life, for me, are two different settings. I like to have fun, but I also know when to pull myself together and study.

I fully believe everyone has the right to live their life as they want. It's not up to me, or any one else for that matter, to judge or generalize our lifestyle.

[ai_ra]

@Leen; i don't think it's that. we've got a student like you in our class, and he's my best friend. he drinks, smokes, parties all the weekend days, even does graffiti on buildings when we're out together. then we have all the excitement from running away and it's real fun. you just got to get into trouble sometimes, even when you're an ib student not everyone crazy about partying is stupid, that i know fer sher. it's just that i think they're just too occupied with their social lives to even think about caring about ib. it's just occuring way too much in my class and i'm sort of tired of them not working, you know? i mean, why enter ib when you're not even going to care? hook-ups is a totally different story though. i've gone out with three guys throughout these seven months of school and none of them changed my grades or anything. i think it all just depends on the person, really.

Edited May 4, 2009 by ai_ra

[realpanickytroll]

First of all, while sex and smoking (so long as you are 18) is certainly a personal choice, drinking alcohol or doing drugs is illegal. If you want to make a change to preserve "decent people" in IB, then just report the offenders anonymously. Lucky for you, in the U.S. at least, the law is on your side.

[olga]

Hm, in my opinion its just about finding a way ro party safe and have enough time for learning.

I go to school where not everyone does IB but no matter if they do or not - we all are party people. And they still get tere sixes and sevens grades.

We are young, but we shouldn't be stupid. as my mum says - 'everything is for people, but i just want you safe. so dont be careless'. And i think that's the main idead of being young. We don't have to be nerdy, why can't we be laid-back a little? Just becouse we're IBers?

[buccaneer247]

First of all, while sex and smoking (so long as you are 18) is certainly a personal choice, drinking alcohol or doing drugs is illegal. If you want to make a change to preserve "decent people" in IB, then just report the offenders anonymously. Lucky for you, in the U.S. at least, the law is on your side.

Not to get on too much of a tangent, but the law is so corrupt in in the US that the corporations that helped put us in the economic tail spin that we are in now are being bailed out by the law. I'm not saying that it's much better in some of the other countries but try to keep away from such broad generalizations.

[powa2]

Well I think the issue of partying and drinking is their choice, it might be their stress reliever after a week of hard work

I don't mean you can't judge people, you can of course but take into consideration that everybody wants to have some fun in their IB laden life

and partying is one of them.

[Feist]

I find it so weird to be hearing about this happy medium that you are talking about. Achieving 7s and being able to party is so unheard of for me. Through all stages of IB, from deciding to endeavor the course to entering my final year, I have always been told to completely forget about my social life... and to frame a picture of my friends and family so that the one minute I have for break from studying can be spent with them virtually.. :|

At my school, I'd say there are only two general types of people doing IB. The people who love to party and do drugs and those who have never had alcohol and have probably never been to a party. I guess it also depends on how these people want to do on IB - barely get by or finish with flying colours.

I completely understand what you're saying though, and I do agree with you. I think that it is ridiculous that these people can find a compromise. I know for every school there is president and vice-president and other executives that get elected. This year some who do underage drinking, clubbing, drugs and partying were voted into being leaders for the school, and even people who knew about it but didn't condone the behaviour just became ignorant to the matter. I find it mind boggling how such people who do not have their own lives straight can strive to be role-models for other students. I feel so embarrassed to be represented by them. I've heard about another school who literally think our school is a joke because one of these people have represented us so badly in the past at a party / parties.

Anyways, that is just my little piece of frustration. I know that there are people out there who value their academics and try to be REAL role-models, and I hope that these are the leaders of tomorrow.

[marsliscu]

Yeah, I think you're kind of right

but there still are some decent guys and girls out there

I go to a IB school in Guatemala and my school is all girls.

We made a party with all the guys from our brother school and I just hated

how the girls from the other class (not ibers) were saying that the ibers were rebeling against school just

because some of them were drinking and smoking.

I won't deny it, I was drinking and smoking too, but at last I wasn't wasted as the non IBers were

I hate it how people stereotype us as nerds that never leave their homes.

I mean, yeah we study more than they do, and we have to give up some saturday mornings to go to the lab

but at least I'm not as lazy as they are, I'm not afraid of a challenge.

Anyway yeah, I still think there are some decent people out there

[asdf]

why do people think that people who do IB are nerdy?!?! most of the people at my school are not nerdy, we all have great fun like normal people, out for most of the weekend and playing sport during the week. we get our work done, but we dont let it consume us. and DEF not nerdy.

[Jordy]

I personally don't find that smoking or doing drugs is something I'd like to do. Or would be particularly beneficial for me but I don't mind the odd night out just to de-stress a bit and if the party involves drinking, as long as no one makes a completely idiot of themselves I don't really mind that either.

On the note of smoking I don't really agree with it. Quite a few people do it at school but whatever, as long as they don't show it

I think that's the key thing, if someone can keep up with work and do really well then they should be able to do whatever they want to do, in fact, why not shove in some evidence

I remember we once asked some of the girls in the years above us how they survived IB.

We got quite a few answers, coffee, caffeine pills etc etc but by far the most amusing answer was one of the most down to earth girls I knew (she also graduated our college with one of the highest marks in that year) telling me with a slight chuckle, "well, mostly just abuse of illegal substances."

It was amusing I'll give her that. I guess what I'm trying to prove is that people can pass with really good marks and be doing some really stupid stuff, not saying anyone should try it more that just because someone is doing drugs, or partying doesn't mean they can't be decent people which by the sounds of this debate is completely based on how intelligent they are.

[Tilia]

First of all, while sex and smoking (so long as you are 18) is certainly a personal choice, drinking alcohol or doing drugs is illegal. If you want to make a change to preserve "decent people" in IB, then just report the offenders anonymously. Lucky for you, in the U.S. at least, the law is on your side.

Drinking alcohol is illegal? Where do you live?

[Sandwich]

Drinking alcohol is illegal? Where do you live?

In the USA I believe the drinking age is 21. Apparently why there are so many people with alcohol problems in college. I say apparently because I've only heard it

Mildly amusing that it's so high, given that in some states, to my knowledge, you can drive aged 14(!!). Terribly confused, in many ways, although you can possibly argue it's a good thing for avoiding drink driving that the legal ages fail to coincide by such a dramatic margin. Giving people their first experiences with both driving and alcohol all at once, as in the UK, is technically a bit dim. I say technically because the individual who actually genuinely started drinking aged 18 is probably going to be tricky to find!

[Tilia]

Drinking alcohol is illegal? Where do you live?

In the USA I believe the drinking age is 21. Apparently why there are so many people with alcohol problems in college. I say apparently because I've only heard it

Mildly amusing that it's so high, given that in some states, to my knowledge, you can drive aged 14(!!). Terribly confused, in many ways, although you can possibly argue it's a good thing for avoiding drink driving that the legal ages fail to coincide by such a dramatic margin. Giving people their first experiences with both driving and alcohol all at once, as in the UK, is technically a bit dim. I say technically because the individual who actually genuinely started drinking aged 18 is probably going to be tricky to find!

So in the USA, you can smoke when you're 18, but not drink until you're 21? I thought smoking was much worse for your health than alcohol...

[KoricKing]

Alas, have you learned NOTHING from TOK?

All morals are relative and that is absolute.

Just because you believe they are immoral does not make them immoral.

Perhaps the question you should be asking is if anyone follows your same idea for what is good and bad?

The answer (question) is: Why do I care what others do when I can only be in charge of myself?

[sweetnsimple786]

Drinking alcohol is illegal? Where do you live?

In the USA I believe the drinking age is 21. Apparently why there are so many people with alcohol problems in college. I say apparently because I've only heard it

Mildly amusing that it's so high, given that in some states, to my knowledge, you can drive aged 14(!!). Terribly confused, in many ways, although you can possibly argue it's a good thing for avoiding drink driving that the legal ages fail to coincide by such a dramatic margin. Giving people their first experiences with both driving and alcohol all at once, as in the UK, is technically a bit dim. I say technically because the individual who actually genuinely started drinking aged 18 is probably going to be tricky to find!

So in the USA, you can smoke when you're 18, but not drink until you're 21? I thought smoking was much worse for your health than alcohol...

Haha yeah, it's quite strange. In some places, you can't buy tobacco [aka can't smoke] til you're 19. I'm not sure about alcohol, but I think it's a federal/national law, whereas for tobacco, it's a state/province law. You can't gamble in some places while you can in others. In some places you can't drive til you're 17 while in others you can get a permit [which isn't the real license] when you're 15 or even earlier.

Alas, have you learned NOTHING from TOK?

All morals are relative and that is absolute.

Just because you believe they are immoral does not make them immoral.

Perhaps the question you should be asking is if anyone follows your same idea for what is good and bad?

The answer (question) is: Why do I care what others do when I can only be in charge of myself?

While I'm not totally disagreeing with you and I don't agree with the OP, I think you're being slightly hypocritical in providing an answer as if there was only one answer and you've found it. Perhaps that's not what you're saying, but that's what it seems like.

And just to play devil's advocate, I think it's a bad idea to take a good thing like "Only I can control what I do," which may or may not be correct, and take it to an extreme and say "Well, I won't care about others' actions because I have no influence over them." I don't think that true. Of course our actions have repercussions on others. Try to be the best you can so that if nothing else, you're a model for someone, somewhere. =)

[Moe]

Your generalization has nothing to do with IB specifically.

generally speaking, being in a IB school doesnt really change the person. It just makes them think more and more about thier studies and about going to college.

[Karl H T]

Well, so much as I know, IB does make us more responsible, yet leaves at least some time for partying or just enjoying small amounts of beer, if necessary .

Simple.

My weekends aren't all about writing essays and being - I seem to find a perfect balance between leisure and knowledge; so do the most of us, I guess.