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So, is IB even hard?


Pain

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Hi, I'm Pain and I've joined IB Survival (odd, pain and survival...)!

I managed to gain acceptance into the IB program at Turner Fenton Secondary (ON, Canada) for September 2009. They offer a summer school program for 2 weeks (starting July 20th) where you focus on math and science. Anyway, I'm just asking - is the program a tough load of books, or will I manage?

I don't want the next four years of my life stranded in a pile of books. I already sometimes regret the decision because I'll miss my friends, but ahh, education first, am I right?

So, you tell me, how do I survive and is this even worth it?

Thanks.

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Is it hard? - Personally it wasn't too bad for me, but it really depends on your subjects

Was it worth it? - Again, personally it was for me

How to survive? - Try not to procrastinate TOO much (I've left things till one week left but never till literally the night before..you'll kill yourself that way), don't bother learning stuff that's not on the syllabus because it won't show up on your exam, take breaks, have study groups with friends etc

If you manage your time wisely you'll still be able to have a social life, though don't expect to be able to go partying every weekend.

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Your first 2 years will be 'pre-IB' which is basically almost the same difficulty as the 'normal' Ontario curriculum. I do highly recommend doing IB (the real thing in gr 11 and 12) if u can handle the workload...or do atleast one or 2 courses as a certificate student. Kids in my school who dropped our of IB in grade 10 regretted it....scoring highly in some courses like math SL, physics SL, and economics SL was much easier than in the 'normal' Ontario math economics physics courses. So dont get discouraged if you don't do so well in gr 9 or 10 and drop IB completely...you might regret it. But don't get me wrong because IB does have a veryy heavy workload.

Edited by master135
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Your life doesn't disappear completely, it's just that you don't have the same amount of free time as you did as a kid (pre-IB). IB1 was spent partying and socializng every weekend for my class, and IB2 was where we worked hard and went out less. But people still spent weekends procrastinating (inevitable). It depends on whether or not you take on extra things (like SATs, ACTs, extra courses, what extra-curriculars you have). I had none in IB2, so I had a bit mroe free time.

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You should have enough time for your friends all of the time. Junior year was probably the toughest in terms of work load, but my social life didn't suffer at all. I suppose getting straight A's would take more effort if it's a goal of yours, but simply surviving doesn't take much effort at all.

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I'm also under the assumption that they mark from 1-7. So, what's a reasonable grade?

5 is about average, so 5 to 7. For HL courses, univs usually give transfer credits if you've earned a 5-7 or sometimes even 6-7 depending on the univ.

I'll paste to you what I wrote to another applicant:

1) How did you find it overall, was it rewarding for all its stress?

IB doesn't have to be stressful; it just normally is because most students are horrible procrastinators, myself included. If you actually make an effort to finish IAs and whatnot early, it's not that bad. Personally, for me, I found certain periods stressful because of time constraints... but that's because I spent wayyy too much time socializing/gaming instead of working. Towards the end (last 5 papers), I developed a kind of '**** it, I don't care' attitude, which I think actually helped since I didn't panic during the Chem HL/French B SL exams at all.

Yes, I do think it's worth it. But that's mainly because of the friends I met. When you're stuck in mostly the same classes with people for 2 years, you grow a lot closer especially when it feels like it's students vs IB. Academically, IB's worthwhile as well since univs grant transfer credits that you can take to bypass first year univ courses... meaning HL components are equivalent to introductory univ classes for certain subjects. This means that potentially, you could save money in university by taking the credits and graduating early.

2) How hard is it really to get a 6 or 7?

Depends on what kind of student you are. Personally, I don't expect anything less than a 6 but I also think towards the end of the year (i.e. exam time), I worked pretty damn hard. During the year, I was... lazy, so for some courses such as Math HL, that probably considerably decreased the probability of me getting a 7. The scores you receive also depend on your teacher's ability, and if they're "challenged", your ability to self-motivate and self-teach. Of course, your personal aptitudes/interests should be taken into account too. If you choose courses you hate, you won't do thatttt well unless you're a masochist with really good self-control.

3) Can you also enlighten me on Canadian university admissions?

Are you in Ontario? Here, we apply around Nov of grade 12 using OUAC (online system). They charge you $105 or so for a min of 3 univ selections with additional selections costing $35, and that's it. You can get admission offers any time, depending on individual univs, up until mid-May. For me, uOttawa accepted two days after I applied, based on my grade 11 marks. My last acceptance (I think Queen's or Toronto??) was either late-Feb or early-March, because I left the PSE until a few hours before it was due.

4) Did you find admissions complicated or difficult? Did you have to do interviews?

No, and no. You click a few things with your mouse and that's it. The online system does everything for you.

5) What is the most important component to admissions (grades, extra-curriculars, interview)?

I'd say grades. Canadian univs don't give interviews for home students for undergrad courses for the most part, and if your grades are high enough, you'll get into any program with the exception of a few i.e. Mac health sci where there's a supp app.

I just got back from 8hrs of working and 5hrs of shopping so if there are run-on sentences and/or other grammatical mistakes, it's my fatigue speaking. :P

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Is it hard? - It does depend on your subjects.. I'm not finding it too hard at the moment, but I know people who are struggling with it.

Was it worth it? - I think it is going to be worth it for me - I talked to graduates last year, and they said it definitely did help them.

How to survive? - I agree with not procrastinating, and trying not to cram everything, because that seriously won't work. Plan, plan, plan for everything, and you will be fine. :P

Hope this helps!

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How to survive? - I agree with not procrastinating, and trying not to cram everything, because that seriously won't work. Plan, plan, plan for everything, and you will be fine. :P

Yes, PLAN YOUR TIME and do not procrastinate! I know people who've started IAs less than 12 hours before the deadline and they could have done so much better if they had started earlier.

IB is more about motivation and work ethics than natural geniuses, provided that you've chosen the right subjects.

Good luck :(

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How to survive? - I agree with not procrastinating, and trying not to cram everything, because that seriously won't work. Plan, plan, plan for everything, and you will be fine. :D

Yes, PLAN YOUR TIME and do not procrastinate! I know people who've started IAs less than 12 hours before the deadline and they could have done so much better if they had started earlier.

IB is more about motivation and work ethics than natural geniuses, provided that you've chosen the right subjects.

Good luck :D

No matter what people tell you if you are a procrastinator then you will put things off, it's just a way of life. The best advice that I can give is to not put too much pressure on yourself and stress out, because if you aren't stressed and are enjoying yourself most of the time you will get through it. Plus when you finally get through it the rewards will be a lot greater than the hours that would have been spent sitting in front of the TV. Just think of the looks on losers that didn't try and end up serving you at the local McDonalds! :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

How to survive? - I agree with not procrastinating, and trying not to cram everything, because that seriously won't work. Plan, plan, plan for everything, and you will be fine. XD

Yes, PLAN YOUR TIME and do not procrastinate! I know people who've started IAs less than 12 hours before the deadline and they could have done so much better if they had started earlier.

IB is more about motivation and work ethics than natural geniuses, provided that you've chosen the right subjects.

Good luck :D

No matter what people tell you if you are a procrastinator then you will put things off, it's just a way of life. The best advice that I can give is to not put too much pressure on yourself and stress out, because if you aren't stressed and are enjoying yourself most of the time you will get through it. Plus when you finally get through it the rewards will be a lot greater than the hours that would have been spent sitting in front of the TV. Just think of the looks on losers that didn't try and end up serving you at the local McDonalds! :)

In my opinion, that's just an excuse... Surely, some people have easier to procrastinate than others, but you are in charge of your own life and can choose what you want to do, if you want to write that essay or if hang out with your friends. :P

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  • 3 weeks later...

Is it hard? - Reasonable difficulty to me personally.

Was it worth it? - Personally, yes. IB teaches me a lot and I learn a great variety of things from it.. not only in the subject areas, but just communicating with intelligent people, PLANNING MY TIME, not wasting my time playing games... it all falls in in this category.

How to survive? - This is a great place you found, buddy! :D Lots of advice flow through this web, I hope you find it very useful!

Also, some key points on how to survive IB:

  1. Power naps - after a hard and long day at school, take a 30 minute nap before starting your homework. But make sure your alarm is on and its LOUD!
  2. Coffee or Energy Drinks - allnighters is a way of life for us, IB students.
  3. Listen to music - you get extremely exhausted after a long day at school and on your way home, listen to music. If you do not get distracted by music when doing your homework, you are welcome to do so, it releases stress!
  4. Play video games - or any other games that you enjoy, but do not get addicted to them.
  5. If you haven't decided to take the IB yet, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Talk to all the tutors and teachers of the subjects you wish to do. If you are in a new school/college, make friends with both teachers and your fellow IB-ers. Make sure this is definitely what you want to do.
  6. BE ORGANISED. This cannot be stressed enough. You are juggling 6, nearly 7 subjects at a high level here, for goodness sake keep your notes for each separate, organized and well written so that you can refer to them when it comes to exam time.
  7. Do all your homework. You could find yourself overwhelmed come end of first year exams if not diligent. This applies even further if you are doing science or math at higher level.
  8. Start your extended essay ASAP. The sooner you do it, the sooner it's out of the way.
  9. TOK. Otherwise known as Theory of Knowledge. Nail it. It's easy to get the core point for it if you work relatively hard. If your teacher won't teach you, TEACH YOURSELF. There are books out there which are specifically designed for IB. Go get them.#
  10. Revise. These exams are definitely NOT a walk in the park. The IB is HARD for most people, so prepare for it!
  11. Try not to freak out. You aren't going to fail, not if you work. Yes, you will get into university/college. Stop freaking out.
  12. Remember, there is more to life than IB. Have some sort of social life, for the sake of your own sanity. That said, DO SOME WORK as well.
  13. CAS.(Creativity, Action, Service). You need 50 hours of each, over the two years. Try and persuade your school to organise something to help you knock these hours out, e.g. Photography Class, Activity Weekend, Tuition of younger kids. If all else fails, gardening in school can count as all three. ANY help you do in school, get it signed off. Hand in those forms!#
  14. Give yourself a break once in a while. Do whatever it is you do to relax. Have some you time. Just not all the time.#
  15. The IB is hard sometimes, but do it properly. There's no point wasting years of your life goofing off, when you could be making the most of what is, at the end of the day, a pretty awesome qualification.#
  16. Learn the IB objectives for each subject. They aren't going to test you on anything else. Ever. For example, in Biology, there's not much point learning the names of all the amino acids when you only have to be able to draw a generalised structure (apart from intrinsic interest).
  17. Learn the command terms for each subject. Not knowing command terms will lose you marks you could have gotten otherwise.
  18. Get yourself a questionbank/do actual past exam questions. The questions in your textbook or those which you are set in class may be drastically easier than the actual exam if you don't do this.
  19. Pick subjects you are the most enthusiastic about. These are the subjects you are going to be studying INTENSIVELY for two years. You're going to write essays, read about, do LOADS of research and homework on those subjects. Trust me, you DON'T want to do a Business Management IB course if you wanted to take Theatre Arts instead. You will most likely be admitted into college with a 5 or 6 in Theatre Arts than 2 or 3 in Business Management.
  20. Following up from the piece of advice above,DON'T let your parents pick your subjects for you. For the love of all things beautiful, PLEASE don't do that to yourself. Yes, you've heard for the BILLIONTH time how your parents want you to go into engineering and medical school....but the fact of the matter is, if you don't WANT to, you're not going to do well. Yes, they know you well, and yes, they know what you're good at, and you should listen to their opinions. But this is YOUR life. YOUR future. The final call should be YOURS. THIS is your first step towards adulthood; being able to make decisions for yourself. Your parents should support you no matter what your choice.

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  1. Power naps - after a hard and long day at school, take a 30 minute nap before starting your homework. But make sure your alarm is on and its LOUD!
  2. Coffee or Energy Drinks - allnighters is a way of life for us, IB students
    I don't see why people seem to be so dependent on coffee and energy drinks. In my opinion, you'll just get to energetic and hyper and won't be able to sit down and actually do you homework. All-nighters aren't necessary either, I've never pulled one and don't intend to either.
    But I agree with what you said about the subjects, choose the subjects you want to do, and DON'T let you parents decide. If you're going to make, you better like what you're doing!
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Well, if you drink the whole energy drink at once, of course you will be hyper and you will not be able to do anything. But if you do it constantly.. sip by sip and drink the whole thing in about 30 minutes then you'll be fine. It gives you little bursts of energy which I find useful. Although the night after you feel completely exhausted!

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Well, if you drink the whole energy drink at once, of course you will be hyper and you will not be able to do anything. But if you do it constantly.. sip by sip and drink the whole thing in about 30 minutes then you'll be fine. It gives you little bursts of energy which I find useful. Although the night after you feel completely exhausted!

There are some guys in my class who're drinking a lot of coffee and taking coffein pills and whatever. But, they aren't the ones with the best grades. I don't think it's very healthy either, sleep is probably better.

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Of course it is not healthy and overdoing it is very bad for your body.

Taking coffein pills is just wrong.

I just mean that drinking energy drinks or coffee ONLY in emergency situations.. when you have a presentation the next day and you are not prepared or something.. I do not mean drink it on a regular day basis.. of course it is bad for you.

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Is IB even hard?

Um, the answer to that question really depends on what sort of a person you are. If you are the type of person who is usually satisfied with a 80%-90% average, you will definately get that in IB with some aptitude and an average amount of hardwork. That's a level 5. Good enough for any university in Ontario to accept you (except some highly competitive programs such as Health Sci. at McMaster).

If you wish to get 90%+ average, then you will have to work hard... as you would in ANY high school course... IB or academic...

The one thing that is amazing about IB is that if you are the sort of person who is willing to work super-hard, you will be able to get really high marks due to the crazy Ontario conversions. E.g. I have a friend who got a 99% in SL Biology... even she admits that she wouldn't have been able to get that in an academic class no matter how hard she tried (& she did try hard... but... she got a greater reward for it, I guess, than she ever would have without IB)...

& Do IB kids have a life? Um... it depends on what you define having a life as... Will you be able to go out on random weekdays and watch movies with your friends? No. Will you be able to hang out with your friends once in a while? Yes. Will you have to pull some all-nighters? Yes. Will it eb worth it? Yes. I think so.

Also, one thing I must add. Don't go into IB if you are not going to be serious about working hard and doing well in high school. It just really annoys the rest of us : )

Coffee? Um why not? I mean sure... why not... it helps me stay awake at night when I need to... it's not that bad of a thing in moderate amounts :D Caffine pills are going too far... and um energy drinks are definately BAD for you :\

Also, don't worry... you won't spend the next 4 years in a pile of books... sure you'll have to study... but at the same time, you'll be forced into a bunch of extracurricular activities... and meet some wonderful and some not so wonderful people... whether you want to... or not!

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Of course it is not healthy and overdoing it is very bad for your body.

Taking coffein pills is just wrong.

I just mean that drinking energy drinks or coffee ONLY in emergency situations.. when you have a presentation the next day and you are not prepared or something.. I do not mean drink it on a regular day basis.. of course it is bad for you.

Yeah, I see. But ideally, you'll never put yourself in that situation :D

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Is IB even hard?

thats a hard question to answer. it all depends on you.

i go to tfss too and the reason you guys had to go to that math camp was because we all failed out math courses last year :P and you guys are reaping the results.

some Academic students are getting 90s in their classes without putting any effort in.

you can't do that in IB, butt if you work really really hard. you can achieve rly high marks =)

just remember not to lose sight of the equally important things like friends, family, relaxation, community involvement

&& EXTRACURRICULARS:

extracurriculars are fun, you get to meet new friends, you get to make a valuable contribution to a sports team, club or event, and when it comes to university application time, unis will be impressed that you have lots of extracurriculars on yr plate & yr in IB.

so work hard on yr hmk and stuff. and dont just give up easily. the first yr is normally like a "struggle" period. but dont overobssess with the books. and help is always available if you ask for it!

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