By Lea Barry, Year 12
The IB: a word which means so much to so many people. We’ve all heard rumors about what the IB is like. Some rumors are incredibly daunting; the IB is absolutely impossible, it will cause you an incredible amount of stress and you will get no sleep at all for two years. On the other hand some people say it’s actually the best years of high school due to the freedom and ability to take classes you actually like.
It’s already the end of October so we’ve been back or almost two months now. So to settle some of the expectations vs reality of the IB, I decided to ask five fellow year 12 students about what they really think about the IB so far.
- Currently would you say that you have more or less work than last year?
Maria Doyhambehere: I have less pieces of work this year than last year. However each piece of work I get this year is generally more time consuming than last year.
Lily Radwan: I’d say that I have less work so far.
Anonymous: Hands down, MORE work than last year.
Luyolo Mafu: Honestly I wouldn’t say I have more work, but the work load isn’t really distributed evenly. Therefore there are weeks where I have no work at all and there are times where I have loads of work.
Caitlin Ebsary: I definitely have more work than last year but so far it hasn’t been overwhelming.
- What do you think about your new schedule?
MD: Personally my schedule is pretty relaxing but I wish that we ended earlier than 4:35.
LR: I find it very tiring because my schedule is completely different to what it was like last year. It’s hard to find a good sleeping pattern but I do enjoy the free periods a lot.
A: Overall I like my schedule but since CAS takes up most of my free periods, I don’t really get to use them exactly as I wish.
LM: I like my schedule this year because I have time to sit down and eat lunch unlike last year where I had to rush and not get a proper lunch. Also the free periods I have are really well placed because I have time to revise before class so I’m happy about that.
CE: My schedule is alright; I barely have any classes on Tuesdays, but Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are packed with classes so it’s a little annoying but it’s okay.
- Which class has been the most different to what you have expecting and why?
MD: My biology class because so far it’s been okay and I was expecting it to be a lot more challenging from the very beginning.
LR: Art is a lot more academic than I was expecting and so far I have less freedom than I thought I would have.
A: History for sure because I was not expecting to get homework every single lesson.
LM: Economics is different to what I expected because it’s really demanding in the sense that a lot of revision is needed to stay on track with the class.
CE: Personally it has been physics just because my teacher prefers to teach through many practicals as opposed to what I was used to with my previous teachers who taught mostly through notes.
- What is the best thing about the IB so far besides the free periods?
MD: Since we get to choose our subjects, I’m enjoying my classes more because I’m interested in what I’m learning about.
LR: The fact that we havelonger lunches in general, that I don’t have to take classes which I don’t enjoy and that high school is almost over.
A: Besides ending early, I feel as though the IB has already made me more mature because of my overload of work. It forces me to be more concentrated on my studies and not be on my phone all the time.
LM: It really prepares us for university.
CE: The best thing about the IB is the “freedom” you have to choose only classes you’re interested in taking.
- What is the worst thing about the IB so far besides the workload?
MD: That were constantly told to be thinking or looking at universities because I find it really stressful.
LR: If you’re not used to a certain type of teaching, you have to learn to adapt because you will have that teacher for two years.
A: We have had so many assemblies that have not been particularly informative.
LM: That we already have to decide on things which will affect our life in the future, for example having to already decide on universities and career paths.
CE: The worst thing about the IB is that I think it restricts artistic students by only allowing for one art. Personally I’m interested in both arts and sciences. However I was forced to take a science with the IB and do an art class outside of school which I find too bad.
- If you could give one piece of advice to someone in year 11, what would it be?
MD: When you’re picking your subjects for the IB, make sure you choose the subjects you enjoy the most.
LR: Over the summer try to have a mentality that will keep you motivated for when school starts again.
A: Don’t take year 11 for granted because even though it’s easy at times, the first few weeks of the IB are really built upon what you did/were supposed to do last year. So it’s best to be prepared.
LM: Firstly, study your class notes at home everyday because it helps retain the material more efficiently. Secondly don’t ever leave work for the last minutes and thirdly get into the habit of being good at managing your time.
CE: Do your work as soon as it is assigned and don’t procrastinate by doing it last minute because it won’t do you any favours!
