The International Baccalaureate Program is a rigorous four year program that prepares its students for college level courses and challenges each individual with managing time given a demanding schedule. The freshman and sophomore years of high school are called the Pre-IB period where students who are curious about the program may start off in it before actually starting to take IB assessments. Junior and senior year students' schedules consist of seven IB classes, and the last class is generally an elective taken by the student if they follow an eight period block schedule as I do.
The classes I am currently taking are as follows:
International Baccalaureate Statist SL
International Baccalaureate Spanish SL
International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge 2
Vocal Ensemble 3
International Baccalaureate World Religions SL
International Baccalaureate English HL
International Baccalaureate Biology HL
International Baccalaureate Contemporary History HL
Tip #1: The Extended Essay
If you are in your junior year of the IB program or are about to enter your junior year, I STRONGLY suggest that you start your Extended Essay as soon as possible. Your Extended Essay should be done the first week of your senior year and all that should be left to do afterwards is to revise and edit.
DO NOT ATTEMPT THE 48 HOUR CHALLENGE!!
You will ruin your life by doing this and will probably lose a chunk of hair in the process. It is also VERY, VERY important that you choose an Extended Essay subject and topic that you are 100% passionate about, otherwise you will dread every single word count of that paper until you reach 3,500 - and you can just forget about trying to aim closer to 4,000 words.
Tip #2: Internal Assessments
If your teacher sets due dates for each section of the IA (for example the History IA is divided up into A, B & C), adhere to them. It makes the process so much simpler and easier for you rather than sitting at home typing away the night the final draft is due. If they do not set due dates for sections and they just assign you a final due date, make it your responsibility to pace yourself and not get lazy.
Tip #3: CAS
Start on this super, super early and make sure you have an abundance of activities lined up to be able to log and reflect on them. CAS is not a hard requirement to fulfill of the IB, so don't worry too much about it, but don't completely push it to the back of your head.
Tip #4: HL & SL
Your higher level classes should be classes that are considered your strongest suit while your standard level classes should be the ones that tend to be on your weak side. When testing for your IB exams, your higher level score combined should add up to more than 12 while your standard level should add up to more than 9. You need a total of 24 points to receive your IB diploma.
Tip #5: Study Early
Start studying for your IB examinations in January. Review notes you've taken in class or go online and find some useful study guides. I personally rely on IB survival and IB Bioninja to give me accurate and helpful information.
Tip #6: Breathe!
Take a deep breath and exhale. I'm telling you that everything is going to be alright. You aren't headed towards an early grave or slowly being driven insane. In an instant, you will be at graduation, and all the hard work and time you put into the program will be worth it when you finally get that IB diploma.
