Is it just me or is IB not that bad?

Pre-College Issues International Baccalaureate (IB)
1

<p>I've seen students posting all over the internet that IB is the hardest thing there ever is and that it's absolutely horrible.</p>

<p>At least so far ( 1 quarter into junior year ) I have yet to feel the heat.
I have a 5.0 right now ( Above 94% in 5/6 classes ), do Varsity Cross Country, spend time managing a charity that I co-founded, and if I wanted too, could probably get 10 hours of sleep a night. ( I spend too much time wasting time on the computer, although not necessarily procrastination, it's always after hw.)
I probably have under 30 minutes of hw of everday hw, but probably spend a 1-2 nights an weekend doing project type stuff and essays that'll take up a couple hours of the day.</p>

<p>I am however very good at getting hw done in class and in guided study, advocacy, homeroom, whatever your school calls it.
In Spanish, Statistics, and Physics, the hw is on the board at the beginning of class so i do it when they're talking about stuff i feel solid on.
English usually has daily hw, which i get done at guided study. Anthro has textbook notes due every two weeks which i usually get done in guided study. History has notes every 1-2 weeks due, which i spend one night on usually, taking me a couple hours. </p>

<p>Other than that pattern, i'll most likely get something unexpected or have to pay attention in class, and have 30 mins of hw to do at home. And then of course the often project or essay. </p>

<p>My school has block schedule which helps</p>

<p>My school is not outstanding as far as ranking in IB scores, but it is above average. Of the 20-30 kids that go for the diploma each year, only 1 or 2 don't get it because of scores. </p>

<p>My schedule this year is:
AP Stats
SL Physics
SL English
SL Anthropology
SL History of the Americas
Honors Spanish 3</p>

<p>Next year will be:
HL Calc BC
HL Physics
HL English
HL History of the Americas
TOK
SL Spanish 4</p>

<p>Thoughts? Does it start to pick up or is the culture at my school different?</p>

2

<p>LOL awkward I think he’s talking about IB classes, not international business major. Maybe IB isn’t that hard because you’re not taking the hardest classes, or your school isn’t rigorous.</p>

3

<p>You are 1 quarter into junior year. At that point, I was also cruising and had a 4.0. Don’t worry - it will get more challenging. Things definitely do ramp up, especially come internal assessments and when the exams draw near.
Based on the numbers you give about your school, it sounds like they are good at managing the program and preparing you for your exams. It also sounds like you are keeping pretty good homework/study habits. But keep an eye out for when things get more difficult. That is not something you want to be blindsided with.
IB definitely is challenging, but it’s totally do-able. I managed to keep my 4.0 UW (though this was uncommon at my school), and somehow managed to not pull an all-nighter. My senior year, though, I was averaging 4-5 hours of sleep a night.
If it feels manageable to you now, though - awesome.</p>

4

<p>I agree with the previous poster that IB gets harder. The challenge kicks in during your senior year when you have multiple IAs due on the same days, Extended essays to do, and perhaps some Uni Apps to complete on top of it. And the material itself in IB isn’t very hard (easier than AP for most cases), but you have to a combination of random subjects that you would rather not take. Otherwise, if you have good work ethics, it’s completely possible to do well in IB. Good luck, but don’t underestimate IB just yet.</p>

5

<p>I mean, of course it’s easy during the first quarter–you haven’t learned enough to do any intensive projects. Or CAS. Or the EE. Or multiple IAs due in the same week. Or the actual exams themselves. </p>

<p>Not trying to alarm you, but IB isn’t a cakewalk (especially for diploma candidates). That said, it’s definitely a worthwhile challenge.</p>