My IB Schedule

<p>I believe the ONLY history class offered by IB are IB History. No ?</p>

<p>k...replace IB World Lit with "Language A1 (HL)"; Contemporary history with "IB History"; and IB Calculus with "IB Math SL." The history test is divided into 6 regions, and you emphasize one; ours was contemporary europe. jesus christ.</p>

<p>It really does depend on your school, because some IB schools have really hard classes, but lots of the students are able to pass the IB exams that way. On the other hand, there are easy IB classes where the students don't learn as much as they should, so there's a lower passing rate. </p>

<p>I'm already a junior in IB, and here's my schedule:
AP/IB Biology (taking HL biology next year)
Spanish 3 H-IB (taking Spanish 4 AP/IB SL next year)
English 3 IB HL (taking English 4 IB HL next year)
Economics IB SL (taking Civics H and computers next year)
U.S. History IB SL (taking ToK next year in its place)
AP Calculus (taking HL Math next year)
(and during senior year, possibly taking Physics or Anatomy)</p>

<p>As far as I know, the easiest class for me is AP Calculus and English. Calculus is pretty easy as long as you study for the AP exam, know deriv/antiderivs, and can analyze the graphs. I know for a fact that History of the Americas HL and Biology HL are a pain, because of all the memorization for the IB exams. Particularly, Biology HL. =_= I heard that ToK is a fun class, but it depends on the teacher. </p>

<p>But overall, your schedule is the 'most challenging' coursework available, so you should expect to learn how to use your time wisely. I learned that the computer distracts me the most from doing my homework, so try to avoid staying up until 3 AM watching dramas or anime instead of doing your homework. =]</p>

<p>Even if you don't have that much homework (for some reason O_o) I would suggest studying for that test in a couple of days because procrastination from studying will bite back later on.</p>

<p>ask people who have been through the IB program at your school what they thought.</p>

<p>No use, they all had seizures.</p>

<p>I hope you're joking Magician.</p>

<p>In my opinion, IB is actually a very, very easy program. They dress the courses up in standards and prestige but the core content in most classes is ridiculously simple. </p>

<p>As for the amount of homework you'll be doing: that, of course, depends on the teacher. There aren't that many IB assessments.</p>

<p>
[quote]
In my opinion, IB is actually a very, very easy program

[/quote]

Did you even take IB ?

[quote]
They dress the courses up in standards and prestige but the core content in most classes is ridiculously simple.

[/quote]

Right........</p>

<p>Agree about the homework part. Maybe the courseload and rigor differs from school to school. I'm probably just bitter because I'm lazy and come from a Magnet IB.</p>

<p>"In my opinion, IB is actually a very, very easy program "
.. if you're talking about the diploma program, you obviously don't know much about IB</p>

<p>my freshman sched. for next year:
Pre-IB Biology
Pre-IB Math Studies SL
Pre-IB Geography
Pre-IB Language Arts
Spanish III
Residential Architecture
Online Latin I class
College in the Schools Hebrew 102</p>

<p>I'm hoping it won't be too rigorous, as I'll be making my transition into high school..</p>

<p>I was going to enter the IB program, did pre IB 9th and 10th, and first year of IB mathematics, but it seemed too easy for me so i'm transferring schools. But thats just because my school is crap and doesn't offer a single course that i want. Requires mathematics to be standard level, physics to be standard level, and the only electives are photography, art, and sl itgs. So for me, it would have been waaayyy to easy as my focus would end up being on standard level classes that don't even receive college credit...
IB seems pretty easy though, in the first year of IB mathematics, im just showing up and getting As, but i think thats just me.
The juniors and seniors doing the candidate program seem to be having no trouble, but many of them complain of a full courseload, but i think they're just slow...</p>

<p>its impossible to do the diploma without Math.... in my opinion you should take Mathematics HL or Math.Methods SL. Math.Studies SL is very basic.</p>

<p>Two of my best friends are in IB and I'm in a full-blast AP course. And all I can say is, they don't compare. At all. It's like comparing apples and grapefruit. They're completely different.</p>

<p>From what I know, IB courses are full set course... it's like ordering a pizza, I guess. AP, you get to choose your topping completely. IB... you order a standard pizza, but you can say "I want sausage instead of peperoni".</p>

<p>As for the sciences, AP is much harder than IB. My friends both got a 7, and they had NO IDEA what I was doing. I went ahead and got a measley 3. AP is much more demanding, I think, when it comes to the sciences. Lot more work for IB< but you need to study like h*ll - and I mean it - to get a 5 in chem. It's riddled with trivias (I hate question 4), calculations, and knowledge that YOU JUST NEED TO KNOW. I made my friends take the AP practice exam, and they both got 1's. o_O</p>

<p>IB math courses don't compare to AP calc either. I spent a year just studying calculus... IB people barely touch calc. In AP you get drilled in that particular subject, so you're more focused. For AP we don't want an all-rounded students. We want nerds (and I'm biased, I know, but I am an AP student). So, no Theory of Knowledge, no essays. Just a single-shot test for AP. Clean, no questions. You can self-study.</p>

<p>Physics B is a joke, if you have taken basic Physics. Nothing weird. Nothing advanced. I self-studied and got a 5.</p>

<p>Physics C on the other hand... Mechanics is pretty simple, but they get VERY creative. E/M... they are PRETTY standard, but be ready to see an integral expression for almost every chapter. They REALLY MEAN college level.</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p>my next year will look very similar to yours:</p>

<p>IB History of the Americas HL
IB English HL
IB Biology HL
IB Spanish SL
IB TOK
AP Music Theory
AP Calc AB</p>

<p>Most of my friends who are seniors have very similar schedules and have plenty of time to have fun, during second semester. First semester is another story. Extended essay, CAS, history IA, and college apps take up an enormous amount of time, not to mention the rigorous classes your taking. If you're not up to the task then IB probably isnt for you.</p>

<p>im a sophmore and next year im taking </p>

<p>HL Math
HL Chem
HL Economics
HL English
SL Physics
SL German B</p>

<p>What do u think... too hard?</p>

<p>
[quote]
IB math courses don't compare to AP calc either. I spent a year just studying calculus... IB people barely touch calc.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It shouldn't really be this way. If they're in Methods and barely touched calc, they're not looking really good for the exam to tell you the truth. We do Methods over two years and we're just finishing up the prob/stat material but as far as calculus, our county is split AP/IB and IB Methods learns all the calc BC topics. Over two years. You can just take the first year if you weren't finished with algebra 2/trig in tenth grade, but you can't sit the exam. Then again our option is partly calc, differential equations, so I guess you'd touch on a little less if you chose one of the options without calculus, but it's still a large part of the core material. Usually our highest class grade is about an 80% this year (but our grading scale is adjusted obviously). I'm in HL. All our tests are HL questions from former tests. I would probably do better in AP calc actually because it's the non calc topics that trip me up, but some people do better in IB methods. Honestly I don't think the actual difficulty level of the material is different between the two, the material is just different. </p>

<p>It's hard to say what will be too hard. I was told mine was going to be "too hard" but I've had all As except a B in math, which is actually pretty good for HL methods at my school. I'm pretty much finished except for exams now, it's the Extended Essay and filling out the CAS forms which you NEVER get signed beforehand when you actually see the people because that would be too easy...haha. TOK is all right but I find it extremely annoying at times and the essays are terrible, but it's not unmanageable. IB art was actually my hardest class but I didn't do it this year because I couldn't take TOK after school since I have gymnastics and I wanted to keep doing IB Business. </p>

<p>Jr Year:
IB Business- took the SL exam but I'm taking HL this year
IB Art
IB English (automatically HL at my school)
IB History of the Americas (also automatically HL)
IB Physics
IB Math Methods HL (first year)
IB French </p>

<p>Sr Year:
IB Business HL
IB English HL II
IB (we call it Twentieth Century Topics, but it's for the HOA exam) HL
IB Physics SL but we learn a lot of the HL stuff since it used to be a split and two years is way too long to just cover the SL material anyway
IB French II (HL/SL split so we all do the same thing, but it's one of my SLs)
IB Math Methods HL II
IB Theory of Knowledge</p>

<p>It was pretty hard and I'm glad it's over, but I would have still done it even knowing what I know now. I was about to handle it, even if it seemed like sometimes I couldn't. I really wish that someone had told me, at times, you will pull through, it will be over, just when it seems like there are six huge things due at once it will all get done. I'm not even particularly interested in time management and basically do things at whim (before the due date of course even if I have to stay up late) and I got everything done. The biggest thing is to FOLLOW DEADLINES EVEN WHEN THEY AREN'T ENFORCED. Most of the time they will be, so your grades will thank you. Secondly, it's just the way the world works. You need to get used to it now. Thirdly, if you don't, you will fall into such a hole. It's not going to be any easier AFTER the deadline than it was before. I stayed up pretty much all night finishing my extended essay draft for the day it was due, even though I could have skipped like a lot of people and bought some extra time. But I knew that putting it off and buying time wasn't making anything any easier, and it's actually pretty rude to the other people affected, coordinators and advisors have to read this stuff on a time table too, advisors are taking on extra work out of the goodness of their heart essentially, they should not have to scramble because someone doesn't want to pull their end of the bargain. </p>

<p>Anyway good luck and don't be afraid to ask for help from your teachers, afterschool and lunch is a good time to reinforce materials and finish up work. Most of Jr year I didn't eat lunch and the first half of senior yr was crunch time so I definitely didn't ;) Bring your lunch if possible to save time. Other friends will probably doing work at these times too. Most of us figured out it was preferable to get it done when you have to be at school anyway and can't do anything fun really (computer, TV, go out, etc) than to have more stuff to do at home.</p>