<p>I'm about to start my Junior year in IB and thinking it through, I honestly don't think I'll be able to do well in the program. I think I'd do better in Ap classes. Do you guys think IB is worth it at all? Reading on it, it hasn't seemed to benefit people, only the incredibly smart (which I am not). For seniors how was your junior year in ib? How hard was it? How badly would this effect my chances at colleges? Help pleaseee.</p>
<p>IB is hard. End of story. If you don’t think you can handle the course load DON’T do it. Transfer to a different school so that you can still say you took the most rigorous courseload, but don’t push your self through IB if aren’t motivated/don’t think you can do it. More than one person at my school has been burned out because they couldn’t keep up with the work. I will say it benefits you, it prepares you for the rigors of college (freshman year at many colleges is a joke compared to IB (assuming you don’t party your face off).
For me junior year was intense at first, and then once I got the hang of it was easy. MOST people at my school say junior year takes 4 years off your life, but personally I think senior year takes off an another 8. Junior is tough, because you start getting leadership positions, and more responsibility at the same time that you are really getting into the interesting part of coursework. You will have lots of work, and it will NOT be pleasant, not one bit. If you don’t think you are up for it you WILL ruin your GPA, and you might get burned out. You don’t need to be smart to do IB, it just makes the whole thing a good bit easier. Out of the top ten at my school 4 weren’t very smart, rather they worked extremely hard. The way we look at it in my school, if your smart you get 5 hours of sleep, if your not you get 3 hours (on a good day). ‘Sleep is for the weak’ is the unofficial motto for IB, so if you don’t think you can handle the work, then don’t do it.
(disclaimer: this is for most people in most programs, and if doubt me just google ‘IB memes’, and you will be enlightened)</p>
<p>You will regret doing IB. At best, your unhappiness will stem from not having the college credits that AP kids do. At worst, you will flunk.</p>
<p>One thing I didn’t mention, while the OP probably won’t enjoy IB (you’ve gotta be crazy to enjoy it) if he/she decides that they want to aim for a less competitive college, and then goes for IB certificates the IB program can be quite rewarding. No CAS, no TOK, only a few IA’s, fewer classes, etc. IB certificates make the process much more rewarding for students who don’t feel as mental prepared.</p>
<p>We only have the diploma program at my school, so going certificate isn’t an option. But it seems like I’ll have to stay in the IB program so I’m just gonna have to deal with it. Thank you anyways, how did you manage to not go crazy in the program?</p>