I was wondering if I should do any summer prep for these classes that I’m taking this year:
IB European History HL I
IB English HL I
IB Biology HL I
IB Physics SL
IB French
I did not any summer homework for any of my course except to read a 200 page book for english, so I was curious if there was anything that would be useful to prep before the classes I’m taking. I’m trying to be at the top of my classes this year (as I was last year and in the running to be a valedictorian) and want every advantage I can get. Thank you so much!
Nah, it’s not needed. IB is pretty self-contained. You’ll be taught anything you don’t know.
It is true that it’s not needed but it also depends on the teachers. For example, I just took the first year of IB Lit HL and my teacher was a monstrosity. His expectations were pretty high and looking back, I wish I had gotten a hold of the syllabus beforehand and read the books during the summer. It would have given me a few more hours of sleep during the school year for sure.
Getting at least one step ahead is always a great thing because when the heat of the courses comes to a head and you have large amounts of homework and not enough time, background knowledge can definitely help you process and comprehend the topics faster. Plus, you’ll get the chance to impress your teachers, who may or may not be writing those rec letters.