As a former IB-centric studyblr (see Exhibit A here), I think that it is fair to say that I am a pretty strong IB advocate. There was nothing I loved more than pushing drafts of my Extended Essay at my mentor, complaining about CAS reflections and pretending to understand the complexities of TOK. But as May rolled around and my confidence in my abilities began to roll into July, I was in for the shocked of my life: instead of passing the program with my predicted academic achievement of 34/45, I just passed the program entirely, finishing with a score of 28/45. I was pretty shocked to say the least. As a toast to my astonishing academic feat, fake philosophy TOK and CAS social statuses on ManageBac: here’s 6 things I learned from almost failing IB, one point for every one that I lost in final exams.

Your grades do not define who you are: 80% exams and 20% moderated internal assessments? Where is the value in that classwork, discussion and studying? Is it all down the drain from here? Chemistry maybe. (Just a joking art-business student here.) Something that I really learned to appreciate is the versatility and application of studies that IB ingrains in their students. A combination of luck and talented teachers, my love for economics and business stems almost entirely from classroom discussions and case studies in Economics HL. I knew that business studies were for me as soon as I finished my first commentary.

Measure your pride not in how others judge your success, but in how you feel you have progressed: I think over the course of my two years in this program, I submitted over 4 drafts of my work to my Extended Essay mentor. While most students groan at the thought of a credit-less assignment, I could not be more excited to explore something I was interested in academically, not to mention having the motivation and opportunity to share it with others. At my graduation ceremony when I was asked to share the thing I was most proud of, I did not hesitate to say my Extended Essay. Does it suck to go from a B to a D? Absolutely. But that doesn’t discount the fact that I worked my ass off on that paper and I know that my mentor loved what I wrote. I gained a greater appreciate for literature and anthropology and honestly right now: that’s all I really need.

Don’t judge the dropouts: I will not be the first to admit that IB students sometimes have an elitist attitude when it comes to academics (especially compared to AP and regular program students). Sure, my program may be internationally-focused, but that’s no more than a few works in translation books in literature class or case studies in economics. At the end of the day, external markers control 100% of your grade (IAs are moderated, do not ever forget it) and if you’re like me, those same AP or regular program students you were putting down probably graduated with a higher average than you.

Your teachers are human too: One of my favorite things about IB is that everyone really is a team working together to have a greater success rate. It’s rarely you versus your teacher. I graduated knowing that my teachers did the best they could possibly do for me and it’s such a toss up what results in the end.

Keep your personal life on hold during the academic season: One of my biggest regrets for several reasons is that right around exams, I had a major falling out with my best friend and confidante of four years. It sucked, as most breakups do, but the worst part is that when I should have been focusing more on studying, I could barely get out of bed. Friendships are forever until nobody talks anymore and those grades that got you into university could have also resulted in making new friends.

Choose your friends diversely: So my strength is in languages and social sciences, but the way I designed my IB program focused heavily on the natural sciences and engineering. My closest friends and I were complete opposites which made up for great conversations and interesting perspectives. Through them, I gained a deep appreciation for science and mathematics. Even though these subjects may not be my favourites, I will always look to them with an open mind.

What advice would you share with high school students about your experience? I know that really hit home for me is the ability to reflect and journal. (Damn CAS for actually teaching me something useful in the end!)

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Hi guys! So on July 26 I attended the July Advisory Day(JAD) at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. The goal of JAD is to give students guidance and knowledge to help them navigate the college admissions process, specifically in relation to the essay and the interview. I got a lot of valuable information out of it and figured I’d share it with you!

I N T E R V I E W

There are two types of interviews, informational and evaluative. Evaluative has more weight in your decision while informational has less weight. Most schools only offer one of the and schools place different values on the interview. Some don’t have them, some are optional, and some require interviews. It depends on the college. 

Know when you have to interview by for Early Decision/Early Action and for Regular Decision! Don’t leave it for the last minute!

You aren’t being quizzed, but you should have some knowledge about the school you’re interviewing at. For example, you should know school size, class size, academic programs and extracurriculars that you might be interested and a little bit about the college in general.

Like I said, you aren’t being quizzed, this is a conversation between you and the interviewer. You won’t be asked, “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would (haha) you be and why?” You’re going to be asked about yourself, your interests, your academics, extracurriculars.

Bring a resume to the interview with your education, including the classes you took junior year and are taking senior year, your extracurriculars, any awards or honors you’ve received and service and outreach you’ve done. Give this to the interviewer and they will most likely put this in your admissions file and will help them if the conversation gets stuck!

Dress professionally. Not a $300 suit, but aim for business casual. Guys: khakis and a nice button up in warm weather, switch to navy and maybe add a jacket when it gets cold. Gals: A nice skirt(not a mini skirt, a few inches above the knee max) and top or dress is nice. You don’t need heels so wear what you’re comfortable in. Non-Binary Pals: Take whatever you like from the above two and make it your own. Your expression is your own. Don’t wear sneakers, flip flops, ripped jeans, graphic t-shirts, etc.

Be polite. Make eye contact, don’t swear, thank the interviewer at the end. Show a bit more courtesy than you normally would. 

Follow up the interview with a thank you email/thank you note promptly. 

E S S A Y

Write about what you want, if everyone thinks you should write about one thing but you don’t want to, don’t. The admissions office wants to hear your voice and hear the story that you want to tell.

Proofread

The Common App/Coalition App prompts are a guide. You don’t have to exactly answer the question.

Proofread

Don’t try to use fancy words to make yourself sound smarter. Be a polished version of you, not Charles Dickens. 

Proofread. 

Avoid the “we lost the state game and I learned about teamwork,” “I had a bad sports injury,” and the, “Grandma inspires me” cliche. The admissions officers will tune it out. Sorry.

Proofread.

Write about you. They’re very proud of your friend for doing X but how does that help them get to know you?

Proofread.

Be creative, but make sure that the metaphors you use work and can be understood easily.

Proofread. 

Start early and write multiple drafts.

Did I mention proofread?

For those who wanted to see my study schedule for IB exams, here it is. I’ll break down the process under the cut. 

tonight it’s the leaning tower of plates and bowls because I can’t be assed to clean them up

tonight it’s writing my physics homework illegibly out of spite for my classmates who will inevitably try to copy it

tonight is sobbing because my dad is trying to fix the printer and he, for some reason, needs my laptop to do it so I can’t work on my spanish presentation

tonight is studying with the sunlight lamp on wrapped up in a blanket clutching my childhood sleeping toy in my left hand as I write to keep from having a mental breakdown

I’m sick and had to take today off from school and had no willpower to do anything but lay on the couch and try not to hack up a lung. 

I don’t want to miss tomorrow too because then I’ll be really far behind. 

I also have a psych quiz tomorrow and this one is going to be hard and I don’t feel prepared.