hi guys! today i’ll be sharing some tips and things about how to be successful in the IB program. this is kinda long but it’s the HONEST truth that not a lot of people would tell you. i got my results back and i did end up getting my diploma! :) IB classes i took: HL english, HL psychology, HL history, SL mandarin, SL ESS, SL math studies, and of course TOK :) hope this helps ya’ll!
1. procrastination
something i struggled with a lot was procrastination. i especially procrastinated the EE and all of my IAs, and i can tell you guys it was NOT the move. i became super stressed because i was saving big assignments for the last minute, and it was horrible for my mental health. doing assignments last minute might work sometimes, but in the IB program it will really effect your grades. what i would recommend is if you get homework just do it the day you get it, and when having longer assignments, work on it bit by bit everyday. i know getting started can be really hard, so what helped me was thinking about my future goals (it really motivates me to work harder).
2. cas
yes, i am making a section just for cas. did you know you could get perfect scores on your exams but if your cas isn’t complete you don’t get your diploma? i’ve heard stories... DON’T PROCRASTINATE YOUR CAS! spread out your activities and hours throughout BOTH years. what i would recommend for being successful in cas would be to do activities that you actually like. i know a lot of people who would do ANYTHING for cas hours, and while they got their hours, their journals were in-genuine and they struggled at the end when they had to have the final discussion with the ib coordinator. do something you’re proud of! also, anything can count for hours. i put social media as hours! in addition, you can use the things you do for cas for your college applications!!
3. make friends
now you’re probably wondering, jordan, what do you mean make friends? i have friends... well, what i mean is make friends in your classes. this is something i LEARNED. in year 1, i was kind of a lone wolf, and i realized that whenever i had questions or needed help, i didn’t have anyone to ask. in year two, i made sure to have at least 1 friend in every class and it helped me SO MUCH. they don’t even have to be your friends, just find people you would feel comfortable talking to and asking questions, it will really come in handy, especially in the ibdp.
4. learn confidence
again, you’re probably very confused. let me paint you a picture: you will have to do A LOT of public speaking in this program. a lot. whether it’s speeches, presentations, tok presentations, daily speaking in language class... you will have a lot of public speaking. i guess this is kind of a heads up. i know it sucks, but you WILL have a ton of graded public speaking assignments, and i can tell you from personal experience, if you aren’t confident or able to speak in front of others, it will effect your grade. i know this because i was that girl. like literally in mandarin class if i had to do daily speaking in front of all of my classmates i would CRY. literally cry. so i know where you’re coming from. but, what i learned throughout the years is that NOBODY CARES. and i mean that in the best way possible. you just have to remember that you won’t see these people after high school, they really aren’t paying that much attention, and if you mess up, they truly will not care. everyone is stressing over their own assignments. what i learned to do is fake it till you make it. i would appear SUPER confident with whatever i said, and everyone believed i was confident and speaking well, even though i would mess up sometimes. just close your eyes, take a breath, and fake it till you make it :)
5. final tips / words
make sure your IAs are good, they matter.
your citations in your EE is literally more important than the actual writing. if you have ONE wrong citation you could literally fail your EE.
live your life! you will definitely be consumed in your studies, but trust me you also need some fun :)
you’ll become close with your ib cohort because ya’ll are ALL struggling together. you will most likely make new friends :)
take classes you know you’ll somewhat enjoy. if you’re not a math person don’t take HL math, if you’re not a science person don’t take HL bio... TRUST ME.
do your EE on something that ACTUALLY interests you because it’ll be easier to work on and it won’t really feel like a weight on your shoulders.
don’t overthink things. i know a ton of people stress a lot about the tok presentation, but trust me you will be okay. i made my presentation the day before i had to present and got a 9. just PRACTICE presenting. it will help so much
do your tok presentation on something that interests you and something you actually could talk about, it will make your life a lot easier
helpful website: https://www.ibsurvival.com/
i have a tumblr group for ib students where we help each other, ask to join!
okay, that’s it :) hopefully this helped some people, it was really raw and honest. while the ib program caused major stress and health issues, it was also an experience. it changed me, made me more open minded and really impacted my life. i was able to do things i wouldn’t think i would do because of cas, and i learned more about myself. and honestly, i loved my cohort and felt like i had a small family of people i could relate to. if you’re nervous, don’t worry. it isn’t that bad, and trust me there are positives. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! if you want further advice on anything IB related you can comment, send something to my ask box, or just private message me! have an amazing day :)))
- jordan <3
