My Personal Experiences as a student progressing through the world of the IB system
Just like every student who is new to the world of IB, I was not prepared for what was up and ahead of me. What I had expected from this program versus what I had experienced is unbelievably different. Obviously, that is not the case for everyone. Here, I will be diving through my personal experiences as an IBDP student (so far).
As someone who was previously in the Cambridge program from my sixth to eight year, I was not ready for what was about to be thrown at me. Of course, the first week of eleventh grade (first term!), as I enter into the program was…similar as usual. Nothing peculiar, of some sort. Everything was similar to what a particular school day looked like, from my perspective. And then, the second week came. And everything was in shambles.
We begin with the six subject selections; one of the few hardest thing for newcomers to the IB program. I myself had a difficult time when it came to choosing the subjects I wanted to take. Those who know the IB subject selection process may progress forward. Basically, each student taking the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme must choose six subjects; three of them being a higher level subject, and three of them being a standard level subject.
The subjects I had chosen, at first, were higher level in English Language and Literature (yes I am aware of the decisions I make), Psychology and Business. And my standard level subjects would be Environmental Systems and Societies, Mathematics Applications and Interpretation, and Bahasa Indonesia as my second language.
Now, those who are taking this Diploma Programme must be wondering: “why, on god’s green earth, would you ever take English as a higher level?” Again, for those new to this, English is practically one of the few devils in IB. Speaking as an English higher level student, it is both fun and extremely chaotic. Why I chose this, you may ask? Well, to put it simply, I enjoy English as a whole (minus Language). But also because it is a MUST for my university requirements. Dear heavens…
Well, to be fair, I do enjoy English as a subject, so it’s on me. Anyways, moving on to what happens after the subject selections, which is when chaos begins to ensue all over the place.
The classes, the teachers, the learning materials, and everything in this programme was a HUGE and drastic change from what I had already learned for the past few years. Having a class combined with students from different sections was certainly one of the biggest changes I have seen. Or even having up to six students in one class for a particular subject, or having thirty-two students in one class for another particular subject. Oh gosh the amount of changes I had to get adjusted to…
But oh boy, that was only one of the few problems that had to be dealt in a rapid manner. Although, for some of the classes I am in, had topics and materials that we had already learnt in our previous year, which shouldn’t be much of a problem. That is, minus the new subject that I had yet to approach: Psychology; a topic I wasn’t new to, but as a subject? I was intrigued.
So many, yet so little is there surrounding the classes I take. So many new things that is to be learned.
But after a month of proceeding in life with these six subjects in hand, I had a change of heart towards one of the subjects in my list: Business. A subject I wasn’t the biggest fan of, but didn’t have any feelings of hatred towards it. And after a few days of fighting with myself surrounding this decision, I decided to go ahead and give the subjects Visual Arts a try. And honestly? It was worth it. It became one of the classes I enjoy the most throughout my days in school.
Asides from the subjects I have to learn, I also have to deal with the other three requirements that appear in this programme. This includes the dreaded 4000 word essay (also known as Extended Essay), Theory of Knowledge; which is an introduction to students about the nature and limitations of the knowledge we learn and gain in our life, and CAS (which stands for Creativity, Activity, Service), in which students have a number amount of opportunities surrounding their personal growth, creative and physical skills and the challenges that come along the way, and participating in social or community work that would help those around us.
While I do see how this could help us as we progress through life, the little to no energy left on my body would say otherwise. The little to no sleep I receive on a daily basis would say otherwise. But what has helped me go through the chaos and wreck that is IB and particular subjects such as English higher level? Well, I would have to thank the IB English Guys.
But all jokes aside, the IB Diploma Programme is a great programme for students, and one I would highly recommend if you wish to apply to universities from around the world. Though I am currently suffering through sleepless nights and breakdowns, I am glad I had decided to pursue IBDP.
And that’s pretty much my experiences of the world of IB! If you are interested in tips surrounding the Cambridge Programme such as IGCSE, then check out our other posts!
Interested in revisions surrounding the characteristics and classification of living organisms? Check it out here!
Want to go over topics surrounding a certain topic in Computer Science? Check out this post right here!
Best of luck to those in the IB Diploma Program! We are all rooting for you!
Images used:
The IB logo: https://images.app.goo.gl/e5LfbpLvHqq1Sabn6
Picture of the books: https://www.pexels.com/photo/pile-of-open-books-8064312/
English