IB: Is It Worth It?
The International Baccalaureate is a programme that takes course throughout the last two years of high school.
Some people might say that this programme may open many doors for you, university wise. Throughout the courses, students learn research skills that could “last a lifetime”. 1. However, they forget to mention that how utterly exhausting this is and how if you are truly committed to the programme you will have at least 4 breakdowns a week. Not to mention CAS (another requirement that everyone forgets to mention) that consumes all your social life and if not you are bombarded by notifications that you need to complete your CAS by your supervisor.
2. Another thing to keep in mind is the deadliest part of the IB: Extended Essay. This is an essay that will ruin your life and will take you at least a year and a half to complete due to all the procrastination you will do and uncooperative supervisors, not wanting to meet. By the end, you will be so sick of your topic that in your reflection you will write how relieved you are it is over. 3.
The only hope you have of raising your grade in one of the class you are taking is the internal assessment but even then it’s just another extended essay but this time you have no idea what to write about until two night before the deadline. You will receive little to no feedback and you will want to cry but then you realize there is nothing to do about it so you move on to the next thing that is due on the very next day. 4. Leading up to the most dreadful part of it all: Exams. 18 exams in the span of three weeks, not to mention the IOC’s you had done previously in year one of IB.
If you think you have hit rock bottom just wait until you sit back and just look at your review sheets blankly and you begin to question your purpose in life. Nevertheless, it will all be worth it if you even manage to survive it and not drop out after two weeks of doing it. There are only two perks in doing the IB: study leave (but even then you have to study for exams), and telling people you are an IB student.
