#5: Life as an IB student (Part 2)

This is a part 2 of my "series" about being in IB - for full context read the first part as well

GROUP 4: Sciences: Environmental Systems and Societies SL

I chose this subject only because I had to get something from sciences, so I chose the one that I thought would be the least demanding, since I'm not that good at chemistry, physics or biology, and that was the only option left to choose at my school.

It is quite an interesting subject overall, shows how different elements in our world connect together to form a coherent system. It focuses a lot on environment (duh) and is generally rather interesting... but it's just not for me, I fear. Sciences were never my strong suit because they never interested me that much so I still have struggle with studying it, even though I do think the subject is rather interesting and maybe if someone with a bit more passion was to choose it they would definitely enjoy it.

Aside from that I don't really know what to say... I mostly chose it because I didn't really have a choice tbh, so that fact does not help me with liking it either

GROUP 5: Mathematics: Analysis and Interpretation SL

IB Mathematics could be summarised in two words: calculator, booklet. Once you get the hang of both of them, you can pretty much guarantee that you'll be fine with passing the finals. Of course, you still need to study all of that, but still with proper understanding of the booklet and some practice with the calculator it is rather not that demanding, you just need to know what you're doing

The actual curriculum tho is bonkers. We are doing calculus on theoretically basic High School math lessons, which is really weird if you ask me. The only thing that helps with it tho is the calculator, cuz it is no ordinary guy. My Casio fx-CG50 is an absolute beast and can do anything with the blink of an eye. Of course, you need to know how to use it, but that's another thing

Overall, it's not the hardest thing of them all? You just really need to know what you're doing.

GROUP 6: The arts

Now theoretically, arts is NOT a requirement, so instead of picking something from there, like Music, Dance, Theatre or Film (my school offers only Theatre) you can pick something else from groups 2-4. I didn't choose anything from group 6 (unfortunately, I wish I did pick theatre), but instead I chose...

GROUP 3: Individuals and societies: Geography SL

I was never good at Geography, because in a standard Polish curriculum it focuses only on the physical aspects. I decided to have a go of the IB one, as the promise of no physical geography made it sound compelling.

And I must admit it's really not that bad. While there is A TON of data to memorize for the exams and there is A TON of work, it really can be interesting when you get the correct optional themes. I've heard it's one of the hardest IB courses you can take, and I do agree with that. While it can be interesting, it is very demanding.

CORE: EE, TOK, CAS

Extended Essay (EE) is theoretically the most important thing you are supposed to do through your course. It is an essay consisting of roughly 3000-4000 words from one of your chosen subjects, based on your own research. The good thing about EE is that you get to write it from the topic YOU want, and no one chooses it for you. I wrote mine about History, and while, again, it was very time consuming and took a lot of work, I think I'm ultimately more-less satisfied with how it turned out

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is probably my favorite subject in the whole course, because it teaches you how to think. While at first it seems unrealistic and just plain weird, the more you get into it, the more you understand the beauty of it. I do love TOK and I feel like I gained a lot from studying it.

Creativity, Activity, Service, or CAS, is, in contrast, probably my least favorite thing. It relies on you doing something either creative (painting, drawing, making movies, cooking etc.), active (running, gym, home exercises, yoga) or a form of service (volunteering, donating blood, charity) each week. At least that's how it works in my school, I know some employ different ways of checking CAS. Knowing all that, I do think CAS is the worst thing in the whore course, as not only do you have to take care of all of your "normal" subjects and all the assessments, you have to make sure your CAS is up to date, as they can basically deny you your diploma if it isn't completed.

So, with all this in mind...

Do I regret going to IB?

No.

Would I do it again?

Absolutely not.

The amount of work one has to put into their diploma is unbelievable and while some might like it, I feel that I'm ultimately not the target audience that IB was meant for. It caused me a lot of stress and breakdowns and honestly I do feel like I would not go there again.

But that's not meant to discourage anyone. If, you, the reader (not that anyone actually reads this bullshit, lmao), are thinking about IB, then go for it and try it. You may find that it is actually for you and you may enjoy it more than you expect. To me the program has is ups and downs and I have a very ambivalent attitude towards it, but I do not think I would go there again.

That being said, it was still a very interesting experience and ultimately I do not regret it.

If you are thinking about IB and have any questions or want to know more, you can DM me and I will try to help you as much as I can

Until the next one.