A Journey Through the IB Program

I am a second year full-diploma IB student who happens to know a little bit about studying and a lot about insanity. Expect studying tips and IB humor. (Not oficiialy associated with the International Baccalaureate Office, IBO)

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

Is it normal for IB to make you depressed? I'm a full IB student in my first year and I feel sad all the time due to the stress of IB. Is this normal???

Hi, this blog has been super inactive, but mental health has always been a personal struggle of mine and a big focus of my activism. IB is very intensive. I went through it during the worst part of my anxiety disorder and a pretty bad part of my depression. Yes, high stress with no breaks will wear you and will make you depressed. Here's the thing, anon, your mental health is imperative. If you need to take a mental health day, then do it. I struggled so much until I learned to calm myself and take breaks. I still struggle with it in college, but it's something that has gotten better. Exercise and a good diet will help with your depression, but if you're still struggling, there's no shame in taking medicine or going to therapy (I do both!). Please take care of yourself.As a quick disclaimer: IB didn't cause me to be depressed and anxious, these were present in my life since I was very young

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

Hi there! Im a dip can now (1st year) and was wondering what you'd recommend for managing stress. I'm extremely busy between play rehearsal, student council, and might be adding pit orchestra to that list. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

You sound exactly like me hahaha. Time management and prioritization skills are super important. If you can work ahead on your school work then do it, so you have time for your co-corricular activities. Prioritize what needs to be done, and be disciplined in the carrying out of those actions. For dealing with immediate stress, vent to a friend, exercise, or giving yourself a break every now and then helps a lot. Good luck!

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

I'm about to enter the ib diploma (I'm going to be a junior or grade 11 when school starts back) any tips on the transition, how to balance the classes and how to study

Plenty of tips! I just finished the diploma program two weeks ago so I’ll try to list as much as possible, but there’s a lot.

1. Try color coding things. Make sure you either use a binder big enough for both years for each subject (some subjects require bigger binders like history or any of the sciences, some require a smaller binder like literature). I recommend taking notes in a notebook that matches the color of your binder so all of your notes are in one place and you can easily tell which subject they belong to

2. There is something called assessment statements, or understandings (IB just changed their name, so they should be understandings for your class). Essentially they help you understand the core ideas in each chapter. Every IB subject has them, but your teacher may or may not require you to do them. Regardless of your teacher’s requirement, for your SCIENCE class you should do them, and do them well. I took IB Biology (HL) and the test was literally built on these assessment statements/understandings. The other tests are not really structured on them.

3. If you have a planner/assignment notebook USE it. Write down all of your homework and your extracurriculars. IB is a lot more bearable when you have good time management. Plus, it’s good to know what homework/projects you have in general. If you don’t have a planner/assignment notebook, go get one.

4. IB will become stressful. Make sure you have a coping mechanism or multiple. Take breaks, they are SUPER important and sleeping a healthy amount as many nights as possible will help you in all aspects of your life. Also, you will have multiple classes with your fellow full-diploma students, start a group text message or Facebook group so you can all rely on each other for academic stuff or just being friends.

5. Do your CAS hours as you go through the year and do the reflections as soon as your finish the hours. If it’s a long term activity like a sports season or your CAS project, reflect as you go. It’s not fun needing to do all of your reflections a day before they’re all inevitably due.

6. Do not procrastinate on your extended essay (EE). You’re life will be infinitely better if you don’t procrastinate. It’s a big paper, so chunk your time. Set time to do research, and to write each part. Give yourself extra time so if you need to change the direction of your paper, then you can. I was originally going to write mine on a critique of the American education system, but then I switched to how education affects human rights, using Iran as a case study. I needed time, and I had it.

7. Studying varies per your learning style and the subject. For math, doing practice problems or redoing problems that you didn’t understand in the past always seems to be the best way to study. For history, I like to make it into a cute child-like story that’s funny, but allows me to remember the events. You don’t really study in Literature, just make sure you actually read the books/plays/poems/etc. that are assigned. For language, immerse yourself in it as much as possible. Read in, write in, listen to, and speak that language as much as possible. For science, drawing out processes helps a ton. I have multiple drawings on how cellular respiration and photosynthesis, which helped me a ton on the test. Sometimes old fashion flashcards can help in any subject as well.

8. Communication is key. Having a good relationship with your teachers helps, but even if you don’t like them very much, go to them if you need help. On a similar note, group projects happen occasionally in IB with your Group 4 project being the biggest (it’s a project where all of the IB Science students work together to answer a question related to all the fields of IB science that your school offers). Make sure you communicate well with your group members, distribute the work fairly, and be nice. No one has time for drama. 

That’s all that I can think of right now, but I plan on updating my blog with specific tips sometime this summer. Good luck!

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

Hey. Im contemplating between taking math SL and studies. I'm already taking 4 HLs and math is not my strongest subject so I was just going to take SL. But after researching online, I realized that colleges only offer credit for high scores on HL tests. So would you recommend just taking studies since I can't earn credit from SL math either way and just focus more on all my HL classes?

If you are taking 4 HL's, then you will need an easy class. Math studies would probably be a smart decision so you don't overwhelm yourself. If you don't feel challenged enough, go ask to be moved to SL. 

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

hi there, i cannot decide between choosing HL HOTA or HL math.(i have that option in my school) while math is my stronger subject than history, i have heard that HL math is extremely difficult. since i will have to choose between one soon, i was wondering your opinion, whether you have taken one of those or not, and your overall experience in the course. thank you!:)

I have actually taken both! I dropped Math and am still in HOTA. The reason behind dropping math was that my school only offered it as an online course and it turns out, online courses are the bane of my existence.  I love HOTA, but you might have a different experience. So here's my advice:

-Ask current HL students if the teacher for either subject is good. If the teacher changes in between years, ask both years. 

-For Math, you will want a background in Pre-calculus, and maybe even a little calculus. You start working on calculus during the second semester of year one- be prepared.

-For HOTA, this is a great class to take if you're strong at critical thinking and analysis. There is A LOT of writing in this class, but there's usually a trick to how the teacher will grade. (Ex. in order to get an A for my year 1 teacher, she wanted us to include 10 pieces of evidence at minimum throughout each essay). 

-For either class, you'll want a study group. This fact applies to all IB classes, and particularly the HL courses. One of the reasons I struggled with HL Math is that there were three people (including myself) taking it at my school, there was no year 2 student who was still in it, and I took the course at a different time in the day than the other two students. I know I share a class with all year two HOTA students (we only offer HOTA HL), and we help each other and study together very frequently. 

I hope all goes well with choosing and I hope this helped! 

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

Hey there. I'll be taking the IB entrance test pretty soon and I was wondering what to expect since you were in IB. Was it hard for you? What concepts were there? I'd appreciate it if you reply. Thanks! Your blog is super helpful!

Well I'm still in the IB Program. I'm in my second year (I'm a senior). Expect courses that are based in critical thinking, discussion, and writing. There's a lot of independent thought, but it's worth it. Yes, it can be challenging, but I love it. If you have questions about specific subjects, I can help you with that too.

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

So i'm in full pre-ib right now and we just had the uni fair - i know its early but i couldn't help but seeing. All the programs that i want to get into for unis need at least a 90 percent average and with ib right now im getting mid eighties and low 90's and i can't tell if thats good or not? I feel like that's really bad compared to what the uni's are looking for and i dont know if i should stay in full ib or drop to partial/regular. What would you suggest? Thanks so much :)

This may be a question that I cannot answer since I'm an American student and our colleges are not as picky. I'm sorry.

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

Wow I have a lot of new followers. Hi friends, I hope my blog has been useful. I should be putting up new information soon. I've just been super busy.

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

your entire blog speaks to me

Haha, thank you.

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

IB Full-Diploma

[calmdownmoz]

Here is a september pep talk (finally) for anyone overwhelmed with the stress of the new school year.  Special shout out to anyone applying for colleges throughout the fall as well because that is one of my main sources of stress.  Remember you’re gonna be okay and you’re smart and strong enough to get through everything, promise!!!

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

OPVL

It is imperative for ANY history class to understand OPVL. It is a method of breaking down and analyzing sources, especially primary sources. It can easily be broken down into a set of questions raised by each letter. Not all questions need to be or can be answered with each source, but the more questions answered from a source, the better quality analysis can be derived from the source. For IB, the OPVL method is used both in evaluating sources on the Internal Assessment and on Paper 1. 

O: origin

What is the origin of this source? Who created it? Where was it created? Which time period was it created in? From whose perspective is it written/drawn/illustrated/etc. from? 

P: purpose

Why was this source created? Who was this source created for? What was the intent of the source's author in creating the source? What was this source's impact on its audience? 

V: value

Why is this source significant? What does it add to your understanding of the time period or its context? What does this source tell you of the time period? How is it relevant to your investigation? 

L: Limitations

What biases does the author of this source have? How is their perspective limited? How can this be skewed to value one side of an argument over another? What perspectives can the author not see? How does the author's intent affect the source? How objective or subjective is this source? 

OPVL allows historians to find value in their sources and is a good method for addressing the legitimacy and quality of primary sources for papers or projects. 

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

Breakdown of the History IA (HOTA)

The History IA (for History of the Americas) is done in your second year of IB. Fortunately, this is the only Internal Assessment in the class. The word count is 1,500-2,000 and your topic can be as recent as 10 years from when you start your paper. 

Breakdown of the Paper:

Define what you're investigating, how you're investigating, and state your topic in question form

Organize your factual evidence in chronological order and cite the sources. Sources should be valid and appropriate for the investigation.

Evaluate two of your sources through the OPVL method. These two sources are seen as highly important to the investigation. 

Analyze the information that you have gathered from your sources and write on how it relates to your topic. Put your topic into its historical context. Examine all of your sources, with more emphasis on the two sources that were evaluated through the OPVL method. Consider different interpretations of your sources if appropriate to your paper.

Conclude your paper clearly with a restatement of your question and how your evidence answered your question.

Cite all sources. Any illustrations, documents, or other supportive evidence should be cited in an appendix. Be conscious of your word count, the bibliography is not included in the word count.

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

New Feature

If you have a tip or idea that you feel should be on this blog, submit it now to my new submission box!

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

Energy Tips

So since IB has a tendency to keep us up late here's some tips to keep your energy up during class or your homework time: -Having a balanced diet as opposed to lots of sugar and caffeine prevents blood sugar fluctuations and will help you maintain a stable level of energy -sleeping/napping in 90 min. Intervals will help you be awake and alert since the average human's sleep cycle is completed in 90 minutes -eating protein helps combat anemia and helps you keep up your energy. Things such as eggs, beans, or dark greens are better sources than red meats -B vitamins help with your energy A LOT. Be energized by consuming your great B vitamins -Actually sleep when you can. It's super important for your health in general and you'll shoot yourself in the foot if you miss school because you're sick from not sleeping

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

yesss I love your blog so much I'm so scared to go into high school, especially IB but you make me feel somewhat prepared .love youuu

Thank you!!! And there's nothing to be scared of, you'll get used to everything as you go and you'll be done with IB sooner than you realize.

[insanity-meets-intelligence]

freshman advice please! social, academic,, whatever you can think of. thank you :)

Welcome to high school! It'll be a ride but you can make the best of it. I can't give too much social advice since I attend an all-girls Catholic school so my social atmosphere is significantly different from a public and/or co-ed school, but here's what I have to offer:1. Join a bunch of clubs. Clubs are a great way to get involved with your school, meet people, and look great on your college resumè. If you don't like a club, drop it.2. Know how to communicate with your teachers. If you have a question, ask. If you need extra help, most teachers are willing to meet before or after school or during lunch.3. Learn how to prioritize. You normally won't get swamped regularly with homework your freshman and sophomore years, but learning how to prioritize what needs to be done per day/per week/even per month could really save you in the future.4. Make sure IF you're going to procrastinate (which I suggest you don't), you have time to do the work that you're blowing off later. I would not recommend getting into this habit because it's hard to break.5. Learn how you learn best. Utilize that in your organization and studying for classes. You may not have to study too much your freshman and sophomore years but this is all about commitment and prepping yourself for junior year to college. 6. It's okay to not know who you are as a person. People go through identity crises all of the time. Explore what you already like and explore what you don't know. It may be rough, but it's worth it in the end.7. Don't get involved in drama. I have managed to avoid it for the most part for my now 4 years in high school. It's not worth your time. If you feel the need to participate or start it (be honest with yourself), calm down and watch trashy TV instead. 8. If two of your friends begin fighting, don't pick sides. It's better to mediate the conflict if possible.9. Don't get involved with drugs or alcohol. It just makes your life easier not having to deal with the consequences. 10. You will struggle. I don't care if you end up being the valedictorian, you will struggle, and that's okay. Find a support system in your friends or family and you'll be fine. 11. Be goal-oriented, but don't let your goals destroy you. Being goal-oriented focuses your work, but don't become so obsessed that if you fail or don't do well you have a mental break down.12. Sleep is possible, please sleep. The more you don't sleep, the more stressed you'll get, and the sicker you'll get. If your school nurse is nice (get on his/her good side), s/he might let you take naps occasionally in their office. 13. You get out what you put it. If you do your homework and focus, you'll do well, if not then you won't. In the end it's up to you.14. It'll all work out. Life can be stressful, but you can do it.I wish you the best of luck and I hope you enjoy high school. It's not as scary as it seems and can be great.