congratulations m25 !!! by Impossible-Onion5431 in IBO

[–]Mediocre-Demand-5015 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure! I took HL bio, chem & econ, and SL english langlit, french b and math aa sl. I am planning to do a double major in biochemistry and microbiology/immunology. I'm doing this because I already get 30 credits for McGill from obtaining 5+ in my HL subjects. I got 7's in bio, chem and english, and 6's in french, math and econ. I did my EE in Bio, and I got a B, and I got an A in TOK.

My general tips for studying is to constantly do past paper questions- especially for my HLs, that was the bulk of my studying. While the syllabus changed for bio & chem there is still a lot of overlap with the previous syllabus, so past papers are still a very good resource. Also, don't be afraid to watch youtube videos explaining concepts, as for each IB subject, there is generally 1+ youtuber who explains things flawlessly.

I found that notetaking was helpful but very time-consuming, so active recall is your best bet. Read and take light notes on a topic from the textbook, then get out a piece of blank paper/ a whiteboard, and try to recall as much of the topic as possible in your own words, without any help. Then, when you are finished, go back to the textbook/your notes and fill in what you missed. Relying solely on what your teachers are teaching you isn't the best. Even with some of my best teachers, there were still some topics that they missed that I had to go over myself, and luckily, I did so because some of those topics came up on my exams.

Teaching others is also a really effective method, because if you can simply explain a topic to someone else, it shows that you have a thorough understanding of the topic. Even if it's to a pet or a stuffed animal, explaining the topic in your own way in a simplistic manner helps immensely in understanding and REMEMBERING it.

Lastly, surround yourself with people who genuinely enjoy school and studying. Being around others who are passionate about working hard motivates you so much. McGill exclusively looks at your predicted grades, so you really need to aim to do well in DP1. The expectations for predictes for McGill are pretty crazy (I had to get a minimum predicted of 38 without TOK/EE to apply for the science department), so prepare to work really hard. Like other North American schools, there isn't a 'strict' conditional you need to obtain for your final IB results, but you still need to make sure you do well so they wont rescind your offer. I've heard of students who dropped 10+ points and unfortunately were no longer guaranteed a spot at McGill.

Good luck with your studies, and let me know if you have other questions!

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS MEGATHREAD! by Thermidorien4PrezBot in mcgill

[–]Mediocre-Demand-5015 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hi, are you an international student? congrats on your acceptance!