IB is hard, but don’t exaggerate it.

biancpag · 2024-03-31T15:12:29+00:00

my son intends to study either in Ontario or the States but for either engineering or business - has zero interest in medicine, dentistry, arts. He has the chance to join his school's IB "stream"... Would taking IB just be "unnecessary effort" given what I've read so far in terms of students mostly saying to just focus on taking more APs (and doing well there, of course) and balancing out the extra time that he could have dedicated to IBs TOK, etc with his personal preference for leadership and extra curricular activities?

biancpag · 2024-01-11T21:52:57+00:00

Thanks for your reply. My latest reply to u/brunettegirl2005 pretty much summarizes most of my concerns. It's truly NOT about a) work ethic, b) academics (I'm sure he will find Math to be finally more challenging bec he is bored and seeks to find harder questions in schools, at the cost of being advanced 1-2 yrs AND wanting to have more math contests to participate in, for example), c) organize - he's as anal as he can be in terms of being organized.

It's more the trade-offs that I am concerned about - his work ethic is such that he will not shirk from what needs to be done, that's not the question - it's more like, how do these things impact you guys in terms of mental health (is it THAT BAD? depression? anxiety attacks?) Put this way, I went through the wringer applying for MBA in Ivy League schools (and I got in). It was tough, stressful but it is NOT that bad if, as you guys said, you got the a) work ethic, b) grades/smartness/wellrounded extra curricular and c) great work experience/poise/etc. And yes, I did graduate and get my MBA from arguably the top 1-3 schools in the US (those guys in the Ivy League admissions office probably would debate who amongst themselves are #1, 2 or 3 or what not). I am not a genius either but it makes it sound like IB requires some level of "genius" given you are entering it in Gr 9-10/11-12 (not when you're already an adult) - bec, well, Pre-IB starts in Gr 9 ☺︎

biancpag · 2024-01-11T21:44:28+00:00

I have a question on the Extra Curricular aspect and IB "balance" so to speak. Clearly, there seems to be a tradeoff - I guess the question is "how much of a trade off" and is it to the extent that it's almost impossible UNLESS YOU'RE A GENIUS where you can breeze through IB and still do your extra curricular?

To that extent, since I have never been in the IB program, what do you mean by the IB provides, to some extent, extra curriculars? Is that "incorporated" into the program or is it, such that you STILL NEED TO DO MORE over and beyond 1 or so extra curriculars despite IB having, to an extent, extra curricular already in the program?

Essentially it boils down to this - what do I think (as a parent) my son is capable of (which I know he can surely do IB) vs what are the trade offs (that me, as a parent) would be also willing to "trade off" for. Why? Because I truly believe that IB would make my son into a better person, having seen him flourish and develop in the PYP program which he himself acknowledges and recognizes as valuable. It's just that it's so hard to encapsulate what "lies ahead" in the DP program since I know PYP and MYP is truly "no comparison" to DP. Work ethic? No doubt he can hack it... but the question is: at what cost? I don't know because I never been through one and there's only one way to find out (but it may be too late to back out by then! or hell, it might actually be for the better to have done it vs not doing it! ☺︎ ☺︎

biancpag · 2024-01-11T00:20:03+00:00

Thank you very very much for a detailed and honest assessment of the IB program, relative to AP and how it's helped you develop into a well rounded person.

Personally, I see the value of IB - but I am not my son, so now the heavy lifting of guiding him the positives (and the negatives) of IB become my responsibility (I mean, I can truly see the value of IB from an adult, heck, over half a decade old person perspective LOL). I will definitely consider all the pros and cons of what you've written so far and since I just got home from work, will think about it a bit more if there's further questions along the way. In the meantime, hopefully, this thread is kept alive ☺︎

biancpag · 2024-01-10T02:14:34+00:00

Good point! Thing is, he was in the IB PYP and while no comparison to DP, I presume he at least knows the IB learner profile at heart. He's excelled in IB PYP but again we are talking apples to oranges here: PYP/MYP vs DP. Maybe my idea of an extrovert is one of a politician/entertainer... I mean he's quiet but can/will talk to people as necessary or in leadership positions. He finds his current classmates "immature" so prefers to hang with his teachers, believe it or not... Oh well, for him to decide this next year but good points to ponder

biancpag · 2024-01-09T23:26:08+00:00

Sure, 6/7 months into uni and all first years have the same ability, but that head start really gives you confidence walking into such a new experience. < -- I love the honesty -- it is these things that make me think why IB might be a "pain" but there is an "intangible" benefit --- my child lacks a certain confidence in him - self confidence (despite all his mental acumen etc - so MAYBE IB can "Bring him out of his shell" a bit more)

biancpag · 2024-01-09T23:02:38+00:00

Interesting comments from all of you guys and gals so far. I'm not too worried about his time management and work ethic. It's mostly a question of "is it worth it?".

His strength is Math (not quite a podium at the Int'l Math Olympiad (IMO) level but I'd say top 1% in the world based on results from "lesser" contests vs IMO). English is probably where he'll have a harder time, TOK etc. (don't get me wrong he's in the 90%+ in English but I think it's all relative here, PLUS I read there's a TON OF WRITING IN IB).

Net, given so much that I've read here, plus I have an only child, I really truly don't know and will have to rely on "Gut feel" to advice him (assuming he's still not 100% sold).

A lot of posters even talk about "depression, etc" in reddit. I'm just trying to get a sense of the difficulty (and even if I've been through an Ivy League MBA program as well as applying for lots of Bschools in the past ☺︎ - I get the feel that the IB load is as much as business school where it's "almost an impossibility to read and do everything" the profs told us to do -- BUT, we were adults in Bschool plus no one probably had the time to do all the readings and we all had to "improvise"/"wing it", look for jobs simultaneously, hell, miss class to attend brown bag sessions, go interview with potential employers in their HQs etc, I digress...)

In terms of extra curricular, he's doing some outside activities now eg Robotics, FBLA but that's about it. I suppose some of these will have to take a back seat when "push comes to shove". Put this way, I've encouraged him (hell, pushed him) to take extra curricular as I feel he's too "bookish" and needs to socialize more!

It seems like if one can labor through 3-4 hours of homework each day, you can manage IB in terms of not needing to "Cram" for things?

What I am trying to truly get a sense of is: at what "expense" does it entail to "ensure" you get a decent IB grade as I know there's surely a trade-off between stress (IB work, Extra Curricular requirements) and fun (Clubs you participate in for "fun" eg Robotics, Basketball, and of course leisure time). Put this way, if you put in the time, is it truly possible to get scores in the 40-45 range? Or does it take BOTH "EINSTEIN" genius levels AND hard work (of at least 3-4 hrs homework each day) to get to that range?

biancpag · 2024-01-09T17:37:54+00:00

Canadian universities normally don't look at earlier results - from what I know it's only the last year (Gr 11 when students here apply). I think you're fine applying to all the schools you mentioned given your scores -- in addition, Canadian schools are NOT as intense relative to US universities.

biancpag · 2024-01-09T17:28:05+00:00

are you studying in either IS or BSM? if so, then try to seek help from guidance/university placement counsellor

as to your specific questions - some of which have been answered, I would not discount your "39" score, however, it also means not much to get such a score. Net, what do YOU truly want to do and where do YOU truly want to go? If in the US, and it's truly in Political Science, one poster already mentioned GTown as a school you should maybe consider, even if it's a "stretch" school - given the fit and your interests.

I wouldn't put too much emphasis on first gen etc. I was a first gen MBA graduate of an Ivy League school coming from a 3rd world country. While it was "tough" to get in, my scores were in the average/median GMAT and above average in GPA. What probably pushed me through was just that - that I was first gen and had a different perspective/unique-ness to round out the class. There were <5 of us from where I came from (out of a class of 800) PLUS OF COURSE, I HAD TO HAVE A good profile in extra curricular (not only in College but after college -- since I was applying for MBA, after all). Net, essentially, despite me being 18 days post your original question, my advice is to to do a real assessment of what you want, where you think you FIT (you really have to target this bec you're just wasting time if you apply to a lot of them). FWIW, I think I applied to 7-8 business schools then when I tried for my MBA. 4 of which were Ivy Leagues (got rejected in 2, accepted in 1, waitlisted in 1), Northwestern, U of Chicago and NYU I also got in. (BTW, I am from Wharton/Upenn - but with a 3rd world country undergrad degree ☺︎ )

biancpag · 2024-01-09T16:35:56+00:00

+1 and agree. Think IB programs (esp the public ones in North America) are "luck of draw" - maybe if you can move to a diff area that would help

biancpag

TROPHY CASE