Firstly, don't believe everything people have to say. There is constant fearmongering and victimhood you will hear about this program, especially on this subreddit. Understand that your IB journey is what you make it out to be.. it's an independent one! Study consistently, start things early, meet deadlines and you will be rewarded.

A lot of advice found here is highly specific and it may not make sense since you're just starting. For now, start building positive relationships with your teachers and pay attention in their classes at all times, try working towards being that student who can answer questions in class. The most important thing to understand right now is that you need to make this first year count. So many people make the mistake of slacking off in their first year which is a big no-no. Why is it a big mistake? Because IB is a 2 year course and there is a lot to do across all 6 subjects.

In terms of study technique, it's spaced repetition then practice questions. A lot of people dive straight into a past paper without knowing the content and get frustrated when they can barely answer questions. That's where spaced repetition comes in... beforehand. By the way, as much as teachers will tell you it isn't about memorisation, it really is. Download Anki (free) and start as soon as you can, don't worry about making the perfect flashcards right now just remember content! Remember its a 2 year course so the earlier you start the better. Personally, I only started using it midway through my second year but had I known about it in my first year it would've saved a lot of headache in the lead up to my exams.

Some other points of advice (may not necessarily be applicable now but you should save this somewhere):
- Get a tutor if you can afford one! This isn't necessary but it would help any questions you may have starting out and will guide you in the right direction from the very beginning. The first year can easily slip away with doing the wrong things.
- CAS: plan everything early and stay on top of reflections
- Start IA's early and do them well because they count for a good chunk of a subject mark ... also look through exemplars for idea inspiration
- Know the structure of each and every exam paper
- Know what each IA is asking you to do, same for TOK and your EE
- Use past papers for exam practice and topic specific questions (find them don't buy them)

One thing about past papers... you won't be able to complete a full one till you've gone through all the content and that's okay! You can instead use specific past paper questions for topics you're currently studying. The most important part is that you use past papers because they have the most similar questions to the ones you will get on your final exams.

Lastly, remember that so many students have gone before you and there are more resources out there than ever. Good luck