There may have been many a time when students reminisced about when life used to be easy, when didn’t matter, and when IB was not their life. It seems the road for the two-year curriculum (that ultimately decides the outcome of your schooling!) is long and grueling, but there’s a silver lining in every cloud, and UNIT-E has found a few benefits to the IB!
A Wake-Up Call
IB is the last pit stop before you head off to university and a wake-up call to the end of high school and the beginning of adulthood! Preparing you for what lies ahead, IB consists of the last two years that count. Throughout the course of the program, you’ll find that your time management skills and overall responsibility will improve as you discover the way you work best. It is said that the workload at university will be easily manageable and seemingly easy after completing the strenuous IB, so work now, chill later.
Free “Study” Periods
A godsend. Thanks to IB, you should be getting some free periods during the week. Use them to study, finish homework, catch up on missed work, or just catch up on sleep. Merciful free periods are sometimes all a student needs to get back on track for the week and may reduce a weekend’s workload.
An Excuse
When else would your parents be willing to for out RMB 700 for a calculator? Need a new set of paints? A rare species of toad? A bookshelf full of Cliff Notes? IB is the perfect excuse to give your parents when you want something extravagant – only if it’s related to schoolwork, of course. Furthermore, if someone comments on how you look tired, you can satisfy their questions with just four words: I’m an IB student. The most foolproof excuse? We think so!
Talking Points
Ever wanted a subject to bring up during one of those awkward family friend dinners or Model UN conferences? IB seems to be the perfect topic, for it is, after all, universal. Begin with asking what courses your conversation partner takes, then move on to the finer points of higher level psychology and what their extended essay is on. It does sound rather … nerdy, we admit, but you’ll end up forging alliances to remember that you aren’t alone.
Opportunities
Did you always promise yourself that you’d start volunteering at an orphanage but were too lazy to haul yourself away from your computer? Always wanted to try out for the football team but found it out of your comfort zone? Thanks to IB’s CAS (Creativity, Action, Service), you are now encouraged (some would say obliged) to get around to all those extracurricular activities you wanted to do. These activities all add up towards your becoming not only a more well-rounded student, but also a candidate for which colleges will fight.
Though a true challenge, the International Baccalaureate can be rewarding, and UNIT-E hopes to have pitched to any potential student the IB’s numerous, worthwhile rewards.
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2012 issue of UNIT-E. It was written by Gemma Duffy, a student at Dulwich College Beijing.
About UNIT-E
UNIT-E was founded in the spring of 2010 with the aim of establishing a non-profit, student-run magazine for international students in Beijing. Staffed by current students from a range of international schools, the magazine provides an amalgam of cultural tidbits, fragments of Beijing student life, and a broad spectrum of unique perspectives from a diverse group of young adults.
Photo by MSylvester Photography (Flickr)
