Ib

[Malevolent]

Could anybody please tell me anything they know about the IB program? I have no specific questions, I'd just like to know about the program.

[Cerberus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna..._Baccalaureate

[Malevolent]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna..._Baccalaureate

I'm aware of that article. First hand experiences or things people have heard from those who are in the program or have been is what I'm looking for.

[Cerberus]

Well then that's what you should have said

[Malevolent]

Well then that's what you should have said

Perhaps. Now it has been said, and everybody who reads this topic will know.

[David]

What do you want to know specifically? I completed the diploma program and know a lot about the IB, but telling you "anything" I know would take hours so narrow it down a little.

[Malevolent]

What do you want to know specifically? I completed the diploma program and know a lot about the IB, but telling you "anything" I know would take hours so narrow it down a little.

What's it's like (the curriculum, required hours (an average), advantages, disadvantages, etc).

[David]

What's it's like (the curriculum, required hours (an average), advantages, disadvantages, etc).

The IB is excellent about stimulating you to think for yourself, and will develop your critical thinking and analytical abilities better than almost any other high school curriculum.

Specific details of implementation like required hours etc. depend on the school. I had about 5 and a bit hours of class each day of the week. In terms of homework, I did almost none, because at my school teachers were very lax about homework so long as you did well; I never had to work to understand any of the IB concepts and so I did what is actually a worringly small amount of work - I would be doing a couple of hours a week, tops. That definitely has impacted my study habits, which are terrible. But again, that's probably something that would be very different at your school.

In terms of disadvantages, the main one is only important in context of school systems where there is lots of elective choice like the American system. In that system, the IB's large extra-curricular requirements and program cohesiveness can remove some of the latitude students would otherwise have to fully tailor a program of study to themselves, which is why the more flexible AP courses are much more popular in America.

[hehe]

I know several people who went through the IB programme. Their experiences, which are based on one particular school, are of insane homework loads. These people would start school around 7:30, get out around 2:30, and with only a couple of hours of breaks (for meals, extracurriculars, etc) throughout the day would routinely be up until midnight, 1am, or later doing homework. It doesn't seem that it was an issue of procrastination so much as having six or seven IB teachers all assigning large amounts of homework.

That being said, I've heard more positive responses from people who have gone for the IB diploma at other schools. I'd recommend asking students and school officials at the school you'd attend about the courses offered, the workload, and any other questions you may have about IB.

[Suzanne]

One of the schools in my county offers an IB program. My friends in the IB program say that it's not too difficult but that their teachers assign a lot of homework. Also, I'm not sure if it's like this in other countries, but many colleges in the US offer credit for IB courses, much like some colleges offer credit for AP courses. You can obviously get much more credit if you're in the IB program than if you only take AP classes, since not all subjects are offered as AP classes. I've known people who have received two years worth of college credit because they were enrolled in the IB program.

[Infernux]

I think all IB programs are a bit different.

The IB program that I completed was completely unlike all these horror stories I hear. I never had super homework every night. At most, I had about 5 hours of homework at night, and that probably only happened a few times. If you manage your time you only have a couple of hours of homework per night, no big deal.

The biggest advantage of the IB program is its Socratic teaching method. It is by far the best way to learn, as a class, by discussing topics, rather than just reading from the book and believing it without question. There is a lot less bookwork but to compensate there is a lot of class participation needed. If you are shy, you wont get the full benefits of the IB program.

If you have any more questions, I'll direct you to this video I made and put on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWMBKZgbO6U