Should I quit the IB Diploma program?
I'm a junior in the first year of the IB program. It's only the second year of our school having it so it's still pretty unorganized. And I have NEVER been so stressed. I know junior year is hard, but this has been excruciating. I need balance in my life, plus I'm in a sport, so I don't have time for anything. My accumulative GPA is 3.75 weighted(ew), 3.43 unweighted(ughh.). The only 2-year IB class I'd drop is English, which I'll have a C in both semesters, and if I drop I won't get the grade boost. So I'd have a lower GPA this year, higher next. I'd still take challanging courses next year. But I can NOT take another year of this. This is what my schedule is supposed to be next year: IB English(superrrr hard teacher, heavy load) IB History(pretty lenient teacher, not a giant courseload) IB TOK(ehh) IB Math(super strict teacher, heavy courseload) Sport IB Bio(lots of work) IB Spanish PLUS community service, the extended essay, and practices. I just don't know if I want to put myself through that. This is what I'd do if I quit the IB program: IB History AP English(the senior AP english class is pretty easy) College Calc AP Physics or Chem AP Spanish sport Early release I just want a decent senior year. Would this look horrible for college? I eventually want to go into biomedical research, so I'm going to grad school. So my undergrad college doesn't matter ALL that much right? Ugh. I just don't know. Help please? Thanks.
Is the IB program worth it?
NO!!! Don't let ANY parents, teachers, counsellors talk you into it. GET OUT AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!! I took IB in Grade 11 (IB diploma schedule) and Grade 12 (dropped down to IB certicate), but at the end of it, all IB turned out to be was a whole bunch of homework, extended essays, world lit papers, group 4 projects, field studies, taped commentaries, VERY stressful and difficult IB exams, and a whole bunch of international-level bitching from teachers for not getting all this crap done on time. In Grade 12 when I applied for university, the only marks that got sent in were my grade 12 class and provincial exam marks, because the IB marks were NOWHERE CLOSE to getting me into a good university, much less a scholarship. So, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't go into IB, live a little and enjoy high school, and focus on getting good grades in regular classes, and most of all, study hard for final exams in Grade 12. They will make or break your application for university.
Should I take SL French in IB Diploma Program?
Before starting the IBDP, I have been studying French for two and a half years. However, because I have passion for French, I decided to take SL Language B. It's actually not that hard. If you are really into French and willing to take time every few nights to revise your work, it's pretty easy! (NB: I'm not a native French speaker - nor am I European) However, I doubt that doing Spanish ab initio will be much easier. If you have already started learning French and getting quite good at it, it'll be hard to give it up for the sole reason of wanting to do well in the IBDP. Part of being an IB student is about chasing your interests, and if your heart is at French - do French. Don't let your teacher decide for you. Keep in mind that if you decide to Spanish, you're going to have to learn a whole new language, culture etc. Good luck with making your decision! I hope I helped.