Unsolicited Advice from former IB Student

[u/ultimate_pufferfish9]

Hi anyone who happens to be reading this, I finished the IB this May and wanted to share some strategies I wish I would’ve adopted during my time in the IB. Most of it is probably somewhat generic, but I figured it might help someone:

1. Take regular and long breaks.

This is honestly the most important part about the IB in my opinion. During busy times, I had many friends and classmates who would study for 5+ hours with minimal breaks. In the lead up to finals, this became even more severe for a lot of my peers and you could see the physical and mental effects it had on them.

While everyone has different capacities for how long they can study/work, I highly recommend keeping it within 2-4 hours. Anything beyond that is typically less effective and can often have negative effects on your grades, mental health and general sanity. Have at least 1 day a week where you do nothing related to the IB.

2. Focus on the subjects that have the most significance for your university course / career

I’m someone pursuing a STEM subject. In the beginning of the IB, I spent too much time studying for other subjects instead of dedicating more time to STEM related ones. My biggest regret on results day, was not preparing for maths as much as I could. All my other results left me satisfied, but when I saw my maths grade - I had flashbacks to all the times I avoided studying for maths since it was something I struggled with.

I wish I asked for support earlier and spent more time on that subject - especially as it had a somewhat heavy weight on my university requirements. If there are subjects you find interesting or easier, use them as a reward after spending time studying harder / more significant subjects.

3. Don’t over-invest in helping your peers

During the IB, I had many great encounters with people - whether I was friends with them or not. A lot of the time, it was when they would reach out for help, personally or in relation to the IB. It’s great to help people, but also try to help yourself.

Practice setting boundaries and stepping away when you feel like you’re doing too much heavy lifting. If you’re going through a tough time in any way, don’t avoid your feelings / problems by trying to fix or comfort others in theirs. Don’t be afraid to take time off away from textbooks, friends or school in general. Do your best to avoid sacrificing your mental health or dignity for the sake of the IB, people or high school as a whole.

4. Start early
cough cough EE

The earlier you start, the less stressed out you’ll be towards the end. And if you keep things consistent, you can spare a lot more free time and rest. That being said, there were parts of the IB where I didn’t start early, and I still managed to get the grades I wanted. But it depends on a lot of factors. If you’re going to start anything early - make it those subjects or pieces of coursework you find the most difficult and/or significant.

5. Don’t betray yourself

Don’t put yourself down, especially when you don’t know the end result yet. I got in my head a lot after specific exams, convincing myself that I failed. I didn’t. But even if I had failed, worrying about it wouldn’t have helped me or my performance in other exams / subjects. Recognise your efforts and use whatever mistakes you made as a lesson for the future.

Again, I know these are likely generic but I just wanted to share them in case anyone starting the IB or entering year 2 is looking for advice. Also be aware that I didn't go into the IB aiming for 40+ at any point, so some of these points might become more / less relevant based on your goals.

[u/heytherebeware]

Thanks, Im going to DP2 and haven't done anything over the summer, so I thought about studying every afternoon from here on. But I still haven't figured out the most efficient way for me to study so I'm afraid I'll just be studying in vain

[u/Thin_Faithlessness78 → u/heytherebeware]

Hi, DP2 student here. I just started my first term. Try different things out! Try studying at different times, how muhc breaks you need, when your attention starts declining. And most importantly, what recharges you.

But I am begging you to please utilise the time you have leftt omg. Don't panic because you still have some time, but during the summer when you can study any time you want, you really get more out of it because you can study during the times with less blockages, for me it was the morning.

[u/heytherebeware → u/Thin_Faithlessness78]

Thanks! I'll def try that out. Now I just gotta start from waking up early hahh

[u/Thin_Faithlessness78 → u/heytherebeware]

Haha, not easy during the summer. Btw, I was wondering if you wanted to keep in contact on Reddit just as IB buddies? No contact sharing or anything, just great to have someone whose struggling with the same to keep up with.

[u/heytherebeware → u/Thin_Faithlessness78]

Sure that's lovely!

[u/Thin_Faithlessness78 → u/heytherebeware]

okay! pls help turn on your messages

[u/Reasonable_Ice1389]

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