From time to time, especially before IB, all of us have heard that IB will not be worth the time and energy. Selecting a program that is 2 years long might seem scary and confusing in various aspects. For this article, I have gathered the most common questions/myths that have been heard about the IB program and asked the IB Coordinator’s opinion about them at my school.
Is IB really worth it?
Well, I believe it is. If I had the chance to study IB as a student, I would definitely do that. IB can be questionable for some people but I think it’s a very enriching program. We live in the 21st century and the world is getting smaller and smaller. IB educates and makes people ready for the new global world; – is why it is worth it.
According to you, what makes IB unique?
The CAS activities seem to be one of the things that I can say makes IB different from other programs. Because with the help of CAS activities students develop certain skills. Other than academic skills, they have to develop their social and communication skills as well. Obtaining knowledge is not that difficult in this century, but sharing what you know – is. Checking the validity of knowledge is very crucial. CAS can introduce students to this new world by encouraging them to start new activities or take up their hobbies, also disseminating the knowledge they have and checking the falsehood of it. CAS t encourages students to be more creative, and caring. Other than that, the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is at the heart of IB and aims to develop students who are caring, knowledgeable, and principled. They understand that what we know is not absolute. It can vary amongst different people, and bring a kind of respect to other cultures, understandings, and knowledge.
There are a lot of myths about the IB; such that it will consume the best years of our lives, it is tiring and not worth it. Why do you think there are myths about the IB and how would you like to respond to them?
Well, we do hear these kinds of myths in our school as well but I believe those myths come from the people who do not have the chance to study IB. Generally, the people who are into IB or into doing something with accordance, profiles, and attributes of IB, do not have these kinds of ideas. These myths come from individuals outside the IB program. In IB it is important to develop self-management skills. Since IB is scheduled beforehand, the timeline for upcoming assignments, deadlines, and events is already determined. These assignments are not easy and take a lot of effort to be completed. Those people who do not have these or are not eager to develop these skills can easily make up and believe in myths. As the coordinator of the IB, we are trying to deal with this in certain ways and encourage our students to take roles in the schools’ activities and extracurricular activities to show them that the IB students are working not just for themselves but for the world.
What would you recommend to the students who have doubts about IB?
It may be a difficult question. I can say that they need to talk to the IB students to have a better idea of the program. I recommend asking the following questions: What are you studying? How has IB changed your worldview about subject X? When asking these questions you need to consider that everyone has their individual parts in their academic career. As a result, just talk to these students and see how knowledgeable, caring, and respectful they are.
For this descriptive and fruitful conversation, I want to thank my IB Coordinator. As a current student of IB, I once had doubts and heard the myths as well. Though the second I became an IB student, I thought that it is worth it – including its responsibilities which will be also the ones that will be in my favor in the future. Deciding on this is huge, and as a fellow student, I only can recommend thinking about it thoroughly.
You may also like…
- Ángel’s thoughts on learning to value the IB
- Iblieve’s thoughts on what IB is like in the Philippines