IB students: Was It Worth It?

cellochick92
Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:04:20 +0000

Hey all, i couldn’t find a thread for this, but if it’s out there please let me know =) I’m an IB senior, went into the program my freshman year and am currently in the Diploma Program. I figured we could use a thread to discuss life- at least, what little we still have after varying lengths in the program and college apps under our belts

Anyways, i was just curious about other people’s thoughts on whether IB was worth it. I know for some (including myself) the rigor of the program resulted in more B’s than I would have goteen if I hadn’t done it, meaning my gpa and rank were dropped too.

I know that they say IB helps come admissions time because amissions officers get to see you have challenged yourself, but where is the line between helping and hurting crossed with regards to grades and time available for ECs? What do all of you think?

My personal opinion is that it was worth it- having the sense of community in our tiny IB class (dropped to ~50 for senior year) was AWESOME, and I have learned to think for myself much more than I probably would have if I hadn’t done the DP. Plus, TOK has been just about the coolest class ever, and has really helped me to start examining things in a broader sense than just how they relate to me and my local experiences.

What are everyone else’s thoughts?