Being an IB student is extremely challenging physically and mentally due to various reasons. You have to sacrifice your free time and sleep to work on various tasks that have to be inevitably done no matter what.
Every IB student’s workload is insane. For instance, you’ve got assignments, essays, projects, and the hardest research paper to write: the Extended Essay. It’s like one massive research paper that you start in one year and finish in another. And there is Theory of Knowledge, which is basically a class where you talk about talking about stuff. It might sound simple, but it gets pretty deep and not always in a fun way. There are nights when you just want to sleep early or relax for a little while, but these temptations will not benefit you in any way due to the number of homework an IB student gets each week.
Even though being an IB student is significantly challenging and requires a large amount of work, it actually makes you think in a more complex way. It’s not like other programs where you have to memorize and cram everything. You have to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate ideas from multiple subjects. It’s pretty eye-opening when you start to see connections between history, science, and even math. You also get this global perspective, and the whole point of IB is to make you a more well-rounded person. You’re not just learning facts; you’re learning how to think. These skills that IB provides can all be applied later in life, which makes pursuing IB a great long-term choice.
So, is pursuing IB it worth it? If you love challenges and are ready to sacrifice some sleep and social life, then yeah, it’s totally worth it. IB prepares you for university and life in general. It also teaches you to manage time, think critically, and get things done under pressure. But if you’re just looking for a breezy high school experience, then maybe skip it. It’s tough, but it makes you stronger and more disciplined as a person. Just bear in mind that choosing to be an IB student is not an essential choice. Although the IB curriculum is not for everyone and is challenging in a positive way, that does not mean that it is compulsory to pursue IB in order to become a successful person later in life.