Advice and Acronyms

IB Program Advice

Questioning whether you want to try the IB program? We'd rather have you sign up and keep the possibility open. It's okay if you end up pursuing the full IB diploma, individual IB certificates, or even if you go a different route in the future. 

1. IB is achievable by anyone that wants to achieve it. The difference between IB and other classes isn't intelligence; rather, it's the determination to work hard at something, and keep working hard. Sometimes it gets hard, and sometimes you need to put in some extra study time in order to understand some of the concepts. As long as you're willing to put in the effort and push through any difficulties, you can do IB.

2. Your teachers are very understanding. IB teachers are keenly aware of how rigorous IB can be at times. Since IB has a more structured format of classes, the teachers know that every student is being affected by all the teachers' workloads put together. Let your teachers know what's happening in your life; you aren't machines, and neither are they.

3. Don't procrastinate. Common sense, sure. However, your teachers can only be lenient up to a point before it's just hurting your progress. Every assignment they give you has a reason of some point or another. The tasks at hand are a lot easier to deal with when you aren't doing them at three in the morning.

4. Sleep is SO important. Again, common sense, but getting your eight hours is more important than that assignment you procrastinated for a week. It's so easy to fall down a spiral of sleepless nights and no energy to do work during the day. It builds if you let it. If this is happening to you and everything feels impossible, a good night's rest can lend a lot of perspective. Or even just a good nap.

5. Don't completely take the summer off. We do want you to relax and enjoy your time, and come back rejuvenated in the fall. Many IB students take courses online that are graduation requirements with Granite Online. You can take required classes such as Health II, PE for 9th Graders, Fitness for Life, Digital Literacy, and more to get them out of the way. This will free up more room in your schedule for elective classes that you want to take.

6. Take advantage of the help in the IB Office. We're in Room 2407, near the library. If you have questions about IB, stop by any time. Anyone in the office is happy to assist you.

7. If there's room in your schedule, consider taking a study period. Study periods are a great way to study and finish work for all of your classes. If you have a lot to do have after school, this is a life saver because it's a class period devoted to giving you extra time to complete homework.

8. Learn to do YOUR best rather than THE best. Many students in IB tend to enter high school as a perfectionist. However, IB is as rigorous as advertised, and sometimes, perfection isn't always achievable. Learn to be okay with being wrong sometimes, and even learn to be okay with failure. Everything will work out in the end. 

Commonly Used IB Acronyms

We use a lot of acronyms in IB. Here are the definitions for some commonly used ones:

• IB: International Baccalaureate

• CAS: Creativity, Activity, Service. This is a necessary part of the IB program that gets students involved in extracurricular activities as well as school. It's quite simple with many options available, and can lead to immersion in activities you may not have tried before. Ms. Schneider's favorite place to volunteer is Best Friends Animal Society.

• EE: Extended Essay. This is an essay that will be written during your junior and senior years. Ms. Bucaria is the Extended Essay Coordinator. You will also have a faculty supervisor based on the topic area you choose.

• IOP: Internal Oral Presentation. This is an oral presentation given to the class on works studied in the class. The rules vary depending on which class requires the IOP.

• IA: Internal Assessment. Depending on the IB class, the IA could be a project, workbook, oral exam, paper, or series of experiments.

• IOC: Individual Oral Commentary. In the IB English class, students will take an oral exam after receiving a passage the students have studied.

• TOK: Theory of Knowledge. This is a necessary class for all IB students. The TOK class challenges students to reflect critically on emotion, reason, language, and perception. Students will also link different areas of knowledge such as ethics and science, math and art, natural sciences and history, etc. It helps with the critical thinking necessary to get a high score on all IB exams. Students take TOK for one semester during their junior year and one semester during their senior year.

• SL: Standard Level.

• HL: Higher Level.