International Baccalaureate

[IBparent]

DC is in yr2 of the IB.

I’ve searched and couldn’t find any threads but I know there must be other IB parents out there and wondered if we could have a chat thread.

Not necessarily COVID related although that obviously doesn’t help with stress levels at the moment!

Hi @IBparent

Parent of a Yr2 IB student who is currently studying in the US ..... happy to join a thread.

Hello 😁. Is it as unusual in the US as it is here in the UK? DC is at a college of approx 6000 and there are about 50 IBers in his year group!

We are living in the U.K. with no connections to the US whatsoever but daughter applied to united world colleges and got a place at UWC USA in the depths of New Mexico!
To be honest I don’t think IB is very usual there as most US students tend to go down the high school, SAT and US college route which makes applying to U.K. universities a bit more difficult.

My daughter actively sought out IB as not offered by her current school and wanted to keep options open and not that many
IB co Ed schools nearby. Think she is slightly regretting it as the last semester has been a nightmare in terms of workload in comparison to her U.K. a level friends.

Are IB still planning exams in U.K.?

Wow - can’t imagine a college of 6000!!!

Wow! What an experience for her!!

College serves the whole county so does A levels, BTecs, vocational courses and degree level courses. Mixture of traditional 16-18 students alongside part timers, adults and apprenticeships. It has suited my DC but isn’t for everyone. Downside is if their bestie lives at the other end of the county 90 minutes away but it’s a great stepping stone to university and independent learning.

No decision as yet on exams. IB isn’t generally mentioned in news articles, I think it is viewed as elitist perhaps?

And yes, workload seems ridiculous but he was warned about this before he started by the course leader!

Yes it has been an amazing experience and truly global as students from all around the globe but very different under Covid unfortunately. We packed her off in August knowing we potentially won’t see her until after the exams...

Yes going to a big college is probably good experience to uni and I think that if you can cope with the IB you can cope with a uni degree and all the pressure that entails...

I do think that IB is seen as elite as it is expensive to teach as student cohorts small and most unis are more used to seeing a levels and like the specialism especially for STEM subjects. I must say I like the variety but it’s not for all students. It really wouldn’t suit my YR11 son as desperate to drop anything involving writing for 6th form.

Daughter has finally finished her personal statement so need to finalise U.K. unis this weekend so she can apply via UCAS....

Sorry to jump on the thread but my son is just about to hopefully enter 6th form to do the I.B (but he is mega lazy, very bright but absolutely does the minimum !). Have explained to him how much the work load is for the I.B but he really doesn't want to do A-Levels as he doesn't know what he want's to do and wants to keep his options open, is the work load really that much ?

My ds completed the IB in 2018 and workload is tough but manageable if you keep on track throughout the year, are well organised and don’t leave everything to the last minute. Even straightforward tasks like noting down CAS events and reflections become a nightmare if you haven’t updated the details for 6 months. Ds found the first year at university less stressful as he was used to organising his time and planning ahead.