21 Jan 2018

In Year 10, I decided my final two years of high school would be slightly differently to everyone around me. Instead of embarking on the classic VCE struggle like many in Victoria, I chose to do the IB.

What is the IB?

IB is short for International Baccalaureate and it’s recognised internationally (which is why a lot of people choose to do it). It’s basically an educational program that you do instead of  your state curriculum (you can do it in every state, not just Victoria like I did).

What do I have to do?

During Year 11 and 12, on top of your subjects you have to complete 50 hours of creativity (which I spent going to life drawing sessions), activity (playing hockey) and service (volunteering at a local community group). Other parts of the IB include the mandatory completion of Theory of Knowledge (TOK) – a subject which questions how knowledge is gained, as well as a 4,000 word essay on a topic of your choice.

How much work is there?

Doing the IB is a lot of work.

It’s very academically focused, and when the novelty of starting Year 12 and being so close to the end of high school wears off, you will longingly watch the non-IB students cruising along. You’ll imagine how easy their life must be, ignoring the fact that they’re probably struggling just as much with the ATAR (which you won’t get but don’t stress, you can still apply for uni).

Because of the academic focus, the IB doesn’t have room for vocational training opportunities, which can be good or bad, depending on what you want to do after high school.

Will I still have a life?

Despite what everyone says – you still have time for life outside of the IB. Although you do miss out on some of the non-IB parties, you form very strong bonds with other IB people through shared memes and the ridiculousness of the workload.

As you are in smaller classes with basically the same people all the time, you’ll relish the times you’re finally able to catch up with your non-IB friends during a rare shared free period, neglecting your TOK essay and bragging about who got the least sleep the previous night.

Through IB you learn to manage your time and accept the fact that it’s important to have a life outside of school to help your panic-prone mind keep things in perspective. You learn that it’s okay to occasionally stay out till 4am on a Sunday and go back to school on Monday having done no homework (worth it for the memories).

What are the benefits?

Doing the IB forces you to pursue experiences you otherwise wouldn’t. Had I not been forced to complete 150 hours of Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS), I wouldn’t have been able to experience many moments that pushed me out of my comfort zone. At the start of the year, I never envisaged myself serving toasties at a punk gig or drawing life models on a school night. While it is annoying having to complete a set number of hours of co-curricular activities, CAS was one of my highlights because it made me try new experiences.

A lot of people choose the IB because they want the opportunity to study overseas once they graduate (remember, it’s internationally recognised) and some do it to better prepare themselves for heading to uni after high school.

Will I still get an ATAR?

Nope, but this doesn’t mean you can’t apply for universities within Australia. Because the IB is equivalent to a Year 12 state curriculum education, uni admission will just be based off your IB marks rather than an ATAR.

Isn’t it just for ‘really smart’ people?

Nope. As an average student, at first I regretted not choosing the same path as many of my friends at the time in Year 10. The beginning of Year 11 brought a noticeably bigger workload and I struggled, like many, to keep up with the seeming endless flow of assignments and tests. But as time went on I realised that choosing a different path was one of the best things I could have done, proving to myself that I didn’t have to go with the mainstream, but I could succeed by doing the program that better suited me.

by Medbh Mezzetti