5 Significant Ways In Which IB Helps You In Your Life

International Baccalaureate for M20 graduates is almost over. Most of you must be wondering what is next? The following paragraph has been primarily written to make you feel good about yourself. If you are not interested in it, then I suggest you skip to the next point.

What you have done is not something everyone can do. You chose to walk the tough path. Did you know that students who do the IB Diploma are 38% more likely to graduate from university when compared to students undergoing other secondary education certification? Also, almost 30% of the students drop out of the IB program. The fact that you have made it so far is an achievement worth acknowledging. But enough of these stats. Long story short, if you survived IB, then you will sail through college and will face all the challenges that life throws at you with the best of your ability. Take a minute and reflect on all the Internal Assessments, Internal Orals and the Extended Essay. Remind yourself the way you managed to unravel the abstract concepts of Theory of Knowledge. Not to forget the hard work which went into studying all your subject. For real. Good job! 

Moving forward, here are the five things that you should always keep with you for your life after IB

1. Maintain that Work Ethic

2. Continue the Holistic Approach to Life

3. Maintain the Analytical Thinking Pattern

4. Remember You are Slightly Above Average

5. Relax. You Deserve It

Remember, the end of your IBDP is the beginning of your life. The hustle that you went through has prepared you to take on more significant challenges in life. A smart way of making sure you don’t fall off the wagon is to keep up with the work ethic. I am not encouraging you to pull an all-nighter every second day. But I do insist on you being sincere with whatever work you do the same way as you were sincere while submitting your extended essay. By now, you must have realised that intensive research backs every successful project. Here is a reminder. Your research can be of four types, namely: observational, experimental, simulation and derived.  While Group 4 Internal Assessments (IA) have prepared you for experimental study, other IAs and have honed your observational and derived researching techniques. Be sure to make this approach of researching your basis for all your college reports.

The concept of having a work ethic is not only limited to indulging in a proper research methodology. A significant part of it is about time and stress management. Juggling your course work with CAS has made you familiar with the art of multi-tasking. By now, you must have released that life is but a never-ending agile project. You are almost an expert in revising your plans and amending your approach to it if need be. Being agile is one of the most critical traits in the modern world. If one is flexible, sincere and quick on the feet, then one carry out all of their commitments successfully.

If there is one thing that you learned in IB, it has to be taking a holistic approach to almost everything in your life. Be it answering questions in your exam paper or writing an assessment; it is in an IB student’s blood to put forth a well rounded and well-thought argument for its reader. When these skills are applied in your life after IB, they increase your bandwidth of perception. This makes you sensitive about the way your interpretation may be drastically different from how others perceive something. Having this level of awareness often makes you the glue with holds project teams together and help them reach a consensus. It is an essential skill that all leaders must possess to conduct successful projects. Make sure to demonstrate this trait in all of your future plans and you will find yourself being in charge in most cases.

Life would have been so simple, and straight forward if it were not for the whimsical nature of Theory of Knowledge. You may have despited ToK for making you question the source of your knowledge or the way that knowledge was acquired. However, you cannot deny that TOK opened the flood gates of analytical thinking, making you super conscious of the simplistic nature of ordinary thought. Skills like these are essential for the up and coming job market like Data Science, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Theory of Knowledge has given you a head start in understanding the factors affecting data acquisition and the way it should be interpreted depending on where it was acquired. If you are interested in any of the fields mentioned above, then you should thank ToK for making 'analytical thinking' your lifestyle.

I am not going to massage your ego anymore. I have already done that enough in the above paragraph. But let us face it. You underwent one of the most daunting and intensive diplomas offered to high school attendees. And you bloody well did survive two years for it. This may not necessarily mean that your IQ is above average, but this undoubtedly highlights that your ability to tolerate difficulty and manage stress is beyond average. Not many high schools teach their subjects in a multifaceted way. Be sure always to remember that if you can survive IB, then you can survive almost anything.

Right now, all the M20 graduates must be making sure to hand in their course work in time. A little side note: make sure you check out our free EE Guide and ToK Guide which helps you enhance your final drafts. Moreover, we are also offering free Sample Internal Assessments for Biology, History, Chemistry, 

Economics, Geography, Mathematics, and Business. The examiner has commented on these Internal Assessments so you can use them to improve your course work!

Now coming back to the main point of this paragraph. Once you are done submitting your course work, makes sure to relax for a while. College is a different ball game altogether. Before getting all worked up about your undergraduate, I urge you to spend some time off. I remember when I was done with the IB Diploma, there was a void in my life. Feeling relaxed and having nothing to do triggered my brain signalling something must be wrong, and I must be falling behind on a submission. It took a significant amount of time for that feeling to fade away. Don’t let it happen to you. Embrace having to do nothing for a while. Be proud of what you have accomplished. And finally, be assured that no matter what life happens in life, you will always have the IB’s learner profile in you.  

Perhaps you will be a little more motivated to finish your course work if you read the success stories of the IB Alumni Network!