I need advice

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I have been offered to enter a program for high school called ib. Its a program that gets you noticed by colleges, but by going I would have to go to school for an hour bus ride every day, and they guarantee you 3 hours of homework every night. With that much homework I would not be able to play football or have any other extra curricular activity, and relatively no social life. Is it worth it? My parents say it is my choice, and i dont know what to do.

 

Hmmm, well, it really does depend on what you want to do when/if you graduate.
If you want a higher paid job like i dunno...maybe a lawyer go for it. But if you want a more active job like army service or somthing stick with normal rutine.

 

Well you will have lots of time for extra curricular activities when you get into college Whats a little sacrifice now eh

 

It's smart to make a little sacrifice to get ahead in the real world later in life. As for those people who call you a geek; well, they'll end up working for you.

 

Well it must be your descision. But I will tell you this, IB is alittle overrated. It isnt worth it imho. You might get it slightly less difficult to get into college but not overly. If you work properly in your normal school you should still be able to get into the colleges you want. Better to have a life than to to study away for very little gain. And this is a teacher speaking
But then again its only my ten cents, your choice.

 

So lets say 2 hours on the bus, 3 hours of homework, 6 in school (more/less ?) - that would be 11 hours a day ? As a minimum? To make getting into college maybe a little more probable?

I'd probably say don't do it (unless it's your only shot at university). To paraphrase: all work and no play make ender ... a little odd

 

I have heard as much from many people Joaquin and I appreciate your advice everybody.

 

Don't do it.

Playing football or other extracurricular activities help you get into college as well, and don't cripple your social life.

 

if 'ib' stands for 'international baccalaureat' then don't bother. the amount of extra work you do will not correlate with the recognition you'll get from colleges.

 

yeah thats what it stands for, and I am glad im getting so many responses.

 

Don't do it.

Enjoy your time while you are young. Most of your adult life will be spent working your ass off.

 

the international baccalaureat involves studying a broad range of subjects and is recognised internationally (that's obvious).

because of this the only people who might gain an advantage by following the scheme are students that plan to go to univerity abroad (which i'm sure you don't want). a college will be familiar with what grades attained from ib are worth, and so will not have to 'translate' your grades into their local equivalent.

even then, if you have a load of a-grades from high school you're unlikely to be snubbed in favour of someone with an ib. i was asked to do it when i was at school, and they will often bombard you with propoganda, convincing you that only the elite, the smartest, are offered the chance to do it (which is'nt so- i know loads of stupid people with ib's ) i'm currently at a top college in the uk which attracts a high foreign component, so several of my friends have done ib's.

personally, i'd recommend not doing it. the advantage of an ib is negligible in comparison to the time you'll save, which can be used not only to keep your social life, but also to put that little bit extra into getting solid a's. good luck making your decision.

[This message has been edited by the god (edited March 31, 2002).]

 

OH it's the international baccalauerat thingy! Oh don't do it then. If you got good marks in your school then there shouldn't be a problem for getting into uni.

 

Do what you think is best for yourself.

 

Here's the IBO web site: http://www.ibo.org

But that's just the official propaganda

Someone actually asks about IB and I do not know what to say... I am in the IB program, although I have some slight delay in entering the Diploma part... don't ask...

But what I lwanted to say is.... IB is, in my school anyway, full of snobs. There's three of us, I'd say, who aren't rich, popular, snobby, arrogant... even without realizing it themselves...
IB is an experience, and a grand opportunity. I have no qualms about being in the program and spending most of my time doing schoolwork. I mean, when I was 13 I already had to spend 9 hours in school daily
In IB you do have a social life, if only because of CAS () It represents Creativity, Action and Service, such as playing football, drama clubbing, helping to plan school events, that sort of stuff. Also, the bonds beteween those in the IB are very strong. Computers are commonly a very large part of a life as an IB.
I have several friends who have extracurricular activities, such as sports or playing an instrument or watching Anime... It is doable.
For a sample, time spent sitting in a bus can be spent by sleeping or doing your reading. And who needs sleep anyway?

But IB has downsides as well. Hell of a lot of independent work, such as the Internal Assessment (A massive history project), strict deadlines, graduation fees, the aforementioned snobbish brats, but still....
It has been stated several times that IB students wait College eagerly because it will be a lot more easier than IB.

For me, IB was a dream that came true. I learned about it when I was 12, and after that.... for years, I wanted to be in the IB, and now I am... (Unless I drop out due to some problematics with getting enough credits....)
I dreamed about it for three and a half years, and when I found out that I was accepted... I have never been happier in my life.

But I give you a few words of actual advice: Talk to people who are in the program in the school you would be going. You will get a feel on how things work in the school you would be going.

For me, IB is also a way to get myself out of social services' "gentle care" and on my own, to get me into a good university, make me rich and powerful.... All the usual stuff.

IB is an experience to cherish, while recovering from it in a psych ward.

Ara
(Being sane is highly overrated, dont'cha think?)

 

Oh well, judging by the amount of time Ara spends on the forums you'll have LOTS of free time

Then again I am supposed to be revising for the most important exams I have ever had so...

 

I'd like to respond to the larger question... "With that much homework I would not be able to play football or have any other extra curricular activity, and relatively no social life. Is it worth it?"

No, it is definitely not worth it to spend your adolescence slogging away towards your career path. There is a theory- promoted by high school counsellors and parents- that everything you do when you are a teenager dictates what university you will go to, and what university you go to dictates whether you'll be rich or a street person. It's not that black & white. If you are smart enough to get into the IB program, or any other special academic program, then life will afford lots of "second chances".

A personal anecdote. My best friend in school, Veronica, worked harder than anyone I'd ever met. She took all the "right" courses to fulfill her dream profession, did all the "right" extracurricular activities, and had virtually no social life because she spent so many hours doing homework. I, on the other hand, did the bare minimum of homework I could get away with, had a very full social calendar, and didn't do any of the extracurricular activities they told me I "needed" to get into university. Eventually, in fact, I got so bored I dropped out of school without graduating. I took fun jobs, travelled the world earning my living as I went, joined the army for 3 years, studied what interested me and skipped what didn't interest me.

We are both 30 now. Where is Veronica today? Trapped in a dead-end job she hates, because the career she planned so hard for since she was 10 years old was unbelievably competitive by the time she graduated from university, and all her competitors had done all the "right" things too. And where am I? Frankly, successful and wealthy. Universities were thrilled to see an older applicant with maturity and rich life experience, so I had no problem getting in and getting an MBA despite being a high-school dropout.

I am so, so, so glad I didn't waste 15 years, like Veronica and so many other people, desperately preparing for a career. Life is not the rat race it's made out to be - don't be frightened into spending your time doing things you don't want to. There is lots of time later to catch up if you decide you want to.

 

even though i've recommended you don't follow the ib course (as sprite's just reiterated- it does'nt mean you're smarter and might not get you what you want out of life), don't assume you'll lose your social life completely. as i mentioned, a number of my close friends have done it, and they've 'turned out' just fine. (sort of)

best thing to do would be to go to the school yourself and talk one-to-one with some of the present students to get the genuine low-down (don't allow teachers at the school to be present!). again, good luck!

:the god of advice

 

I have a feeling, you won't have trouble getting into an ivy league school. You seem intelligent enough already. I would stay in highschool as long as you can. My parents would tell me my social life can come later, school is more important right now. Well, guess what, it's later. I'm out of college now and my life is just work.. there is no time for a social life. I miss school for that.

[This message has been edited by Vandalore (edited April 04, 2002).]

 

I am so glad that you wrote that question. I was beggining to feel all alone in this big network of sorcerers. Here is an answer to you question (for all its worth): Ask yourself-do you want to have fun or not. If you do take the class. It will pay off when you 80 years old.