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Hello! Welcome back to the IB Student Chronicle, and today we've got a special treat for you! For this article, I interviewed my fellow IB classmates to learn about their experiences throughout their first year in IB and what they're looking forward to next year! All of my classmates who I interviewed and I are part of the IB Diploma Class of 2023 at our school in California, so we just finished our Junior year! Hopefully hearing about all of our experiences will help you navigate your years in IB and give you lots to look forward to!
Savannah: What are three words you would use to describe your first year in IB Diploma? I would describe my first year in IB as being fun, rigorous, and memorable. I have enjoyed meeting new people and balancing the many classes I am taking. I thoroughly enjoyed the many activities and opportunities that IB has given me. What advice do you have for pre-IB Students and incoming IB Diploma Juniors? Some advice that I have for IB diploma students becoming juniors is to manage time wisely. Using a planner and setting reminders on my phone has been very helpful for me. This will allow you to stay on top of your schoolwork and manage extracurriculars. What is your favorite part about IB in general? My favorite part of IB Is definitely the people. I have made so many great friends through this program that share the same values as me. I love how close our cohort as gotten over the course of IB! What are you most looking forward to for next year in IB? I am looking forward to the content that will be in these classes. I am very excited to continue expanding my knowledge. I believe that this will prepare me for college. What is your favorite memory from this year? My favorite memory from this year is the IB Christmas party. I had a lot of fun eating with everyone and decorating cookies. I hope we can continue this tradition next year! Jiaxi What are three words you would use to describe your first year in IB Diploma? Three words I would use to describe my first year in IB Diploma is exciting, stressful, and chaotic. I would say exciting because I was able participate in new things that I probably wouldn't have been able to without participating in IB Diploma, such as doing activities for CAS. Stressful and chaotic however, would be used to describe this first year mainly because of the classes I chose, such as Mandarin SL and Chemistry SL. I went into these classes thinking that the exams and IA's would be extremely difficult, but in the end it turned out to be alright. What advice do you have for pre-IB Students and incoming IB Diploma Juniors? Advice that I have for pre-IB Students and incoming IB Diploma Juniors is to understand what you are getting into before you join. It's better to know what's expected and what you should do so your time in IB Diploma would not be stressful as you will already have a plan and understanding on how your year should go. What is your favorite part about IB in general? My favorite part of IB so far is the culture of IB. It feels as if the IB Diploma students are close to one another, where this year, I ended up working with people who I thought I would've never worked with at all. At the end of exams and projects, that short moment of celebration with others who have struggled through the same subjects as you just feels rewarding after all the work. What are you most looking forward to for next year in IB? Next year for IB, I am looking forward for the HL Literature class. Not only will we be able to listen to a full rap album in class, but the class won't be as big and will include the IB certificate students as well. I feel like it would be a "fun" small class as we've already bonded a bit during our time this year. What is your favorite memory from this year? My favorite memory from this year was during IB Philosophy, when some of my friends nominated me to be a class facilitator for the day despite my wishes against this. I was instantly grateful for this role, as I was able to abuse my power and have the person who coordinated the nomination to read everything from the packet that we were supposed to read. Out loud. I would say it was a win-win for both parties. Joseph Mendoza: What are three words you would use to describe your first year in IB Diploma? Fast, Fun, and Challenging. What advice do you have for pre-IB Students and incoming IB Diploma Juniors? Communication is key! Communicate with your peers and teachers extensively in and outside of school. Reaching out to your teachers can open a lot of doors both for clarity and for opportunity. Being sociable with your peers can not only be a valuable tool for your coursework, but also to destress and have fun. What is your favorite part about IB in general? My favorite part of IB has been the people. About midway through the year I realized that I wanted to surround myself with people who were going places, because I want to be going places too! Many students in the IB course will have a common goal of success and motivation to succeed. Despite the challenges, the people are a significant reason why I am staying aboard and staying strong with IB. What are you most looking forward to for next year in IB? I am definitely looking forward to being in more classes with my IB peers as more exclusive classes will be available. The smaller classes will allow me to better communicate with my teachers and grow even closer with others. Not to mention senior year is when all the big stuff is happening, so being in IB will actually bear some weight rather than just being far away plans and goals. Alex Li: What are three words you would use to describe your first year in IB Diploma? Three words I would use to describe my first year in the IB Diploma program would be, challenging, interesting, and fun. Challenging as the courses and amount of work was daunting, interesting because I learned many new things, and fun because I've met many new people. What advice do you have for pre-IB Students and incoming IB Diploma Juniors? I would tell pre IB students and incoming juniors to prepare themselves ahead of time. Maybe get familiar with what subjects you will be tackling in the upcoming years and also be aware of the workload. It is also important that you are able to manage your time, balancing work and extracurriculars. What is your favorite part about IB in general? My favorite part about IB so far was getting a chance to meet and familiarize myself with new people. IB gave me a chance to make friends I never thought I would have met. I’m sure the friends I made now will leave a significant impact on my last year of high school and even on my future as well. What are you most looking forward to for next year in IB? What I'm looking forward to next year are our IB class's long-awaited field trips. Because of COVID, the traditional field trips to museums, art galleries, parks, etc have been put on hold. That is why I am looking forward to more field trips that range outside the school next year, and also give us actions to put towards our CAS. What is your favorite memory from this year? My favorite memory from this year was the Christmas party we held for the junior and senior IB students. This party was immensely fun as it was lively and welcoming to everyone. We had many exciting activities as well including a potluck, cookie designing, and even a white elephant gift exchange. Catalina: What are three words you would use to describe your first year in IB Diploma? Tough, All aspects, infinite possibilities. What advice do you have for pre-IB Students and incoming IB Diploma Juniors? Explore extra-curricular activities, Keep up the Language B, Practice getting organized. What's your favorite part about IB so far? My favorite is IB's IA, Internal Assessment. In this activity, we do all the work independently. It was difficult at first, but I found this activity interesting because I can explore according to my interests, find more theories, and learn more new knowledge. Maggie: What are three words you would use to describe your first year in IB Diploma? I would describe my first year as an IB Diploma student with the words: “demanding” as well as “difficult.” However, I would still also describe my first year with the word “aspiring.” Although the IB Diploma Program requires a lot of a student’s time and effort, it was still a pleasant experience overall. This program definitely strengthened my ambition as a student as it encouraged me to push myself further to achieve my goals. What advice do you have for pre-IB Students and incoming IB Diploma Juniors? For the pre-IB students and the incoming IB Diploma Juniors, I would advise them to really stay on top of their studies. Building a sturdy foundation as underclassmen is crucial towards the experience they will receive as first-year IB Diploma students. What's your favorite part about IB so far? My favorite part about the IB program is that it offers a variety of advanced-level classes to students. Instead of focusing directly on what a student may be good at, the student is encouraged to become well-rounded in multiple subjects. What are you most looking forward to for next year in IB? I am looking forward to becoming a better version of myself next year as an IB student. I could definitely use some improvement in several areas, so I’m excited to be able to showcase the changes I’ve made. I am also looking forward to graduating with an IB Diploma! What is your favorite memory from this year? My favorite memory from this year was meeting 3 of my best friends in the IB Diploma student. I was a brand new student in high school, and these people encouraged me to become who I am today. I did struggle during my first year of IB because of personal circumstances, but these 3 people have been there for me throughout all of it. By Canon Pham Canon Pham is an IB Diploma Candidate and Junior at Glen A. Wilson High School who is passionate about using her voice to raise awareness of important issues and build community among like-minded people. After her first semester of Junior year, she started the IB Student Chronicle to help provide more information about the IB experience for prospective and first-year IB Diploma Candidates. She also writes for The Teen Magazine, tutors with Reading Partners, holds several leadership positions at school, and plays varsity tennis. Canon enjoys spending time with her two younger siblings, her adorable puppy dog, and her incredible group of friends.
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