So I just realised that previously, people could not post comments unless they had an account.
I've therefore modified the settings to allow anyone to post.
How To Post Comments/Questions:
1. Go to the bottom of the post or section that your question pertains to
2. Click on "Comments" in the orange at the bottom
3. Scroll to the bottom of the post to where a white box will have appeared (where you write the comment)
4.In the "comment as" section click and scroll to the bottom where it says "Anonymous"
5.Post! :)
I look forward to (finally) hearing your guys' questions :P
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Will I Do Well in IB?
Often asked is the question of whether you will do better in regular or IB courses. IB has conversions, however the material is harder. So how to choose? Well firstly, I've established some criteria for a good (not ideal) IB student (this is to get GOOD results (6s):
Qualities:
-efficient
-hard worker/willing to put in the effort
-can procrastinate, however only as long as he/she knows they still have enough time to get the work done (as in never procrastinates so long they cannot finish by the deadline. big nono)
-is a good memorizor/understands concepts (either or. both=maximum potential)
-can BS well, but makes it sound intelligent
How to know if IB will actually give you higher marks.
If you are a person who can memorize/understand concepts well, then IB will allow you to get higher marks. This is because it should not matter what you have to memorize or how much (usually).
For these good memorizers/understanders in a regular stream, though the material is easier, memorizing ability is still at the same effectiveness. However to get that 98% they can only get 1 wrong; doing IB however, though there is more content, memorization still remains the same and so on the test they will have memorized the content just as effectively but this time they can get 5 or 6 wrong and still achieve that 98%.
In this way, if you are a good student, IB helps you. If you are a brilliant student, IB rockets you to stardom (because you don't get that many wrong, and combined with IB conversions gives you those consistent 98/99%s). If you are a bad student/have trouble memorizing/understanding concepts -then the harder material will just add to the content you cannot memorize and the concepts you cannot understand. In this way, IB screws over those whose learning styles and abilities do not fit the memorization/concept route, and so regular stream with its lighter educational load, will favor them more.
Qualities:
-efficient
-hard worker/willing to put in the effort
-can procrastinate, however only as long as he/she knows they still have enough time to get the work done (as in never procrastinates so long they cannot finish by the deadline. big nono)
-is a good memorizor/understands concepts (either or. both=maximum potential)
-can BS well, but makes it sound intelligent
How to know if IB will actually give you higher marks.
If you are a person who can memorize/understand concepts well, then IB will allow you to get higher marks. This is because it should not matter what you have to memorize or how much (usually).
For these good memorizers/understanders in a regular stream, though the material is easier, memorizing ability is still at the same effectiveness. However to get that 98% they can only get 1 wrong; doing IB however, though there is more content, memorization still remains the same and so on the test they will have memorized the content just as effectively but this time they can get 5 or 6 wrong and still achieve that 98%.
In this way, if you are a good student, IB helps you. If you are a brilliant student, IB rockets you to stardom (because you don't get that many wrong, and combined with IB conversions gives you those consistent 98/99%s). If you are a bad student/have trouble memorizing/understanding concepts -then the harder material will just add to the content you cannot memorize and the concepts you cannot understand. In this way, IB screws over those whose learning styles and abilities do not fit the memorization/concept route, and so regular stream with its lighter educational load, will favor them more.
Should I Do IB?
Should you do IB? Ultimate question :P
Well to answer it, I think it's pertinent to go over how IB helps you, and how it doesn't.
Pros:
-huge lesson in time management. Xinfinity. You don't know how much you learn, and how much it will help you in university
-teaches students to truly be independent and independent learners
-pushes you
-competition is stronger -some people thrive on that (such as myself. I used to be an ~85% student in grade 10, I now have over 95% average (end of grade 12).
-certain amount of prestige/bragging rights :P
-transfer credits to university
-international university applications are much easier to do (and get accepted) with an IB diploma
-if a university has an IB student with an 85% average on one hand and an 86% average regular -I think 10/10 times they will pick the IB-er. Because these students have roughed it, have not quit, and so are also a safer bet for the university (less likely to drop out)
-often find university easier. If going into medicine or engineering, find it the same or slightly harder (depending on the program. the same/slightly harder refers to the competitive programs)
Cons:
-lots of emphasis on essay style projects
-lots of memorization
-labs for the sciences are intense. they are long (20+ pages) and apparently in university you do nothing like them. I have seen and heard however that they prep you very well if you go into the sciences
-EE
-less time to be a teenager. You can still be one, (those who say you have no life are wrong -If you had to forget all your hobbies in order to do IB, I don't think IB was for you.) however you have less free time to do so.
-homework: depends on the person/how much you study/how efficiently you study. On average about 2 hours a night (but I was one of those who studied a lot less)
-some people become really stuck up
-if it's not a completely IB-ified school, the regular stream kids may start to marginalize/resent IB kids (if IB kids are stuck up)(and if you start from grade 9 to be separated from regulars in classes this is much more prominent and true). However, I for example have friends in both regular and IB. Best friends in both, and we have a group of about 30 kids all mixed, and we all get along extremely well -so it just depends on the group.
-if you don't leave your country for studies, some say it is useless, because you do a lot of extra work, in return for nothing, since both the regular kids and IB kids end up going to the same universities/programs.
THEREFORE
IB is not a tangible results program (in my opinion), but a developmental one. It develops you as an individual and as a student. You learn to prioritize, become more efficient, write the tedious and memorize the complex, and time manage.
If you think you can learn all this in university -then don't do IB because there is no point. If you would like a headstart -go for it :p
Well to answer it, I think it's pertinent to go over how IB helps you, and how it doesn't.
Pros:
-huge lesson in time management. Xinfinity. You don't know how much you learn, and how much it will help you in university
-teaches students to truly be independent and independent learners
-pushes you
-competition is stronger -some people thrive on that (such as myself. I used to be an ~85% student in grade 10, I now have over 95% average (end of grade 12).
-certain amount of prestige/bragging rights :P
-transfer credits to university
-international university applications are much easier to do (and get accepted) with an IB diploma
-if a university has an IB student with an 85% average on one hand and an 86% average regular -I think 10/10 times they will pick the IB-er. Because these students have roughed it, have not quit, and so are also a safer bet for the university (less likely to drop out)
-often find university easier. If going into medicine or engineering, find it the same or slightly harder (depending on the program. the same/slightly harder refers to the competitive programs)
Cons:
-lots of emphasis on essay style projects
-lots of memorization
-labs for the sciences are intense. they are long (20+ pages) and apparently in university you do nothing like them. I have seen and heard however that they prep you very well if you go into the sciences
-EE
-less time to be a teenager. You can still be one, (those who say you have no life are wrong -If you had to forget all your hobbies in order to do IB, I don't think IB was for you.) however you have less free time to do so.
-homework: depends on the person/how much you study/how efficiently you study. On average about 2 hours a night (but I was one of those who studied a lot less)
-some people become really stuck up
-if it's not a completely IB-ified school, the regular stream kids may start to marginalize/resent IB kids (if IB kids are stuck up)(and if you start from grade 9 to be separated from regulars in classes this is much more prominent and true). However, I for example have friends in both regular and IB. Best friends in both, and we have a group of about 30 kids all mixed, and we all get along extremely well -so it just depends on the group.
-if you don't leave your country for studies, some say it is useless, because you do a lot of extra work, in return for nothing, since both the regular kids and IB kids end up going to the same universities/programs.
THEREFORE
IB is not a tangible results program (in my opinion), but a developmental one. It develops you as an individual and as a student. You learn to prioritize, become more efficient, write the tedious and memorize the complex, and time manage.
If you think you can learn all this in university -then don't do IB because there is no point. If you would like a headstart -go for it :p
Math SL or HL?
So to you prospective Ib-ers who don't know whether to take SL or HL. Here is how to distinguish between them:
SL:
-knowledge + application based questions
-straightforward
-some uni concepts learned
-for canada, you receive the calculus and the advanced functions math credits
-if you are good/okay + willing to work at math, but do not like learning theories and going into too much depth.
-more practical than theoretical
HL:
-thinking questions (TIPS questions for canada)
-LOTS of proofs
-much harder concepts; often confusing
- for canada, you recieve calculus, advanced functions, and data management (all 3 maths)
-go into extensive uni math (in my opinion. aka first and second year (a little))
-much more theoretical than practical
-you must like math, be good at problem solving (and I mean good), and enjoy/be proficient in abstract thinking
-math + how to solve its problems must come somewhat naturally. Memorization does not work with this course. For those who tried to memorize, it went badly.
-some examples of crazy hard stuff: chinese number theorem, working with i (imaginary numbers) extensively (including on ln and log functions)
And from a just-finished HL math student (very smart guy):
Hardest to Not-So-Hard:
1) Graph/Number Theory Option
2) Integration (which covers 4 units of the course, so:)
3) Integration again :P
4) Related Rates in Differential Calculus
5) Complex Numbers
Also, my HL contact (this sounds epic :P ) said that it's not the concepts themselves that are hard, just the "HL Math Question Factor" that really beats up the HL kids. So again, you have to have (to some extent) a natural passion or affinity for math problem solving, as all HL questions are essentially long word problems that require extensive problem solving.
One last piece of advice: DO NOT do HL just for bragging rights. This is because when you get a 4 or less (79% and lower) on the maths you apply to university with, they not only bring down your average, but may stop you from applying to certain programs due to your averages being beneath the minimum math average; -and that is not very brag-able.
Quote from my HL contact:
"just tell them to avoid HL Math.....it has screwed over wayy too many people
and its only use (if the uni even recognizes it) is to put you in a seminar with year two students who probably haven't been sober in over a year [-_-] "
SL:
-knowledge + application based questions
-straightforward
-some uni concepts learned
-for canada, you receive the calculus and the advanced functions math credits
-if you are good/okay + willing to work at math, but do not like learning theories and going into too much depth.
-more practical than theoretical
HL:
-thinking questions (TIPS questions for canada)
-LOTS of proofs
-much harder concepts; often confusing
- for canada, you recieve calculus, advanced functions, and data management (all 3 maths)
-go into extensive uni math (in my opinion. aka first and second year (a little))
-much more theoretical than practical
-you must like math, be good at problem solving (and I mean good), and enjoy/be proficient in abstract thinking
-math + how to solve its problems must come somewhat naturally. Memorization does not work with this course. For those who tried to memorize, it went badly.
-some examples of crazy hard stuff: chinese number theorem, working with i (imaginary numbers) extensively (including on ln and log functions)
And from a just-finished HL math student (very smart guy):
Hardest to Not-So-Hard:
1) Graph/Number Theory Option
2) Integration (which covers 4 units of the course, so:)
3) Integration again :P
4) Related Rates in Differential Calculus
5) Complex Numbers
Also, my HL contact (this sounds epic :P ) said that it's not the concepts themselves that are hard, just the "HL Math Question Factor" that really beats up the HL kids. So again, you have to have (to some extent) a natural passion or affinity for math problem solving, as all HL questions are essentially long word problems that require extensive problem solving.
One last piece of advice: DO NOT do HL just for bragging rights. This is because when you get a 4 or less (79% and lower) on the maths you apply to university with, they not only bring down your average, but may stop you from applying to certain programs due to your averages being beneath the minimum math average; -and that is not very brag-able.
Quote from my HL contact:
"just tell them to avoid HL Math.....it has screwed over wayy too many people
and its only use (if the uni even recognizes it) is to put you in a seminar with year two students who probably haven't been sober in over a year [-_-] "
Monday, May 14, 2012
IB Project Examples
So now that I am almost done with IB exams (just French left), I have decided to upload all of my big IB project stuff so you guys can see what they look like/what's ahead. Check each of the specific categories for corresponding work ( EE, TOK, and subjects-in the IB course work post).
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