Dating While in IB?

[Evan Sweetin]

Just curious, but is it hard to balance out school life with a dating life? I mean, I've seen people do it, but thy aren't the brightest of people. So I guess what I'm really asking is that can you date someone in or out of IB and not have everything else in life get screwed up? 

[catgemok]

it'up to you evan. the thing is, you have to balance out your life, and manage time properly. some retrieve this dating thing as a motivational support for him/her to stay in IB. if you are not capable enough of handling emotional tides, i suggest you not to indulge yourself in it ....

just my small thought

[TykeDragon]

I managed to get 40 points having been in a relationship for all but the first 5 months of IB

[catgemok]

haha dragon, why just the first five months?

[TykeDragon]

No no, I said all BUT the first five months. I was single for the first 5 months, and then for basically half of IB1 and all of IB2 I was in the relationship.

 

Probably wouldn't recommend it though - it was good fun but it often got very stressful particularly around exam time, plus it proves to be a big distraction from your work. You have decades for romance, but your grades are decided in these few years, so I'd focus on that. Doesn't mean you can't have a bit of fun, just saying relationships tend to distract you more ^^

[IbTrojan]

Personally, I lean more towards not dating while in high school. It just seems unnecessary to me, but that's just me

I agree with the TykeDragon for the fact that we should focus more on academics rather than creating that distraction from school. I mean, why not just have friends? So you're not obligating yourself to someone...

Dating just seems like the sort of thing to do when you know you're ready to get married. That's the point of it, no? And a lot of the times in high school, and this applies for IB kids as most tend to continue their education, the two people in a relationship end up going to different schools and either the relationship goes long distance or it ends. Why let yourself emotionally attach yourself to someone that you won't be seeing after high school?  I understand the people who make their relationship work but that's a LOT of commitment and dedication. From all of the couples I've seen, that situation is the rare scenario.

From the couples that I know in IB at my school, they don't talk to their friends as much, focus on their studies as much, spend as much time with their family as they could.

Verdict: I think holding off on dating and focusing on building up your skills, what your interests are, developing study habits, spending time with your family and friends...etc. should be your focus.

 

P.S. Sorry if I come off as a little strong... :/

[Evan Sweetin]

Well would you consider it a better idea to date someone in IB as opposed to out of IB? Since IB's scheduling, time and effort required is pretty substantial compared to those who are not in IB?

[IbTrojan]

Depends on the person. Personally, I'd rather someone in IB because they'd have a very strong idea as to what my priorities are and I them. I assume they'd be more understanding as to where I put most of my time. I'd also be able to rant to them from time to time about IB Another reason why probably an IB student for me is because IB students are the ones I hang around most of the time so I'd get to know this person better before deciding whether or not to jump into a relationship.

Honestly, depends on who it is though. I take my time before deciding whether I like someone, let alone figuring out if I'd be willing to commit myself to them. Just not ready for that yet. 

 

What about you?

[King112]

well, I think its fine. Honestly, I would rather find my S/O and not get like 45 points. At the same time, dont **** up your grades. In addition, its (according to my friends) a good thing to date, because then you tend to actually focus more on your work then when you have a crush.

So I think its fine provided you keep your priorities in line. 
And if you do date, don't break your parents trust and go out when your not suppossed to and stuff like that.

 

Public Service Announcement: If you guys get busy, use protection, it will probably help ;P

[TykeDragon]

Whilst I agree that getting into a serious relationship is probably a bad move for focusing on your studies (plus, many relationships don't pass the test of distance when it comes to Uni...), I don't think you should be as strong as saying only date when you are ready to marry - live a little!! Have fun, have flings, have passion and romance! Plus, whilst its possible you're unlikely to find your destined spouse first time you try dating someone! Just enjoy yourself. And yeah, stay safe

[Arrowhead]

You're always going to have a lot of work and tight schedules throughout life. Whether it be during the IB, university or when you start working, there will always be a good reason to not have a relationship.

 

Also, in my opinion, school and the IB is a lot more than just memorising your textbooks, writing essays and labs and practising past exam paper questions. A large part of your education, especially in your adolescence, is learning how to interact and integrate with all sorts of people. Dating can be a massive component of that, if you want it to be.

 

It's up to you if you want to try to date someone during the IB or not, but don't hold yourself back because you think it will be a distraction from school work. Work is always going to be around, it's a pervasive aspect of our society and culture. You need to learn to balance both things eventually. So why not start now if you can? Because I promise you, when you enter your 20s, you're not going to magically learn how to balance it all over night.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Arrowhead

[Emilia1320]

I personally would never do that because grades > love which most likely leads to broken heart.

In the end it comes down to ones preferences and values thou, for me work always comes far before love. I'm not planning to find a spouse or marry even when I'm adult so my answer might be a bit biased.

Reason why I'm thinking as I do, is that working makes me feel happy and meaningful. Love sorta took all that away by leaving me heartbroken too many times, now I've noticed it's both less painful and makes me more effective on my schoolwork and life overall to not fall in love with anyone, ever.

For more all around answer, I know some people who date during high school, and they are doing fine. Hence, one pair has been together for 3 years already.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Emilia1320

[jinahyejin]

I have friends that have taken IB together and actually benefited from going out.

If you take similar higher classes or standard level classes, studying together will probably benefit both of you. Also since you both have the same exam times, so you could help each other with the stress, however if you break up it'll probably do you more bad than good. 

 

It all depends on what you want to do, and if you think you can take the pain if your relationship goes wrong, go ahead. If you can't, it's probably not the best idea. 

Hope everything goes well

 

PS. My friends ended up going to UCL and Imperial College London, and they're still dating

[g.lles]

I think people exaggerate how much work IB actually is. Honestly, it's not that bad. You'll have time to go out/be in a relationship and keep up with your work. most people on here seem to be saying pretty much the same thing: find a balance. If you're with your girlfriend/boyfriend ALL the time and don't do ANY work, then obviously you're not going to stay on top of school. But if you're working ALL the time and don't have ANY social life then you're missing out on loads of teenager-ey stuff. My advice is don't just do one or the other -- both are important. But make sure you manage your time well. 

[lucettafetta]

Advising against. I mean, it depends how much time goes into the relationship, and whether you both are in IB and focus on study and things. 

Personally I found it really hard to maintain good grades and relationship at the same time, but that may just be because I'm bad at balancing things ahahha 

[ShootingStar16]

I think it's totally doable and it really helps if the person is in IB with you. Like what other posters have said, you totally do have space for a social life. I have a friend in full IB with me and she's dating as well. She's involved in lots of other things and she still gets crazy high marks (got highest academic average at my school last year). 

[Aninda Saha]

I would suggest not to, and while there are some people that can manage to deal with both I'm one of those people that likes to stick to one and give it my 100% before moving onto another thing. I think it can be very distracting but tbh it really depends on the other person. If that person is one that wants you to talk to her for 2/3 hours every night, it can be very time consuming and your head will tend to stray elsewhere from the IB which is not what you want to happen to you. So again, my suggestion would not to get involved. I hope that helps. cheers

[rczarn04]

I have been in a relationship for almost 4 years now. I am in IB, and my significant other is not. I also have a part-time job, and I participate in four clubs at my school, which includes class government, and I am class president. My life is hectic and crazy and definitely stressful. BUT, having my boyfriend there to provide support is a huge benefit of dating while in IB. Also, it gives you a chance to have fun once in a while, and focus on something other than school work or any other stressor in your life. I'm not going to lie, being in a relationship with everything else going on hasn't always been easy (far from it, actually), but i believe it has been worth it, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Also, I would just like to add that I never planned on being in a serious relationship while in high-school, but it just happened. It doesn't mean that we will be together forever, but if you can find someone that has a positive influence on your life, take baby steps before you jump into a full blown relationship. Get to know someone and see how they react to your busy study and school schedule, before you get into a relationship with them.

[WhitneyGrace]

I'm in year one, and I've been dating my boyfriend the entire time. I practically live at his house. Whenever either of us aren't working or in school, we're together. I've managed to have a weighted GPA of over 100 for the first three quarters and have gotten high grades on the only two IAs I've completed so far.Personally, I think there is no problem at all with dating while in IB, as long as you manage your time well and are okay with sacrificing some sleep every now and then. 

[909_fish]

Going along with WhitneyGrace said, if you have a good work ethic and schedule your time very well (and yes, sacrifice some sleep) you could make it work.

 

I tried doing this, but I didn't have a good work ethic or time management, so it didn't work out. Thus, I personally wouldn't recommend it unless you have good study habits and submit your work on time, and if the other person is the same. 

 

The couples I know that are successful seem to help each other out with time management and studying, especially with subjects that one partner struggles with that the other partner does decently or really well in. For example, one partner who's good at math helps the other who isn't/who wants to improve, and the other partner helps by helping with languages.