Starting Pre-IB

[Jessica_]

Hi! I am considering starting Pre-IB next year for 9th grade. I don't really know any of the "special" stuff about IB yet, but I do have one very big concern. There is a lot of talk that with IB/Pre-IB you have to give up your social life. Is this completely true? Will I have no time on weekends or for after school activities? Thanks!

[orkamajorka]

It depends on how effectively you can manage your time. It's not so difficult to get used to this rigorous life. And pre-IB, at least in my country, has little to do with two years of real IB

[Elite X-Naut]

For our school pre-IB is basically the same thing as the regular stream except it's slightly faster paced in math. If you have to give up your social life for pre-IB I don't recommend staying unless you change your work habits; you should be doing well and enjoying the last 2 years of life until IB. For actual IB, it's basically a test on your time management (what orkamajorka said). If you can be one of those people that manage your time well even with difficult courses you'll be fine.

[ski37]

I think one of the most important things I learned in Pre-IB was how to manage my time and develop a strong enough work ethic that I would be able to handle my IB classes. Pre-IB should help guide you into the idea of having a heavier workload than many of your peers might have, and you will develop so many helpful strategies for IB.

If you focus on your work when you need to and don't drift off too much, you should have plenty of time to continue doing what you like to do, hanging out with friends, etc. There will be weekends/weeks that are very stressful (when you need to finish a project/lab, or before exams) and you'll likely be unable to do much socially at those times (you'll probably want/need every minute you can spare to catch up on sleep). Again, if there is anything I can stress, it is that developing a good work ethic in Pre-IB will help you focus when you need to focus, get help when you need it, and have time to play/socialize/sleep. By taking Pre-IB you'll also see if IB really is for you, and if you'll be able to manage your time well enough to deal with the workload.

[Seung Hun Han]

As a person who was under IB provided curriculum since grade 7 to 12, I think MYP is more about learning time management and experiencing a taste of DP subjects. In MYP, I took science (biology) and I took BIO SL for DP. Even though what I have learned in MYP was really really basic knowledge in DP, I think it helped me to know the context of the DP in grade 10. I've seen a pretty consistent pattern where people who have taken MYP do better in DP than those who have not taken MYP. However, personally, I think MYP is not tough enough. 

In answering you question, it is half true. In order to receive good grade for DP, you would have to make a great amount of sacrifices. But, if you think, isn't that how the world actually works? But, if you are good with time-management, you will be able to know when to study your ass off and when to chill out. Compared to me, I think you are a way ahead of me because when I was in grade 9, I basically played around everyday without thinking much about the future.