Hi!
Before saying anything, have you thought about why you want to get a 45 in IB? What are the reasons you want or need that 45? Parents? College?
As a DP2 student, I can guarantee you that getting a 45/45 is near impossible. Remember that 45/45 means getting all 7s in 6 of your courses, passing all your courses, passing CAS, and getting a minimum of A and B in your TOK essay and your Extended Essay. Even teachers in ISB tell us that getting a 45/45 will mean that you did nothing but IB for the whole two years of diploma. No social life or any time for yourself. Is this what you want for your last two years in high school?
Remember that colleges in the US do not only look at your grades. They look at your personality and character through your personal statement, and your activities list too. They are more likely to accept a student with a 40+ IB score and diverse activities over a student with a 45/45 in IB without any activities. I am a DP2 student who takes a full diploma, my average sleeping time per week is less than 2hrs. The days I consider I slept a lot are 4hrs. Some days, I would just not sleep at all. The only reason I am doing this is that I thought I could get a 45/45 at the beginning of my diploma and aimed for tier-one colleges. Reaching the end of my senior year semester and weighing all the costs and benefits, I just don’t see a reason for a high school student to waste one’s last two years in high school just studying. The opportunities and experiences you can get in this international school will be over in two years. Why not make use of that?
But if you really feel the need to get a 45/45, here are some tips for you:
Plan.
Time management is the KEY to surviving the IB diploma. Once you get home, make a list of all the tasks you have to complete. Preferably, divide them by SL and HL courses. (I wasn’t able to pay much attention to my SL course at the beginning of my Junior year and lost a lot of credits that I did not have to lose.) SL courses should take less time than your HLs, so start with your SL homework.
When planning for your week, month, or year, make sure you are planning realistically. Make sure you are writing down all the tests, labs, quizzes, or any tasks due on your calendar. Yes, you will be overwhelmed with the workload, but trust me it's going to be like that for the rest of your diploma life.
Organize.
Make sure you have a folder for all your courses. Do not put them all together. Separate them by subjects and do not throw away any of your assessments. You will need to keep them to review for your mid-terms and finals. Organization skills are essential to a diploma student.
Be wise.
Know your limits. If you don’t feel like studying tonight and do not have any important summative due tomorrow, take a day off. By the time you think you are drowned and you really can’t do anything that night, you probably deserve a day off.
In a diploma, it is important to know what to prioritize. If you have more than two tests on the same day and it is nearly impossible to do well in all subjects, weigh them. Maybe you could give up one test and cover-up that ‘hole’ with a different upcoming test or task in that course. Talk to your teachers and politely ask them if you could take the test on a different day. (It really helps to know whether or not you have the same empty block with your teachers) Teachers will be able to understand you (to a certain extent).
For students who are active in various clubs, make sure you know how to balance your academics with your club activities. Always prioritize yourself.
Stay healthy.
It is important to stay mentally healthy. If you fail one test, it is not the end of the world. (It may seem like it) Don’t waste your time getting influenced by a grade you cannot change anymore. Think of solutions to cover that failed test. Is there a retake you could take? Are there any more upcoming assessments? Talk to your teachers about your concerns. They will be able to help you and give you a solution.
Even though PE might not be mandatory for juniors and seniors, it is important you are physically training yourself. Utilize the gym skills we learned in our sophomore PE class! Even though you do not know how the machines work or you are too shy to sweat in the public, sweating does help to distract yourself from all the thoughts. Physically training yourself will enhance your ability to focus.
(For underclassmen only) course selection
Course selections are very very very important. I can’t count the times I regret choosing 2 science HLs and a math HL. It's too much work. As a wise man said, know yourself. Think carefully about the courses you think you will thrive in. There is no need to overly challenge yourself. Ask for advice from juniors and seniors who take the course you want to sign up for. Are they as easy or hard as they expected? What is the most effective way to study in that course? What do we actually learn in the course? Trust me, they will be more than welcome to respond to your inquires.
As you could have sensed by now, all the tips I have offered are probably something you already know or something a student that does not aim for 45/45 could do. That's the point. A 45/45 student is not special. They are just like other students. Maybe they try more. Putting more time and effort into your academics is something you could easily do too.
I hope this response helped. :)
Dear Letterbox
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