Most of these were written by juniors, to advise new juniors. The rest are written by sophomores, to advise new sophomores. They are otherwise in no particular order.

 

 

Dear future takers of precalculus,

Congratulations, you just survived the easiness of freshman/sophomore year. Now you must prepare for the joys that await you in the near future. Whether or not you survive the full program is not important. The fact that you tried and put forth effort until you could no longer put up with IB is still worthy of recognition. But if you desire more success, if you want to survive until the very end, then heed my advice or you shall not pass.

Number uno: take physics. You heard me. Take it. Not biology. As a current physics student I am slightly biased. But trust me. It will be the best decision of your life. I have learned so much and Mr. Webb is a great teacher, despite what everybody says about him. It all depends on how much effort you decide to put forth. If you try to pass the AP test, you will. If you don’t try, you won’t, plain and simple. Number dos: don’t procrastinate (especially on journal questions). I still do it and probably will until the day I die, but if you want life to be easier, don’t wait until the eleventh hour to do your Precalc homework, no matter how easy it may be. Number tres: take Stats as your elective, especially if you can split it over your junior and senior year. It’s a great class, plus you get to have Frisbie and Naki in the same year. What could be better? Number cuatro: read the U.S. History textbook. For those in World History, do not worry about this just yet. But soon to be juniors, do this. It will help a ton with Mr. Goss’ tests. You’ll easily pass the class and the AP test. Number cinco (optional): join band. Find an instrument you like and try it out. It’s a great diversion from the stress and homework of IB, plus you’ll meet tons of friends that you wouldn’t have met otherwise and you’ll have fun while you’re at it.

All in all, just listen to the advice of me and my peers and you’ll be just fine. IB will be a tasty piece of cake that you will devour in a few seconds.

Sincerely, Adam Moss

P.S. Always buy donuts on Donut Wednesday. They’ll keep your energy up.

P.S.S. Go Gators.

 

The 2013 school year has been an ongoing experience filled with arduous tasks and seemingly impossible deadlines, but as my time as a Junior at the International Baccalaureate School of Bartow High comes to a close, it is impractical not to be just the tad bit nostalgic. The late nights, the energy drinks, the Skype calls, the cocaine, meth, heroin – all combined to make my year one of memories and stories that I will hopefully live to tell my children, forgo the embellishment of narcotics. The essay question asks me to tell you, the incoming student, some advice to make your life a little easier as you attempt to coast through your mathematics career. The obvious, go-to advice would include something about procrastinating and how it is harmful to your grades. This would be a valid recommendation, and even though it is not the focus of this essay, you would be wise to at least recognize it before you ultimately throw it into that garbage hole of useless knowledge you call a brain. I procrastinate. Tonight, I will be up into the wee hours of the morning doing English Journals, but that’s how I like it. I do my best work at night, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. What one piece of advice I suggest you heed, over anything else told to you by your parents, your teachers, or your peers, is to enjoy yourself.

Your friends constitute all that you have outside of class. Don’t lose them. You may say, “Well hold up, Hewett, what about sports and family and more sports?” The truth is, your friends in IB are the only other people in the entire world that know exactly what you’re going through at that point in time. Graduating Seniors, Freshmen, teachers – none of them can know your struggles, but your friends can. It is your responsibility as smart-ass IB student to put aside your ego, your supposed intelligence, and all of the praise you have received over the years for being “better” than the rest of your class and be a socialite. I know this may be hard for those of you who enjoy the solace of a good book or the internet, or even those of you who enjoy that Japanese stuff, but you can’t accomplish what has been asked of you without those idiots who you’re sometimes ashamed to call your friends, but love regardless. This isn’t a challenge, by the way. Don’t be stupid. An enormous opportunity has been placed in front of you, don’t let your ego get in the way of what great things you can achieve. I personally intend on staying alive until one of you brings back dinosaurs. Them things are splendid.

Nothing you believe to be yours is actually that, except your friends. Only you can prevent their departure from your life. Hoping you just read that in Smokey the Bear’s deep, grizzled voice, I have a few parting words that I would like to share. Some person, somewhere once said, “There is no sin except stupidity.” I’m not exactly sure who it was, but I’m pretty sure it was Oscar Wilde. I’m also not a religious man, but if I was, my entire belief system would be structured around that one quote. It is up to you to figure out what you intend to do with the cards that you have been dealt. Forget that crap I just told you in the above paragraph. My one recommendation to you, the one that stands up above the rest as being truly exceptional, is don’t. Be. Stupid.

Matthew Hewett

 

Junior year of IB has been a challenge but I’m proud to say that I survived. The obstacles I faced as a freshman and sophomore intensified but I never knew how prepared I was to overcome them. All the responsibilities and demands of me as a student, daughter, club president, club leader, and as an aspiring photographer initially got very overwhelming. However, I learned to take everything one day at a time. Each day had its own problems and deadlines and if I tackled them day by day, then the avalanche looming overhead seemed to diminish slowly but surely. The time management skills I acquired definitely helped keep everything organized and allowed me to participate in more extracurricular activities than I previously imagined. It’s all about time management.

I would say I struggled the most in finding the balance between family/friends time and school work. My family and friends would all go out to eat dinner or catch a movie and I was stuck at home with a biology worksheet or an A.P. U.S. History test to study for the next day. I was really conflicted because I felt like I was missing out on all the fun they were having but I learned to pick and chose my battles rather than constantly feeling guilty for doing one and not the other. I realized that sacrifices had to be made and that I wasn’t able to do all the fun things other students did outside of IB on the weekends or even with my family. IB is time demanding but all the work is not in vain. At times, I’d have to do homework all Friday and Saturday just so I can be with my family on Sunday. It is sacrifices like these that made me realize what are the really important things in life.

The Class of 2014 will probably be one of the smallest classes to ever go through IB. Because of this, we have grown to know each other a lot more than we probably would have wanted to. It makes me sad to see so many cliques that are apparent to the teachers because there isn’t that ‘family’ type bond between us. For reasons I can’t figure out, the student body is distant from each other and we’re missing out on amazing relationships and memories we could be having. I learned not to be discouraged by this. After talking to several high school and college graduates, I learned that a majority of the people they went to high school with are no longer within their circle of friends. People who they thought they’d be friends with forever are only Facebook strangers. Not having that usual IB camaraderie is bittersweet for me. Although I know that life truly starts after high school, I wish I would have gotten to know my classmates better.

Hanna Larracas

 

If I had to give anyone advice, I would give them advice on time management in IB, and how to deal with certain classes like pre-calculus and AP United States History, to name a few. One of the biggest issues that incoming IB freshmen and sophomores face hourly is dealing with the entire work load, which isn’t that much until your junior and senior years. Many students make it through IB without too many problems. Keeping in mind that I am not the best or brightest IB student, I actually know how to manage my time very well, much better than most (if not all). This is because I constantly deal with many other issues that don’t involve school.

With that being said, my advice to a struggling freshman or sophomore on time management would be to focus your time, energy and attention in order to complete a task or assignment without distractions. When most IB students do work, they play on their phones, watch TV, or go on Facebook (as I’ve heard). I do my work quickly because I don’t let myself be distracted. I would also advise not to prioritize classes or assignments, but to work harder to complete all of your assignments equally, the key hint being “work harder”. My grades are only average for my class yet I don’t have any stress and I always have free time to make progress in many other activities. One thing that can help with the heavy workload is to finish the homework at home and to study for tests during school. Most teachers don’t mind when IB students study in class. Also I have a system where I do my homework for Tuesday on Monday, homework for Wednesday on Tuesday, and so forth. This lets me work evenly through the week without too much pressure. I’ll also say one more thing: “when faced with a really heavy week or day, which I’ll guarantee will happen, don’t complain and just do your work. You probably won’t even remember doing it once you’re done.”

In IB junior year, there are a few classes to be aware of. In my opinion, the classes from hardest to easiest are APUSH, Bio, Pre-Calculus, and English. To survive in APUSH, taught by Mr. Goss, I would say to all incoming juniors to read the book. I never read the book and I didn’t do that good, but those who did read did very well. For Bio, also read the book. I actually read the book for biology and I did very well. Basically, reading=good, not reading=bad. Contrary to popular sophomore belief (I was one of them too), there isn’t that much homework in bio, but when there is, it absolutely suuuuccckkkkkkssss. So prepare yourselves juniors. Pay attention in pre-calculus, it’s not that easy, at least to me. The biggest advice I would say to the new juniors for English class with Ms. Smith is to DO YOUR JOURNAL QUESTIONS! If you guys ignore them and put them off till the last second you’ll have to pull a “Matt Hewett” and drink several monsters in order to stay up alllll night long, just to finish with bad quality answers! For those days your life WILL become hell. So to all freshmen, sophomores and juniors, listen to my advice and learn from my mistakes so that you have a better high school experience.

Jose J Martinez

 

Many students in IB or pre-IB are sometimes reluctant about whether to stay enrolled in IB or afraid to find out that next year is going to be an academic nightmare. Well as an IB junior myself, I just want to proclaim that the answer to the question most asked — Is IB worth it? — is yes. And not only will I address why it’s worth it, but I’ll also give any readers some tips and advice about how to get through IB.

IB is worth it because there are many advantages; the course is rigorous, but as a result, we learn a lot more than other kids, which puts us in a better place. Also, GPAs are higher that other people, but only if you apply yourself. Worst case scenario, you are very prepared for college. And speaking of that, most IB students can start college as a sophomore or junior, which saves a lot of money. But still the most advantageous thing about IB is how prepared it leaves you for college.

As for tips: time management is very important. Have a schedule for all your homework and activities you like to do, but also don’t procrastinate. I think it’s very important to have at least two days to yourself for relaxation and when you do homework, do it hard and fast — except math — take your time on math homework. Don’t take chem or AP Euro. And lastly, it’s only as hard as you make it, and don’t cheat.

Jesus Martinez

 

Dear Upcoming Junior,

Congratulations on making it this far in your academic career. I’m not going to tell you it’s going to be easy, but I’m not going to tell you it’s going to be hard either. Everything you’re about to do is all very doable, but it does take a lot of work and some time management skills. The coursework will challenge you of course, and it’s not for everybody so don’t feel bad if you decide it isn’t for you. What I’ve learned from this year, as it has been one of the most difficult years of my life thus far, is that it’s okay to know and own up to your limits and it is okay to make mistakes. What I’ve seen from most IB kids is that they are so hard on themselves, and that is what I’m currently trying to learn to control. I hope you do well, but I also hope you are okay when you don’t.

One thing you may notice throughout this next year is that you feel a closer bond with the people around you. This tends to happen when a group of people have to suffer together. All joking aside, the obstacles you’ll face within the next year are all a lot easier to get through with people around you who support you. When you lose friends or people close to you, it can really add to the stress in your life, so just make sure you’ve got some reliable people in your life. If somebody doesn’t want to be in your life don’t worry about it, they don’t deserve to be there.

Overall junior year is not that bad. You’ll survive it and be a better person because of it. You might change a lot, try new things, and meet new people. No matter what, you’ve got to do what is best for you. If you find yourself trying to make a tough decision like I have, listen to the opinions of others but don’t allow anybody but yourself to make up your mind. I think when it all comes down to it, you need to make sure you are happy and healthy. So, try to keep stress out and don’t let the bad things or people get to you.

Wishing you much luck,

Jessica Brown

 

Dear Incoming Junior,

So congratulations, you made it into your first official year of IB! You can start crying now…just kidding, it’s not…TOO terrible. Well. Depends on what type of person you are. You’ve probably already heard this before coming into your freshman year and sophomore year, but DON’T PROCRASTINATE! If you already don’t, then good for you – keep it up. But if you do…STOP IT, RIGHT NOW. Usually the majority – like myself – are all motivated and like, “YEAH, I’m gonna be so organized this year, and I’m gonna have everything together, and I’m gonna do so much stuff over the summer, and I’m gonna be able to go to sleep early” and blah blah blah blah, but still end up procrastinating and pulling all nighters junior year. Well, you could either just accept it and suffer lack of sleep or really make an effort to change. It’s true – your sophomore year is your easiest year, with all the free time and light workload, and the transition to a heavier workload is kinda unpleasant. But the year flies by really quickly the second semester, and now I’m looking back saying, “Where did my whole year go?”

So first, let’s get through with the first tip – CAS. CAS will be a pain to keep up with – especially because you have the rest of your school assignments to manage, and you think, “Hey, all this thing is is just logging my hours in, it’s not that big of a deal.” WELL IT IS. It’s best to think of a CAS project early on in the year so you have something that you want to focus on as a service project – and something that you want to stick with, too. Talk to Ms. Smith about getting approval for it, and start making plans over the summer; you’re NOT going to see it as much of a priority as it really is once you’ve buried yourself in those journal questions and that fly lab. Make sure to read that handout that Ms. Smith gives you on CAS because to be honest, there’s not going to be that much instruction on it. Another good idea is to ask a current senior for help, since they’ve already been through enough yelling and scolding to finally (hopefully) know what to do on ManageBac. Also, get a GOOD sponsor – someone that will care just as much about your project as you do. You don’t want a sponsor that’s just going to say, “Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I get it. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah.” to your proposals about starting/developing your project. It’s going to be a pain; you need to make sure that sponsor is going to help you as much as they can and as much as you need it (because trust me – you will). Start befriending the freshmen and sophomores so that they can take part in your project if you need it, too. Just get this done as soon as you can.

Now onto the classes. This is for the AP Biology people. Well as you’ve probably also already heard, the workload is a lot. I mean, a LOT when you think about it. But don’t regret taking the class now, Mrs. Kennon is a really good teacher – she knows her stuff. But if some of you are like me and don’t learn as well through personalized notes and lectures, READ THE TEXTBOOK. In my opinion, the textbook is excellent at getting the information across; it doesn’t spill out pointless details and go on and on – well only if the chapter has that much information to learn. This textbook is pretty much to the point. Now the labs. Make sure you read the pre-labs that she hands out and listen to her instructions! It’s going to be really hard to do the lab if you don’t know what you’re doing, and you end up messing up the data and get weird results, AND you have to try to come up with some crap for the conclusion. Yeah, just don’t – do your part and read/listen. NOW THIS IS SOMETHING YOU MUST BE DREADING – THE FLY LAB. So, this is NOT your usual procrastination target – or it shouldn’t be. This lab is lonnnnnnng, and I mean 20-something pages long. Most people’s final draft was about 30 pages, so you’re not gonna be able to cram it all in one night.

I have no comment about AP English.

APUSH is pretty fun with Goss. He likes to joke around a lot, so if you’re thin-skinned, try not to take his jokes too seriously. HE LIES ABOUT EVERYTHING, DON’T BELIEVE HIM. Haha, but he’s a really good teacher and knows what he’s talking about…even though sometimes he does it with really strange analogies and examples. But you’re going to realize how much you’re going to miss him once you’re in that last week of school junior year.

PRECALC. Precalc is a pretty fun class, especially if you have the right people in your class, if you know what I mean (those guys who always like to talk and make stupid comments on everything). I mean, it’s probably not fun for Ms. Frisbie when it’s overkill and she gets annoyed (and you’ll KNOW when she starts getting angry – that’s when you shut up immediately), but the banter’s fun once in a while. Also, you won’t just learn math in there, you’ll learn all sorts of random and interesting stuff. One thing I have to mention – Ms. Frisbie totally spoils you. She’s amazingly helpful when it comes to…well, everything in her class. Her website (which you’re probably on to read this) has EVERYTHING – extra help, worked out math problems in the textbook review sets, graphing stuff…EVERYTHING. She takes time to do all of that AND she’s ready to help you after school when you need it. She posts notes and helpful reviews on Edmodo. Near semester/final exam day, most teachers would just hand you a worksheet for review and tell you to do it, but Ms. Frisbie goes above and beyond to post practice tests (ALONG WITH the already worked-out review problems on her website), the answers AND mark-scheme to the practice test, AND a handout with additional hints and explanations on what you need to study, practice, memorize, etc. Be super grateful for her, and don’t take it for granted – probably NO other teacher will do that stuff for you. And I’m totally not kissing up or anything – you’ll know just how much she does once you start the year.

I know that junior year is also the year where you start to bond a lot more with your classmates, so at least that’s a thing to look forward to. Well, I hope this has been somewhat helpful. I wish you all the luck on your first year in IB! Don’t die.

-Karen Bui 🙂

 

Dear Incoming Students,

“So you think you can tell heaven from hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail, a smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell?”

-Roger Waters

First off, what an appropriate quote for describing the back and forth battle going on in your head about whether or not the International Baccalaureate program is right for you.  The program definitely isn’t blue skies above a green field but it is up to you to determine if you can make the best of it.  Think about how you have already succeeded in so many places where others haven’t.  You were given the opportunity to attend IB, and only you can do your very best to maintain that status.  I know that each and every person able to make it into the program, when so many others did not, is also capable of achieving a wonderful experience from it.  Every minute of every day you should be proud of your accomplishments so far even if it may seem difficult to look past the negative thoughts permeating into your mind.

“Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.”

-J. K. Rowling

Trust me when I say that I’m not writing this to make you shake in your boots or to make your blood run cold.  Soon (if you haven’t already), you must rise up to the occasion and prove to yourself more than anyone else that you can triumph in the face of hardship.  The decisions that you make the next two years have the potential to drastically affect not just your GPA or your standardized test scores, but your relationships as well.  Your choices reflect on those around you, so make sure to always do the right thing, and not the easy.  Some will choose the latter, but you must not let their choices corrupt you.  Keep a strong resolve even when you have to watch those around you fall like dominoes and never forget that there will always be a glorious light at the end of the tunnel that brings you out the darkness.

“In the end, everything will be okay. If it’s not okay, it’s not yet the end.”

-Fernando Sabino

I’m sure that what I have told you isn’t new to your ears.  You have always been told that you represent the best of the best and this is because it is true.  The ability is something you already have, but the application of it is what separates ordinary and extraordinary.  It might be hard to see the end in sight, but trust me when I say that it is closer than it appears.  Never look back on the bad things that you have gone through, but instead look towards a brighter future.  One where you are pursuing the career you love or receiving additional education at some high ranked University.  The path to success will be difficult, but if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be IB.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going”

-Winston Churchill

With best regards,

Ethan “Chee Chee” Eichar

 

Hello incoming Junior! The time is upon you, the dreaded Junior year!! IB has finally started and it does not get easier. I’m going to start with the cliché and tell you, do not procrastinate! Seriously, it sucks. I have procrastinated on many of my assignments and paid the price with lack of sleep. This is probably the best advice you could follow, so listen! Plan out your assignments, realize that whatever you are doing to not work is probably pointless and just do it. Homework can add unnecessary stress to your life, so if you get it done before you are rushing to get it done, life will seem better. The big assignments I can think that need to be done are the Fly Lab if you take bio, and whatever Internal Assessment you have. Kennon gives you months to do the fly lab so make sure you work on it little by little. Same goes for journals, saving those for the night before is not recommended. There is a sense of accomplishment when you get hours of sleep while others stress and stay up doing journals.

Your health, your social life and your grades are all important. There needs to be a balance. Make sure you save time for social activities. If you follow the advice of not procrastinating you will have time to see your friends. Social interactions can be a great stress relief and you should value your friends and the times you have with them. Healthy habits can be a beneficial attribute to your life as well. By staying active, eating right and sleeping you will have more energy to do the work you need to get done and feel better. Physical activity can be a way to cope with stress and I myself have used it to help along the way. Action hours may seem like a pain to some but they really do play an important role in the life of an IB student. Balancing your life is something we all struggle with. Creating new habits though can help get through the mindless minutia of IB.

IB is not a program that should be taken lightly. Being number two in the nation we are expected to attain certain standards. Take an interest in your studies; do not take a class merely to increase your GPA. There are more important things when colleges consider a student than their GPA. It is important to volunteer and be an active member in clubs. There are many scholarships given from these clubs and leadership roles look good on college applications. This is something I wish I had done more in years past. Look at ways you can stand out from your peers and be original. This being said IB is not supposed to be a hostile environment where you cut your friends throats to get ahead. Be friendly. Help your friends without cheating. Support people’s interests and remember that what you say matters. I hope you succeed and enjoy your junior year!

Dominic Fezzie

 

Hello, incoming junior!

Get ready for the worst year of your life! Just kidding, you’ll make it. Alright, first things first- just do it. A lot of times assignments will seem scary and too much and you will end up wanting to avoid it. The trick is to think of it as a harmless worksheet and just split it up. Procrastination is literally the most terrible and awful thing you can do to yourself and no matter how hard you try, you’ll end up doing it at least once. To lessen the number of times you procrastinate, get to be close friends with your peers and motivate each other. Set personal deadlines together and “punish” each other for not keeping up with it.

Do not be afraid of your teachers. They are there to help you. If you’re like me, you can get pretty nervous about asking for help or making sure your grades are correctly put into Pinnacle. I can assure you, however, that you will be glad you have manned up and spoken up once you do. Mrs. Frisbie is one of the most incredible teachers I.B. has to offer. Just keep that in mind as you start her class. I was too scared to take advantage of the fact that she’s available after school for help and didn’t really get the needed guidance until the end of the year. Mrs. Frisbie really cares about her students and the only way you can repay her is by trying your best in her class. The same goes for Mrs. Kennon. She can be intimidating, but just talk to her if you don’t understand anything. Read the textbook! Her notes are not enough. I repeat, HER NOTES ARE NOT ENOUGH. Try your best to manage your time. Stay very organized! It may not seem important, but you would not believe how much easier being organized can make I.B. life.

Make yourself happy! Do the things you enjoy so that you can maintain your sanity as you trudge along junior year. Join band, get involved in key club, do the school musical, anything! Your mental health is extremely important and doing activities that relate to your true passion can really help you cope with the stress of I.B. Good luck and you can do this!

Adios,

Amanda Jean

 

Dear Incoming Junior,

Well, you’ve finally made it to the big kids table. I actually don’t know whether to hand you your plate and congratulate you or to tell you to make a mad dash for the little kids table. I’m definitely not going to sugarcoat it for you, if that’s what you think. I happen to be a realist, and my take on the last year is going to be the realest, home dog. Honestly, I think there is only one piece of advice that I think I can give you, and you’ve heard it before. In fact, you’ve heard it many times. You may even be conditioned to cringe inwardly when you hear these three words: learn time management.

Now, you will probably scoff and roll your eyes at my advice. I mean, lots of people have made it through the program and procrastinated the entire way through, right? Yes they have, but you’re not them. One night in the not-too-distant future, you will be sitting up at 3:30 am with a pile of homework staring you in the face. And the next day you have a test in every class and an oral presentation on top of that. Will you be able to handle it then? I wouldn’t even want to know if I could handle it if I were you. So, do yourself a favor and take the road less traveled. Do your homework when you get it. It’s that simple. If you can’t, just plan everything out so you won’t be up at 3:30 am testing your limits with only a can of Red Bull for company.

Junior year has its ups and downs. There will inevitably be days when you question your very presence in the IB Program. I got past it by complaining loudly for a period of time and then just brushing it off. Laughter and a positive attitude are two things that you need to hold on to, no matter how easy it may seem to just let them go. Keep your friends in IB close, they are the only ones who truly understand what you are going through, because it’s happening to them too. Try to get out of the house and have a social life too, because some sunlight and human contact are both good for the health (remember that time management thing?).

And so, I leave you with this quote from the great rapper T.I: “Welcome to the future, I’m the captain of the cool kids.” That’s right, you just got a personal letter of welcome from the Captain of the Cool Kids.

Keep it gucci, Junior.

Shefali Patel      

 

Dear Soon-to-be IB Junior,

You’ve probably heard this before, but I’m going to tell you again. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. Junior year is full of things to put off doing, but you must try your best to accomplish them in a timely fashion. If you fail to do this, you will find yourself (as I did) awake at two in the morning, fighting your printer and hoping your parents can’t hear your screams of frustration. It pays to work ahead, especially on Journal Questions for English. If you choose to subject yourself to the tortures of Biology, do your labs before the night before they are due. Just do your work, OK?

Since you will finally be an IB student, you will have CAS hours to complete and a CAS project to do. Start your CAS project Junior year and aim to have at least 75 hours by year’s end. Groups like Ultimate Frisbee, YIG, and Teen Court are the absolute best ways to earn tons of hours by just going to meetings once a week. Just get used to having to do homework ahead of time to compensate for missing half a night for each meeting.

Above all else, try and maintain your sanity. Get some sleep, play some games, and then sleep some more.

Good luck,

Matthew Patterson

 

Sophomores are coming into junior year thinking it’ll be just as nice and easy as last year was.  Well, it’s not, but that’s okay, because I’m here to give advice.  So here we go!  Probably one of the things that these new juniors can do is try to stay as positive as possible.  Pessimism may be a natural part of their personality, but they have to learn to overcome that soon. Optimism will help them keep that “CAN DO IT” attitude that not only does Mrs. Smith look for but also for Mrs. Delk (she told us herself).  Being positive (not carefree) is part of what will keep these guys moving and not get stuck in a rut.

Next thing is that you don’t procrastinate and study.  Procrastination is how you turn a potentially amazing essay/project/oral into the epitome of disaster.  That includes not procrastinating on studying, especially for Goss’s tests and Smith’s tests since their material is heavily based on reading the book (it’s history and English, so it’s kind of a given).

Lastly, find a CAS project and get started on it as soon as possible, even if it starts at the end of junior year.  CAS is probably the…most challenging thing to do, so getting started on that as soon as you can (which is the summer between sophomore and junior year) will definitely help you in the long run.  Same goes for NHS if you get inducted—don’t wait till the last minute to start scrambling for hours.

Amanda Swiger

 

Dear person reading this,

HELLOOOO. Lol. First of all, I hope you are reading this at the beginning of your junior year. I didn’t know this page existed until now (the end of my junior year) and now I feel like a creeper reading all the things the seniors wrote last year. Lawlzzz. But ok. So, I am here to give you advice about junior year of IB. In my opinion junior year is the hardest year of all. Now I still have senior year to go, so this is just a guess. But, junior year is your first real year of IB and it’s a big change from freshman and sophomore year. The work load is blahhhh -_- and there are tests like every other day. I think by the end of junior year though you have a good idea about how to manage everything and so you go into senior year with a plan. Or at least that’s how it is for me. Storytimeeee. My junior year sucked. I got the worst grades I’ve ever gotten in my whole entire life :O and they weren’t like 93’s. I mean like actual bad grades. I had no idea what the poop was going on half the time. I, like probably 97% of all IB students everywhere, suffer from procrastination. And just like you probably were, I was told millions of times to not procrastinate. But did I listen? Nope. SPREAD YOUR ASSIGNMENTS OUT. You’ve probably heard of the English journal questions you’ll have to do this year. If there are 60 journal questions, do like 2 a day and you’ll be done way before the due date. (WARNING: Smith has a tendency to spring due dates on you. You will hate her for this. But I am warning you now. So, yes. Be warned.) 2 questions a day sure beats doing 60 questions the day before they’re due, right? Back to the story. So, junior year sucked because I procrastinated on everything, my time management skills are ploop, I didn’t know how to properly study, and I just didn’t understand stuff and instead of asking for help I just chose not to understand. Or at least I think that’s what happened. Basically, I had a *badwordalert* “f#ck it” attitude. DON’T HAVE THE F#CK IT ATTITUDE. YOU WILL FAIL. AND FAIL HARD YOU WILL. But now it’s the day before summer break and I feel so ready for senior year. IM GUNNA BE SO AWESOMEEE. This is so off topic lmao. What am I even trying to say…..idek. Well ok here’s my advice. Don’t mess up your junior year and then realize your mistakes at the end and change for senior year. YOU STILL HAVE A CHANCE. I F#CKED UP BUT NOW I CAN TELL YOU HOW NOT TO. Junior year is really the most important year of high school. Everything this year will directly effect your college admissions. So don’t procrastinate. Manage your time (if done properly you’ll see that there is so much time for you to do non-school activities). Study for everything, a little bit everyday. And if you don’t understand something in a class ask for help.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I hate pretty much everyone in my class. And at times you too will want to kill the person sitting next to you. Just keep telling yourself, “just two years left and I’ll be at a college where none of you go and tons of hot people do.” It worked for me so it can work for you! Also, don’t be obsessive about your grades. One low test score will not prevent you from doing anything. Try not to put extra unnecessary stress on yourself. What’s the point?

Well that was my advice to you. Sorry it was all over the place but I hope you got something out of it. Best of luck this year! I’m sure you’ll do great (because you read my letter and only those who read my letter will succeed).

Nadia Mir

 

If I were to reflect on the past year, I would have to say that it has one long and seemingly perilous journey to what is apparently my destiny: to be an IB senior and to hopefully one day receive my IB diploma. As I said, junior year is a perilous one, with many beasts in many forms to distract you and hinder you from your path. In the form of Medusa, there is biology; instead of Charon (who ferries souls to the Underworld), there is procrastination; and in place of Calypso’s island (on which Odysseus was held at for many years) we have classes like art and TOK.

Calling biology Medusa (or alright, maybe Kennon Medusa) may seem like I’m being too harsh. In fact, I’m not implying that Kennon is a horrid beast like the gorgons were, but she has the same atrophying qualities in her classroom. I remember going into her classroom freshman year and feeling completely incapable of answering her questions for a good semester because I was deathly afraid of being wrong. In effect, I was turned to stone. If one recalls the myth of Perseus, one knows how to defeat Medusa: using a reflective surface. The same way that Perseus used his shining shield to stun Medusa’s self, we as students must be able to bounce back, rather than absorb whatever scorn or disappointment we feel from teachers. Of course, these fears are probably not a truth, nevertheless we must learn to not make them so important to ourselves.

Charon was the ferry driver of the Underworld, and had to pass Cerberus in order to take the lost souls to which ever part of hell they were going to. Like Charon, procrastination is a good way to get yourself into some kind of hell. No matter what part of hell you end up in, at some point you will get there and have to complete whatever it is that you are dreading. In our case, Cerberus is not a monstrous three-headed dog, but rather the hardest point of procrastination that turns it into apathy. So the best way to avoid Charon, or procrastination, is to just do everything as soon as you can. That’s a good idea in all of your classes, but especially precalc (because that homework will really seem to sneak up on you), biology, and English (really don’t procrastinate on your journal questions!).

And finally we come to the Island of Calypso, the nymph who captures Odysseus and keeps him for herself for many years. In Odysseus’ journey, the island was for many years a reprieve from his awful trek home. In the same way, TOK and art (or hopefully whatever sixth subject you have) will seem like an oasis from the trying classes that make up the sands of an arid desert. Your sixth subject should be something that you feel confident in, not something that you choose because you don’t want to work. If you love art, you should do art. If you’re interested in psychology, you should take psychology. You shouldn’t take a course that you are never going to use, and that you’re just taking to get a free period senior year. It’s not worth the pain now. TOK will seem very relaxed the first couple of weeks, and it is a good place to relax and just discuss during the day. Odysseus learned to relax with Calypso, but after many years he remembered his quest and realized that this place was more important than he gave it credit. It hindered him from home. Now our classes aren’t hindering us from home, but rather deceive us into taking it easy. The hardest thing to do in TOK and art (for example) is to do the work when it is assigned and to care about the class. TOK is a really good place to find out what your beliefs actually are on a lot of issues.

Ok so let’s recap; the biggest things to keep in mind during your junior year is to let any defeat you may feel bounce off of you, to avoid procrastination like the plague, and to enjoy and take seriously TOK and whatever sixth period you have.

Sabrina Grimes

 

Dear upcoming sophomore,

Junior year is not as bad as everyone says it is. I kept waiting for that inevitable brick wall of homework and due dates to hit me. But now the year is over, and I now realize that it never came at all. So don’t worry about it too much, just try to stay on top of things and not get behind (which you will anyway) and just remember that it won’t completely kill you.

The best thing you can do to make your life in IB easier is to not take AP electives. You will be so much happier because you will have so much less homework. It is worth the GPA sacrifice. If you get an A in a fun elective class, it is exactly the same as getting a B in an AP class. Without all the trouble. So take a fun class. Relax.

You should also take band. It is the easiest sixth subject of all of them. You are guaranteed to pass without putting for any extra effort whatsoever. In his six year history of teaching IB music, Mr. Eckman has only had two kids who didn’t pass, and that was because they didn’t feel like showing up to class. Besides, all the cool kids join band. Plus, we do absolutely nothing for like the last two weeks of the year. So join band. You won’t regret it.

Now that I have enlightened you with my valuable insight into the life of an IB junior, your life will instantly become better, as long as you follow my advice, of course. The veil should now be lifted from your eyes, and now you can see clearly how to survive your life in IB.

Daniel Minter

 

I’m been contemplating how to or even if I should write this essay to you. Once I was told that it was 50 some odd points, I decided that it was worth my time. That’s probably my first point that I should make….DO EVERY ASSIGNMENT, no matter how small because all of the points add up. Your life will be some much easier when you get to the end of the fourth nine weeks and you realize that you have an 89 B and you really want that A. But your teacher has told you time and time again that all grades are final. When you do all of your assignments. It’s also important to turn them in.

When you turn them in, you are able to get credit for it which is super important. I always thought that it wasn’t that important in Guices class to turn things into the “mouth”. You’ll eventually realize that he collects it but he won’t grade it due to the fact that you didn’t turn it in to the proper place. You’ll also go to learn that you have to turn in Mrs. Kennon’s assignments on time and before the bell or she WILL NOT accept it, no matter what!

The last point I wanted to make was to not procrastinate. The journal questions that you’ll receive from Mrs. Smith in English your junior year will make you want to kill yourself. The journals take SOO much time. If you wait until the last day you’ll want to die the next day like Matthew Hewett and I. It’s the worst feeling ever and if her journals don’t make you want to stop procrastinating, then you’ll find out when you get the end of the fourth nine weeks and you’ll have so many classes to study for and you might have border line grades and so you need that A on the test in order to keep your good grade in that class. I wish you good luck in your life, and considering you’re in IB, I think it’s safe to assume that you’ll go far in life.

Hunter Ryan

 

Dear junior,

As I reflect on my past year in IB, I realize that this has been the hardest year of school ever. Never before have I been tested like this year, by how challenging it was. If some of you, upcoming juniors, have considered dropping out, I strongly urge you to reconsider. Yes, this year is very hard, but I think if you have made it this far, that you can handle junior year. The work itself is not difficult, the only hard part is that you get a lot more of it. So if I had to give you one piece of advice, it would be to manage your time.

I know you will probably hear this a million times, and read it a million times, but it really does come down to that. The kids that get all A’s are not only the smart ones, in fact sometimes smart kids do really badly, rather it is the kids that manage their time. You will get a lot of major assignments next year and many of these require a lot of research. If you want to get all of your assignments done and do a good job on them, start on them early. Often when you wait till the end you end up doing a rush job and you will get a low grade.

The rule of time management is especially important in Biology and English. In English, you will get a lot of journal questions throughout the year and you must do a good job on them because she actually reads them. You get like three months to do them, so if you do two of them a day, then you should have them done in now time and they should be fairly well-written. If you wait till the night before you will get a bad grade and you need those points. She gives many quizzes which focus on the most minute details, so make sure to read. In bio, keep up with your labs and worksheets. So get a  planner, know your due dates, and do the assignments on time. This is your way to success, and if you do this you will get an A.

Sincerely,

Josue Guerrero

 

Friends,

To those of the 2015 class of IB, this is a warning of what is to come and advice on how to approach it. Junior year is, by far, more difficult than sophomore year in terms of work, time, and responsibilities. Forget being able to sleep through all your classes and maintaining A’s.

In order to be successful junior year is a simple key that has been given to you one too many times. Do everything in moderation. Let me repeat, DO EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. I cannot emphasize this enough. And I know you’ve all heard it and chose to ignore it. Learn from your predecessors! If there is a paper or a lab or an internal/external assessment, do it little by little from the time it’s given to you. If you approach the work in this manner, then junior year will be nothing more than blur I promise you!

All though it may seem unlikely, even with this approach along with CAS (which should be taken care of like any other assignment) it is possible to maintain a healthy social life. Believe me it is. Have fun, try new things, you know all the usual clichés.

Sincerely,

Ignacio A. Contreras
Class of 2014

1. Listen to: Kennon, Brennan, Guice, Frisbie
   Don’t listen to: Smith, Goss
   (advice-wise)

 

I remember clearly the days when Señora Calvo told us anecdotes about IB students who suffered from ulcers caused by junior year, and honestly I was pretty scared. The horrifying tales of CAS hours that went unrecorded and the flood of journal questions did everything short of giving me nightmares. But, as I let slip when the sophomores were getting their summer assignments from Mrs. Smith, it’s not that bad.

Everyone always says that the key to IB is time management. I offer an alternative opinion — maybe it’s endurance. Yeah, not procrastinating is probably very helpful to grades (not that I have the experience to back up this claim) but IB is mostly accepting that you’ve made mistakes and pushing through the mess of assignments anyway.

So this can of course be applied to pre-calculus. Even when you feel so inadequate because your grade seems to be the number of math pencils Daniel has, you’ve just gotta pull out your trig flashcards and shrug it off. IB, I feel, is our own secluded microcosm of the “real” world and maybe once we’ve donned our “I think therefore IB” shirts, we’ll be these great, functioning adult members of society.

Jea Naseer

 

 

 

Over the course of my sophomore year, I have learned much about many of my classes and what I need to do to maintain good grades. First of all, do not procrastinate. This might seem easy at first, but it will get difficult (just power on through). Also, decide which classes need more attention and study more for those classes.

Procrastination is bad. Many IB kids will tell you about “how they waited till the last night to do all their homework” which is probably true, but then the projects aren’t very well done and it becomes a very stressful process. However, if you do your homework the day it is assigned, things will go a lot better and you’ll find yourself with a lot more free-time. I try to do all my essays and projects the first weekend when it’s due so that I don’t have to worry about it anymore and can focus on the next subject. Getting your work over with makes you feel better and allows you to spend more time with your family too.

Also, it’s important to decide which classes you need to really push yourself one, and therefore spend more time on it, and which classes take less time. You need to understand each class you have and how it operates. For example, Spanish was the hardest and most demanding class of my sophomore. I had to always be ready for orals, quizzes, and new vocabulary everyday. With so many small things to look out for and constant quizzes, I had to always have my Spanish book at home with me and study the nights before Spanish. Also, if you’re going to be a sophomore, don’t slack off on your World History notes. It hurts your quiz grades now and will make the AP test so much harder than it already is. And in pre-calculus, always take the GRQ’s because they will help bring up your grade tremendously! Don’t forget about the answers int he back of the book, but don’t become dependent upon them. I downloaded the pdf version of our book onto my phone and I don’t think I ever used the real book again. Overall, it’s important to study and pay attention in all your classes, but if you have a Spanish and anatomy test the next day, spend way more time while studying for the Spanish test!

As a sophomore who has almost completed the 10th grade year, I suggest that you do not procrastinate and that you understand your classes. Don’t get behind on work and try to be in school as much as possible. Understand that more time should be dedicated to your difficult classes, such as Spanish, rather than to your less challenging classes such as Anatomy. Sleep as much as you can, and do as much work as you can as soon as you can! Don’t fall behind!

Anna Koretchko

 

Dear Friend, As I look back on these past two years, I realize how thankful I am to have great friends and teachers who offer their unconditional support whenever I need it. Maybe you have learned this already or maybe not, but the connections you form in the IB program truly become your second family. Your teachers know what they are doing, so trust them. However, don’t be scared to ask questions. A better understanding of what is going on in the classroom never hurt anyone. There’s not much advice I can give you that you haven’t heard before, but there’s no harm in repetition!

I’m sure you’ve heard this piece of advice so much that you sometimes say it in your sleep: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. It really is the most helpful advice that anyone can give. You know how they say sleep, social life, good grades, choose two? I honestly believe that if you do not procrastinate you can choose all three (I cannot guarantee that it does not come with complications, however). Sophomore year is definitely good practice to get you into the swing of things. Use your second year at Bartow IB to really find yourself and see what works for you. Join a sport, train yourself to not take naps, start homework as soon as you can, and control the controllables! If you start with a good foundation, your junior and senior year will run more smoothly.

“You’re going to study for that? It’s going to be really easy.” Don’t listen to those people! You get brownie points for studying or even reviewing a little bit. Not studying for even the easiest quiz is a big gamble. What seems easy to one student may be rocket science to another. Always, always follow through with what you think is the right thing to do.

Your time here will flash by before your eyes. Savor every moment.

Linda Guan

 

The most important factors to surviving IB are time management and organization. Time management should start even when you’re at school. Try to do as much work as you can while you’re at school. Doing this will leave you with much more time at home and make IB less stressful. Also, be sure to stay on top of due dates and other deadlines. Try to make sure everything that you need for the next day is in your book pack the night before so that you won’t have to lose points on a paper for turning it in late or have to call your parents to bring a assignment to school.

Another major factor to completing IB efficiently is to understand your teachers and how their classes work. Become acquainted with how they assign points and grade their class. For example, Mrs. Laurent, Naki, and Mr. Wright mostly just checks homework for completion, but Ms. Frisbie and Mrs. Brooks checks homework for both completion and accuracy, so make sure the quality of your work is reflective of that. Also, know how the overall grading system works. Colleges only look at your semester grades, so if you got a really high A the 1^st nine-weeks, you can slack off a bit the 2^nd nine-weeks and get a B, and still end up with A as your semester grade.

Even though grades are very important, make sure that you have a good social life and get exercise. Having good friends will enable you go through IB with a positive outlook and have people to lean back on if you fall a little behind on your work. I would also recommend that you join clubs such as SWAT, NHS, Key Club, and FBLA. Not only will you get a bunch of hours by joining these clubs, they will also enable you to go to improve your communication and leadership skills. Also, join a sport or go to the gym so that you’re not always at home doing homework. Getting exercise will not only make you healthier, it will also relieve some stress of the IB program.

Allen Oommen

 

Sophomore year is great. The majority of your teachers will be really chill so it won’t be as stressful as freshman year. I am very satisfied with my electives this year too. AP Psychology was really interesting and the AP test was unbelievably easy. Even though it can be a lot of homework to do, you should try to complete the assignments to the best of your ability and ALWAYS read the assignments. AP Statistics was my favorite course this year, because I love math and this was very practical.

When it comes to the work load, this year’s load is a lot less than that of 9th grade. But a lot of people, including myself, still procrastinated. It is just something we are prone to do. I would strongly suggest to try to stay ahead on projects, especially in English towards the end of the year. Guice really piles on a ton of work in the last quarter. Also, try very hard to pay attention in AP World History. I failed to do this and probably messed up pretty badly on the AP exam. If you are serious about scoring high on the exam, you should seriously look into taking notes and watching crash course videos on YouTube. Most importantly, study Spanish like there is no tomorrow if you want to maintain an A in the class.

Overall, you will have a blast during your 10th grade year. There is a pretty good amount of down time so you should try to join some other clubs like FBLA or SWAT and possibly even pick up a sport. If you already are part of a lot of clubs, then you will have a lot of time to spend with your friends. Go bowling, have some parties, or (better yet) sleep! I can proudly say that I have averaged about eight hours a night this year. You should be excited, I wish you good luck.

Amol Patadia

 

Incoming Sophomores,

So far, I’ve made it through high school in one piece! Looking back at my sophomore year, I see it in a mostly positive light, but more than anything, I see it as a time where I’ve grown a lot as a person. From marching band, to AP classes, and everything in between, I’ve learned how to handle different situations, study for different classes, and take care of my sleep along the way. Take it from me, nothing worth doing is ever easy, but as long as you can make the experience enjoyable enough in your mind and realize the benefits, anything is possible.

The event that stands out the most in my mind from this year was marching season, for obvious reasons. I was appointed in a leadership position, flute section leader, as an underclassman. Our band did so well, that we made it to State this year for marching which extended our marching band season. Unfortunately, this created an even bigger overlap with basketball season. I also had a solo in the show. These were all new experiences for me, and I have to say, I did not quite handle them all “with grace.” When put in a new situation, first of all, don’t freak out. You’re not the only one who has gone through whatever you’re going through. If they can do it, you can do it. Number two: Don’t be too hard on yourself. No one is perfect. No situation is going to be perfect, either. Nothing ever goes exactly according to plan, and you have to be flexible. For example, at State Solo and Ensemble this year, I expected to perform in a large classroom setting, but ended up performing in a tiny practice room, which, for those of you who don’t know, is meant to house one or two people and an instrument at a time. There were eight people in this practice room (including me with my flute), a music stand, and not to mention a legitimate piano. Needless to say, it was very cramped, and an extremely uncomfortable situation for me. I learned that mental preparation for the performance might actually be more important than the hours of preparation put into whatever you are actually performing. Circumstances are not always in your favor. There were numerous times when our sound equipment didn’t work during our marching band show, or it rained during performances and practices. Sometimes I turned the ball over in a basketball game. Sometimes, they run out of mangoes at Tropical Smoothie. Bad things happen. You just have to block out the distractions and focus on the task at hand. Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.

Time management with extracurricular activities and academics was one of my greatest struggles. My audition for All County band and my basketball game were on the same day at approximately the same time this year. I auditioned for the All County band wearing my basketball uniform. You gotta do what you gotta do! My friend begged for a picture of me in me basketball entourage while holding my flute just because she said it expressed my life and personality so well. This year, I made the mistake of, well, joining just about every activity on campus. From my experiences, I have learned the power of just saying “no,” to certain clubs. I highly recommend that you join as many clubs as you are interested in to broaden your perspective, but just because you may have time and can physically squeeze it into your schedule, doesn’t mean you will have the energy to handle it all. You have to prioritize! Sleep is also important. You will do better on a test that you didn’t really study much for but got a good night’s sleep the night before, opposed to one you pulled an all-nighter for, I promise. Even if your peers don’t seem to be working as hard as you are, don’t change your own study habits. Hard work always pays off in the end. Plus, they may not be telling the truth about how much they study. Don’t get behind on work. There will be a time in your life when late work is not acceptable. Make your life easier and just turn stuff in on time. Don’t procrastinate! Also, do all the readings Mr. Wright assigns you. You are going to have a much easier time “studying” for the AP test if you already know the information. Last minute studying is supposed to be a refresher, not actually learning the material for the first time. Pay attention (and stay awake) in class, and you will get your homework done faster, not have to study as much, and get better grades on tests; it is much more efficient. Some of these things I have learned from the mistakes of my peers. Trust me, staying focused and working hard is only going to help you in the long run.

Last advice: Throughout IB and whatever else you do, don’t forget about your family. At least for me, my number one supporters, fans, and friends are always going to be my mom, my dad, and my little sister. When things get tough, I turn to them. Therefore, I have to be there for them as they are there for me. I try my best to plan my schedule so that I can attend my sister’s volleyball games, or have time to go out to dinner for other family celebrations. Although your parents are the people who tell you “no” whenever you want to do something fun, make you do things you never want to do, and always tell you information just how it is, they are the people who will always love you the most. Treasure that, and don’t take it for granted. Family matters.

Overall, your sophomore year of IB is doable, regardless of whatever else you are involved in. You only go through high school once, so have fun, and make it worthwhile for the future. I play basketball, I’m in band, and I participate in various other clubs, but I still maintain a high grade point average. Yes, I do have a life. I’m not the only one; you can do it, too. Work hard, and stay focused. Keep your own well being and your family in mind, and you’ll be fine.

Good luck! 🙂 (I’ll need it more than you will… Junior year here I come!)

Sujaya Rajguru

 

Hey, upcoming sophomores! Congratulations for tolerating the rigorous courses in Pre-IB for one year. With a taste of the expectations here, you guys should definitely be aware that the bar in 10th grade is raised. With the right preparations, study techniques, and commitment, the year should be more of a breeze as compared to freshman year, so I’m here to help! Primarily, the main path to success is to avoid procrastination. It takes much self-control to keep this quality, but it is a huge boost in the long run,. Furthermore, take classes that are suited to your conditions. Understanding your abilities, interests, and time available can greatly enhance performance. Focusing on which classes to insert into your schedule should be a significant time-consuming task, because the schedule is what defines your GPA/rankings and your credits.

“Procrastination!” “I keep procrastinating!” I finished this bio-project yesterday at night!” These words are extremely common to IB students. We hear them every week. I’m not going to lie — as a freshman, I procrastinated on almost every project (especially in the first semester). The mistake started since receiving summer work when I waited until the last two weeks before starting my mythology book, which I pretty much B.S.ed and regretfully, led to a quick C on that huge test on day 1 of school (but I still ended up with an A). Even if you’re not a procrastinator, you should be fully informed that sophomore year holds an abundance of work. Teachers will require you to read tons of books, finish multitudes of projects, and research a lot online. For a heads-up, in AP world history, you’ll be receiving approximately 10-25 long pages for reading in class, and Mr. Wright requires you to take highly detailed notes. Do NOT underestimate this assignment, since you will have a reading check (a 2-5 question quiz) almost every class. Make sure that you focus on these grades, because they hold huge weight in supporting that “A” or “B” that you desire. I finished off with a high A every quarter. Also, don’t procrastinate on your English assignments, especially those revolving around books. You’ll be reading several of those the entire year and the majority of your grades consists of miniature essays, reading quizzes, and color-markings. The other majority comes from literary term quizzes. MAKE SURE you study those every single day since his quizzes are given on randomly chosen days. They are extremely easy, but I still made the mistake of procrastinating on studying the words. I managed to achieve a “B” on most of those and a “mid-A” in the class, so it isn’t too difficult, but the class is extremely time-consuming. Trust me, Mr. Guice will know when you do assignments last second, and eventually you will feel the pain. For all of the other classes, you can probably get away with procrastination depending on which ones you take, but don’t rely on it, especially if you want sleep. I had 3 AP classes this year, played piano, and played on JV and varsity in basketball (which takes up dozens of hours every week), and procrastinated for a minute number of assignments, almost causing me to receive a B the first semester and drop my ranking.

In addition to avoiding procrastination, you should definitely take precaution in deciding which classes you take through the year along with choosing extracurricular activities. If you are one of the students who are extremely involved, take into consideration before the school year starts how much time you can dedicate outside of academics. As you should know, with the school year passing by, you will have numerous opportunities to participate in sports and clubs so do not rush your decisions. If you chose many AP classes, spend a majority of your time on those subjects, because they involve almost twice as much studying as regular classes. In addition, choose classes that interest you. I know you may have already verified your current choices for the school year, but I recommend that you take some time to plan what classes you’ll want for the following year. Also in regards to AP classes, I suggest that you take a practice test at the beginning of the year in order to take what information you need to learn in a more knowledgeable perspective. You’ll get a better feel to your strength in the subjects, helping you to also hopefully grasp a stronger hold on how much effort and time to put in. In AP Psychology, students are required to take a practice one at the beginning and a final at the end right before AP testing. These conditions are not required in AP statistics and AP world history. If you are one of the students that are shooting for a top 10 spot in the school rankings and want to take as many AP classes as possible, make sure that your everyday time capacity allows for the studying. Take into huge consideration that obtaining “B” in your classes while taking several, even the maximum AP classes possibly allowed, can lead to a downfall of your GPA so if you are busy with clubs and/or athletic programs/band, I’d rather that you focus much more on receiving As than to struggle with a handful of extremely advanced classes. If you are taking a lot of AP classes, I’m just going to simplify what Mrs. Allison told you guys (well, she told us) in APES — buy a Princeton Review Book! I got all of mine a month before AP testing and flipped over the pages and took the two practice tests. Even though few classes may not seem to need any further review practices, taking the practice exams can become hugely beneficial. If you are taking AP statistics, I would DEFINITELY suggest that you take as many practice exams as possible since the formats, question-for-question, are extremely similar to each other. That’s about everything I can say in order for you to have a less stressing year in BI regarding the substantial workload you’ll be expected to complete in most of your classes. Good luck and remember, 10th grade year is the last in Pre-IB and you’re preparing to step into the true IB world the following year with tons more of AP and IB exams. While you are spending much time on school work, use this time to your advantage for relaxation as once the month hits June, reality of IB truly kicks in (what I heard from 11th and 12th graders and my sister).

Sincerely,

Peter Yao

 

Dear Incoming Sophomore,

Good job pushing through your first year of the IB programing. Only three more years to go. I was told at the end of freshman year “sophomore year is the easiest year”. This might be true depending on the electives you chose, what math you are in, and the language you are taking. Regardless, don’t let your guard down; DO NOT RELAX. Maintain a good work ethic and don’t procrastinate. Do whatever it takes to keep your grades in good condition.

With a bit of focus and persistence,  no concept or topic will be too hard to understand. As far as math, my only advice would be to do your homework and try and pay attention in class. Blowing off assignments is a sure way to diminish your ability to comprehend new material. If you don’t do your homework, or you abuse the late/missing pass system, you’ll pay for it on the tests. Paying attention really helps you learn and retain what you have learned, so put forth an effort to focus in class. The science classes you take this year are a lot easier than the biology class you just took, don’t stress over them. English and AP World History are both taught by amazing people. Just stay on top of your work in both classes, and remember to study for the AP exam.

As far as electives, don’t take AP Psychology unless you are okay with a lot of busy work. The concepts are easy to learn and are fairly interesting. The AP exam was fairly easy, so don’t worry about this exam. If you are particularly disgusted by busy work, then don’t take this class. AP Stats was an interesting class. I really liked how the material could be applied to so many different aspects of life. If you are a fan of Naki’s teaching style (and stories) and math, you will like this class. Some concepts are dauntingly confusing at first, but you have to trust that you’ll eventually get them (and you will).  I’m taking French, so my advice concerning language does not apply to people Spanish or German. You are already familiar with Mr. Lenker, and his class isn’t significantly harder this year than last year. Good luck, and try, try to not procrastinate. This advice is the most important and also the hardest to heed.

Devon Kipp

 

So you’ve finally completed your first year of IB. You’ve become one step closer to finishing this four year course that can tag you as one of the more intelligent beings of the species. Good job on not sucking. As a sophomore and soon-to-be junior, there are a couple of ideals that I am going to share with you, from the practical to the unusual to the general realistic view of the International Baccalaureate that I have experienced.

So everyone will tell you at some point in time that procrastinating is bad, you should always divide your work up into small bits, should always put studies before play, blah blah blah, you get the point. Fact of the matter is there’s no point in telling you not to procrastinate because I know that nine out of ten of you will put off your studies anyways. Most of your life, you probably grew up in school with no study and no effort, and still making a great grade because you’re just that good. It’s benefitted before, so you could do the same method and expect the same scores, right? Try again. My advice to you is not to spend all your day chopping up work into small pieces, because that’s not how you work. My advice is to know your limits. You can only do so much in so little time. If you’re going to put off work then know how much time you need to do something. My pre-calculus class is a good example of this. I look over the problems when I get the assignment, and judge how much time it would take. Perhaps I put it off for a day or so, maybe even a week depending on the due date. But when I finally get around to working, I make sure I have enough time to do it. So even though I procrastinate, I still get good grades. Instead of dividing, schedule. It is much better to do so than to rush through a chemistry assignment, pre-calc worksheet, and thirty pages of notes due in World History, all in the span of fifteen minutes. It won’t work, and it never will work. So instead of beating yourself up for not doing it sooner, you should have planned ahead to see how long it should have taken.

Remember this well, future sophomores; you will have challenges presented to you in the form of numerous projects. Some may be fun for you, many will be an outright drag. And some of you may even have the urge to throw your computer at the wall in pure frustration at some of these projects.  This is not like baking a cake with icing in the form of a natural chemical cycle like you’ve done before. These are lengthy studies with serious insight and well written paragraphs. Many of these will be in the class of Mr. Guice. These projects include some niceties such as a poster or a pamphlet, but much will be nothing but a five paragraph essay after five paragraph essay after five paragraph essay.  These are made for you to gain experience in the long run. He gives you these with the intention of helping you pass the FCAT Writes section. Another project Mr. Guice will give you is the rough draft and final draft of the Mini-EE outline you made just a few months ago. When you do this project in particular, he nitpicks your essay with a degree far greater than Mrs. Harb. A helpful tip is to avoid ambiguous pronouns such as “it,” “they,” and “these,” I lost over a quarter of my credit by simply using those words.

Also, please keep in mind that the teachers aren’t actively trying to give you a bad time with your school day. If you have a problem with any type of work, you have a small army of students at your back, along with the professional help of the teachers that were hand-picked to take these jobs. These teachers are distinguished individuals who have been so great at their academic profession that they were offered this job. They know what they’re talking about, and they would be glad to help you any reasonable time of the day. So don’t think you’re alone in this battle. You’ve got plenty of resources to help you.

Sebastian Lunsford

 

Dear incoming Sophomore,

You’re in for a treat this coming school year. When I was a freshman, I was always one to procrastinate on my homework and starting projects the night before they’re due. That was a big mistake for me. Although my grades were not TERRIBLE to begin with, they were not where I wanted them to be. I didn’t realize this until near the end of the school year when I realized everyone was already competing for the top ten. Afterward, I decided that I would no longer procrastinate. Or so I thought.

I had always heard about how Sophomore year was the easiest year for everyone. In the beginning, I was doing pretty well on my work and always got my stuff done on time. All of a sudden, I started to slack off on my work, and I did not care as much about school. I could say I was depressed for a while because I always thought “What’s the point?” This is something I now really regret because it shows that I hadn’t tried my best. My grades were still not as high as what I wanted them to be, and I always made excuses to make up for them. One of my excuses was for French. Whenever I had a bad grade on a test or a quiz, I always blamed it on the fact that I already know THREE languages! Why make me squeeze in one more?? There was also the fact that my teacher did not know how to teach. He always planned during my period….isn’t that the time when he’s supposed to be TEACHING us? He also doesn’t even know how to use a smartboard, which we spent the ENTIRE class basically teaching him how to use. Sorry for complaining, but anyway….if you have French, I would advise you to use your time wisely in that class by teaching yourself or helping each other out because you basically work for only ten minutes and spend the rest of the time talking to each other about the most random things. If you don’t struggle in that class as much as me though, you have PLENTY of time to do your work for other important classes.

English was one of my favorite classes. Mr. Guice is always so chill with you and you can basically talk to him as if he were your friend. Though you might not seem to do much in his class, it’s important that you listen and always take notes during his class. I also advise you to NOT procrastinate in reading the books that he assigns you. Trust me, reading an entire novel and colormarking the night before is NOT FUN.

APWH was different for me. I don’t even think I learned anything in that class at all. One thing that bothered me was that he always turned the lights off during lectures, which always put me to sleep. I also did not remember anything by reading the book and taking notes. I actually tried really hard in that class and even read the assigned pages twice. That didn’t work. I’m supposed to be giving you advise for this year, but for APWH….I got nothing.

Chemistry and Physics are great classes. Although Mr. Webb and Mrs. Brooks basically read straight from the powerpoints or from the board, the material is actually really easy to understand. If you‘re a math person, the problems will not be at all difficult for you because it’s simple algebra. If you are not a math person, you will be working in your lab groups the whole time, so find someone that understands it, and have them explain it to you. I feel that being taught from someone else’s point of view may sometimes be easier to understand than the first time learning it. Almost like a second opinion.

Pre Calculus was one of my favorite classes, and not because it was math. I actually struggled in Ms. Frisbie’s class the first semester because that was the time when I did not try as hard as I should have.  I liked the fact that Ms. Frisbie shows you the number of points that a question is worth on a test because whenever you are stuck on a problem, you will always be able to know which ones you should skip and go back to. I also like the fact that she gives you many chances to bring your grade up, such as the extra credit on her tests and the GRQ (grade recovery quizzes) that she allows you to take. I felt that these were far better than actually retaking the test because you can do it in a short period of time, like during lunch. Also during her notes, Ms. Frisbie always gets frustrated when we catch a mistake she made. I actually found this pretty amusing. Not only did my class earn a lot of candy by catching five mistakes, but it allowed me to be more observant and helped me remember the material better.  Besides the actual material, you can learn a lot of random stuff in her class and have fun with it. My class personally, I thought was the best. It was a small group of kids that I was able to easily interact with and were not too crazy or disruptive during the lectures. Though we had made Ms. Frisbie mad a couple of times, I know that this was one of my most interesting classes that I had, and hopefully you will too.

This was a pretty craptastic letter to an incoming sophomore, but my biggest suggestion is to NOT procrastinate. I know I wasn’t the only one who did this year, but I know that I did it too often. If you want your grades to be high, don’t be like me haha. Of course, I will continue to try harder throughout the rest of my high school years, but hey…isn’t that what IB is all about? Pushing yourself further than you thought you could? You can think of IB as a race. No, not competitively against other classmates to see who can have the highest GPA; think of it as a race to see how far you are willing yourself to go. Don’t stop when you’re tired or make up excuses about the classes you are struggling in. Keep striving to do your best and work on the subjects you struggle in. Enough with the lame metaphors. Enjoy your year of being a 10th grader because it will figuratively (who says literally?) fly by fast.

Charlie Manalo

 

Dear Incoming Sophomore,

I have learned many things this year about IB and the dos and don’ts of IB. First of all, you have survived your freshman year. Luckily for you, sophomore year is easier now that you have the hang of things. Though there is more homework, you should know how to handle the load in a more efficient way, which makes it easier. Personally for me, doing my homework in the afternoon after school seems to work just fine. I am usually able to finish before 10 o’clock on most days. In addition, try to pace yourself on projects. If you procrastinate, you may find yourself swamped with homework late at night, miserable and angry at the world.

Since you are a brand new 10th grader, you get to experience the wondrous sciences of physics and chemistry. I found physics and chemistry to have a lighter workload than biology. The tests are easier too. You get to try them out for a semester and if you like them, you can take either one for your science in eleventh grade. In addition to new sciences, you also have a new AP class and more electives. The required AP class is AP world history taught by Mr. Wright. Just make sure you don’t fall behind on your readings or you will fail miserably because we don’t go over everything in class. There are also many other AP classes available to you in your sophomore year. You can take Psychology, Stats, European History, Human geography, Music theory, and many other AP classes. Psychology and Stats seem to be the most popular. I took AP psychology (band was my other elective) and here is a bit of advice: be prepared for a lot of learning and reading at home. We do many readings at home and at the end of each chapter we have to do extensive vocabulary cards. In each vocab card (there are about 50-60 in each chapter) you must define the term, apply the term, and list a related key term or key person in psychology. By the end of the year, you should have around 800 cards! It is important to know your people and vocabulary in psychology because that is pretty much what it’s based on so if you don’t like making notecards, psychology may not be the class for you.

Remember that mini extended essay that you worked on with Mrs. Harb in English class? Well, it comes back in 10th grade. It’s important to have solid research and vast stores of information so that you won’t run out of things to say on your mini EE. In addition to your mini EE, make sure that you keep up with your cultural and community service hours. You will need to turn in 20 hours (at least 5 of them have to be cultural) by the end of the year. Well, that’s all the wisdom I have to offer you for your sophomore year. Good luck!

Jerry Masseus

 

Dear friend,

First of all welcome to sophomore year! Freshman year is behind you so you should be used to the Pre- IB workload by now but to be honest you will still find yourself procrastinating at times. In my opinion I think sophomore year was amazing. The workload is really not bad at all and definitely manageable. This is a great year to get involved with clubs and activities. Remember high school is about more than your grades. Life is about experiences so make sure you don’t stay hidden away behind your books. Go to football games, play sports, volunteer, walk around the lake, and spend time with your family and friends.

Even though you should spend time with other activities make sure you stay ahead on your school work. You can have a life, get good grades, and sleep. You just need time management skills. First of all get expo markers and a whiteboard (or mirror). Having a to-do list for homework and other tasks so you can see how much you have to do. Personally, I write on my mirror with expo markers because I am forced to see all I have to get done. Then start crossing off the assignments one by one. The important thing to remember is not to stress and freak out, that just wastes valuable time.

Now for specifics about your classes. For APWH GET YOUR REVIEW BOOK AND STUDY IT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE YEAR!! Also, make sure to practice a lot of DBQ’s and FRQ’s on your own. For English make sure you stay up to date on reading for the quizzes or you will get bad grades and be sad. Chemistry take advantage of all extra credit opportunities. For AP Stats make sure you study and pay attention and you’ll do fine on the AP exam but strive for excellence because you could get a 5 five with a little more effort. Naki will teach you exactly what you need to know. Pre-calc, well I hope you have it fifth period because you will get really good at math because you are exposed to it every day. But even if you don’t have the class everyday don’t fret. As long as you pay attention, understand the lessons, and do your homework you will become wise in mathematical practices. Pre-IB art don’t procrastinate completely on your research pages, have some parts completed ahead of time. Now for the class that will always be an uphill battle…. SPANISH. Every time the class begins a chapter I advise you to go on Quizlet that day. Download the app and use it in every free moment you get. Quizlet will be your best friend. Also, clarify all the grammar rules and study them constantly even rules from past chapters. Now even if you do all this there is a likelihood you will be fighting between an 89 and 90 in the class. Just try your absolute best and check your work for stupid mistakes this is all you can do.

So good luck with sophomore year! I hope you make memories and friendships that last for a long time. Remember to keep your grades high and spend time with those you care about. Now take a deep breath and be confident in your abilities.

Ashley Mathew

 

Whoever is reading this,

I would like you to know that my sophomore year at IB has been fairly decent.  I am actually surprised at how quickly the time flew.  When I think about something that happened, I can’t even remember whether it happened this year or last year.  Anyway, the purpose of my letter is to extract some wisdom and knowledge from my experiences and write it down so that others can use it as advice.

First of all, I should probably talk about the classes I took this year.  Everybody has a class they really hate, either because the teacher or because of the course.  I didn’t really hate any class, but that doesn’t mean they are all good.  AP World History was my least favorite class this year, even though it was interesting at times.  Something I want you to know is that you should take adequate notes and read the textbook even if you can get away with doing less.  The point of any class is not to see how little effort you can put in and still get an A; the point of a class is to provide you with an understanding of the material.  I enjoyed my sciences very much.  I had never gone into depth on chemistry or physics, but after doing so I felt like I knew so many things.  I would also like to say that teachers aren’t out to get you.  If you try, and I mean actually try, passing should be the least of your worries.

A choice that comes up in your sophomore year is what science you will be taking and what your sixth subject will be.  Before I let you know what my decision was, I will provide you with advice.  If you walk up to a group of upperclassmen for verbal advice, they are most likely to say that biology is the only sure option.  Their argument is why take physics or chemistry if you are going to fail the IB test.  “At least I’ll get my diploma if I take biology.”  That does not always happen.  Try to be objective in your reasoning and choose accordingly.  Just know that whatever your choice is, you will have to work hard.  Personally, I knew physics was my choice as soon as I stepped in the class.  As for the sixth subject, my only choices were psychology and business.  Because I took psychology as an elective, business was the viable option.  I look forward to that class.

The last thing I want to talk about is the social aspect of my year.  Even though it is possible to go through high school alienated from others, I don’t think it is as fun as having amazing friends.  One of my favorite things this year was going to Naki’s room during lunch because I could hang out with my friends.  There is one person in specific that I really enjoyed talking to, and I think she knows who she is.  It’s funny how most of the good times you remember involve others making the experiences even better.  My advice to you is to make the most of every opportunity.  I am already halfway through high school, yet I don’t feel like I’ve done something worthwhile.  If I don’t do it, I am telling you now so that you can.

Future Junior,

Erick Meza

 

Dear Incoming IB Sophomore,

Congratulations on making it through your first year of IB! You are one of a select few that has the honor of enduring 4 grueling years of hard work and no sleep. But really, it is going to be so worth it in the end.

First off, like you’ve probably heard from pretty much everyone who has been through or is currently in the program, don’t procrastinate. It is way too easy to put assignments off until 1 a.m. the night before they are due; trust me, I think every IB student has done that at some point or another. Also, don’t take sophomore year too lightheartedly. Try not to scrape by with borderline grades because if you do, you’ll find junior and senior years to be a lot tougher and your grades could drop. If your grades are top-notch, do some community service or find clubs and sports to build up your resume because your extra time will be limited in 11th and 12th grade. A lot of people say that sophomore year is the easiest, but that’s not really an excuse to slack off.

Sleep is so valuable!!! It is important to go to bed at a reasonable time because time and again, studies have shown that lack of sleep is detrimental to health.

There are some classes that are required and you get to take two electives of your choice. English with Guice is a breeze. The atmosphere in his classroom is really chill, which I sometimes found hard to focus in, but it’s a great class. I was in Spanish this year and it was probably the class I had the most difficulty in, but that’s because I didn’t have a very strong foundation in Spanish. Senora Laurent is an amazing teacher though, and I feel so much stronger in Spanish after this year. Just study a ton in your spare time (car rides on the way home work well for me to study a few Spanish words, start homework, or take a short nap). Physics and Chemistry are not difficult to get good grades in. It can be really hard to pay attention in Physics, though, and often times a good half of the class will be asleep. AP World History with Mr. Wright is a really fun class and it’s not difficult to do well either, but the AP exam is not easy, so start studying early (like early spring) if you want to do well on it. Pre-Calculus has a lot of Algebra 2 incorporated in it, but it also introduces new concepts. Sometimes it’s hard to stay focused (especially since I had it as the last class of the day and I was always sleep deprived), but as long as you get a good night’s sleep the day before, you should be fine. Mrs. Frisbie is a really great teacher and if you ever have any math questions, you can go to her at pretty much any time and she will give you a thorough explanation of whatever it is that you need help with. For my electives this year, I took band and AP Statistics. I recommend that you take Statistics at some point in your high school career because it is really interesting and Naki will prepare you well for the AP exam.

And lastly, take the time to have friends and talk to other people in IB. You will probably have stronger friendships as you get to know each other better this year and having those friendships will help relieve stress.

Best of luck in your sophomore year!

Annika Mulaney 🙂

 

Dear Incoming Sophomore,

Can you guys believe it? Your very first year of high school is done! Only 3 more to go! Don’t sweat, this next year is going to be one of the easiest years of your high school life. Actually, it will be THE easiest year. You’ve already been slightly used to the change in amounts of homework and it doesn’t really get drastically harder. The only reason freshman year was tough is because it’s such a drastic change from how things ran at your middle school. Procrastination is still okay in this stage of high school since you are still in Pre-IB, but this will be the year where you need to start getting rid of some of those old habits. High school is different from middle school and you go to the second best school in the nation, for crying out loud!

Anyways, I’m going to give you a quick sum up of all of your classes you will probably take your sophomore year. First of all, Chemistry. All you do in there is take notes and hurt your hand and even if you get a 0 on the semester final, you can still pass the class with an A because so much extra credit is given out. In Physics, you learn as well, but you get sidetracked a lot and watch a lot of videos about bombs in that class. Both are really easy classes. I don’t know what foreign language you are taking, but if you’re following The Path of Spanish, you may want to ready yourself for a hard, tough year. You’ve already had Señora Laurent for one year so you know how she runs class and tests. But in Spanish 2, you cover about 4 tenses, 5 at the max. By the end of Spanish 3, you’ll have covered a total of 17 tenses (I have counted and I have a list) and she grades your tests harder than ever on an AP standpoint. Many people start needing a Spanish tutor by this time and if you’re one of them, don’t be shy. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Now AP Statistics. This class is said to be difficult, but I believe that since we have brilliant kids sign up for it and an exceptional teacher teaching it, you’ll have no problem with the AP test as long as you stay awake during class and do your homework. Now, English. Well, there’s really nothing to say but have fun! Mr. Guice is a really fun and chill guy about everything and anything. Just study for the literary terms pop quizzes! And now, AP World History. Mr. Wright is an awesome teacher and he actually makes history fun (which is kind of hard to believe, but it’s true). The only tips I have for surviving his class and doing well on the AP Exam is to read the readings and not procrastinate on them or the notes. I think that’s all the classes. Did I forget any? Oh wait! Pre-Calculus! It won’t be very fun if you have it first period like I did because most of the kids are asleep in the mornings and if Ms. Frisbie asks us a question, no one would answer so she’d have to answer the question herself. There will seldom be days where you receive no homework and so keep on top of things! If you’re like me and tend to lose a lot of things, add the link to the assignment sheet to your bookmarks! And don’t be the fool that leaves your formula packet at home on the day of finals! I was quite lucky I didn’t really need it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry! Pay attention to her every move because if you catch a mistake, you get a point (and you get to learn how to count to 5 in many different languages) and if you get 5 points by the end of the week, the next week, Ms. Frisbie brings in candy for everyone!

Extra-curricular activities. Just because you’re in IB (well, Pre-IB) doesn’t mean you have to give up on certain activities you love. For example, I know of many kids who have stuck with certain activities all throughout high school, even through junior and senior years so it’s not entirely impossible. I’m in band and in Youth in Government. Youth in Government took up a lot of time but in the end, it was worth it. That’s how every activity is. Band, for instance, is a nightmare for some people. Marching season. *Shudders violently* And I’m also Music Librarian on top of that, which is like the second most time consuming job in the band, next to the directors. I’ve put in countless hours helping the band with their musical needs and assisting the directors with any odd jobs they need done, including picking up Mr. Eckman’s daughter after school. I have also been Class of 2015 secretary for the last 2 years and this year, I am treasurer. And I go home every night and have time to finish my homework and go to bed (the time varies). Saying all this, I hope you don’t drop any extra-curricular activities you like.

In conclusion, Sophomore year is a pretty chill year and there’s no real reason to be stressed out over anything. Just pay attention in class, do your homework, eat your vitamins, and HAVE FUN! Be excited! You attend the second best school in the nation. Now it’s your chance to live up to it.

Sincerely yours,

Mira Patel

 

Dear Incoming IB Sophomore,

If I were you, I would really make a conscious effort to be extremely organized and efficient this year. Also, it is important that you try hard in all of your classes. Personally, I had a lot of fun joining a lot of clubs, too! You’ll have a lot of time to do anything you want if you handle your homework well. I was able to hang out with my friends almost every other weekend because I would stay up every Friday night to finish my homework. I was able to pull all-nighters and be completely done with my homework even after doing things like going to basketball games or the movies the same night. But don’t overdo it because it’s better to just do what you can at your own pace.

As a sophomore, I was enrolled in Pre-Calculus, Physics/Chemistry, English, AP Statistics, AP World History, Spanish, and AP Psychology. It might seem like a really rigorous choice of courses, and it was—I’m not going to lie. But I also really enjoyed it! I think you’ll have a lot of fun in your classes next year because you’ll be able to mess with your teachers (if you’re brave enough) and still learn a lot from them! You won’t have to even worry about not learning enough or being scared you won’t learn the concepts from your teachers because I can guarantee you that they will teach you plenty!

Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed, but trust me, it happens to everybody, and the only thing you can do is to just calm down and fight through it! One really important thing is to make sure you have fun while going through next year; that goes for every year! You never want a year to go to waste just because you were too focused on work. It might seem like a bright idea to bury yourself in your studies now, but you have to give yourself time to relax! I had straight A’s in all of the quarters and I always played around a lot. But DON’T get arrogant! You MUST study to pass. You might have been able to get through ninth grade without much studying, but start making good study habits because if you don’t, you’ll be stuck worrying and cramming at the end of the year. Overall, I think sophomore year will probably be one of the easiest in your IB life, and you should enjoy it while simultaneously doing well in school.

Neel Shah

 

Dear Freshmen,

How was your first year in IB?  Trick question; you’re in Pre-IB.  If you thought this year was hard, just wait until Junior year. Until then, enjoy Sophomore year!  It is in fact easier than Freshman year.

You will love your new teachers.  You’ll have Wright and Guice.  They are hilarious in their own ways, from Mr. Wright’s incessant stereotyping of students to Mr. Guice’s sesquipedalian vernacular.  If you have Ms. Frisbie this year, you’re extra lucky.  From the first day of Precalc, I realized that she is one of the funniest and smartest people ever, and I’m not just saying that in the hopes of scoring extra points on my essay, which is due by noon.  Ms. Frisbie is genuinely hilarious.  Make sure you tell a lot of puns (she loves them).  DO NOT ANNOY HER.  DO NOT TALK EXCESSIVELY IN THAT CLASS. STAY AT FRISCON 5.

You might have noticed I mentioned that this essay is due in a couple of hours.  Don’t be like me.  I know EVERYONE in this program procrastinates, but some people are extreme like I.  You see, we had two years to complete at least 5 culture hours, but my procrastination has accumulated 3.  I’m sure these hours aren’t as important as the CAS hours, so I think I’ll be okay.  Don’t procrastinate that much!

Bottom line is, don’t complain about your work this year because the juniors and seniors will laugh at you.  Learn your new teachers, of what they approve and disapprove, and get on their good sides, but refrain from being a sycophant.  Finally, try your hardest not to be an extreme procrastinator.  It is futile to ask each and every one of you to not procrastinate at all, which is why I said don’t be an extreme one.  The less you procrastinate, the more sleep you will get and the happier you will be.

Best of luck in your Pre-IB endeavors,

Logan “Nunaybiz” McFarlane

 

Dear upcoming sophomores,

I know you just finished a year of Kennon and APES, but I’ll tell you this right now — the sciences are so much easier sophomore year! If have to say, having pre-calc sophomore year is sort of stressful, but if you are good enough at math to qualify for pre-calc this early, then you probably will be fine. English class will me much more interesting with Mr. Guice, trust me. You’re going to have “break down nights” no matter what classes you have or what year of IB you’re in. Don’t drop out over that one night. Seriously, we might say we won’t blame you for being a drop-out, but trust me, we will judge you. Don’t do it. You might not be super close with everyone in your class yet, but you will starting next year, and they become your family. You don’t want to miss out on having a family like that, do you? DON’T DROP OUT! Ohh, and for junior year, take BIO. I’m not kidding, Kennon is the best. She’s a lot better than she is in freshman year, I promise it will get better. Ohh, if y’all are in band, stay in band. It’s awesome, we’re awesome, you’ll love it:P Do not take AP Stats as your elective — it’s soooo boring… shh don’t tell Naki… APWH — read all the pages BEFORE the quiz, don’t read it all and take notes just for the note check. Keep up with it, it really helps. You better hope you get  a textbook that has been highlighted in already — they are so great! Oh, for Guice’s, read all the books, they really aren’t that bad. And grammar sucks, but the final test is easy, you’ll do fine. The air conditioning breaks a lot… that sucks too… but it’ll all be fine ‘cause Guice’s is the best. Honestly, looking back, it was a pretty easy year. Don’t stress over it, you’ll be fine. Well, I should say don’t procrastinate, but I have no room to talk because I’m writing this at 11:34 am and it’s due at noon… Well, I tried… anyway, if you ever need help or advice, don’t hesitate to come to me, I’ll always be here for y’all. Well, that’s about it, good luck!

Gina Di Gioia

 

Dear “IB Kid in Freshman Year”,

The life you have chosen to be in, as an IB student is definitely not difficult (As you have experienced recently). Despite the rigorous program you are involved in, there are many things that will definitely help you throughout your sophomore year. Overall, it is important that you are aware of procrastination, become more of an organized person, and cooperate with your teachers whenever you are in need. These three “lessons” will lead you through your IB career and help you reach the goals that you have established.

In freshman year, the idea of procrastination seemed as if it was a joke. Many of the sophomore students that I knew had told me not to procrastinate, and it went through one ear and out the other. I lived through my freshman year, even with the concept of procrastinating, but when the obstacle of my sophomore year came in my way, procrastinating didn’t work as well. During the time of AP testing, the amount of English assignments that are due piles up and before you know it, your grade in a class can drop one whole grade level. This is why it is extremely important to, rather than work till 2 in the morning, pace yourself so in the end you’re not screwed.

Overall, if I were a freshman, I would definitely be a more organized person as well as in sophomore year.

Jay Khatri