The first group of these was written by juniors, to advise new juniors, and the second group by sophomores, to advise new sophomores. They are otherwise in no particular order.

 

Dear future Junior,

Part of me is SO glad I made it through junior year. It is definitely the hardest of IB so far. However, another part of me wishes I could do it all over again so I could do better and be a more efficient student. So now I am going to tell you the things that you should do to make junior year a lot easier.

The first piece of advice I have is to stay organized. It’s the thing every person who has ever done anything will tell you. About half way through the year, on the weekends, I started writing down all the homework I had to do in different colors (according to what class it was for) and it was great. It helped me to not forget any work I had to do and it makes you feel good when you get to cross something off the list. 😃 Start with the hardest thing you have to do, then work your way through the easier ones. This makes Sunday afternoons much more enjoyable. Also, do your work first. Don’t just sit around on your phone or watching TV… you’ll end up staying up WAY too late trying to get it all done. It is a lot harder to write journals at 3am than it is at 3pm, trust me.

The next thing I want to tell you is actually read the textbook for Scully. It’s a lot, I know, but it is actually one of the best ways to learn about history and understand what happened, even if it is boring. It will also make DQs (Discussion Questions) a lot easier to answer.

Next: LOVE MRS. LAVELLE. Don’t take advantage of her mom-ish ways. She is one of the best teachers I have ever had in my entire life and will probably be the same for you. Take her class seriously and I promise you will learn so much. Actually do the journal entries- don’t just write random crap or turn in your APUSH Extra Credit (@Aneesha). They will help in the long run. Take your opportunity to get Mrs. Lavelle’s help and amazing editing skills on your college essays. Remember: she has a degree in creative writing. She knows what she’s doing.

Appreciate every single little thing Ms. Frisbie does. Whether it’s getting papers graded and entered quickly or providing water cups or allowing the possibility to get candy and making your so much day better or even telling you about all the crazy bell schedule changes and weird activities that our wonderful school decides to put on us at the last minute. Also she’s an amazing teacher, no matter how nerve racking it is to have to answer questions in front of the entire class. Don’t take her for granted.

So yeah, I’m sure there’s plenty of other things I could tell you and warn you about (such as Mr. Eckman, ToK, etc), but I am going to stop here. I doubt anyone is going to read this anyway. Thank you Ms. Frisbie! 😀

Good luck next year and remember to get plenty of sleep!!!

Sincerely,

Rebekah Minter

 

Junior year of IB in my opinion has without a doubt been the toughest and most time consuming school year that I’ve gone through so far. You’ve probably been warned about this upcoming year on many occasions by other fellow students who for the most part are not trying to scare you but rather are trying to prepare you. I certainly wish I would have listened to those who told me how difficult and tiring this year would be, and if you do listen then you’ll definitely get more sleep than I did. Junior year for the most part is pretty bad but entirely won’t be all bad despite what many will try and tell you, this year has actually been one of the best years of my life so far. If you’re anything like me then you’ll try and make the best out of whatever situation that you are faced with.

You should try to keep up with what is being taught to you but the chances of you completely understanding everything aren’t very good. Whether you like it or not a big part of your life will be based around school. Actually try and get your work done early so you won’t be forcing yourself to stay up doing any biology labs or studying for several test you may have the next day. Despite the increased amount of work you’ll have, I advise you to make sure you take some time out of your day to do whatever you really enjoy. This could be anything really like sports, hobbies, or interests. For me this was without a doubt soccer, many times you will definitely feel overwhelmed with work and assignments from school but there should be a time you have for yourself every day to relax and actually enjoy whatever it is you are doing.

This year however for myself and many others has felt like it has gone by quicker than the past years at IB. You’ll realize that when you are kept this busy then time will really go by fast and Ms. Frisbie will be asking you to write this same letter of advice to the next class of incoming juniors. Trust me, if I’ve made it this far, then surely you can too.

Best of Luck,

Luis Martinez

 

Dear Student,

First of all, let me apologize for you, this is going to be hard. Like really hard. It isn’t something everyone can do. If someone tells you that, they’re lying. I have spent hours crying over this school. That being said I love IB. It is my second home, the teachers are your parents, the students are your siblings. Except for when they date. EWWW. Moving on, we are one big dysfunctional family. With issues, tons of issues, but that’s what makes us so unique. So there are three big aspects of IB I’ll cover. School, friends, and extracurricular.

School:

Darling this stuff is hard. I always had straight A’s and I got my first B. Then I got my first C. I cried. For 3 hours. I’m a bit of a drama queen. I want you to remember that you are brilliant little snowflakes. This is made to challenge you, like Honor classes challenge regular students. You need to remember your intelligence is only one of your exemplary characteristics so please don’t beat yourself up over a bad grade. Show your parents this part; DO NOT EVER MAKE YOUR IB KID FEEL STUPID. It is often something we do ourselves. Please also don’t procrastinate and cheat, but you’re a smart kid, no need to tell you that.

Friends:

PICK THEM WISELY. Same with significant others. IB is good for friends, because you see them all the time. But you need to remember sometimes people use one another. Don’t be that person, and don’t get taken advantage of. There is a line between friendly and collusion. Be careful, but be happy and social. Much like everything in IB, it is a balance. You will find your crew, your squad, your clique. Just give it time.

Extracurricular:

Time management is key in IB. Doing more than the base can leave you exhausted. But extracurriculars give you a break from classes and let you meet other people like you. It is also important that you find what you love to do, both emotionally and career-wise, and extracurricular activities give you that experience.

Life is hard. IB is exponentially harder. Having a good life with IB is infinitesimally harder. But IB, like most things is how you make it.

Good Luck

Katya Viegas 

 

Dear Future Juniors,

Junior year was fairly difficult for me. I struggled very much but maybe it was just me? NO. Junior year was tough for everyone. You are now entering IB Diploma Programme, no more Pre-IB. This means all your classes are IB/AP and they’re a little harder. The most difficult class for me and will forever be is Biology.

I dedicate this paragraph all for Biology. Kennon is tough. Her class is tough. Her tests are moderately difficult but it’s not impossible to get an A. I advise you to study study study and use the AP prep book when studying and notes and Bio book and everything. Print the notes that she emails and do not fall asleep while she goes over the notes (I have). Her worksheets are a little weird and often long and will take hours. Aside from that, a couple things to scare you about biology are her labs. Especially the Fly Lab. Just do the labs RIGHT when they are assigned and DO NOT wait until the last minute. Sometimes she gives you two labs with near due dates and you don’t wanna stress yourself out! However, if you don’t want to deal with all of this ^, take Physics.

The classes that I really enjoyed were: IB Business with Brennan and AP Lang with Lavelle. IB Business was very fun although the class will not be offered next year with the teacher Brennan. Sorry. Then there’s English III. Ms. Erin Lavelle is a beautiful human being and you will love her. Her class is moderate, not too hard but not too easy. My advice is to READ THE BOOKS. You might think it’s not mandatory because Oh! I’ll just read Sparknotes! WRONG. Actually read the works because they’re not that bad, I liked them. Also, you will be required to give a commentary and presentation on them. Reading really helps as well as listening to the class discussions. Also, Lavelle is the CAS Adviser for juniors. Make sure to start CAS and log in your hours/experiences as soon as you do them. Don’t wait until the last minute!! APUSH was not so bad either. I advise you to read the textbook and take notes, this will really help on the DQ’s. The tests aren’t too bad except that for some reason they are often scheduled the same day as the Bio test. Ms. Scully is very great. She really tries to help. For world language, I take German. It’s okay. Then Maths class, I have Precalc. It’s not so bad. Ms. Frisbie is a very good teacher. The class is well-taught. Lastly, TOK. You get Guice 3/4 in your IB career. In TOK, Guice gets a little aggravated when you don’t turn in things for your EE. My advice is to talk to your Supervisor and get things signed and turned in. It gets a little busy but a small discussion about your EE and a little paper signed isn’t a huge task.

Another thing is, DON’T CHEAT. It’s not good but I’d like to stress collusion. You might think you’re just helping a friend out. Sometimes you gotta be selfish. Sometimes you gotta say no. If they’re really your friend, they will understand. Offer other ways of help like teaching them.

Overall, my advice for you next year is to do assignments early. Do not procrastinate. It hurts to stay up all night with 3 tests, a worksheet and a lab the next morning. However, don’t get so hung up on school and have fun sometimes. Take a break, hang out with friends. School makes us dull.

Bye-bye,

Jasmine Rose Moral 😀

 

P.S. if you have any questions, just ask the seniors.

What I have learned from my experiences this year as a junior in IB, is that this year is certainly more loaded than any of the previous years, especially once you hit second semester. The workload becomes incredibly large in this time: EE stuff, CAS, and other homework assignments are in there, as well as the daunting IB/AP tests. You absolutely CAN’T let the large amounts of work get you nervous/anxious, as that will make it that much harder. The way I’ve learned to deal with it is view everything as one project that isn’t that hard to do; you just gotta do it whether you want to or not.

This year also has some of the most amazing teachers ever; I can safely say that any of the teachers that I have had this year are perfect options to go to if you’re feeling down, and I certainly have done so before. If you’re struggling with the work you have to do for the class, then definitely address your concerns with the teachers; I have never been denied help from anyone I’ve asked. Online resources are also a good way to get help, too.

Lastly, Edmodo becomes an essential part of your life in this year. No, seriously, both Pre-Calc and TOK have used the application throughout the whole year to post notes, assignments, and study sites for tests. If you aren’t keeping up with Edmodo in your junior year, then you are only causing suffering to yourself. I have checked Edmodo every day this entire year, and in doing so knowing when stuff was due was obvious. This also applies to Mrs. Scully’s blog; you gotta check that.

That’s basically it; if anyone ever reads this (other than Ms. Frisbie), then I hope this advice is relatively helpful.

Michael Dwyer

 

Dear new Pre-Calculus student,

You have been in IB for about a year or two now so congratulations on making it thus far.

(For sophomores): First of all, sophomore year is the easiest year in IB so enjoy it while it lasts. Develop efficient studying habits in your sophomore year, because it will benefit you when life gets more difficult during junior year. As for your teachers, Mr. Wright is nice, but you need to be able to study on your own to completely understand the material. I highly recommend the Dutch Exchange trip because it is absolutely amazing! I took anatomy and physiology with Ms. Allison sophomore, which was very interesting. The class is very easy and will help you later on if you decide to take biology as your science class junior and senior year. Also, Mr. Guice is great. By the end of senior year, he is usually one of everyone’s favorite teachers and he tends to get picked to speak at medallion. Enjoy the easiest year in IB and make sure you continue to have motivation throughout the year and prepare yourself for junior year!

(For Juniors): Some say that junior year is the hardest year, but it’s really not that bad. Mrs. Lavelle and Mr. Guice make their classes very laid-back so don’t take advantage of them! If you chose biology as your higher level science class, your life just became way harder. That’s all I can say about Kennon… in a few weeks, you will understand. You will really enjoy Ms. Frisbie. She’s very funny and she doesn’t give a lot of homework, but you should remember to study for her tests, but definitely use the GRQs to your advantage. Mrs. Scully’s class is also really great, but you will hear all about that class when she hands out the other letters written by former students. Good luck on all your AP and IB exams this year!

Sincerely,

Darby Green

 

Dear Upcoming Junior,

I’m not going to lie; junior year is a little tougher but not in a sense that the courses are harder but rather the work load has increased greatly. I know that your sophomore year was a little more hectic than mine because multiple sources have told me that it isn’t as easy as I or some of my classmates told them, but I’m sure junior year will be different. I know I made some mistakes by waiting until the last minute to do some assignments or choosing not to study for something when I knew I would not do well if I didn’t, but hopefully you won’t do that!

Well, I was lucky enough to begin my junior year with biology. Honestly, just do your work and study. Yes, you’ll have a lot of work and labs, but you get a whole week to do the labs and well you have friends to help you out on the worksheets. As for the tests, just study your notes and use the review book she gives you because they really do help a lot. Just don’t forget the real reason you’re in that class: the AP Biology exam. It’s a huge reading test and honestly the only way you can prepare for it is by knowing your background knowledge and Mrs. Kennon does do a great job at drilling the information in your head. Now onto English; Mrs. Lavelle is great. She is super understanding if you have things coming up or just want to talk to her, but as for work, just don’t complain and actually write all your journal entries. They really aren’t that hard and she will definitely appreciate a class that will actually do the work she assigns. If you decide to take psychology as your sixth subject, good luck. You will have a different teacher than I did and she may actually teach you what you need to know, but all I did to study for the IB exam was read and memorize all the information in the yellow Oxford review book. I didn’t think the exam was that bad (well, not too bad for just studying in one night), but I mean I haven’t even gotten my scores back yet so I am not much help on this subject.

TOK is confusing. That’s the only way I can really describe it. Please do pay attention in that class; I know Mr. Guice really doesn’t appreciate it when everyone else is doing other work and not paying attention to him and only sarcastically chastises the class as he always does, but just pay attention and do the work assigned (especially the reflections because you can use them on quizzes). Mr. Guice is also really understanding when it comes to turning in work, but just don’t forget about doing it and turning it in on time! Now onto pre-calculus; it isn’t as bad as some of you guys might think. I remember sitting at lunch my sophomore year and watching my fellow classmates that were ahead of me in math struggling to do homework or grasp a concept, but Ms. Frisbie is a really good teacher and will always answer your questions if you need help.

If you study the concepts before the exam and make sure to memorize the formulas you need, you will be absolutely fine. Now, AP Spanish. First quarter your grade is very heavily influenced by the summer assignment so just be sure to double check your answers and do well on it. Other than that, know vocab (I always use flashcards because that is really helpful) and just make sure you can produce the words and their definitions in Spanish. For the actual AP exam, you can’t really study unless you try to bring Spanish into an everyday conversation to practice. You just have to be comfortable with the different tenses and have a wide understanding of the culture and common words used. Señora Calvo doesn’t really go over culture with you guys, so I suggest going over it yourself and having a good understanding on how Spanish speaking countries differ from the US. Lastly, APUSH; Mrs. Scully is the best. We already wrote letters to you guys in that class but basically get a review book before your first exam and make sure to use that review book to study for all of your period exams. I prefer Barron’s when it comes to history because they do a good job at condensing the information and provide a timeline and some practice questions, but again the AP exam is just a reading based exam and you should have a good background knowledge. I wouldn’t say that you need to know specific dates, but you should be able to break things down by decade. For the class itself, our only real homework that is a burden is the notes, but just make sure you use your time wisely and don’t wait until the last minute to do them.

Basically, this year was all just studying and making sure you have general knowledge of the various courses. The AP exams weren’t all that bad, so don’t stress about them. I would just say don’t procrastinate and do your homework the day it is assigned, but everyone says that. Hopefully this year won’t be as bad as you think it’ll be and I hope this helped somewhat. Have a great junior year and just know you can always ask any of the seniors if you need any help!

A Junior Year Survivor,

Joanne Joseph

 

Dear upcoming sophomores and juniors,

My advice is do not quit. There will be tons of reasons to quit, just don’t do it. More than a couple of times this year I’ve thought of quitting, the world needs ditch diggers too. However, my second thought was that is not what I want to do. I’m not going to insult you by telling you that at the end of your next year you are going to be eternally grateful for your schooling but, I will tell you that you will be grateful for all the work you put in to your courses in fifteen or twenty years when you are enjoying your dream job. So even though it may not seem like it right now, you should put your best foot forward and do your best work for the remainder of your high school career. The work you put in now will ensure success in your future, so all the work you do actually does matter, remember that.

As for the topic of classes, many of you have asked me what Tok is. Well it’s not a dumb class if that is what you are thinking. Don’t blow that class off, pay attention to Mr. Guice, and equally as important turn in your assignments on time. I cannot tell you how many times Mr. Guice has told us to turn in our assignments on time. Trust me you don’t want to be like our class; turn in your assignments on time and rewards will follow. Teachers are people too; they have feelings and should be respected. If you turn in all your assignments on time you will be more likely to go outside and have fun, it will always pay off to do your work on time.

Another thing you will be tempted to do is plagiarize. You will want to plagiarize in English, in AP US History and other classes you might be taking. It might be easier to plagiarize but it will hurt you in the long run. You may be inclined to plagiarize because it is easier and faster than doing your own work but, I know a few people who plagiarized and got caught. After they got caught they threw a hissy fit about how they were innocent and would never do it again. Sometimes you won’t get caught and sometimes you won’t get punished but, why would you want to put your life in jeopardy for something that you clearly have the ability to do since you are in this school. The academic repercussions may be severe, but the emotional damage to yourself may be irreversible, and not to mention damage to your reputation. So even though it may be easier and faster don’t plagiarize.

Cheers, Molly Conway

 

Dear Upcoming Junior,

You’ve made it! You are now officially a student in the IB program here at Bartow. With this great opportunity (and honor) comes a great deal of responsibility. As you transition from pre-IB to IB, you will realize that the work is more abundant, and the courses and teachers are tougher. If you’ve ever heard one of the juniors in the hallway or at lunch, talking about the late nights and frustrations, you would probably think it is going to be impossible to get through it. Don’t worry, this is what I thought as well, but it’s not completely true, believe it or not. Throughout the year, I would moan and groan about the biology worksheet I would be staying up working on that night, or be worried about the Spanish or Pre-calculus test I would be having to take the next day. As the year comes to an end and I look back at the year that I’ve had, I realize that it all wasn’t too bad after all. I realized that I’ve had a much greater number of ups than downs. Hopefully, my advice can help you have as great of a year as I’ve had as a junior.

Making the switch from a relaxed sophomore year to a much more intense junior year could take a while to get used to. Many students tend to be stuck in that mini vacation phase where they have not fully grasped that fact that junior year requires your hard work to succeed. My advice to you is, do not lose motivation. Procrastination could lead to a very long night with no sleep since the work could be tedious. It would be a good idea to set up a schedule, and stick with it. This way, you will have your work done and maybe even get started on some extra so you can relax a little during the weekends!

Junior year is the year you began to think about what you want to do after you graduate. The big question is “Where do I want to go from here?” It is great and all to have a list of colleges you’d like to go to, but make sure you look into the different requirements in order to be eligible for them. Although your grades are very important, do not push off things like SAT. ACT, volunteering, and extracurricular activities. It is easier than you would think to keep pushing off preparing for important tests like the SAT and ACT when you have a test that you have to worry about now. Extracurricular activities are very important to have on your resume, but it can also help you to enjoy school more, and make new friends.

Lastly have a great group of friends. This might seem like such a simple thing, but it is important that you surround yourself with people that push you to always try your best, and maybe even lend you a hand when you need help. I know that I would not have had such a great junior year if it wasn’t for the friends that I have and the ones that I have made. I hope my advice has helped you to some extent!

Good luck,

Hanna Mathew

 

Incoming Juniors,

Junior year is said to be the most difficult year out of the four years of high school. I think people say this because you are transitioning out of sophomore year, a year defined by the lack of work given. The following year is a huge change filled with hours of work from each class. The work itself is not particularly difficult. It is the time spent on the work and the study that makes junior year stressful. At times it seems as if there is not enough time to do every worksheet and study for every test. Along with all of the school work, junior year is when most people start taking their standardized tests (ACT, SAT). Not everyone needs to study for these tests, but some (like me) have to study a lot. This just adds on to the pile of work already given during this year.

So I’ve told you what makes junior year difficult. Now I’ll tell you what is expected from each class. I hope you guys actually read these “letters”. A couple of weeks ago I went on Ms. Frisbie’s website and read some of the letters previous students had written and I really wish I had read them prior to starting junior year. This is your first actually year in IB, you’re no longer in Pre-IB. So the majority of your classes are AP classes. You can chose your sciences between Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. There’s a new chemistry teacher who I heard is good and you guys have all had Kennon before so you know what she’s like. I personally took Biology, mainly because I want to go into the medical field. I don’t exactly regret taking biology because I felt prepared during the AP test. Not all the physics kids can say this. When it comes down to it take the subject that you think you will enjoy the most because you’re going to be doing this for the next two years. You have a 6th subject and a half elective. I took STATs which I was awful in. With STATS you’re either good at it or you’re not, but either way Naki is an incredible teacher. With your 6th subject, again, take a class that you enjoy.

GPA matters, a lot. I know that your GPA can determine which college you go to and I don’t think this should be undermined. However, these are your high school years. That being said, you should enjoy them. Make friends, join clubs, do sports. Enrich yourself with the things that your school has to offer. There are a lot of clubs and sports that go unrecognized or that you’re too scared to try out. It doesn’t matter what other people think. Do it for yourself. To make yourself grow as an individual. I feel like this just went in a totally different direction. Lastly I’ll say something everyone says, don’t procrastinate! The only thing about this is that it is inevitable. You will have days where instead of wanting to do work you want to lay around and watch Netflix. Keep your future goals in mind because everything you do right now will dictate what you do in the future.

Good Luck you guys. I know you’ll do well with whatever you do. Don’t forget to spend time with your family because after high school you won’t be seeing them as often as you do now. I personally think family bonds are the strongest and remain the longest.

Rebecca Johnson

 

Junior year can be kind of intimidating but all you really have to do it study.  A lot.  For your math classes, make sure that you study the equations.  They tend to be helpful later on in the year.  Also, if you have ANY questions, make sure you ask them. I was really bad about not doing that and I suffered tremendously.  That was one thing I wish I did.  For your other classes, you should do the same.  Don’t let the fear that your question will be “stupid” or “obvious” hinder you from asking it.

You need to make sure that you stay on top of things.  If you have Kennon junior year, it’ll be tough the first semester to balance everything because of the labs and such.  It’s definitely doable.  It just takes some time to get used to because you will have to make time for everything and limit how much time you waste.

A lot of people say that IB kids have no social life but it’s not true.  You, again, just have to balance everything.  IB is just a balancing act if you think about it so just get really good at that.  You can go out and fun but make sure that you organize your time wisely.  You can’t go out and blow the whole weekend.  But you can go out for a day with your friends and still be okay. You just have to keep in mind how much homework you have.

Kayla Jackson

 

The junior year of IB can be daunting to say the least. Although through the experiences I have gained this year I am more equipped to deal with these challenges and I would like to share this advice with you. Overall there is a lot of work to be completed so time management is a serious consideration. Also due to the advanced difficulty of the work compared to last year, you must focus on your studies and give them good thought. The year was not unbearable but it is important to know how to approach in order to achieve the maximum amount of success for the least amount of work.

As far as focusing on studies, textbooks are a key tool. If you have not read them in the past I would advise that you start reading from them to prepare for tests. Not necessarily every day but try to get in a few hours over the weekend. Also the work sometimes is hard and you must ask the teachers for help. Don’t be afraid to as it can only help and most teachers are more than willing to talk to you about problems you cannot solve on your own. Also many classes do not have homework every night so you may tend to slack in them, try not to as they require even more thought than other classes and may prove to be your demise.

Time management must also be accounted for. Try not to wait for the night before an assignment is due if you are given a lot of time to do it. It is almost inevitable to do normal homework the day before it is due but projects must be done earlier to prevent sleepless nights. Now as for the everyday routine, try to get work done in chunks throughout the evening mixed in with dinner, sports, tv, etc., in order to not feel stressed out about a huge pile of homework late at night. This means you must relax at some point in the evening by playing a sport, watching TV or drawing, this is key as it clears your mind and allows you to have renewed vigor when you next approach your work.

Sebastian Almeida

 

My advice for the incoming Juniors is something which you have heard over and over again, and that is to study. I know after doing your homework it’s late, and you just want to go to sleep. But this year studying is important and like your homework, it is something you have to do. The class which studying is the most important in is biology. I took biology because I wanted to have a shot at getting the AP credit; however, if you don’t care about getting the AP credit take physics. From what I’ve heard from seniors if you put forth an effort you can pass the AP test in physics but if you want a better shot to take biology.

In English during your junior year, you will have to complete an IOP and IOC. The IOP is an individual oral presentation in which you relate and analyze an assigned book this is easy if you read the book and don’t wait the night before to create the presentation. The other thing you have to do is an IOC, which is an individual oral commentary. The commentary is over first a poem and then one of the assigned readings. The poem part is not difficult since she goes over all of them in class while the part about the books is more difficult because it requires you to make your opinions about the text and back them up with examples.

The most important thing to remember is this is high school. Don’t take it too seriously, no matter what happens it isn’t the end of the world. Make sure you get your work done and try to have some fun. Relax you only have two more years left and try not to get burned out.

Alex Moerschbacher

 

Junior year was basically hell. It blind sided me and honestly I thought I would be more prepared. If I could redo this year I would try to have a better first impression with Ms. Frisbie. Cheating on one of the easiest assignments of the year is not how you do that. You don’t know it yet, but her opinion of you means much more than any other teacher. It’s good to have all your teachers like you but if Frisbie likes you, it means a little more. Always put in 100% into all your maths work and study as much as possible. Especially for trig quizzes!!!!

If you’re taking bio hear me out, it’s gonna suck and Kennon is not going to care. If you study a little every day and make her laugh once or twice a class, she will like you and you will do well. I don’t care if you have never gotten caught cheating before, don’t do it in Bio. She will catch you and she will make sure you get full punishment. Be smart kid!

Junior year has been the hardest year yet, but it’s probably the most fun. Most of your friends can drive and you probably have a little more freedom to do stuff now, Lavelle is one of the best teachers you’ll ever have, and ToK is a lot of fun. This being said, don’t let this distract you from your school work. It will sneak up on you and you will stress and cry and it just won’t be a fun day. Keep a planner of all your due dates and follow it religiously. You’re in IB to get a better education so act like you care. Don’t let distractions mess up your grades and do everything you can to score well on tests (except cheat!). Good luck, you’ll need it.

David Rose

 

The most important thing I have learned after going through three years of IB is to not procrastinate on any work that is assigned. Normally you would assume that doing the work right before it is due would be no problem but then teachers in other classes will assign work. If you don’t get the workload under control you will eventually find yourself overwhelmed and hate yourself because procrastinating got you into this situation.

Making new friends and as many friends as you can is very important. Friends can be very helpful because you can get together and form study groups to get prepared for tests. If you are struggling with your homework you can ask someone to help explain how to do the problem you are stuck on. When you need a break from work or just want to have some fun on the weekends you can get together with your friends and relax.

If you are taking AP Bio prepare for your life to be consumed by biology. For the most part the class isn’t that bad and Mrs. Kennon is a great teacher but there are those moments were you question whether or not she really wants you to get any sleep at all. The first and fourth nine weeks are the periods of time I can remember there being a huge amount of work to do. The first nine weeks is doing one lab after another with a lab write up due the following week but they slowly add up as you are sometimes doing multiple labs in one week. The fourth nine weeks has you doing worksheets and studying for multiple quizzes that you wouldn’t normally consider a quiz. Even though there are moments where Mrs. Kennon strikes fear into your heart she really does love her students and wants you to do your best.

Jose Salinas

 

Dear incoming junior (or sophomore),

Congratulations for making it this far! Your upcoming school year is going to be filled with lots of work, but you can definitely do it. If you decide to continue reading this letter, you’ll find some basic advice (with anecdotes!) about how to make it out of this hectic year alive.

To quickly summarize, I took the Biology track. It’s my favorite science provided at this school. I also knew I wouldn’t understand AP Physics whatsoever. My sixth subject was IB Psychology, and I have been studying Spanish since the sixth grade. I really have enjoyed being a part of the IB program for these three years, and even though junior year was pretty tough, I definitely wouldn’t give it up.

Every junior (including me) will tell you the same thing: “Time management is the most important thing.” And obviously, if everyone’s saying it, it’s probably true. It’s so crucial in junior year to keep a tight schedule, and to stay on top of your grades and assignments. Keep an organized system that works for you. There were many times when I felt completely swamped with homework. There were days when I just sat down and cried. But I turned to my list of things to do, and tackled each item head-on.

This leads me into my second point. Make sure you’re surrounding yourself with like-minded people. It’s important to have a diverse group of friends, but make sure that when it comes time to buckle-down and study, you have people who will help to keep you on track. I joke around by saying that my best friend is practically the same person as me, as she keeps me focused on schoolwork and we share many of the same viewpoints. If I just need to vent about a class or an assignment, I call her right away and we talk through whatever I’m necessarily complaining about.

Junior year might seem like this overpowering school year that never seems to end, but honestly, it flew by for me. Definitely make the most of this year. Take time for yourself to be 16 and 17. We are not test-taking machines, we need some time to unwind. You’ll be taking your second semester exam for pre-calc soon and writing this essay, and before you know it, you’ll be in your senior year: The Year of “Lasts”. So for junior year, I would stick to these main guidelines: Stay on track, have good friends, and just be a kid.

Sincerely,

Kailyn Sampson

 

Dear incoming junior,

Congratulations on completing your first two years in IB! You’re halfway done, so don’t give up now! Junior year will be harder than Freshman and Sophomore years, especially if you chose to take Biology. I chose to take Physics in order to have a more easy-going class amid the AP classes and classes that require a ton of work. Even if you have decided that you really want to take Biology, you can still make it through the year. I have a few friends who chose Biology, and they still have time to themselves, and aren’t always doing work for school.

The best piece of advice that I can give you is to not stress out too much. A little bit of stress is good sometimes, but too much can lead to you not getting enough sleep, your grades being lowered, and as I have seen a couple times, the possibility of you dropping out of IB. You need to find time that you can relax, be it by sleeping, playing a sport, or playing video games. That’s how I have survived IB so far, I make sure to stay relaxed and don’t let the stress get to me.

Finally, be sure to keep up with assignments in all classes. I have had to stay up late on a few occasions in order to complete some assignments or projects, as I’m sure everyone has, and have had to turn in some assignments late as well. Make sure that you prioritize assignments given to you by stricter teachers, or if the due date is the final day the assignment can be turned in. Certain teachers are more lenient, and will allow you to turn in assignments a day or two late without taking off a lot of points, if any. Know your teachers’ policies on assignments and you will have a much easier time deciding which assignments to do first, but sometimes, it’s much better to get the harder ones done with first and save the easier ones for last.

Hopefully this will help you with your Junior year of IB and good luck with all your classes!

Sincerely,

Jake Walker

 

This year in IB I learned the importance of diligently studying. This was the first year I had more than one AP test, so I had to study really hard to get all the information I needed to get a passing grade. I also suffered through some difficult times this year, like the computer teacher leaving about ten days into the year, and subsequently not having a teacher for several weeks. Basically what I’m trying to say is perseverance is perhaps the most important skill you can have as an IB student.

My least favorite class this year was APUSH. But, through hard work, I believe I was able to pass the AP test. You just have to do the homework and study, and I am almost certain there is a more viable APUSH studying material out there, via the power of the internet, than the tedious, boring readings Ms. Scully has her students do.

Not having a computer teacher for a large part of the year was a huge setback. This means that for several weeks, maybe even a couple months, we were doing nothing in class but having subs and playing computer games. Now, this sounds like a good thing, but when it comes time for the AP test, and you only know about ¾ of the information that’s required to pass it, you realize how big a deal that is. I am almost certain I failed that test, which is unfortunate, since it was the class I cared the most about. It’s ok, though. I still passed the IB test, and that was the important one. I had to pass that one in order to graduate

Anyway, as long as you persevere, and never give up, as I know many people have, I think you should do fine in IB in the coming year.

Andrew Crosswait

 

Dear Incoming Sophomore or Junior,

Today is the penultimate day of my junior year and all I can think about is how I will be graduating in about a year!! I know that this seems irrelevant, but in reality, it’s not. Yes, I’m excited because I’ll be done with high school in less than a year; however, it’s kind of crazy thinking about how fast this year has gone by and how fast time is going in general. You may not realize it now, because you’re either just finishing your seemingly eternal freshman year or your laidback-ish sophomore year that kinda dragged, but really, time flies ssssooo fast. Anyway, I’ll address that more in my following paragraphs, which are obviously divided into one for sophomores and one for juniors, as I personally think it’s a bit difficult to advise both groups at once. Also, I know the paragraphs seem long, but I think they’re worth a read.

As a sophomore, I took AP Psychology and AP Human Geography as my electives, and of course, Algebra II was my math class, oh and French is my language class. My teachers for my electives no longer teach those classes, as one of them is no longer a teacher and the other teaches other classes now, so I won’t talk about my class experience with them specifically.

• In my opinion, AP Psych is the easiest AP class available, mostly because a lot of it is just memorization and you’ve learned some things in previous classes, namely biology. I personally found the material interesting, so it was easy for me to study, especially for the actual exam (which I did get a 5 on). If you’re taking this class, I recommend the Barron’s review book; it’s very helpful!
• AP Human is another easy one, especially since the information is watered down for an AP class and the material is so similar to APES. In terms of the AP exam, I literally only studied the day before and received a 4 (I guarantee you that if I’d studied for three days beforehand, I would have received a 5; oh well, the past is over with).
• AP World has so much information to cover, so yeah, the exam is really tough (my only 3 on an AP exam so far). I can’t really give advice for the class because I’m sure it’s different now, but I guess I’ll say to just buy a Princeton review book and STUDY.
• English isn’t that bad, can’t really advise you on that either.
• French was easy, for me it was basically a joke.

I know that my experience as a sophomore will be different from yours, what with the difference in class size and teachers; however, I still believe that sophomore year will always be the easiest regardless of those factors. By sophomore year, you’ve grown accustomed to the reality of actually having to work hard to maintain your idea of good grades, unlike freshman year, during which you had to learn that you have to earn all A’s in high school, you don’t just get them. Additionally, in sophomore year, you don’t have to deal with the stress of taking basically only AP/IB classes, CAS, college essays, and EE’s, all of which is encountered in junior and senior year. If you’re a motivated little sophomore, go ahead and take PSC dual-enrollment classes if you really want to. But in general, enjoy your sophomore year because it’s the easiest year you’ll have and it’s a great year to make a plethora of memories with your friends! (Trust me, I’ve been there, done that)

For all you juniors, if you’re taking AP Biology as your science, hahahahaha have fun. I’m kidding (sort of), but really, this was the hardest AP class I’ve ever taken. It’s not that the material is necessarily challenging, because you {hopefully} learned a lot of it in freshman year. I say hopefully because as IB students, we often just memorize things for the test and then forget about it until we need to know it again (you know what I mean). If you have Ms. Kennon, be prepared-scratch that-be aware that her teaching will probably not work for you and her assignments will most certainly not work for you. There’s honestly like a 2% chance you’ll enjoy her teaching/assignments; I say this because there are so many brilliant students in my grade and even they had lots of trouble with the class, mostly because of Debbie K. So yeah, if you’re taking AP Bio, good luck, study HARD, and find a way to learn the material that works best for you.

* Science: If you’re not taking AP Bio, I hope it’s because you’re either A) taking physics because you want to do something involving physics, not bio; B) taking chem for the same reason; or C) the career you want to go into will not involve much science at all, i.e. becoming a lawyer, public relations worker, financial analyst, etc. Basically, don’t take a class that won’t benefit you in the long run, even it means having to work very hard to maintain good grades in a class that will, because seriously, sorry not sorry, life is tough and you have to work to be successful (unless you’re a Kardashian but lol you’re not). Anyway, science isn’t the only class you’ll have to take in junior year, so let’s continue.

• Elective: I took AP Stats as my half elective and it was tough, but doable because ~Naki~. I recommend taking it if you want to go into medicine, law, business, and everything, really.
• TOK: I have no advice for TOK because that’s impossible (or is it?? Yo no se; je ne sais pas; ich weiß es nicht.)
•  Sixth Subject: My sixth subject was IB Psych but eh, I don’t know what to tell you. Take a sixth subject you’ll be interested in, that’s all I can really say.
• English: If you don’t love Ms. Lavelle, you have issues; don’t plagiarize in her class and be forever grateful that she’s your teacher.
• APUSH: Mrs. Scully is awesome, her class is great, and you’ll learn so much; buy a Barron’s review book to study with.
• Pre-Calc: Lastly, precalc, finally…I was so worried for this class but I shouldn’t have been. Ms. Frisbie is the most efficient teacher I’ve ever had and the class as a whole was not difficult for me; I maintained a mid-high A all year. It took me a while to get used to her teaching, but it eventually did grow on me and I was able to get mostly A’s and B’s on her tests.

In general, just work hard in junior year and you will be fine; it’s not as hard as people make it out to be, as long as you do your best and remember to relax, you’ll be fine.

If you actually made it through your designated paragraph, *air hug*, you’re awesome. IB is tough, but you can do it! Make friends, because they’re amazing if you choose the right ones. Give thanks to your family, because you’re more difficult to deal with than you think and you’re lucky the care about you; so many parents out there don’t. And lastly, enjoy life and remember that, years from now, neither your sophomore year GPA nor your AP World History exam score will matter. What will matter, however, are the memories made and the person you’ll have become; and those things, well, you have complete control over.

Good luck and enjoy life!

Aileen Cruz-Lezama J

 

First things first always read your textbook for APUSH!  Other people may not because they have already answered their daily questions but read the book anyways. That was the biggest help to me this year with all my test in the class especially with the AP test.  You should definitely read your books for all of your classes but it especially important for APUSH.

Another important thing to keep in mind is do not get in a relationship.  Most girls in ib are crazy.  I dated that wasn’t even in ib and she was crazy so don’t make problems for yourself.  You’re not going to marry them no matter how much you think you are.  If you’re a girl don’t be crazy but don’t date anyways.  It will just distract you and make your life more stressful.  So wait until you get into college.

Lastly don’t wait until the last minute to turn all your work or study for the AP tests.  Just ask Sneh you don’t be studying at Florida Southern 5 minutes before your test or have to turn in all of your physics worksheets after the quarter is already over. You will probably procrastinate anyways but you can’t say that I didn’t warn you. So basically focus on school more as you enter the new year and do what you’re asked to and it will all be alright.

Jeremy Jones

 

Junior year is coming and it’s coming quickly. I thought that all of the talk about how hard junior year was exactly that; just talk. I was completely wrong. Depending on what extracurricular activities you are involved in, junior year could be one busy year. Time management is essential to success in the eleventh grade. As long as you remain dedicated and keep your eyes on the prize – your IB Diploma – you will make it through the dreaded junior year.

For your core classes, there are some things you should know that will help you to find success and keep you from annoying your teachers. For Ms. Frisbie’s class, it is absolutely necessary that you pay attention and be respectful. She is very sarcastic but she is one of the smartest people you’ll ever encounter and deserves your respect. She puts in countless hours to make sure that her students have success and you need to show her that you appreciate it. For Mrs. Lavelle’s class, do your own work. Do not look up sparknotes, she will know you used them immediately. She is an awesome teacher and a wonderful woman with a strong moral compass and you’ll love her. You should show her how much you love her by reading the books she assigns and doing your own analyses. It’s really not that hard and it’ll make you appreciate literature and writing much more. For Kennon, you are on your own. I honestly have no idea how to find success in that class. You just have to grind it out and you’ll most likely make it through, hopefully. For Mrs. Calvo’s class, you need to know the basics of Spanish and you need to start speaking Spanish more frequently. You will need to become more fluent for Spanish class to be easy. It is also very important that you score well on every assignment, they are not worth very many points so you have to score well to get an A in her class. Theory of Knowledge with Mr. Guice is an awesome class. It’s hard to describe a way to find success in his class. The class is very interactive and you get out of it what you put in. Just make sure you stay on top of your due dates, especially for the extended essay. Lastly there is Apush with Mrs. Scully. Mrs. Scully is another really cool teacher that you will love but you need to know that she will make you work and will need to behave. You need to read the textbook. If you do not read the textbook you will be behind and the class will be very difficult. Good notes will help you on everything in the class. You may use them on all quizzes and for discussion questions. As long as you read the book and take notes Apush will be a breeze.

If you keep all of these things in mind, you will find success throughout your junior year. You will have a lot of late nights, especially if you take the biology route; however, there is nothing you cannot overcome. Having good study habits and a great support group, whether it be friends or family, is definitely beneficial. Junior year is tough but it is nothing you cannot handle.

Kobe Jones

 

Dear Future Junior,

My junior year has been very interesting and I made it a lot harder on myself than it should’ve been because of procrastination. My biggest piece of advice is to do your assignments and turn them in on time. I should’ve paid more attention to due dates throughout the year. Procrastination will really hurt you in classes like APUSH, Precalc, AP Bio, and ToK.

Based on what I heard before junior year, I thought it would be extremely stressful and hard. I was surprised to find out that it wasn’t as bad as I imagined. I was able to keep up with band and do more extracurricular activities than I had done in previous years. This was partly because it was my junior year and I finally wanted to get myself together and organized to prepare for college. Another piece of advice I have for you is to not be too scared of what is to come because it won’t be as bad as you think.

The best part of junior year was completing it. I am proud to say that I’ve made it this far in IB, something that I never thought I could do. So, don’t doubt yourself because I guarantee that you can do anything that you apply yourself to.

Sincerely,

Audrey Milam

 

Dear incoming IB juniors,

This year will be your first official year in IB. It’s the real deal, so be ready for a lot of change. Sophomore to junior year is a big jump in terms of workload and definitely in terms of stress. But you shouldn’t let it psych you out because once you’ve adapted to it, the rest of the year isn’t so hard. I remember falling behind during the first few months partly because of football taking up so much time and I really just wanted to drop out at that point. Some of your friends may have even dropped out right after sophomore year because they didn’t want to deal with this kind of stress or wanted to take the “easier” route and go to collegiate. Well they’re just a bunch of noobs who weren’t ready to take on IB like you are.

Like I said, once you get past the stress at the beginning of the year, you’ll be cruising the rest of the year as long as you stay caught up with your work. However, don’t get too lazy and under-stress because that can be just as bad. Personally, I remember slacking off too much and trying to get away with doing as little as possible the first semester which was a terrible idea when it came to taking tests. So the second semester, I actually did all of my work on time and even tried doing a little extra which helped me a lot the rest of the year.

One last thing I want to address is the importance of learning what you are taught in your classes. A lot of students are so worried about getting the best grades and highest GPA that it ends up being their ultimate goal in IB. The only benefit they see from their assignments is getting a good grade and passing all their tests with A’s. It’s not a bad thing, of course, but it shouldn’t be the only goal. What I challenge you to do this year is to actually learn and gain knowledge from what your teachers are trying to teach you, because years from now when you’re in college, all those good grades (or bad ones) you got in high school won’t matter, but what will matter is the knowledge you retained during those years. Will you remember how to speak Spanish or German fluently, or how to solve a vector problem? Or how about how to analyze a text that you’re reading in an English class? These skills will come in handy later in life, so remember that you’re in IB to receive a top-notch education, and not just to have a better GPA than all the regular Bartow kids.

Cris Ramirez

Since trig ratio quizzes make up a decent portion of the grade it’s super important to learn the trig ratios, particularly because of how easy it is to remember them. However, some people seem to choose not to. One day one person asked, “Why do I not know this?” after turning theirs in, and I believe that there may be an answer to this question. Memorize the trig ratios and grab up all those little 100s. Do it.

Also, while there is time to quickly do a ‘meh’ job on assignments while they’re being reviewed at the beginning of class, it’s easier and more pleasant to do it the night before. It also increases the chances of getting a good grade and of having papers that look nice as well (covering both the classical and romantic aesthetic realms).

Purplemath is not great, and it’s a really bad substitute for the class lectures. It sucked when I had a vague memory of what we talked about the day before but hadn’t processed because I had been drawing pictures.

Seth Katenkamp

 

Class of 2018 & 2019,

Congratulations! You’ve made it this far!

To the incoming sophomores: You guys aren’t officially in the diploma program yet but you’ll be getting a taste of what it’s like in Frisbie’s Pre-Calculus class. It’s time to start pushing yourself and perfect your studying and time management skills because it doesn’t get any easier. Also, don’t take advantage of how laid back your teachers are this year. Don’t slack off. You’re going to want to keep your grades up now while you can so that your GPA doesn’t suffer later on when it’s more difficult to keep them up.

To the incoming juniors: Welcome to the diploma program. Your pre-ib classes are behind you and things are going to start moving at a faster pace. Make sure to keep up and remember time management. You hear it all the time but really… time management is key in this program if you haven’t noticed yet. Junior year is a busy year but you’ll survive.

Whether you’re a sophomore or a junior, classes will be getting harder and the program wont get any easier from here. But you made it this far and if you have the motivation you can make it all the way.

Good luck!

Summer Johnson

 

Dear Future Pre-Calculus Student,

First of all, congratulations on surviving freshman year! Sophomore year is the year you should strive to do the best you possibly can and do as many things as possible. This year should be the easiest year, you know what is expected unlike freshman year, and you don’t have the work that you will get in junior or senior year. I have had an easier time doing my homework and sleeping more. I want to give you some advice on how to prepare and do well in sophomore year.

Here is some basic advice to follow:

• STUDY- Some of you might lose the feeling of having to study all night, which is good but, don’t forget to study at least a little. So you have a 95 in a class and decide “hey I can afford not studying as long as I get at least a C”, if you have time STUDY. You don’t want to have an 89 at the end of the quarter and regret not studying for that one test.
• Friends and Social Life- Save time to go out with friends and socialize. Go to parties, plan beach days, go out to lunch, and just enjoy this time with your friends. Try to keep a healthy balance between being social and doing school work.
• Basic Class Rules to Follow- Here are just a few things I recommend doing for each class and what the classes are about

▪Pre-Calculus- DO YOUR HOMEWORK, don’t put it off (it will hurt your grade) and make sure to pay attention during class. Take advantage of the GRQ but don’t rely on it to save your grade, study to get the grade you want .

▪French- if you are taking French, make sure to know the verb conjugations

▪AP Human Geography- Because you had APES this class will be easier for you, but make sure to know the material and try not to cram .

▪English- Read the books (he will quiz you), know the literary vocab (he can quiz you randomly be prepared), and if you are going to write an essay Guice is looking for good work rather than just turning it in on time.

▪ Chemistry- Learn the material and ask questions, I struggled with this class and hope you do better than I did.

▪AP World-STUDY AND PAY ATTENTION! Wright explains during class and does his PowerPoints but remember that this is your exam grade at the end of the year and if you don’t know the material it’s on you. Do the notes even though they take time, they help you study for your test.

▪AP Psychology- Studying vocab will help you a lot for tests and the exam.

Overall, this year should be easy and fun. You might struggle some days but it will be okay. Sophomore year is the year you are turning 16, get to start driving, and have fun in school (ex: culture day with Wright). Don’t lose yourself trying to be perfect in school, mistakes happen and you will learn. I wish you the best and hope you reach all the goals you set for yourself.

Good luck,

Ixchél Collazo

 

Dear Future IB student,

Welcome to IB! Are ready to learn and soak up knowledge? You probably have been going through school and it’s been really easy so you haven’t had to really study or try that hard to get good grades. It is now the time to throw those old habits away. You should try to learn to love to learn (if you don’t already) because if you don’t school will be a lot harder for you. Also, learn information when you are taught it. Study a little daily and it’s not too bad. This will help you in the long run because a lot of classes that you take have intertwining material.

Stay balanced! The best things to do are the things you like. Join some clubs. Do a sport. Get involved. Go out with friends. Spend time with your family. Do things that you like. Not only will you make more friends, you will also have a time of relaxation and fun from all of your work!

As you may have heard by now you should not procrastinate. Sure, movies are great and surfing the Internet is fun but before you have your free time you should finish your homework. I have not done this and wish that I were more diligent and dedicated. If you do end up procrastinating and find yourself starting your homework at 11:00 PM, do not just give up and go to bed. Your sleep in that moment is not as important as the grade you get on the test you have the next day that you didn’t study for or the grade you get on the essay you never finished. In a couple of days, you won’t even remember your loss of sleep, but you will remember that good grade!

Sincerely,

Madison Feddeler

 

Hello, incoming sophomore!

Many people say that sophomore year is the easiest of all four years of high school. Beware! Do not fall for this! Even though people may say that this year is the easiest, it really is not. You get the same if not more work as freshman year; the only difference is that the classes this year are more self-study. Moreover, the teachers are seemingly a little more lax. However, this year is the perfect year to take advantage of extra classes or academic projects that you are genuinely interested. I suggest that engage yourself in volunteering and extracurricular activities that you are passionate about. Take advantage of this time to start practicing for the PSAT as well.

The courses this year will be tough at times. As usual, do not overly procrastinate! Every one of us is guilty of procrastinating at one point or another. However, the key to success and the key to not staying up until 12 a.m. every night is to schedule assignments based on A and B days. Do the majority of homework you get on A days on A days, and the same for B days. In other words, do homework the day you get it! This way, you won’t be caught in a rut of never-ending homework.

The biggest thing that I regretted this year was not participating in science fair. I’ve done science fair for four years, going to state science fair and placing twice. However this year, I thought I would just be too busy to do anything like that. I underestimated myself. As soon as I realized I had enough time to create and take part in a project, it was too late. Do not be me! Don’t overload yourself, but never underestimate yourself either. Find a balance between things you like and things you are good at. Finding this balance will lead you to success.

Sincerely,

Greeshma Venigalla

 

Dear incoming freshman,

Congratulations on making into the IB program! Here begins your adventure into the world of IB. There are rumors of the hours of homework and the lack of a social life, but honestly that is mostly not true. The two best pieces of advice I could give is to study hard and learn how to balance your IB life. These tips are the majority of what you will need to know to excel in the IB program.

Studying is an essential part of success in the IB program. I know that a large portion of you could get through middle school with straight A’s without ever having to study(myself included), But you must learn how to study. If you do not take the time to study, you will not be able to absorb and retain all of the information being crammed into your heads. The pace is considerably faster than any middle school setting, which induces the presentation of more information in a shorter time span. If you have not already established a stable studying method, you will need to find a studying method that works for you. It may take you a few tries to find an effective studying method, but your time in IB will be much easier once you find this method.

In addition to studying, Balance is probably the most important part of IB. Since you have made it thus far and have been accepted into the program, you have plenty of brains to get through. No matter how smart you are, you MUST learn to manage your time and balance all of your work. You need to prioritize classes that you struggle in and make sure you study for the most important test. You will never be perfect in every class. No matter how good you are. You may need to let a class take a little bit of slack to bring back a bad grade. That is ok, but you need to watch your grades very carefully to insure you keep all A’s. Also, even though this may sound a bit shady, it is ok to turn in an assignment late in extreme situations. Every teacher supplies late passes, and they will not be disappointed if you use them. There have been very stressful times this year, and I knew exactly what I was going to turn in late when I couldn’t bring myself to do it. You must know how to balance your life and school effectively to succeed in this program.

This may sound very scary, but don’t worry. You are more than prepared to come into this program and succeed. As long as you learn to study and learn to balance everything, you will do just fine. From my experience, I have learned that you just need to get into a rhythm. Once you have established your flow, the first two years are easy. Good luck incoming freshman!

Nicholas Warmington

 

School sucks. We all know that. Maybe you’re that one kid who’s trying to keep it optimistic. Good for you. If anyone tries to bring you down just keep chanting “I LOVE SCHOOL!” in their face. You might not actually believe it, but at least you’re trying and we all need someone to remind us that this will all be worth it in the end.

High school is hard. I had a brother who went through IB before me and I only saw him when he was taking naps or being grumpy about how hard his life was, so I never understood what all the fuss was about. His nasty mood was a dampener on my whole family, but now as I go through the same things as he does, I can totally relate. You will lash out to other people at times when you don’t mean and you wish you could take it back. No matter how large your pride is, saying sorry is the best you can do. Even if the other person is at fault, think about what you did and if there was anything wrong, even a hair, just say sorry. You may hate that person forever, but you’re only stuck with like 70 or less of them for three more years and you’re going to need them. I’m sure you have experienced this already, but these people around you do become family. Sure, there might be your average high school cliques, but these are nice people and you all know what you’re going through. Stay close.

You will probably read this in 99% of these essays, but DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. Seriously. We are all hypocrites to this rule, but when you actually follow it, life is sooooo much easier. You also become more proud of yourself, because it helps you feel like your life is in order.

Personally, I had a hard time in sophomore year. Allllll of the upperclassmen before me told me not to stress this year, but it was pretty rough. In the end though, I learned a lot and had made more fun memories than I had realized.

Take all of your classes seriously and respect your teachers, no matter how much you dislike them. They are teaching you. They are benefiting you. If you can’t be nice, they won’t be nice and you probably deserve it. Also, if you feel like a teacher hates you, don’t worry about it. Just work even harder, so if they do, now they can’t. Who’s going to hate a kid that does everything they ask them to? (You might be naming a bunch of teachers, but seriously just work hard. It only helps you.)

After this year, you’re halfway through. School, especially IB is so bittersweet. You’re tired now, but realize life will be so much easier in college in just a few years. Don’t waste your time when you know you can be doing better. (Grey’s Anatomy is nothing like being a real doctor, but on the weekends when you need to recharge, one or two episodes won’t kill you.) You can’t change how hard IB is, so just learn to love it. You have to do it anyway. Try to have fun and good luck!!!

Guriel Kim

 

Dear future IB student,

Congratulations on being accepted into the amazing program that is IB! You’ve probably heard many different opinions about this program but I’m here to tell you that it’s not as bad as it seems. Sure, it’s a lot of work and may be stressful at times, but I promise, you will not regret entering this program. Not only will you receive all of the benefits of IB, but you can also enjoy a normal high school experience. Just because you’re an IB student doesn’t mean that you can’t be in the numerous clubs and sports!

The most important piece of advice that I can give you is DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. Seriously. You may think you still have plenty of time to write an essay for English or finish world notes but, next thing you know, you’ll be pulling an all-nighter because you decided to watch your favorite TV show instead of doing your homework. If you create schedules for yourself and do your work on time, IB will be so much easier. That being said, here’s a list of assignments you definitely shouldn’t procrastinate on: science fair (9th grade), bio/APES extra credit (9th), current events articles (9th), world history notes (10th), history fair (10th), reading the assigned pages in a book (10th), writing essays for English (10th), precalc worksheets and studying for AP exams. If you don’t procrastinate and do your assignments on time, you will be very successful in IB.

Now let’s talk about choosing the classes you take. In freshman year, you don’t really have much of a choice. You’re required to take APES as one of your electives but you do get to choose your second elective. So choose something that you enjoy! If you’re good at drawing or like music, take Pre-IB Art or Pre-IB Music! If you like working with computers, choose Pre-IB Computer Science! If none of these choices appeal to you, you can take a BHS class, such as Anatomy and Physiology. In sophomore year, you get to choose TWO electives AND the science course you take! If you can handle it, I’d recommend taking two AP courses as your electives, specifically AP Human Geography and AP Psychology because they’re two of the easiest AP courses and they’re very interesting. For your science course, you can choose either Physics or Chemistry. I chose Chemistry and I really enjoyed that class. Many students said that it’s a very hard class but I gave it a try anyway. And I loved it! Physics is also a great class to take if you’re up to doing all of the math. When picking classes, choose wisely and choose classes that you find interesting. That way, you’ll enjoy doing the work!

One of the best things about IB is that it’s a small community and through the years, you and your classmates start to feel like a family. You create many friendships that will last for a lifetime. Value your friends and don’t take them for granted. Creating study groups with your friends is a great way to study for exams. But you don’t have to spend time studying or doing homework every time you’re with your friends. Go to the movies or go shopping and don’t forget to have fun! Sometimes you get piled with so much work and you feel like you’ll never finish but when you finally do, give yourself a little treat by going out and spending time with your friends or family. You’ll feel very relaxed and will be ready to tackle the next assignments that will be thrown towards you.

So, again, congratulations on being accepted into IB! Good luck and have fun because high school won’t last forever.

Krupa Patel 🙂

 

The change that had the biggest impact on my life at school this year was definitely joining the soccer team. I hesitated to do so my freshman year, and I could have written a book with all of the excuses I had for people that asked why I wasn’t trying out. This year, I let my friends convince me to try out. I ended up loving it! I made so many new friends and had so many fun experiences with the team. I love those girls, and some of the friendships I made will last a lifetime.

Another thing I learned this year was to go out of your comfort zone with your electives. I took AP Stats with Naki with some friends even though I didn’t think I’d like it. I was never someone who was passionate about math. It ended up being one of my favorite classes! If you really don’t want to take one of the classes offered at BHS, don’t be afraid to dual enroll at PSC; it will give you a free period if you take it as an elective, and if you take it as an extra class, it can boost your GPA (which every IB student wants).

If you take pre-calculus next year, you’ll start your exploration plan at the end of the year. Don’t throw away an idea because the math is too hard or it will take too long. There are many students this year that are teaching themselves new things in order to do a project they’re interested in. One girl wants to go into the medical field, so she is teaching herself differential equations so she can use them to model the spread of infectious diseases. Try something new and make sure it’s something you’re interested in, or else it will actually feel like a long assignment. If you’re interested in it, the paper will be more fun. The main thing I learned this year is to take chances and go out of your comfort zone to discover new things you didn’t think you would like.

Katie Puccio

 

Dear future sophomore,

You’ve been at IB for a year now. You finished APES and Bio, and you know where you fit in in your class. That’s good. As a soon-to-be junior, I know exactly what the transition from freshman year to sophomore year is like; trust me, freshman to sophomore is not a hard transition at all!

As always, you will receive your summer homework. Make sure to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because it is not only a very enjoyable satire, but a masterpiece of colloquialisms, local color, realism, stereotypes, and dialect by Mark Twain. Also, do not worry if you do not understand half of the words I just used to describe Huck Finn because these words are ‘literary terms’ that you will learn in Guice’s class next year; make sure you learn and memorize ALL the literary terms early because doing so will make life easier. The other piece of summer homework I will address is the World History notes. At first, the notes seem very tedious and difficult. It is okay to read fairly quickly and not take notes on everything. Only the very large ‘big picture’ ideas are actually on either Mr. Wright’s tests or the AP test. P.S. Mr. Wright is an easy grader…….

In my sophomore year, I took Pre-calculus, AP Statistics, Band, English, Physics, Spanish, and AP World History. I found both pre-calculus and Statistics easy, and you will too if you are good at math; however, if you are famous for being poor at math, I know many classmates who struggled in these classes. So be aware! English with Mr. Guice is fantastic; I am convinced Mr. Guice is not human. He is above our petty human values and conflicts and has ascended to an unprecedented level of enlightenment. The majority of the year with Guice is easy, but the last month becomes more difficult “in order to prepare for junior year.” I found physics very interesting, but if you take the chemistry route, I am sure you will enjoy it. They make lots of food!

In my case, the only two classes comparable to APES or Bio would be Spanish and World History. World History is a fairly difficult class; however, Mr. Wright makes it very easy to slack off. Because of this, you must take it upon yourself to read the assigned pages, study for the time period tests, and prepare for the AP Test. On the other hand, Spanish was difficult for much of my class, and for the 1st nine weeks, me too. Spanish 3 is very different from Spanish 2 and therefore shocked me with its numerous, almost daily, quizzes. Once I got my bearings, Spanish became much easier. If you’re not taking Spanish, Congratulations.

All in all, sophomore is nothing to fret. Do not get too stressed. Teachers in 10th grade do a very good job of balancing the few difficult tests/assignments with numerous other opportunities and assignments to bring your grade. For me, sophomore year was (and probably will be) the easiest year, so make the most of it. The time will pass quicker than you think and soon you will be a junior (ugh)…

Luke Rouleau

 

Dear freshmen,

I believe that you have already experienced a year of IB by now. I believe you now understand what pre-IB is like due to responsible teachers such as Ms. Kennon and Ms. Allison. They may be a little bit harsh, but they do teach you the information you need to know. Sophomore year is very different from freshman year, because it requires much more self-discipline. The AP World History teacher, Mr. Wright, for example, is a very “cool” teacher in a way that he rarely gets angry. He is very lenient on his grading system and curves every one of his tests. You will get good grades in his class easily comparing to APES, but you may not be as prepared for the AP exam – and the reason behind this is the fact that AP World History requires a lot more reading and self-studying. The same condition appears in AP Human Geography and Physics. The teachers of these courses are extremely nice, which means there will not be many harsh punishments if you don’t do your work; however, if you really want to learn the course well or pass the AP exam, then I suggest you to be more aggressive on your own studies.

People say sophomore year is the easiest, but I don’t agree. It is true that the teachers are nice and cool, but it is also true that you have to work harder on your own in order to pass. The very first idea of that is “never procrastinate”. I know this is almost impossible for most of IB students, but it is not undoable. When a teacher assigns you long term projects, plan your time and spread out your work – do not do all of it the night before, this action will really make you lose sleep. Some teachers love to hand out a lot of work and their due dates all at once. For example, Mr. Guice, the English teacher, sometimes gives out assignments that are due two months later. Ms. Frisbie, the Pre-Calculus teacher, hands out a chart at the beginning of each quarter that has all of the due dates specified. Mr. Wright also assigns a ton of reading notes that are due the day of the unit test. Plan out your time and spread your work out – if you have some extra time and you haven’t even start on your long-term project yet, please start. A decent project is usually made with many different changes and corrections over time.

At last, there are some tools that might help you go through sophomore year. Quizlet has to be the most important one. Especially for language courses, Quizlet helps you to remember so many things that you cannot from just reading the textbook. Other than that, a Princeton Review Book for your AP exam definitely helps – especially the charts and practice exams. Moreover, if you can drive, your life would be so much easier – especially if you live far away. I can sleep one more hour every single night if I drive to school. Extracurricular clubs, athletics, and dual enrollment will all fit in to your schedule suddenly. At last, friends are important. My friends are part of the reason for my motivation to learn. We challenge each other and study together, at last everyone learned the things that are required, and everyone had fun.

In the end, always keep your passion on the things you are doing!

Xuanhao (Bryce) Shi

 

Sophomore year at IB has been quite the experience for me. The biggest difference that I experienced from freshman year is the appearance of less rigor. During my freshman year, homework assignments were piled on, and the teachers made sure you had everything done on time. During my sophomore year, the pace was different. The teachers are more laid back; they will not always be on top of you to do your work. This difference means that new sophomores must take initiative and plan to do all the assigned work; I had to learn how to organize myself. Incoming sophomores should be ready to organize themselves and manage their time in order to complete work efficiently.

To me, the hardest class during sophomore year was English. I advise all incoming sophomores to not procrastinate with English assignments. Mr. Guice will set due dates for weeks in advance, and if you wait till the last minute to do the assignments, you will not be able to complete them well. Make sure to do a little of the assignment everyday so you can get it out of the way with ease. This also applies to world notes. World notes are one of the most time-consuming assignments you will have. I advise to do the notes for each section as he teaches them, waiting till the last minute will lead to sleepless nights; I know from experience.

One of the most important things I learned during sophomore year is how to interact with other people in my class; make sure you know who your friends are. Developing a close circle of friends was a great thing to have during this year. They are people who are always there for you, and you help each other out. Another piece of crucial advice is to be yourself. If you try to be someone you are not, you will end up hating yourself and not having a good time. Don’t be afraid to have fun as well!

Justin Tavares

 

Dear Newbie,

First we are going to discuss Pre-Calc, the math class that you will be taking this year. I will not lie, this class is hard, especially for someone not exemplary at math such as I. But a few things are crucial in passing this class along with the others you will be taking over the course of you school life. Don’t cheat, no matter how hard the homework was. It is not worth it and you won’t learn anything. If you need help with your homework the teacher is usually there before school starts and is always willing to help. It’s worth getting marked off on a 10 point homework assignment and actually learning. Rather than copying someone else’s work and getting a perfect score. Memorize the formulas!! Even though you have the formula booklet on the semester exam and the IB test, you are going to save a ton of time if you know some of the formulas by heart instead of having to flip through the booklet in search of the formula. Lastly, pay attention in class. This is probably one of the hardest things as a student. But it is the most vital thing. You will learn more by focusing in class than you will by looking at the notes online.

In general high school is not an easy experience. But you have to stay on top of things. Procrastination is the thing that plagues our generation. We are under the assumption that we can wait ‘til the last minute and then we panic when the deadline is approaching. That is not the way to do things. You have to stay on top of your work. And yes I understand that I am preaching to the choir. But it holds truth in it. You will save yourself a lot of stress later if you do your work you are supposed to. I recommend doing your assignments the day they are assigned. The block schedule that is currently in place can be used for your benefit. Day 1: Homework assigned and completed. Day 2: Ask any questions about homework. Day 3: Turn in work. It is that simple. This isn’t just for math class, this applies to every one of your classes.

Don’t forget to get involved. Yes grades are very important. If college is your main interest at the moment, grades are not the only thing that will get you in. Though they do help a lot. Colleges also like looking at students that are well rounded. So don’t be afraid to join chorus or band or A-team or track. This shows that you are a versatile student, involving yourself in outside activities while maintaining your GPA. Joining these clubs and extracurriculars will introduce you to new people. High school is the time to make friends and try new things. Take the opportunity while you have it. In 10 years you are gonna miss this place, make some friends and memories that are worth missing.

Sincerely Yours,

Ruffled (flustered) Rachel Williams

 

Dear student,

This year of high school will go by faster than you know it. While school has its ups and downs, you can make it through this year. A general rule that you have been told many times follows; do not procrastinate, especially for big projects and essays, because sometimes you will need to ask questions about the project before it is due. I have stayed up till midnight doing work that could have been done over the span of two hours a day for three days. I have completed a project completely wrong because I didn’t understand what I was doing and I couldn’t ask the teacher.

A skill that you will need to get through this year is time management. If you are in marching band practice twice a week and games on Fridays, don’t immediately panic when a project is assigned, plan out and pace yourself. I have done projects that I had thought would take me a week in a couple of days. You will surprise yourself with how much work you can do when not stressed.

When exams start, take enough practice exams so the actual just feels like another test. Don’t cheat on the practice exams because cheating will limit the time you have to actually prepare for your exam. Also the teacher will be disappointed in the class and you will have to retake the practice exam. If you are a senior, especially in the second half of the year, do not cheat on an exam and risk your diploma for one test grade. Just push through to the rest of the year.

Paul Charles

 

To the freshmen of the current year and anyone else who may benefit from my wise words:

My freshman year at IB turned out to be a blast. When I stepped out of my car on that very first day of high school, I didn’t know what to expect. I came from a small, private Christian school in Winter Haven. The comfortable environment that I had grown used to in Winter Haven contrasted strongly with the loud, commotion-filled environment that I had initially pegged public high school to be. For the first few weeks of school, I was still shy and completely scared of everyone and everything. I was scared of teachers thinking I wasn’t as smart or as talented as my older sister Gabbie (who was a senior at the time). I was worried that my peers would think I was weird or unapproachable because of my shy demeanor, my short Asian Dora the Explorer haircut, my short Asian self, and my angry resting face. Eventually, as I adapted to the new environment, I realized that my fears were irrational. I was my own person, and if people didn’t like me, that was their problem. To make several long stories short, within weeks, I developed strong friendships with people who have helped me come out of my shell and develop into the person that I am today. Freshman year was truly a wonderful experience. I really hope you thought so, too.

Having just gone through my sophomore year, I can confidently assure you all that the school year will be just as exciting, if not better, than your freshman year. By now, you would have been accustomed to the environment in which you study and socialize. This past year, my existing relationships were strengthened, and new networks were created. Schoolwork was stressful and annoying, but going through it with certain special people made my experience not just bearable, but also memorable and enjoyable. Moreover, I really learned a lot about myself this year; I matured more than I realized. I don’t think I could have asked for a better sophomore year.

Before high school, my default thought process was to immediately compare my successes to the great successes of my older sister. She’s one of the smartest people I know with an extremely kind heart and a strong, determined personality. It appeared that everything seemed to come to easy to her. As her little sister, it was only natural for me to want to be more like her. Because of that desire to succeed in the same aspects as my sister, I was more easily disappointed when I fell even slightly short of reaching those goals. I came to finally realize that I am not my sister, nor am I defined solely as “Gabbie’s Little Sister,” that I didn’t have to do the same things she did or do things the way she did just to be as successful. Truly grasping this concept is eventually what helped me realize I wasn’t utilizing MY full, unique potential. I have my own approach in getting things done that are just as effective and efficient as my sister’s.

It’s human nature for us to compare ourselves to those whom we view to be great. It’s inspirational to be aspirational, but don’t compare yourself to others so often to the point where you are so easily disappointed when you fall short of your aspirations.

My advice can be summed up into four little words: Be your own goals.

Paulina Liwanag

 

So, advice for the next year. The most important thing to keep in mind is to try your very best to not give into the laziness of sophomore year. I’m not saying sophomore year is easy, but you’re already (fairly) adjusted to the difficulty of life at IB and a few of your teachers this year will not be assigning as much homework. Instead some of your teachers will be expecting you to be reviewing and solidifying content you covered in class on your own. It will be very tempting to just do the bare minimum because teachers can’t really grade how well you’re teaching yourself at home (but it will probably be apparent on your tests). A lot of you have a great work ethic, so try to keep it up as a sophomore.

Another piece of advice I can offer is to get your review books early; personally, I felt like the AP World History textbook was garbage. There’s thousands of tiny, unnecessary details that won’t be on any tests or quizzes and everything is phrased so awkwardly that it’s just difficult to understand anything that’s going on. You still have to take notes out of it, but also take notes from your review book and stay familiar with the content even just by googling them. It’s helpful to just read and re-read topics in your review books because it’s more likely that content in your review book will show up on the test as opposed to the nonsense in the textbook (this is all personal preference though, so I don’t know. Other people may have LOVED the textbook. I think I love Jacob Sartorius’ new song Sweatshirt more than I like this textbook). The only other AP I took

Most of you may already have telegram, but if you don’t you need to get it ASAP. Teachers aren’t like us. They’re not on their phones or iPads or laptops 24/7. So if you have absolutely urgent questions that you need answered in the next 2.5 hours because you’ve been procrastinating on this one project for WEEKS now and you didn’t realize you didn’t understand something… Chances are your teacher may not even read it until 3 days after it’s due. That’s what telegram is for! You can make group chats with up to hundreds of people and you can ask all your fellow classmates your questions because there’s a chance at least one of you didn’t procrastinate on the project and actually knows what’s going on. Then again you’re all IB kids. Maybe none of you know what’s going on.

Vanessa Vailoces

 

Sophomore year at IB is a thrilling experience for anyone who is willing to take on a challenge. Classes this year will strain your brain and stress to no end. Make sure you stay ahead and pay attention at all times. The most challenging class this year would have to be Spanish, to get exceptional grades you will need to do your homework and study at least 2 to 3 hours per day. Many of our other classes are also challenging but they require less strenuous learning and attention.

My initial advice for all of those who are taking the same classes I did this year is to do your homework. Homework is the essential part of learning that allows you to practice your skills without being graded on correctness. Especially in Spanish class I was not able to complete some tasks because I never did my homework. That could possibly the reason I believe Spanish to be the hardest class. It is important to do the key issues and human geography, pay attention in physics, and be comfortable with your calculator in statistics. World history is very demanding in the sense that reading the book will allow you to excel in the AP exam. Pre-calculus, one of my favorite classes all year, also stressed my brain because of the rigorous requirements brought upon by my fantastic teacher, who grades hard, but fair.

My second word of advice is to always stay ahead, and never procrastinate. With the proper preparation the school year will be a breeze. It is very important to complete your assignments before they are due so that you will always receive credit. Some teachers are lenient with due dates and others are sticklers. I won’t mention any names, but during these classes you will find out real quick who is flexible and who’s not. If nothing else, be prepared and school will be easy.

Everett Meyer

 

This year I took precalculus, chemistry, ap human geography, ap world history, spanish, ap statistics, and English. I advise taking as many ap courses as your schedule allows to bring up your GPA. The most difficult classes I took this year were ap world history and spanish, for different reasons. Ap world history was difficult because there was a lot of material and it was difficult to retain it all. Spanish was difficult because the teacher we had sucked. Sophomore year really is the best year, in regards to class difficulty and work load.

To be successful in your sophomore year, it is important to try your best. Juniors and seniors often say that sophomore year is easy and doesn’t take much effort, but you shouldn’t underestimate it. Although procrastination isn’t as much of a problem this year as it was in freshman year, you should make sure to complete all of your work.

Make sure to get on the good side of your teachers and don’t piss anybody off. Also, make sure you bring food to school and drink lots of water the day after a late night of studying. Always check with your peers to make sure there was no homework if you don’t have anything written in your planner because chances are you just failed to write it down. Sophomore year is pretty cool if you don’t goof off too much.

Lauren Kuhlman

 

Dear incoming Pre-Calculus student,

First of all, congratulations on getting into this course! Pre-Calculus (like all other IB courses) has a rigorous curriculum, but it doesn’t have to be as bad as it seems as long as you’re willing to put in some effort. One basic tip that can be applied to all of your classes next year: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. I know that you’ve probably heard this a countless number of times before, but it really is important if you want to be successful, not only in IB but for the rest of your life. In most cases, if you save assignments for the last minute, not only will you be swamped, but the quality of your work will suffer greatly and you won’t retain information that might be important when you take your final exam. I realize that we all have a lazy side to us, and some things will always end up being pushed to the last minute, but if you try to space out your work and avoid cramping your schedule, you will feel a lot less stressed.

Another word of advice: do not cheat in any way (this includes plagiarism!). Not only do you risk getting your assignment or test invalidated, but you could also face expulsion. Before you even think about cheating, ask yourself: is copying someone else’s English essay or World History test really worth getting kicked out of IB? Chances are, the answer is no. Also, you aren’t going to get the grades you want on AP tests if you cheat on all the regular tests.

Now that that’s over with, the rest of my advice for you is a lot less serious. Firstly, your life in high schools doesn’t have to revolve completely around your academics. Don’t be afraid to get out in your community, or engage in some extracurricular activities! I personally am a member of the band here at BHS, and I honestly prefer it to taking yet another academic elective. However, it’s really up to you to do what you want to do. Take part in activities that you’re actually interested in, not just the ones you think other people will be impressed by. If anything, colleges will be more interested in you if you do something out of the ordinary!

Furthermore, it’s really important to make close friends with your classmates (although you shouldn’t be afraid to extend your social circle outside of that too!). I know that when people say “IB is a family” it sounds like a joke, but it really is true. Sure, it isn’t a perfect family; there are feuds and cliques, but in the end we all have each other’s backs. Don’t be shy to ask for help or to help someone else. It’ll make your high school experience a lot less tortuous if you have people to help you through it.

That’s all the advice I have for you! From here on out, I can only wish you luck – although you probably won’t need it if you follow these suggestions. Remember that you can approach anyone if you ever need help, and mostly importantly, that you can do this! Good luck!

Your sophomore (almost a junior) friend,

Nisha Chachad

 

Based on my experience, I do not think that sophomore year was bad at all. My opinion may have been formed because I have a tendency to remember more good memories than bad memories; as a result, let me elaborate more on my sophomore year.

My courses consist of AP Psychology, AP Statistics, and the mandatory courses. In the first nine-weeks, the class I think I struggled the most in was AP Statistics. AP Stats was difficult at first because I was still learning how the class functioned. Being the first AP math styled class, I wasn’t sure on how to study or how to comprehend the information. Gradually, as time passed and with the presence of a great teacher, AP Stats became an easier class to deal with. On the other hand, AP Psychology was never a class that I had much trouble with. A way to ensure that you are prepared on exam day is to study the vocabulary of every unit thoroughly even if the teacher does not specifically assign it. I wish I would’ve have done that. Instead, I put in half effort, which resulted in the requirement of a lot more work cramming before the AP exam. This advice can be applied to all classes: learn the material throughout the year. Don’t push it back to be learned later in a midnight cram session right before the exam. Especially in AP World History, I realized that I should’ve better absorbed the information the time at which it was taught.

My mandatory classes include AP World, Pre-Calculus, Pre-IB English II, Spanish 3, and Chemistry. These classes are as important as the AP classes I mentioned in above; however, I will just give one or two sentences of summary for each class. AP World has a teacher that makes the class have a very relaxed environment, but the material should not be treated in a relaxed manner. Instead, start the year strong by paying attention and taking notes, and then also continue to finish the class strong right before the AP exam. Pre-Calculus has an extremely organized, fair, and great teacher. For me, the personality of the teacher was able to create a learning environment where I wanted to engage more in the class and be organized. There is no secret way to success for this class—learn the material and do all the assignments. Similar to my Pre-Calculus class, my English class was accompanied with an amazing teacher. Even though, the environment was relaxed, I learned many things from this class. Appreciate this class. Spanish 3 was similar to previous Spanish classes in IB. Chemistry, one of the three sciences, is my favorite, which I learned this year. Overall, just put effort in all your classes at a consistent rate, and there shouldn’t been too much issues.

Classes, although it is the main focus of school, is not the only thing that occurs in high school. Below, I’ve listed some miscellaneous advice that might help you in sophomore year.

• Start logging all your hours to turn in into the office!
• Take up at least one officer position.
• Pay attention to the grammar that Mr. Guice teaches so that you are able to utilize it forever.
• Keep an eye out on which science you seem to like the best throughout the year. Doing so will help you out when selecting a science to stay in for the rest of your high school career.
• Dual enroll if you can handle extra classes! There are some interesting classes that PSC offers.
• Make more friends!
• Talk to upperclassmen and freshmen! It’s good to diversify the people you know.

Mandi Chen

 

School is hard. IB is hard. Life is hard. However, I have some advice to make school (at least) a little easier. First of all, don’t procrastinate. Every single person who has completed the IB program will tell you that, but I can almost guarantee that you will procrastinate. Try not to though, because it is in your best interest to get assignments done as soon as they are assigned. You will get so much more sleep. Honestly, you will have time for your homework, extracurriculars, sports, other activities, and to go to sleep at a reasonable hour if you budget your time and get things done ahead of time. Do that mini extended essay in the three months from when it was assigned to when it was due and not the night before! Do your world notes as you learn the information in class and not the night before! Actually, the World AP exam will be much easier if you learn (by reading the book) the topics as they are covered in class. Do pay attention in class too, because that really helps as well.

In your sophomore year, you will have the most electives that you will ever have in IB. Choose classes that you would enjoy learning the information and classes that you would actually want to take. If you like math, take statistics; this class will help you with pre-calc, especially in the probability and statistics sections at the end of the year. Also, Naki is a great teacher and learning statistics is easier when he teaches you. I didn’t take AP Human Geography but I heard it helps with learning World History because some of the same topics are covered. World History is a difficult class and I would recommend getting as much help as you can with it. This help could be taking Human Geography, a Polk State class on a similar subject, or just studying extra on your own. It will not be hard to maintain an A or a B in the class, but the AP exam will be difficult.

In order to budget your time well, it is important to use your time well. In your sophomore year, you will do a lot more learning on your own and a lot more studying on your own than you did in freshman year. There are a few useful tools that will help you to use your studying time efficiently. In pre-calc, use the practice problems. They pretty much go over exactly what is on the test and are very helpful. In World History, it is helpful to read your review book. The review books provides a great outline of facts and overall connections. Crash Course is good for the big picture but not specific details. If you take Spanish, Quizlet will be your best friend because it is great to learn vocabulary with. Also, be sure to study culture for Portillo’s tests; that was something we didn’t test on in freshman year but we did test on in sophomore year. First impressions mean a lot to Portillo so be a quiet and good student for the first few weeks; also, if you have good handwriting she will love you.

Keep all these tips in mind, but also be sure to remember that sophomore year is nothing compared to junior year. Freshman year can be difficult to adjust to, but that is nothing. Enjoy the first two years while everything is okay, because you are about to get hit by a bus. Best Wishes!

Audrey Cossin

 

Dear current sophomores,

I would first like to congratulate you on your greatest achievement thus far, making it to the second year of IB. You’re halfway there! I’m writing from the standpoint of someone who has yet to get to what is seen as one of the hardest years of IB (junior year), but I’ll try to tell you about what I’ve learned so far in my IB experience.

When comparing sophomore year to freshman year I’d say sophomore year was a breeze. In reality the workload to me was not only smaller in size, but also easier to complete. With this being said, I don’t mean to procrastinate…that’s never a good choice in this program (as you’ve been told 1,000 times before but you never learn), but instead take the time to learn some time management skills. There will be days in your sophomore year (around the second and third nine weeks I believe and a little bit of the fourth) where you will indeed be bombarded with work. On those nights you will regret waiting till the last minute and you’ll find yourself screaming, “WHY AM I LIKE THIS” or, “WHY DIDN’T I DO THIS SOONER” or my favorite, “WE LITERALLY DIDN’T EVEN LEARN THIS I CAN’T ANYMORE IM DROPPING OUT”. Those nights (although very few in number) will in a way test your capabilities…but I promise it’s not that bad.

Now, time to talk about the classes I found to be hardest in terms of either workload, subject, or study load.

Naki-Statistics: (study load/subject because I suck at math) I decided to take statistics and to those of you who are taking the course DO NOT FALL ASLEEP. Naki is a really good teacher and he takes the time to prep you for the AP exam. Overall, as long as you stay awake for long enough to grasp the concepts, you’ll be good.

Wright-APWH: (study load) OMG YOU WILL (if you don’t already) LOVE MR WRIGHT. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the subject he teaches, but he also has travelled to almost all of the places he tells you about so it’s like a little personal engagement in there too. He’s cool and funny and just great he’s Mr. United States…and the rest of the world bc…world history.

Frisbie-Pre-calculus: (see Naki) Even if my grade in this class doesn’t really show what I’m about to say I swear it’s true. Frisbie has taught me MORE MATH THAN ANY OTHER MATH TEACHER EVER HAS. She knows so much about everything and its mindblowing. She can be a little bit harsh sometimes, but that’s usually because you unleashed the beast. Her humor is great and she really does her best to help you understand her class, tis great.

Guice-English: (workload) Lordy Lord Guice is dat man. His class overall isn’t difficult if you pay attention and try to read the books (key word try…interpret that as you’d like). He’s a great guy and he’s extremely funny. You learn A LOOOOOOT of grammar in his class and he basically transforms your writing to be so much better oh lord you don’t even know. Overall, his class wasn’t that bad (minus the due dates dear god DON’T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE) I actually enjoyed it.

Well I hope you learned something from this, it was a lot longer than what I had hoped but at least I met the requirement, right? Good luck in your sophomore year little nugget. I hope you get as much sleep as possible…unlike me.

(P.S. Sophomore year flies by, don’t let it go to waste.)

Lyre-Gaëlle Dorcé

 

Dear (insert name of incoming sophomore here),

I’m not going to lie to you, you are about to enter what is probably the easiest year of IB (even though 9th and 10th grade isn’t technically IB, so don’t get too excited). My main piece of advice to give you is don’t just slack off the entire year. I understand the teachers for this year are more relaxed than the teachers for freshmen year; however, sophomore year is still important overall as far as subjects is concerned. For example, Mr. Guice will make you do a lot of things in his class that are not necessarily related to English class, but will help you later on in IB (like TOK or the English IA). Precalculus contains most of the material for the IB Math SL test; therefore, it would be beneficial for you to learn the material this year rather than a week before the IB test. AP World is obviously important for the AP test, but I hear from some seniors that there was questions on their IB history exam that was from the material learned in World. The point is, the material you learn this year will mostly likely be useful for later on in IB, and it would be easier to learn it this year rather than just slacking the entire year doing the bare minimum. That being said, I still recommend you try to have a lot of fun in your sophomore year, because now is the best time to do so. After spending a year with your IB comrades you probably have gotten to know them better. This is probably the best year to have fun with them because it has the lightest workload.

The classes I found that gave me the most work was English and World. If you’re good at taking short concise notes then the workload in World is little. Mr. Guice has a habit of assigning a lot of stuff at a time but spreading out the due dates. This will become more apparent once you finish a novel, because he normally assigns a few assignments to go with novels at the same time, but gives them separate due dates. As a procrastinator, I recommend at least doing the longer assignments earlier than the day before. The Lit terms quizzes are easy if you just take the time to learn the words. What I used to do was study the Quizlet for the words on the bus every day I had Mr. Guice that was a possible day for a Lit terms quiz, until I just knew the words by heart. The quizzes then became really easy for me, but make sure you actually know what the word means instead of just memorizing the definition. The other notable quizzes to mention are the Trig quizzes, which are definitely harder, but easier to predict. Let me tell you a secret, just expect her to give you one every day for a while, the Lit terms quizzes are not nearly as frequent; however, big gray box will almost always be hiding a Trig quiz (you’ll know what that means soon enough). Once again, just take the time to learn the material and things will become easier.

In addition to these points, the only tests you really have to watch out for are World tests. The essays are usually given to you, and even if they aren’t it’s usually pretty obvious what the topic will be. If you read the World book thoroughly the tests, and the class overall will become so much easier. STUDY ESPECIALLY FOR THE VECTORS I TEST! Oh and if you take stats, make sure you study for those tests as well, the difficulty of those tests are kind of inconsistent. Finally just relax, remember this your easiest year of IB now is not the time to over-stress, but don’t just slack off the entire time and cheat your way through. Good luck!

Sincerely,

Carlos Gonzalez

 

Dear upcoming sophomore,

As the underdog in this program, I believe anyone can conquer and succeed in this program with a certain amount of effort. After I was hit like a truck going into freshman year of IB, I slowly adjusted to the workload and having actual homework and tests to study for. Although the change was rough, I survived with As and Bs. In the year afterwards, I was expecting to have another substantial increase in workload, but I was surprised when the burden wasn’t as large.

To be more specific, I will give my personal tips and tricks to slide through sophomore year with ease. In Computer Science the goal is learn to fix computers, you must pay attention but you learn the most when you actually apply the knowledge and complete labs and simulations. In AP Statistics, if you complete the required homework and pay somewhat attention in class you should do well on the test, but don’t get on Naki’s bad side. If you are lucky enough to receive 5th period World History, you will enjoy the year much better because he is not as strict and you can do some homework (not Pre-Calculus) after lunch. He may seem laid back but, be sure to study because the tests are harder than he makes them seem to be. Now for my second favorite core class, English, in order to benefit the greatest from English it is recommended to actually read the books for his class and LEARN the grammar because it will be applied throughout all your essays and even the long test at the end of the year. Because of my morals, I find cheating to be very bad and don’t encourage it although many people don’t care enough in physics, the only way to learn information is through doing the problems and reading the book. In Spanish, I recommend just at least little of bit of studying every day or every other day to retain the language. Last but not least, the class I am the best at is Pre-Calculus, I excel greatly in this class by listening and paying attention, doing the homework, and helping other students learn the new material.

You cannot just Christmas tree through IB maybe a little bit your sophomore year, but the more that you don’t actually put in the effort the harder your life will become. You have probably heard this a billion times, but DON’T PROCRASTINATE!!! Also, other aspects of IB life: clubs are goods, sports if you are athletic, I do recommend trying relationships and dating, but don’t worry too much if they don’t work out. There is always someone else better for you…

Good Luck!!!!

Noah Hamilton

 

Dear 2016-2017 students,

Throughout my year in pre-calculus I have discovered that my one important suggestion would be to never use your late passes! If you just do the homework and wait to turn in the ten extra credit points at the end of the nine weeks it will most likely save that 88 you were worried about. Another important suggestion is to ALWAYS take the GRQ! Even if you make an A on a test. You never know when you might forget a homework or completely blank on the next test so it is always good to have that cushion. Do not take Ms. Frisbie’s extra credit opportunities for granted!

At the beginning of the year you may think that Ms. Frisbie is teaching you unnecessary facts when she rants about what the words mean in Latin or how they relate to history. This is actually the most helpful thing she does so do not zone out during these discussions. When she relates certain math concepts to moments in history, it gives you something to connect that concept with. Doing this makes remembering things for the semester exams significantly easier than it would be if she neglected to do this.

The main mistakes that I made were not doing the review problems she posts before each test and zoning out a lot in class. If I could go back I would have studied a lot more by doing the review problems and tried to pay attention more. I hope you read this and consider it because these things are important. One last thing: she is extremely sarcastic. You will get used to it!

Former pre-calculus student,

Amy Hastings

 

Hello unsuspecting freshman (or should I say sophomore?),

So it seems you will be taking IB Pre-Calculus next school year, and I would like to be the first person to congratulate you. Ms. Frisbie is quite arguably the most helpful teacher you will have in your high school career. Basically, if you fail this class then you are definitely doing something wrong. As for some other classes, there is no true easy way out because the teachers have already made work easy for you. Let me take up some of your time to explain.

For English 2, the work is long and tedious but not too difficult at all. Mr. Guice is a great resource for when you get stuck in a writing situation. I personally enjoyed English class because I learned new styles I could use in my writing. For example, before this school year I almost never wrote in second person because I was not sure if it would sound confusing. But look at me now, talking to you in this letter-like format! I hope your writing skills improve as much as mine did this year. Now I know you may have heard rumors from AP World History and how the teacher is “horrible” and “doesn’t know how to teach”, but they are simply wrong. Mr. Wright does have a different method of teaching, but the people who struggled in his class simply have a problem with adapting to other learning methods. I suggest that when you take your notes for this class, you take them in a way that only you can understand. Mr. Wright does not share his opinion on the way your notes are written because it will not help you learn. It seems that a lot of stress is put on how classes are mastered, but I think some advice on how to master a social life will be helpful.

You should be able to lead a relatively happy life if you follow these simple steps in order: do not gossip, choose two or three people to be your real friends, and don’t date if you can help it. The first step should be a given yet everyone still does it. Gossiping will get you “popular”, but then the people you gossip to will start talking about you behind your back. There is no escaping that cycle unless you don’t gossip at all. If you have something to say, tell it to your parents or siblings. Step two is essential in a way that it narrows things down. You may think you have 30 friends in your grade level, but they may not think the same about you. Two or three people are the only friends you really need to get through high school without starting drama. This does not mean you can’t have more friends or be nice to others, it just means be careful who you try to trust with extremely personal information. Step three is something I highly recommend you do not skip. Dating in high school will not make you have a higher GPA or be more popular; it will only add stress on your social life and you already have enough of that. Instead of forcing a relationship, focus on schoolwork. If it just so happens that you date, then nothing can be helped. It will be a completely natural occurrence as opposed to a forced proposal. Wowie, I hope my advice was helpful and at least made some sense. I wish you the best in your marvelous sophomore year, pal.

Alana Jones

 

Sophomore year was a roller coaster ride. I definitely had some high points and some low points, but that is life and we all go through that. In my opinion, sophomore year is the laziest year ever. You have minimal work, easy tests, and lots of fun! This is good and bad. Good in a way that it is more relaxed, fun and still serious when it come to your work. Very similar to a regular high school experience, but this is not regular high school. This is International Baccalaureate. Sophomore year is a trap and it is often very hard not to fall in. I fell in and for anyone coming into the 10th grade next year; here are a few things to take caution.

Sophomore is considered a trap in the aspect that once you get a little, you want a lot more. Let me explain. This “little” I speak about is freedom. Sophomore year is the same work amount as freshman year with not as hard material. So what we, as humans, normally do is adapt to our circumstances. This includes changing behaviorally, and mentally. As a typical IB student we begin to become more and more relaxed with our schoolwork and procrastination begins to settle in. It is no problem because the work is easy and minimal so procrastination still keeps things manageable. This is where it gets you. You enter into the second semester and all of a sudden everything is not so easy. You begin to see a change in your grades and you wonder what is wrong. Now that I can reflect on the past couple months I noticed that I, particularly, did not realize how bad I was getting in my laziness. Then as soon as the curriculum was amped up to a normal IB tempo, I was thrown off my “normal” daily routine where I could go play tennis with my friends or come home and nap. No! Teachers like Señora Portillo and Mr. Guice know how to amp up the workload. I was caught when I least expected it and I had to work really hard to get my grades back to Indian parent standards (more or less). So to avoid this, make sure to always stay alert and ready for when groups of assignments flood your way. If this can be handled then sophomore year will be the greatest year of your life.

Now that I explained all the apparent dangers in sophomore year, I will talk about the best moments of sophomore year. The best time I had personally was with my friends doing school activities. A high point of the past school year includes hanging out with my friends in band. During marching season, when a few others and me do not have to play, we used to go outside and play games under the trees next to the practice field. We could make a game with any object we could find whether it was a bottle cap, a stick, or a couple of vines off the tree. I remember anticipating 5th period throughout the entire day because it was almost like a free period. Also every time we went on some trip for a concert or MPA, we got to hang out for almost 8 hours together. We would just laugh and mess around while we also get serious and perform when needed. The most fun I had this year was hanging out with the tennis team. All our practices, road trips, and tournaments really gave us something to bond over. I love every single one of the guys on that team and would not trade them for the world. I got to do my favorite thing with my favorite people and that three-month span was full of adventures and laughter. The last memorable part of this year has to be after the world test in AP world History. We do absolutely no work, and play cricket and kickball. We also watch lots of movies. Those few days of just hanging with friends are unforgettable moments I will remember forever. After taking all I have said into consideration, cherish sophomore year and make sure it does not go by too fast because for people like me, hell is right around the corner (aka. Junior year).

Noah Joseph

 

Dear incoming precalc student,

Welp. You made it this far. Congrats, I guess. From surviving both freshman and sophomore year, I can tell you that sophomore year isn’t as bad as your freshman year. Freshman year was all learning: learning what IB is, learning how to deal with school work, and (most importantly) learning who your fellow peers are.

Welcome to sophomore year! At this point, you know your class pretty well and you know how to deal with the work load that comes with being in the IB program. As long as you use the skills you (hopefully) learned last year, such as how to manage your time and stay organized, sophomore year should be a breeze.

This year, you’re going to have a lot more free time. It seems to me as if teachers are a lot less crazy about homework this year. I remember spending hours doing vocabulary and STNTs for Allison. The AP classes that you take this year will most likely have less homework than that. For AP World History, Mr. Wright is a great teacher and you’ll learn a lot if you pay attention during class. If you don’t, then you won’t learn anything. The only homework you’ll have for AP world is taking notes from the book, studying, and a few projects. Notes are due the same day as the tests and they take forever to do so do not procrastinate. The only other AP class I took this year was AP Psychology and I think the only homework we had was filling out study guides, studying, and a couple of projects. AP Psychology is a really interesting course and it’s pretty easy too.

Use the free time that you have this year wisely. Join some clubs and go out with friends instead of wasting your afternoons/nights/extremely early mornings on Netflix. Try and make the most of your social life this year because I don’t think you’ll have this much free time again. Just try and enjoy your year and don’t stress the small things.

Wishing you all the best,

Soha Kazmi

 

Welcome to sophomore year! This year can be the easiest year of IB if you do everything right. After taking Bio and APES, now you (hopefully) have better time management skills in order to cope with the workload. Now for the advice part of this.

First off, DON’T PROCRASTINATE. It’s easy to say but really hard to do – I think everyone but Bryce has fallen victim to procrastination multiple times throughout the year. For me, the biggest source of procrastination was notes for AP World. I would recommend doing the notes as he goes over them in class instead of right before the test – it helps in terms of procrastination and for some reason I did better on the tests too. Second, use quizlet for studying. I find that going through the learn mode two or three times really helps me. Of course, everyone retains information in their own way; this is just the way that works best for me. Also, find a way to communicate with your class – on telegram, we have a group chat for homework with 55 of out 66-person class in it. It’s been very effective for us. Finally, don’t be afraid to join clubs. This year, I have been in TSA, Mu Alpha Theta, A-Team, German Club, WLHS, Beta Club, and NHS. They’ve been great clubs and I’m looking forward to being in them next year – don’t let the prospect of time distract your from enjoyable extracurriculars.

Next, classes.

For English, Guice is really cool. His class is fun, but sometimes he assigns a lot of work (especially at the end of the year). Pay attention to his grammar lessons; they can be very useful. No matter what people say, you should read the books that he assigns and not just go over the online summaries on SparkNotes or whatever.

My foreign language is German. Dietert is a pretty lenient teacher who will slow down or speed up her instruction based on the response of the class. As I mentioned earlier, Quizlet is really helpful. I put basically every lesson and vocabulary list on Quizlet and run through the Learn feature a couple of times so that I know I know the material. It’s worked well – I got an “outstanding” medal in all three events at the state competition.

Wright is probably the most chill teacher of them all. Case in point: we played cricket and kickball after the exam. Don’t let this make you brush off AP World, though. The class is notorious for the difficult AP exam; however, if you actually try to pay attention and learn in his class, you’ll easily pass the exam.

If you are reading this, more than likely you are entering pre-calculus for your math class. Frisbie knows a lot about a lot of things; it’s amazing. I find math to be easy so my opinion about the class is not applicable to a lot of people. I felt like the first semester was mostly Algebra 2 but taken a little farther. The second semester was new material (vectors, probability, and statistics). I had pre-calc for lunch and thus every day. It’s a good class (and I’m not just saying that because my teacher is going to read this too).

I chose physics as my science for this year. Webb knows a lot about physics if you ask him about it, even if he would rather spend class talking about NASA and Disney. If you do the work and pay attention in class, physics will be easy and fun.

I can’t give much help on computers because we were still on the old A+ certification track, and now the track is modeling & simulations. All I can say is that Mr. Hall is a cool teacher if you get to know him.

My elective was AP Human Geography. For the first semester, we had Mr. Madigan, and we learned almost nothing. Starting in January, we have had Mrs. Byrd. She has a good understanding of human geography and the AP test, even if she is a history person. I found the class easy because it can be broken up into thirds – one third is review from APES (population, environmental impacts, etc.), one third is concurrently learned in World (religion, culture, etc.), and the final third is actually learned in class (urban geography, economic geography, etc.). This class will have a large amount of self-studying; I used Princeton Review and felt very confident about the exam. The exam was pretty general, and specifics were mostly logical answers. It’s one of the comparatively easier AP courses and exams.

Feel free to ask some of your peers in our class if you have questions sophomore year. Good luck in sophomore year!

1. J. Manning

 

My sophomore year was easier than freshman year. I wasn’t as stressed or pressed for time. Even though most of the classes weren’t as difficult as they appeared, there were challenges within each class that pushed me to do better. You will learn that this is a year you really want to get adjusted to studying for your classes. Trust me on this, you are going to want to study because when it comes time for quizzes and tests you are going to do better if you study. I know a lot of students, myself included, who procrastinated on their work. If there was one thing I would have changed this year it would have been to do my work earlier. Maybe you will learn from my mistake and not procrastinate. You’ll thank yourself later if you do your work early because you will have a lot of free time and you won’t be so stressed to get assignments done. Another piece of advice is to do your own work, don’t cheat or plagiarize. You will only hurt yourself if you do. The teachers know if you copied someone else’s work.

Your sophomore is supposed to be the easiest year at IB. You will have some free time that your freshman year didn’t have. Take that time to join a club, a sport, pick up a new hobby, or perfect an old one. Do something fun with your free time. There is the possibility that doing something fun is going to help relieve some of your stress and make you a little happier. I wish that I had spent more time with friends and doing things that I enjoy doing. I might not have been so stressed this year if I had.

I know that not all of the classes you take are going to be interesting to you, or are going to be fun, or easy for you, but I don’t want you to hate your sophomore year. If you take some advice then maybe you won’t. You will be stressed at times, you will get frustrated, you will feel like this might all be a waste of time, but don’t give up. When things seem to be going bottom up take a break, breathe, relax, don’t think of school, clear your head. Your work will reflect how you’re feeling and it could hurt your grade. Every once in a while don’t forget to think of yourself. Take care of yourself, I know it is easy to forget that. Just have fun, love yourself, do good work, and you will be fine.

Amanda Ott

 

I am glad that you have chosen the IB Pre-Calculus route instead of Math Studies. The first couple of units are mostly review and for you to settle in. I suggest you do settle in, some of my friends were having trouble with the later units because they didn’t settle in and learn the basics. Even though I don’t like to admit it, I am very good at math so this course was a breeze but I understand what others go through as this course progresses. That is why it is very important to learn the basics, it helps a lot. This course is based on building off the basics so if you don’t understand something, you should ask questions, either to Mrs. Frisbie or to a fellow classmate that you know understands the material. The first unit is Functions and you use what you learn in the second, third, and fourth units, it never fades away. The first semester should be mostly review with an exception to some new trigonometry lessons. The second semester is mostly all new stuff including Vectors and statistics. I highly suggest you take stats with Naki while taking this course. it helps better understand the probability and statistics units.

One thing Mrs. Frisbie does well on is keeping edmodo updated with all the recent class notes and practice problems. The tests are not very difficult but you can always expect one question that will seem difficult at first. When that happens, just stay calm and remember what you went over in class. Everything on her tests are main ideas that she went over in class. The best way to study for her tests are to first do some review problems and see if you understand how to answer test like questions. Then check your work and find your mistakes. At the end, skim over the PowerPoint Notes on the lessons you need refreshers on. This way you isolate the lessons you don’t know how to do and can focus on them. This saves time and is efficient for some of my friends. Because I am good at math, I didn’t study for any of her tests and got good grades but this method has helped me in other classes where I am not as good in.

The final advice I can give you is to always stay on your teachers’ good side. I made a mistake in this class because I always felt bored and wanted to keep myself entertained. This goes for any class, not just Pre-Calculus. The result of my actions came later in the year when my classmates got enough of it and started to dislike my presence in the class. You always want to stay on the good side of everyone, you never know whose help you will need in the future. This doesn’t mean you can’t joke around in class but just that there is a limit that shouldn’t be crossed. Every teacher has a different limit, it is very important to know where that limit is so you don’t cross it.

I hope you all don’t regret taking Pre-Calculus, I promise it is not as hard as people say it is.

Shulagra Shah

 

Dear Incoming Pre-calculus Students,

To start things off, I believe that a congratulations is in order for making it this far in IB, so, congrats! As you probably already know, IB is a black hole of homework, tests, and quizzes that consumes your life, and trust me, the black hole just gets bigger from here. Even though the courses that you will be taking, such as Pre-calculus, may seem scary, IB truly is not that bad as long as you do just a few simple things:

1. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE

This is definitely the most important piece of advice I have to give. The workload for IB is going to continue to increase, so it is crucial to not wait till the very last minute to do an assignment. Even if something is assigned two weeks prior to the due date, make sure to do it early, as more work will be assigned between the date assigned and the due date, which will make your life incredibly stressful.

2. Study, even if you do not think you need to

Tests occur frequently throughout the year in the courses that you will be taking, and it is incredibly important to study for them. Just because a subject seems to be easy or has been easy in the past, the tests could be totally different from what you expect, so studying will help to better your grades. I speak from experience with this matter, as in AP Statistics, I didn’t believe I needed to study for the first few tests because I had been good at math in the past, but because I didn’t study, I received very low grades on those first couple tests.

3. Sleep when you can, and try not to pull all-nighters

Sleep is very important in making sure you stay healthy, but also so that you are able to pay attention in class. Try not to stay up too late doing work or wasting time on your phones, because you will regret it the next day. Also, try to find times to nap throughout the day (not during class, of course) such as on the ride to and from school, or even a 20 minute power nap after school. Sleeping will give you the energy to do your work and focus in class, which is crucial for success.

Your future time in IB will be a rollercoaster, with many up and downs, but you can definitely relieve some of the struggle that accompanies the program by not procrastinating, studying, and sleeping. Also, do not worry about the teachers, especially not Ms. Frisbie (she is pretty cool, as long as you do your work and don’t annoy her). Good luck with Pre-calculus and the other courses that you are taking, and don’t forget, the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little extra.

Yours Truly,

Caitlin Wizda

 

To every future sophomore reading this humble collection of advice,

Congratulations for surviving another year of the International Baccalaureate program! This organization has honestly been one of the most daunting and intimidating challenges I have experienced, and I’m sure there are countless of other wide-eyed and hopeful students living in dread of the progression of IB; therefore, I am here to provide you with a few snippets of advice, preparation, and perhaps caution, as you enter your second year of the International Baccalaureate program. So far I have only been in IB for two years, so technically the worst is yet to come for me; however, my freshman and sophomore years have taught me a huge deal about what it takes to succeed in this program. Hopefully, whoever reads this will heed my words and reap the benefits of preparation.

To begin with, since you will be a sophomore next year, you need to know that this year is indeed the easiest of the four years. Granted, I have yet to experience the third and fourth years, but I am almost positive that “easy” will be the last thing that will come to my mind when I become qualified to describe them. Anyway, sophomore year is definitely like a reward after freshman year. Now you know almost everybody that goes to IB, you recognize the campus better, and you have a basic idea of the work load so the ride is quite smooth. This is the year to invest time in clubs and extra-curricular activities as you will find yourself with ample of free time often throughout the year. In fact, when I reflect upon my sophomore year, my biggest regret is that I failed to participate in more school activities, such as clubs and especially marching band. While sophomore year is fairly tame, it is also important to keep your grades in mind and not let them slip away and lower. The lighter workload just means you have to work hard to do your best on assignments since there will be fewer cushioning for the poor grades you earn. So, in summary, sophomore year gives you more free time and leeway to participate in extra-curricular activities, but you must still keep grades as your main focus as the lighter workload could end up backfiring if you begin to slack off.

In continuation, an incoming sophomore needs to know what to expect in their upcoming classes. Most of us have about the same schedule, with the exception of our electives, math, and science classes. As I cannot speak for other cases, I shall instead inform you of only the classes I have experienced this sophomore year of mine, which are pre-calculus, physics, French, AP world history, band, AP psychology, and English. First of all, band and physics are joys to have in your schedule. To be honest, physics has minimal work (we only had two tests during my entire sophomore year) and the homework is quite easy to do on your own. The only thing to keep in mind if you choose to take physics is that, despite the easygoing feel of the teacher and his class, you still need to be responsible for having high grades and you must deter yourself from slacking off even when other students treat the class as more of a joke than a serious subject. Band was a pleasure to have in my schedule because it was a much-needed break from all the academics of a school day and I could just enjoy playing music with my friends during the class. Now, despite the ease of these two classes, there are other classes that will absolutely require your utmost effort. You should always place AP classes as high priorities, as these courses can give you college credit and save you time and money when you attend college. Also, these classes are usually quite rigorous, with ample notes, tests, and projects, so you really need to focus on these classes and put forth plenty of effort. As for the languages, the ease of these classes will vary by whether or not you can quick pick up new languages. French was pretty easy for me because I have a Spanish background and many of the words are very similar, but I will warn you that you need to do a lot of studying at home to fully grasp the language. English is easy because the material taught is always well-explained by Mr. Guice, but the heavy workload for the class might throw you for a loop if you become lazy. Last, but not least, is pre-calculus. For all of you who have been blessed with the gift of math comprehension, this class will not be much of a worry with some studying. For the rest of us who cannot differentiate between math and hieroglyphics, you will definitely need to invest lots of time in this class. Ms. Frisbie knows an incredible amount about her subject and she always makes sure that students understand, and you can even stay after school for extra help if necessary. I cannot stress this enough, pre-calculus is challenging and you will need to devote hours, not fifteen minutes before class, to studying the subject or you will not succeed.

Finally, the last piece of advice I will give is to keep procrastination away from your life. Procrastination is like a virus that spreads and worsens with little control once you let it infect you. It deprives you of sleep, happiness, and good grades, and can ruin your year in a heartbeat once it becomes a habit. While it may be tempting to take a nap rather than do homework, always do the homework! Take a small break after school to rest and have a snack, but avoid wasting the rest of the day doing nothing only to begin homework late at night, when you should be sleeping. Friends are a good way to keep procrastination out of your life. Friends, if they are real friends, will be there to keep your motivation up so you can finish your assignments even when you are tired and their good influence will really help keep your head in the game. Even if the people with whom you socialize are losing themselves in the tangle of procrastination, it is vital that you avoid following in their footsteps. The price of procrastinating is a crippling one.

In conclusion, the transition from freshman year to sophomore year is an exciting one indeed, but there are several things that you need to know and keep in mind in order to succeed. As you become a sophomore, it is important to understand that this second year is quite tame in comparison to the others, but you will still need to keep your focus and grades high, that different classes will have different characteristics and some will need more effort than others, and that procrastination is the kiss of death to your grades. Perhaps the most important thing to remember, however, is to never give up. IB will get difficult and test your abilities often, but you are here for a reason, which is that you can handle all the work. This program is meant to help your education, not crush you, and you will find that it only takes effort and motivation to succeed. I wish you the best in this upcoming year.

Sincerely,

Maria Duran

 

Dear incoming sophomore,

First off, congratulations on making it this far. Although it may seem like a small feat in a massive war, it truly is momentous achievement. As a fellow IB student I think it’s essential to provide as much knowledge and experience to the ones below me because sometimes it’s hard to do it alone. I hope that my experience and advice will aid you as you prepare to embark on you second and last year of the pre-IB program.

As a sophomore, I took English, Spanish 3, chemistry, AP world history, AP statistics, AP human geography, and pre-calculus. Depending on your progression in school you will either take these classes next year or in the years to come. English will be your easiest class as long as you keep up with the readings of the novels assigned and begin your mini extended essay on time. The mini extended essay appears to be overwhelming but if you start on time and ask Mr. Guice for help you’ll be fine. And for your own sake please do not start your rough draft or final draft the night before it’s due. Besides these two things, English is fairly simple. Pre-calculus is also a pretty easy class. Make sure you keep up with the homework assignments and follow your assignment sheet to plan ahead for homework and any additional assignments. Ms. Frisbie does a great job sticking to the assignment sheet. I truly would trust it.

As we increase in difficulty, the next hard class is AP human geography. AP human geography is a mixture of AP environmental science and AP world history, which we will address later. The key to success of AP human geography is know your models and take your homework serious. Even though most of the assignments are available online, it’s in your best interest to do the work yourself. When preparing for the AP exam, I recommend getting a review book and following it along with the chapters you are learning in class at the time. Make sure to take notes in class and in your books, so come April when you begin reviewing you can go back and see the notes you take and reflect on your thoughts then. In my opinion, the next class, by increasing difficulty, chemistry. I recommend to learn the math well early on in the chapter and make notecards for the formulas. The conceptual aspects of chemistry are very common sense based but there’s no real trick to learning them. You just have to study. The biggest advice I can provide for chemistry is when you learn how to write equations and balance them, you pay attention because that’s the basis for so many more chapters to come. Additionally, I advise you to make notecards, that include the name and molecular name, for the names of common compounds.

My favorite class of my sophomore year, strictly academically speaking, was AP Statistics. Naki’s way of reaching stats not only helps you with stats but will benefit you in later chapters of pre-calculus. The biggest advice I can provide for stats, class wise, is to make notecards of formulas and templates of interpretations of concepts like confidence intervals and ask questions. You cannot learn anything if you do not ask. The biggest advice I can provide in studying for the AP exam is to take past free response exams that are available on the College Board website. Last but not least, the two hardest classes, in my opinion, was Spanish 3 and AP world history.

Spanish 3 is a subject that requires practice and revision. So when you learn on chapter and move on to the next, you cannot forget the grammar and vocabulary you used in the previous chapter. You should try and incorporate the previous concepts in the current chapter. The best advice I can say is to practice vocabulary and get on Señora Portillo’s good side early on and display an honest effort in class every day. Now on to the bane of my existence, AP world history. The only thing I can say is try and take notes from the book as they are assigned and keep up with the due dates of notes and tests. AP world was a real challenge for me.

Overall, the main thing to take away from this is advice is one don’t procrastinate and two this is my own way of doing things. This may not work for you but give it a try. Sophomore year will feel like a breeze. And that’s a good thing. Take this time to get involved in sports or activities you thought you couldn’t handle your freshman year. For example, I was in the varsity girls’ soccer team here at BHS. It is time consuming and makes me utilize my time management skills but it’s well worth it. It gives me time to unwind and focus on something other than school which is important to not only your physical but mental health. I hope that this was helpful. Enjoy your school year and enjoy everything, good and bad, sad and happy.

Sincerely,

Chidi Iheanyi

 

This school year has been challenging. The courses are very rigorous and if you do not properly prepare for them, school can become miserable. To prepare, you should always do your homework and never procrastinate. Respecting your teachers can go a long way as they will probably bump your grade up over someone who does not respect their teachers. Although the classes are challenging, finding a good approach for each one will help the year be less stressful.

Looking at all the classes may seem overwhelming at first. By breaking it down class by class, you will see that the year ahead may not seem so challenging. Pre-calculus is a very demanding class, but as long as you pay attention and do all the work it is manageable, especially with the great teacher for that subject. Physics is a pretty easy class with a lax teacher, and can be very interesting at times. AP World History is a very hard class, as it covers literally everything that has happened in the history of the world. In that class, always take the notes at home and prepare for tests to be ready for the AP test by the time it comes around. English class requires a lot of work and reading, which can be challenging. This is the most important class to never procrastinate in, as there are many big assignments due throughout the year. The second language class, Spanish, is the most difficult class if foreign languages do not come easy to you. Constantly study to do well on the many quizzes and tests throughout the year to make sure your grade does not fall.

Throughout all of this, make sure to spend time with friends. Friends can help you get through what may seem like a rough time, and make everything at IB not be as bad. Friends will also make sure you stay caught up on work and remind you about assignments that need to be done. As long as you stay ahead on your work, this upcoming year should breeze on by.

Joshua Phelan

 

Wow. This year has flown by incredibly fast. Looking back, I wish I could’ve done so many things much differently. First of all, I would’ve stopped procrastinating earlier in the year. Later in the year I reordered myself and got work done in a timely manner. People will continue to tell you this, but the sooner you learn it the better. Secondly, I would’ve paid more attention to little details in lessons. You’d be surprised how much a minuscule piece of information can be the difference between an A and a B or even the difference between passing and failing. Don’t stress yourself to quitting IB about grades, but don’t treat them like lightweight. They may eventually become a burden and can hinder your chances to get into prestigious institutions even with high test scores and many extracurriculars.

The next most important part of your following steps in IB is your relationships with teachers. Learning more about how your teachers operate and their boundaries can significantly increase our chances of having a good school year. It is crucial that you learn all of your teachers’ policies and stick to them. Also, being nice and paying attention in class can put you in their good graces. This can help if you ever happen to have some slip ups, of which I have had quite a few. I made it out by the skin of my teeth and that can be accredited to my relations with my teachers. Not everyone is extremely lenient and some will show no mercy for your mistakes. Use this information to your advantage as much as possible because these opportunities will not come again.

The final part of succeeding in your IB future is making good friends. These people see you every day and can be lifesavers to prevent you from failing epically. Good friends won’t cheat you and just give you answers. A true friend will help you understand so you can know for later use. Good friends will also remind you of important dates and what this date pertains to. My closest friends have prevented me from forgetting about doing some major assignments. Combining all of these factors listed above and using every angle you can will definitely be the difference between being ordinary and extraordinary (because it’ll be that little extra).

Trevon Thompson

 

It is well known that sophomore year is incredibly easy; however, I would suggest that one continues the strong work ethic I assume was present during freshman year (as it was for me). I have allowed the lack of difficulty to corrupt my work ethic with even more laziness than before. The maintenance of hard work would help tremendously in the latter part of sophomore year and beyond. My own performance in the past months has diminished due to my deteriorating skills in time management and focusing on work. I advise this situation is avoided at all costs.

Specifically, I would say that precalculus was the hardest class of the year, not in that the material is difficult, rather there is a reliably constant stream of work that cannot be negotiated. The teachings are clear, and it is easy to revisit a concept that is not understood. Listening to the lessons and taking notes should be enough to gain an understanding of the precalculus material; if insufficient, I believe (as this was not necessary for me) doing the recommended extra problems and reading through the book on top of this should be adequate for thorough learning in the class.

Additionally, I’d like to stress the importance of diligence in AP World History, in particular, as the easy class left me very vulnerable to the difficult AP test; studying for AP tests throughout the year would ease much of the stress of the last bit of the school year. As it goes to show, it may be very tempting to use the opportunity of sophomore year for extra procrastination; I regret my own indulgence very much and highly recommend that another path be taken.

Sammy Elmasri