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.

Hey precalc kids my name is Stanley and I am now a senior. Junior year is nowhere near as hard as people said it would be but it is definitely more difficult than sophomore year. This year you will begin to be stressed by IA’s, the extended essay, CAS and other sorts of IB things.

Precalc is not hard and you should get an A, I didn’t the first semester but looking back I know I could have. English isn’t that bad but you will have to work to get an A in there. History will be different because we no longer have Scully :(, but the class is fine if you pay attention and try to make it interesting. AP Biology is fun but getting an A will require work, people say it’s better than chemistry but honestly it depends on what you’re into but be prepared to work hard regardless. TOK IS THE BEST CLASS EVER, Guice will make that class fun just be respectful and it’ll all be good. I had IB Business which was fun and only a little bit of work but I still learned a lot.

Advice would be to try to do your CAS project early like we did. Whiteboard Studios Film Club, you should join it! My best tip is honestly to keep a calendar and make sure you write down everything and anything cause you think you can remember everything but you can’t. Oh and if you’re taking Spanish, well good luck Charlie.

Stanley Varughese
 

Hi new junior (you’re officially a junior now (according to me)),

How’s it going? Right now you’re coming up on to your third (!) year of high school. This is the first official year of the IB Diploma Program, and most of your classes are going to be IB and AP. Where to start?

English is going to be tough, but also doable. Lots of essays, and your first Internal Assessments. It seems scary, but has no reason to be. By the end of the year your IA for English will be complete (solid progress towards the IB Diploma!) and you will find yourself a better writer and a better thinker. Here’s some really helpful advice: write the essays as soon as you can. You will find and discover quite a bit of content for your journal essays in the in-class discussions, and in most cases you will be more than able to write the essays before the night before. Mrs. Harb gives you all of the journal prompts at once with the due dates, and there should always be a weekend between due dates. If you can write the essay over the weekend, do. A lot of people think that since it’s not due until Thursday, that they don’t have to do it until Wednesday, but from my experience this often leads to late and stressful nights. Doing the essays earlier allows you to avoid that massive stress and possibly get some much-needed sleep.

And the IA. The English IA is composed of two oral components: a commentary on literature and a presentation to the class. It seems very scary, and for me was definitely most daunting in the days, hours, and minutes leading up to them, but it’s really not that bad. Pay attention, take notes in class for the commentary, and prepare for your presentation and you will be just fine! And then they will be out of the way, and you can relax. Nice!

In your second semester, you’ll see the G-man himself once again! Theory of Knowledge with the man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Guice, is a very unique class. It’s almost exclusively led through discussion with your peers and through presentations. Here’s some advice that Guice will tell you but I will tell you first: Avoid hypothetical situations when explaining your ideas, use real life situations to explain your ideas about knowledge, “perception” refers to sense perception, not understanding, and don’t miss the day you sign up to present on!

For history, I highly recommend taking good notes. Personally I like having color in my notes; I would recommend trying to add color (maybe coloring main points or headings). Looking back at my notes I enjoy reviewing the colored ones and find it difficult to look over the all-pencil ones. It might not make a difference to you; it’s a just a personal thing that I wish I had started doing sooner, but I’d give it a try! Mrs. Scully is leaving Bartow, so as far as teachers go, we’re in this together. Same for the IB Principal and the IB Guidance counselor. There’s no advice for this one, just hope that the new people coming in know what they’re doing and do their jobs well.

And now it’s time to talk precalc. Ms. Frisbie is an awesome teacher; this is a good math class. She gives really helpful feedback, and the homework never feels tedious and redundant. Know that ∈cannot be written as a backwards 3 (this will make more sense once you learn about sets), and that you should NEVER write vectors as ordered pairs.

If there’s one thing you will not forget about junior year in precalc, it’s the trig quizzes. By the end of the trig quizzes, you will know your trig values, even if you forgot all about them from algebra. And if they don’t stick with you after junior year, there’s no need to worry; the trig quizzes come back in calculus! Probably the best feature of IB as a whole is the trig quiz. Amazing. Flawlessly designed. 10/10.

Overall junior year is loaded with work to do. There will be free time, but not as much as there has been in the past. Nevertheless, one of the most important things to help make it through junior year is other people. Talk to people! If you haven’t made good connections yet, do that, and if you have, keep doing it! You will find yourself very close to your friends thanks to the shared experience that IB provides. You all are going through the same classes, doing the same assignments, and talking to each other. Freshman year I certainly did not know everybody in my class. Even in sophomore year there were still people I didn’t know and people I was not close to. And while I’m certainly not close to everyone, and there’s still people I haven’t had a class with, I’ve made new friends and grown closer to the people I know, and I’m confident that the same will happen with you. There’s a lot of schoolwork to be done, but your classmates will always be there for you and you will make it through the year successfully. Enjoy your time with friends! This year will be good! You got this!

Good luck with junior year!

Alex Wills
 

Junior year was probably the best year of high school and the most stressful so far. I definitely under anticipated the amount of time I would need to spend on some of my classes. Being that it was the first year of IB, it was also my first year of experiencing IB testing and IAs. While neither of these things were overwhelming difficult, they can creep up on you if you’re not ready. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to not procrastinate. (I know it sounds cliche and everyone says it, but IT’S SO TRUE). Do I still do it? Yes. Will I ever learn to not do it? Maybe, but fact of the matter is as an incoming junior you should avoid it all costs.

As for specific classes, you should definitely look out for Mrs. Harb and Mrs. Loweke. English during first semester is BRUTAL. You have an essay to write practically every week and trust me you do not want to let this wait until the last minute. Mrs. Harb is a tough grader and she’ll generously let you revise your first essay but from then on, you’re on your own. A lot of her work seems pointless, but just do it anyway because one day she may decide to collect an assignment that you thought you were off the hook for not doing. AP Chemistry was almost my first B in high school. That class was by far the hardest class I’ve ever taken and last year I got high A’s on every Honors Chemistry test, so I was not expecting that. You’re going to have to study hard for this class and take advantage of the worksheets and book work she gives you. Keep your notes from sophomore year too, those will come in handy.

IA’s are overrated if you ask me. If you find a topic that you actually enjoy it becomes very easy to write about. In world religions, my IA was actually very enjoyable and I find that when I start to explore areas for other IA’s I can easily find topics that interest me and that I’ll enjoy writing about.

Gabi Schaal
 

Dear whomever it may concern,

Initially, I was very intimidated going into the year because all of the comments from others about “junior year” and it’s difficult work load, and don’t get me wrong it is difficult but there are ways to ease your workload and optimize your time. At the beginning of the year it was very overwhelming, I didn’t learn how to organize my time and work which was very beneficial to me being able to accomplish what I want and need to.

This year, if you plan on taking any sport or clubs make sure you recognize the time necessary to be successful in this area. I took up soccer, this is a very rigorous sport and if you have the same coach as last year you will be pushed to go to practice every single day. You must be prepared for this or else you will be overwhelmed. Although, this may not apply to all sports. Trying different sports may also be beneficial, I tried swim, track, and soccer in the past year and I found that swim was the most enjoyable for myself because of the social atmosphere and structure of the sport. If you’re wondering about joining a sport it is always helpful to talk to others who have balanced IB and the sport to understand their point of view.

The concept of organization and preparedness can also be applied to clubs and your CAS project. For your CAS project/experience it might be better to plan it ahead of time because toward the end of the year it can become hard to fit everything in. If you have any CAS experiences I also recommend you take photos because you will need evidence for it. For clubs, it is very nice to be a part of groups but you also have to organize your time around them. Key Club and NHS necessitate a lot of time but are very fun. It is also beneficial to take part in clubs that you find interesting because it will give you an outlet to meet other students who share common interests.

I hope you have fun next year and don’t stress out too much! It’ll be over sooner than you know it!

Isabella Almeida
 

Dear Incoming IB Juniors,

I know that at the start of junior year most IB students feel as if they have figured out how to succeed in the IB program, however, the junior year is an entirely different beast than first two years at the program. If you had problems with sophomore year, it was most likely problems with your coursework, but the Diploma Program (DP) goes beyond the simple struggle of hard classes. This is not to say that you will lack challenging assignments in junior year because I can certainly say that both the AP science courses (Bio is especially homework heavy in my experience) and Mrs. Harb’s AP Lit class require students to have decent time management skills and the ability to put large amounts of effort into the coursework. Most juniors have also been known to overwhelm themselves with clubs, jobs, college entrance exams, or other extracurricular activities. Before I go into any greater detail about how to deal with the previously listed problems, the simplest advise I can give to an incoming junior is to decide what attitude to adopt towards the program: if you don’t care about completing your IB diploma then it is absolutely fine to put minimal effort into your CAS project/experiences and IAs, but if you do care then you need to stay on top of your deadlines and budget the time to review every rubric for IAs and IB exam papers.

The first horseman of the IB junior year experience is the DP requirements, which includes CAS experiences, Internal Assessments (the IAs), and the IB exams. Mrs. Harb requires four CAS experiences to be entered on ManageBac, so I would advise filling out the online CAS form after every experience you do. The IAs are also a major part of your IB grades (and your regular grades as well) and because they involve a large amount of research, I would suggest working on them as soon as possible. Two of the biggest IAs in junior year are the IOP where you will give a presentation on a literary work in front of your class and the IOC where you will sit alone with Harb analyzing a work of poetry). The IB exams are also another challenging part of life in the DP as theses exams will give you a run for your money in the same way that the AP Exams do. Although IB exams are hard tests, there is really no need to worry because in my opinion our IB teachers do an excellent job of preparing the students for the exam (but, I don’t know what will happen after Mrs. Scully’s departure). Theory of Knowledge is the last major diploma requirement, and there’s no real stressors associated with TOK (except for the EE of course) so just trust in Mr. Guice and you’ll be fine.

The coursework associated with IB junior year isn’t too rough, but plenty of obstacles still obstruct the path of your IB junior year. At some points in the year you’ll be writing Harb essays once or twice every week, but just remember to relax and not to procrastinate. AP Biology contains the infamous formal fly lab where students must take care of several fruit flies over the course of Thanksgiving Break, and AP Chemistry contains several formal labs as well. There’s also really no need to stress over Precalculus with Ms. Frisbie, however, paying attention in class and studying for the exams is required for a decent grade in the course.

The last major task in your junior year will be completing tasks associated with growing older and these things take the form of college exams, drivers licenses, college tours, and applying for part-time jobs. Although it is not necessary to do any of these activities during your junior school year, I’d venture to say that it’s fairly important to learn to drive and take the SAT or ACT at least once during the year. I would also advise only touring colleges that you are truly interested in and you should only apply for a job if you have god-like time management skills.

Best of luck on the journey ahead,

Jack Slaughter

 

My junior year of IB was relatively stressful and full of surprises. Most of those surprises being assignments I forgot about at the last minute, kind of like this essay. The most important piece of advice I can give to you is to try your best to stay on top of school, but it should be noted that having a life outside of school is just as important. Having a good circle of friends, hobbies, and personal interests were necessities for me in IB. In order for me to keep calm and carry out assignments, I’d look forward to things outside of school. By having those tiny goals, I was able to focus on my studies and get things done, and before you know it your junior year of high school will be over like that.

One of my biggest regrets from this year was how bad my attitude was at the beginning of the school year. I got put in classes with people I wasn’t close with, and I treated this as the end of the world. I learned to make the best out of a situation that really wasn’t that big of a deal to begin with. Your attitude shapes who you are and how you treat others, so try to see the glass half full even when it seems like the hardest thing in the world.

All this advice you’re probably receiving may seem trivial, and it might as well be, but experience isn’t easily gained. That’s not to say you can’t pave your own path, but having people who have been through the program give you advice is very helpful. I had the luck of having two older brothers who have successfully completed the IB program, but for people who aren’t as lucky, making connections with upperclassmen is even more important. It’s never too late to make friends especially when the program we’re in has so little people. Do your best and try hard or else you’ll regret it 10 years from now when you’re thinking back on “what could have been”.

Luke Sandoval

 

Dear junior,

You are officially in the IB Diploma Programme! Congratulations! You’ve shown a true interest in the program if you have gone this far, and my first piece of advice is to not succumb to your tiredness, your procrastination, and other aspects that would make you think about dropping out. You will realize how demanding the program truly is during junior year, I won’t neglect to recognize that, but your freshman and sophomore teachers have done a great job at preparing you for the next two years that you will encounter.

First, I’d like to tell you to avoid procrastination. Easier said than done, and you’ve probably heard it a thousand times before, but it is the best way to stay a little stress-free during junior year. If you allow multiple projects, presentations, and assignments pile on top of you, you will most likely have a hard time this year. Speaking from experience, I let other activities dictate what I did with my time and there was an imbalance throughout the school year. I was unhappy with my grades and I ended up being completely stressed. This stress ultimately led me to lack in my schoolwork, and if you’re serious about your future, this year is the most important year. You will most likely be taking the first round of ACT and SAT. Again, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE on studying for these tests! In order to feel alleviated from the stress, I found that having things done early led to me being more prepared for everything else that I had to get done in my life. Being prepared for these tests the earlier you can be (as well as any other assignments that you get, like, a month in advance) will lead to a less stressful school year. I’ve also found that keeping a planner helps a TON. I was able to keep track of my assignments and I was able to get out of that funk that I was in, where I lacked in my schoolwork. If you do not already keep a planner, I suggest that you do. Also, if you highlight things and mark them as “done,” you will feel another level of satisfaction and will want to finish all your homework.

In regards to your classes, this year’s classes are higher level than the pre-IB classes you have taken. Therefore, there are high expectations that are held in each course. The coursework is going to get a lot heavier throughout the year and it is your responsibility to cut down on absences in order to be up-to-date on the material. Your teachers do not have enough time to stop and make sure that you, individually, understand the subject. They have a whole course to undertake in the duration of the school year. These courses have plenty of material to go through and you must keep in mind that your AP classes are a bit restricted due to the fact that your teachers have to go over all of the material that is going to be on the AP test. With that being said, try your best to finish all your homework for the night at a reasonable time so that you are able to get enough sleep! You are destined to fall asleep in class if you don’t sleep at home and you will miss quite a few things. Fortunately, Ms. Frisbie will always make sure that you stay awake during her lecture.

The last thing that I would like to touch on is extracurricular activities. You may think that these will take up too much of your time and that you should just worry about school, but colleges are not just looking at GPA and test scores. While academics are important, you have to show that you are more than the average student. Doing this will also help your growth interpersonally. I have made so many memories and friends through the clubs that I am in and the volunteer work that I am involved in. These activities and clubs will definitely benefit you, both in your future and your potential happiness.

Although this year is a challenge and you will definitely feel some pressure, I know that you will do great. Just remember to take care of yourself, as a student is what makes the grades, not the other way around. Enjoy this year, go out whenever you have free time, and try to be on top of everything. Know that if this year sucks, it is because you chose it to suck. We all make decisions and you are completely capable of making those that will help you rather than harm you. You got this!

Good Luck,

Andrea Rodriguez

 

To those whom this concern,

Welcome to your possible future in Pre-Calculus, I am your guide to your possible yearlong education session. My first main advice is to only take this class if you plan to have a career path that uses math extensively. It is not that this class is particularly hard, but since it is more complex than Math Studies, I suggest just taking that course. This is will allow for you to be able to take a much easier class that is basically review from previous course years.

My first tip for being in Pre-Calculus, is to pay attention. Not just for your grade but also so you do not get publicly roasted for not being able to answer questions when called on. She draws names at random so you never know when you will be in the spotlight. Another tip for in the classroom is to always correct the math for the homework during class. When she goes over the homework, you will be able to learn what you did not understand. She also docks points for stuff you do not do properly (I recieved multiple 7/10s due to this).

My next set of tips is mainly for quizzes and tips. If you want to get ahead now, learn the most common radii on the unit circle. They are crucial for a unit test and for several pop quizzes. Those pop quizzes are the only reason I got an A for my 3rd quarter. Another tip is to check the Edmodo before the test date. Ms. Frisbie always gives the class review problems they can do at home. They are extremely helpful.

Good luck and as long as you follow my tips, you won’t be lost in the classroom

Justin Hewitt

 

In Going Up

One year that can describe my junior year of IB is “thinking.” For the past ten months or so, I’ve deliberated over everything I’ve done; some thoughts have the magnitude of deciding what universities to apply for, and others were as mundane as a homework assignment. I believe, however, that thinking intently has set me where I am as I write this reflection, and I hope whoever reads this is as intent (if not more) with their decisions as I now strive to be. It seems that, in what many like to call “real IB,” each decision is important.

Homework is a straightforward topic to answer. Through my first two years of high school, homework was always something I felt secure about. I could sleep soundly knowing it would get done and that I would not sweat over the thought of failure or misplacement. That sentiment did not exactly parse well into eleventh grade. I noticed that I had to start thinking about each answer I put down and each thought I inserted into my essays extremely critically. Precalculus homework, for instance, was something I could not simply complete on a whim. For the first time in a while, I felt a challenge to the work I did. In essence, the homework takes a step up this year. Rather than worrying about quantity, you have to start looking at quality. Instead of having a math assignment with 20-medium problems, you have 10-12 problems with difficult sprinkled throughout. Instead of history assignments that stick to mere facts and events, IB history involves learning about motivations, intent, and reliability. So, instead of monotonous grinding of assignments, expect a constant exercise to your critical thinking skills.

With homework out of the way, I would like to discuss the substantial aspects to IB. Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS) will be something that can either be a burden or an insightful display of your lifestyle, depending on how you tackle it. I remember first dreading the prospect of creating a CAS project. With homework, internal assessments, and an extended essay to tackle, how would I have time to prioritize my extracurricular life and colleges? Despite realizing their importance in the future, their newfangled introduction to my life meant I was pushing it aside, while homework, as I described earlier, felt much more urgent. My advice here is to think long term. Even with the homework in front of you, remember that those looming issues with CAS and college will alleviate over time if you choose to approach things timely and gradually.

Keep in mind that while eleventh grade seems daunting, being motivated to work gradually, not grandiosely, is a good strategy to go with. Remember to think critically through everything you do this coming year, and to not take the year for granted.

Jerami Soriano

 

In terms of advice for junior year as a whole, I would say deadlines are the most important aspect of being successful. There are a lot more long-term deadlines than there have been freshman and sophomore years, but being able to break them down into more manageable tasks/sections is what helped me to stay on top of (most of) them. I also think prioritizing is a really big part of being able to get through the year; it’s already been an important skill to have throughout high school, but it became especially necessary with the amount of work this year. There have been some days when I knew I would realistically not get to everything I should have, so prioritizing what actually needs to get done versus what can be put off without too much consequence helps with last minute stress. Ultimately, basic task and time management skills were really helpful during the second half of junior, which I think has been the hardest semester so far.

Out of all the courses that I personally took this year, I think chemistry was the most difficult to me. My biggest piece of advice for that class is to do all of the work no matter what (this is obviously applicable to all classes). I thought that simply being able to do all of the work would be easy, but it turned out to take a lot more effort than I anticipated. My advice for literature is to annotate every book regardless of whether annotations are required or not; they’ll help for the inevitable assignments that involve looking back in the book. I don’t know how history class will be set up or taught next year, but I would definitely say it’s a good idea to at least look over the chapters you’re supposed to read. Doing something is always better than nothing.

Advice that extends to a lot of classes like precalc, history, and any language is to study even if you think you don’t need to. Even if this means just looking over notes, it’s always better to have some sort of preparation. This year I learned to study for the semester exams in precalc, which I now believe most people should do without question. I also learned that studying or going over notes even when there isn’t an assessment coming up can be really useful when you actually need to have knowledge on a subject in the future; I am still trying to put that into practice for French, but no one is actually taking French after this year so it doesn’t matter. Generally just be prepared even when there is not an immediate demand for that preparation, because you will always be better off later on if you did so.

Emma Massaro
 

Dear Incoming Junior,

Glad to see that you decided to stick with the program effectively closing yourself off from any sort of exodus that may coming in the form of dropping or reaching out to those at Collegiate. The biggest thing that anyone could say but everyone knows not may actually tend to and that is getting away from procrastination. DON’T DO IT, obviously. I can say from personal experience that you’d be better off, but I don’t exactly do much outside of school and community work. At least I get to sleep at about 10pm while I know some folks who go at 2 in the morning for ridiculous reasons due to procrastination or indulging in simple pleasures like YouTube or any type of social media.

Take that in mind, because it will seem as though the workload as increased and it has, but as always it is manageable. Watch it for Harb because you’ll be doing essays pretty much on the weekly basis for some months so prepare for that. I am aware that there is an upset over APUSH and many have had trouble with it, but not to worry. History this year will take a nice slow burn throughout the year. Literally it’s just the 20th century and you will be reading interesting texts to go along with war being a central theme. Also what goes in a nation’s head to start some of the biggest wars in history. Only thing is that you guys would have to be accommodated with a new teacher completely so there is a large chance that this would be different so be aware. CAS and the EE will require more of your involvement and are things you don’t want to get behind. Being more responsible and getting it done otherwise no one will talk about it or bother you about it until you are in trouble or it is too late as has happened to some students this year. Some legitimately haven’t even logged on to Managebac.

Good luck

Aryan Sahota
 

I know that a lot of people say that junior year is the easiest year you will have, but do not let that fool you. There are plenty of thing to keep up with. With it being your first year involving official IB requirements like the EE, CAS Experiences, and countless presentations, junior year is definitely not the year to slack off. I highly recommend that you establish a routine work habit early on. Yes, the due dates may seem far and yes, you could be doing something else at the time like watching Netflix or playing video games, but that procrastination will come back to bite you so fast. Start establishing a pattern that is sustainable, like having a snack or watching a quick show before you immediately start on homework. Something like this will establish an incentive to get your work done without overwhelming you with straight schoolwork from morning to night.

Another key element of the junior year that is key is organization. With CAS Experiences and all other kinds of presentations that you have to do, making sure you have all your notes available and adequate evidence for your experiences is a must. Staying unorganized will leave you scrambling at the last minute to find all of the things that you need the day before the due date, which from my own experience is not enjoyable to say the least. Create a cloud storage folder with all of your official documents and notes to make sure that you have them in a place accessible anywhere. If you don’t like online services, make a folder or binder that can keep all of your important stuff together. Organization will make or break you junior year, so I recommend you establish a habit of good organization early.

Lastly, just have fun. Just because you go to an IB school doesn’t mean you can’t have free time. Spend time with friends, get involved at school, and keep doing the things that make you happy. School shouldn’t take up your life and, in my opinion, worrying too much about every aspect of school will ultimately lead to your downfall. Remember to stay balanced because school isn’t everything. Heck, schools these days want a more rounded student instead of a purely academically successful student who has no involvement in his own school.

Look, you’ve already made it this far. I know that it may not seem worth it at times and I know that there are plenty of easier schools available to attend, but I believe that IB effectively prepares you for the pressure that college classes will put on you. It forces you to study and practice time management skills, preparing you to complete assignments that are due over a wide span of time. Whether you think the school itself was worth it or not, I hope you treasure the friends you make here. You will make some of the strongest bonds here struggling with your fellow classmates. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, most of us are just too afraid to ask and be the “dumber one.” To sum it all up, make sure to be productive and organized, treasure your friendships, and have fun.

Jacob Sebree
 

The first advice I’d give is to not procrastinate, but people will do that regardless so it is a waste. I have tried many times to prevent myself from procrastinating and it yielded great results. It may have been hard for me to keep it a habit, but when I did it, it worked. It feels amazing when you start stressing about your homework due tomorrow then realize that you already did it a day before so you can sleep easily and not have to get up in the middle of the night and do it.

I’m not sure if this is a problem or not, but be sure to take every chance of extra credit you have. When I was in Mrs. Scully’s class, she did these EC opportunities that really boosted your grade up since she doesn’t put in many grades. It doesn’t matter if you have a high grade in that class because it will save you if you ever forget to turn in an assignment. It’s not just her class since Mrs. Santiago gave chances to take the same quiz get the averages of the two scores. If you have a good score there is no need to do it, but it’s something that shouldn’t be overlooked because it isn’t considered extra credit. Getting high score in general will always help. To sum it up, take every opportunity to raise your grade as much as you can.

The most important tip I can give is to be organized. Though everyone already knows that It’s important, it is something I have neglected which led to me missing assignments or getting late to school. It has led to me stressing myself out when it could have been avoided. I wish I had done it sooner but making it a habit has been harder than it seems. I just wish that the teachers gave less paper to make it easier because I already have a trash bag full of papers and it’s all from this year. I always regret losing these papers because it always costs me my grade and that’s something I can’t afford to make worse.

David Marzan
 

Junior year is pretty rough. This was my toughest year. Starting from already a bad place emotionally, this year will take a toll on you. It definitely took a toll on me, both physically and emotionally. I wanted to accomplish a lot this year. I had so many goals and aspirations. I accomplished all of them except one, which i’m very proud of; however, at what cost you may ask? Well for one, the cost of my sleep. I rarely slept this entire year. I was either working on school work or on one of the goals that I set on myself. Sleep wasn’t a priority to me. This has affected my happiness, but not by much. Now that i think about it, most of the stress from this year was self imposed. I did HOSA, FBLA, film club, debate, etc. You make ask, was it worth it?

Yes. I would say the lack of sleep was definitely worth it. If i had not accomplished most of my goals, i think i would have been less happy by the end of the year. I keep telling myself, that sleep isn’t important compared to the achievements you will make. I do still believe this. If I had not accomplished a certain goal because i was sleeping, i think i would have been really mad at myself. Yet that is just me.

My advice to you is know who you are. If you’re the type of person who wants to achieve a lot and wants to get things done then set your priorities. There will be days where you need to complete something like homework really late at night, and you need to assess if sleeping is worth it. If its a miniscule assignment, then hit the hay; however if this assignment will benefit you in the long run, then you better crack open the red bull. This might not be good advice, but it’s the advice I stand by. Obviously, you wouldn’t have this problem if you procrastinate. So the better advice would to not procrastinate. But let’s be honest here; everyone procrastinates. Nobody’s perfect. If you have a classmate who says they don’t procrastinate they are lying to you. Good luck on your endeavors.

Reggie Ocampos
 

I know you’ve heard this thousands of times by now but I’m going to say it anyways. Get organized. I can’t stress just how important this is as I was not the most organized student at the beginning of this year and it caused tons of unnecessary stress. So, to combat this I came up with a plan that works for me. I had a planner and I never wrote things down as they were said but I was always on my phone so I just started typing assignments and due dates into my notes. Then, when I got home I would rewrite everything in a much more organized manner on my whiteboard. Putting checkboxes is also helpfully as it results in a sense of accomplishment when you get to add a check or if you’d rather strikethrough completed assignments that works too. I’m the type of person that likes to see everything going on at once so I also have a paper calendar that I fill in with important dates and assignments that I need to remember. All of this really helped me in becoming more organized and really lessened the amount of pressure I was under as I knew what was going on and what I needed to do to achieve my goals.

My next piece of advice revolves around TOK. I know Mr. Guice gives you plenty of time between EE due dates and he does so in order for you to have enough time to put forth your best effort and turn in something that truly says what you want it to say. Alright, so let’s be real here. You’re going to wait until the day before or more likely the day of the due date to meet with your advisor and rush to talk to them during lunch just to get their signature on a document. Of course, I wouldn’t know anything about this life, I am simply envisioning what it would be like. Anyways, please don’t let this be you as when the time comes and you actually have to sit and write this paper you’re going to make it hard on yourself for no reason when you had plenty of time this year to put the work in.

My last piece of advice is to relax, go with the flow, and HAVE FUN. I didn’t realize how important this was until I became part of a group of people that I have become extremely close with and each person is someone I would undoubtedly call one of my best friends. So, my point is, you never know who you’ll become friends with and sometimes people surprise you so just let it happen and live your life. (I’m in a very Hakuna Matata type of mood right now if you can’t tell) This program that we are in can be incredibly stressful so formulate your own group of people or at least one person who you know you can talk to about anything at anytime so you don’t have to go through it all on your own. Also, (I can feel myself going off on a tangent) your grades and your SAT/ACT scores don’t reflect how intelligent you are (yeah yeah I know I know another cliche but it’s true) but in fact the relationships you form with people is what matters. I don’t care if you got a 1570 on the SAT, if you’re a butt then I’m not going to like. So, just chill out. Don’t worry too much about things that are out of your hands. Have a good time. Hakuna Matata.

Sanika Desai
 

If I were to give you any advise it would be to exist with the people who make you happy. Your friends will carry you through high school but only if you surround yourself with real, true friends, whom you trust and know will treat you with nothing but kindness and support.

Another piece of advice I would give: Use your time wisely. And I don’t mean spend it all studying, although that may be necessary. I mean to spend it doing something productive. That could mean clubs, working out, hanging out with friends, or studying. Do not waste you’re time doing things that won’t make you better in the future.

The last piece of advice I can give you is to be yourself. Don’t get lost in the internet trends, your friends’ trends, or acting the way people want you to. Be yourself.

Nathan Smith
 

If I could redo sophomore year, the first thing I’d say to myself is that I’m not just a number. Throughout both my freshman/sophomore year, I spent a lot of time worrying about how my GPA/grades were not as good as others. This is such a waste of time, and you’ll just make yourself a wreck. If you don’t get that high A you want, it’s gonna be okay. Instead, make sure you spend time simply having fun–you’re in high school after all. Spend time with your family/friends, do activities that allow you to de-stress, etc. High school is the last stage before you’re thrown into adulthood when you go to college, so make sure you have a good time!

Extracurriculars are a great way to have fun (and they’re also awesome for college applications!). For example, in clubs like Interact Club, Key Club, or National Honor Society, you can do service projects throughout the year with your friends. These are great for community service hours. Or, in clubs like Asian American Association and Spanish Club, you can experience various cultures through food, music, movies, etc. However, one thing I would say when thinking about extracurriculars: don’t bite off more than you can chew. Joining a lot of extracurriculars is awesome, but make sure you can handle each one and stay on top of any requirements for the clubs!

Having fun is important, but that doesn’t mean ignore your classes. I think the most important academic tip would be that you shouldn’t procrastinate. Try to do your homework the day it is assigned — this definitely alleviated a lot of stress for me. If I had any questions regarding the homework, I could easily get help rather than being in a last-minute time crunch. You’ve probably figured this out by now, but don’t stay up until 3 writing an essay. It’s just not fun. I’m sure you’ll do awesome as you go through the next few years of IB. Good luck! 🙂

Abel Abraham
 

Hello, new IB sophomore,

It seems as if I have been tasked to give advice about getting through this next year of IB, and I plan to do so shortly. However, I would like to establish first that your freshman year is the hardest year in IB, even seniors will affirm this. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that this year is a cake walk, as it will have very stressful times as well.

What I mean by this is that there will be many times where tests or quizzes line up on the same day or week, and although rare, this can be quite intense. Trust me the rareness is in your favor, and there is no time that I can remember when I didn’t have the opportunity to study. There were times that I didn’t study out of laziness or false confidence (or both) and I failed quite extravagantly, even getting an F on a chemistry test. So, DO NOT skip study. Yes, Sophomore year is probably going to be your easiest year, but don’t let this get to your head. Something my mentee told me in a while ago that I didn’t consider until now is the fact that when you have more work to do you tend to do it more efficiently, and this is very true. In other words, if you’d like to get a lot of work done, pretend all the things with far out due dates are due tomorrow, you’ll punch through it. And surprisingly, it will be satisfying. Also, some of the teachers at IB are quite lenient on due dates, Guice especially, but do not take advantage of this or overuse it as I have done in the past, hurting my reputation with some teachers. Side note Frisbie is not one of these teachers, which in my opinion is good; she is very organized with homework and due dates for things and it’s quite hard to miss them. Anyways, that seems to be all the advice that I can think of for the moment.

So, in summary, the things that I can advise you to do is to not get too adapted to lax times, study no matter how confident you feel, put a lot on your plate to work faster, and NEVER take advantage of a nice offer to have something a day late. Please don’t pull a Caden and only pretend to listen to this advice, it will be MUCH easier for you.

Your Friend,

Caden Funk
 

The school life that I have yearned never came true. The life where everything was going to be easy; a life where I thought I could just play around. That kind of life will never work, as I have learned it the hard way. I used to think that cramming last minute (i.e. 2 to 3 days before a major test) will get me a good score; as it turns out, I was wrong. The correct practice was to absorb in the material the day the lesson was taught. You might ask, “What’s the basis of that claim?” The answer is simple: just take the advice and stop questioning. I have sabotaged my own grade multiple times in multiple classes (especially history) just because I never actually take in all the information immediately. The consequence of my incompetence was that I must cram one week before the days of my AP exams. It’s painful to study a year’s worth of content within one week.

What I have told you was a general tip that you should really consider following. What I am about to tell you is a general idea that you must keep in mind. AP U.S History is a mandatory course that I think should be given optional if you despise learning history; however, we must accept our fate and take this wicked course (the teacher is fine, just the course). What I hope you will understand is that history is taught in a very weird way. You first must self-teach yourself the basic facts of history, such as: the war of 1812, Mexican American War, the Missouri Compromise, the Truman doctrine, the Great Society, etc. The job of the teacher is to teach you how these events were related to each other. You shouldn’t expect to be taught what happened, but how did it happen. Math is the complete opposite, in my opinion, than history because I just need to know what I need to do to get a reasonable answer.

Joining a club will most definitely allow you to write things on your college application. I recommend you all to join a club if you haven’t already; however, don’t join 5 or more different clubs in a single year. Pick the clubs that you feel are the most important to you.

Overwhelming your schedule with useless clubs that you attend once or twice is a waste to your time and money (most clubs require a club fee).

In conclusion (THE way of ending your DBQ in your APUSH), sophomore year should be the easiest year of IB if you are considerate of your time. Plan ahead of time so you will not be overwhelmed by a “unexpected” essay that is due for your English class. Study every night or at least once a week. Join clubs and have a wonderful school life.

Brian Zhu
 

The advice that I’d give to incoming sophomores is to stay organized and be prepared to put a lot of effort into APUSH. APUSH ended up being the hardest class for me this year, so I strongly suggest studying for that course by reading the textbooks. Generally, it’s just always a good idea to stay organized because that helped me manage all my classes this year.

Another thing that I’d suggest is to be more involved in clubs. You’ll most likely have a lot more free-time in comparison to freshman year, so you can take advantage of that free time by joining clubs and doing other extra-curricular activities. For example, I ended up joining Key Club, TSA, and Science Olympiad, and these clubs really helped me enjoy this year a lot more.

Lastly, I strongly suggest trying to get your cultural hours done early into the year so you’re not struggling with one and a half weeks of school left in the year to try and get something “cultural” done. There’s lot of opportunities throughout the school year, so it’ll be really easy to get your hours as long as you remember about them.

Kevin Chen
 

My sophomore year of high school at IB has been one full of twists and turns. I have been prepared for many things, and I also have been completely unready for some things. I have had great experiences, and I have had some pretty pathetic experiences. All in all though, I am glad that I have stayed in IB and have gone through the hardships and successes that IB offers. Yes, the program is not easy and will get even harder junior and senior year, but in all honesty I believe that I am ready for real IB. I have made so many mistakes that I am happy to have made, because with them I have become a more responsible and hard-working student. When you are in IB, studying for tests and doing assignments become ever more important, and I have learned that procrastination is not what you want when going through IB. Trust me when I say this, the only reason that this year was easier than freshman year was that I was more prepared for the work and studying than when I was foreign to the system. I actually really enjoyed sophomore year because of my increased friendships, extracurriculars, and teachers due to how I used my time. I appreciated the value of time and although I did not use all of my time effectively, I still have definitely improved my capability to work under the influence of IB. This improvement has taken a lot of time though, but here are some tips to start improving yourself early.

When you get caught up in the rush of the IB program, always remember that THERE ARE people who want to see you succeed. Those people are your teachers, parents, friends, and most importantly yourself. When you move into the later years of IB, accept that you are not the only smart kid around and be yourself. Learn from your failures, ask for help, and believe in yourself. Upon entering the program, your mind was not designed to withstand such extreme measures of instruction and work. That concept is why most students become frustrated with the fact of not passing a test or forgetting to do a homework assignment. Relax. Don’t worry about your failures. NO ONE that has ever been successful in their life has had it easy. You WILL fail sometimes and make mistakes, but you WILL get up and keep going. You have to persevere, and you have to want your own success. My advice to you is to live your life as if there is no tomorrow. I used to get so upset after thinking back over my answers to tests and realizing that I had made stupid mistakes here and there. I cannot tell you how many stupid mistakes I have made in my life; some have been exhausting-staying up the whole night to write an English essay assigned a month earlier, and some have been just straight up dumb-messing up simple problems in math tests. Last year, I would worry about every assignment and every test, and I regret ever doing that. Not worrying about what happens in the past is the key here. The future is what you aim for, a better future that you will work for without the fear of failure. Get out of your comfort zone and aim high. If you miss then you miss but get up and keep going.

Now, I know that was more of a motivational speech than anything, but I really did mean everything I said up there. The world is your place to experiment and try new things. Do not be scared to stay up late and study for exams. Do not be scared over finals. Do not fear asking for help when you do not understand material. Most importantly, do not fear failure. That one statement is probably the one part of the IB mentality that most students tend to lack. People are there for you. The teachers in IB are amazing; they work diligently to give you the best education possible. You yourself are great. You just have to recognize that and be confident in yourself. As a sophomore, I cannot tell you how important it is to strive for greatness. What I mean is that you are in IB for a reason; wasting time on videogames (excessive playing) or social media is not what you want your high school years to be comprised of. Do not procrastinate and appreciate your time. Please ask for help from friends (do not cheat-there is a big difference between aid and collusion) or teachers; they want to help you, and they will make life fun for you. I have to say, you will have fun with those that are always around you. Just know that there has to be a balance between fun, education, and self-motivation. They can all exist at once if YOU make them exist all at once. Find what you like and relax if you are in times of panic. Pace yourself; time flies when you have fun and when you don’t have fun. Most important of all, do not procrastinate and be you. It wouldn’t hurt to put a piece of your creativity or personality into a world that fosters change every day.

Muhamed Jaber
 

Sophomore year in IB will be a struggle for many and a breeze for few. While freshmen may hear from other sophomores and juniors that the sophomore year in IB is the easiest, I beg to differ. During freshman year, students are taught how to manage their time wisely which is why most people would think that sophomore year is easy because students know how to manage their time better; however, I believe that freshman year teaches students more about themselves and how much they are able to procrastinate in order to complete their assignments on time. Sophomore year has been a struggle for me, because I chose to procrastinate on basically every assignment that was handed to me. Most of the classes are great though. If I had to pick a favorite class, it would either be Chemistry or Precalculus.

Precalculus is a hard class, but I’m sure that most students will find it enjoyable at some point. Ms. Frisbie is an excellent teacher and she makes the course material much more understandable. Ms. Frisbie also has a witty sense of humor which makes the class more enjoyable. In order to survive Precalculus students will have to put a good amount of time and effort into the work that they will complete. At the end of each unit, students will receive a unit review packet for the previous unit which will be due at the end of the next unit. I advise students to complete this review early on instead of the night before it is due, because the reviews are lengthy and difficult and it will be stressful trying to complete the review sheet in such a short amount of time; however, I completed all of the review sheets the night before they were due, so it is possible. If students struggle on their homework or review sheets, I advise that they do not freak out or spend too much time on one problem, because Ms. Frisbie will go over all of the assignments in class and students will have time to make corrections to their work. Overall, Precalculus is a great class that I believe most students will find to be enjoyable.

For all the incoming Sophomores, Chemistry is not something to worry about. The course material can be difficult; however, Ms. Loweke does a good job explaining it. I advise students to actually study for chemistry and learn their polyatomics early on. Having elements and polyatomics memorized will make all of the chemistry work easier to complete. Ms. Loweke will tell students to memorize their polyatomics, I am just saying this because there were some sophomores this year that did not learn all of their polyatomics early on and they struggled. Overall, Chemistry is a great class and many students should find it to be fairly easy, especially if they are math people to begin with.

The one class I struggled the most with is APUSH. I do not have much advice for students except for just hang on. I advise students to read the AMSCO rather than By the People when they are teaching themselves all of the material for the course. Most students will probably find this class to be the most difficult class, but please just hang on and motivate each other to continue to work hard in APUSH.

To survive Sophomore year, I encourage students to get their work done when they get it rather than get it done the night before it is due. None of the classes that students can take during Sophomore year will be extremely difficult, so students should manage their time wisely so that their sophomore year can actually be a breeze. Hang on in APUSH.

Jonathan Jones
 

Well, you’ve made it through your freshman year at IB. Congrats! Compared to freshman year, sophomore year is easier, but don’t let that be an excuse to get lazy in your classes. For the most part, sophomore teachers are very understanding about deadlines. Most teachers give you chances to use late passes, and others will let you turn in assignments later than the due date if you have a good reason and talk to them. The workload is about the same as freshman year; you will have math homework every night, occasional homework assignments for history, books to read for English, and occasional practice problems for science. Unlike Ms. Rossi, Mr. Guice doesn’t typically break our books into chunks, so don’t wait to read the entire book until the night before it’s due. You will be given assignment calendars in precalc, English, and APUSH; use them to make a schedule for your homework and studying!

You will probably find, as most sophomores do, that you will have more free time than freshman year. Don’t use this time to procrastinate on homework! Get it done when you get it so you are prepared and not stressed. Sophomore year is a great time to start taking your ACT and SAT tests, even if they’re just baselines. Your new-found free time is also a great chance to start collecting more community service hours, play a new sport, or get a job. All of these look good on college applications. It may seem like college is far away, but it will come fast. Make sure you’re preparing now by keeping good grades, taking hard classes, and bulking up your extracurriculars.

In my opinion, I felt like I had to study more for tests this year than I did freshman year. You might not see the point in reading the sections for APUSH, but you will regret not doing it when you are trying to cram 100 pages the night before a test. Make sure you take complete and detailed notes in chemistry, including all the example problems; they are good resources to study for the tests. Study the literary terms for English consistently; you never know when he will give a pop quiz. Use the practice problems that Ms. Frisbie makes before tests; they are sometimes phrased similarly to the ones on the tests. If you aren’t a good test taker, don’t worry too much. Almost all of the sophomore teachers weight their tests heavily, but they offset the points with many smaller homework and classwork assignments. Make sure to always complete and turn in the smaller assignments!

Good luck next year!

Tess Landreth
 

The most important thing for you to do is to get sleep and pay attention in class. It is important for you to understand what is being taught and not just take notes or listen. All the classes are straightforward except for APUSH – watch out for grade inflation and things that straight up don’t make sense or aren’t taught.

Spend your free time wisely – you have lots of it.

You might have that one class that you do “nothing” in. Use the class wisely while paying attention to the class at the same time.

Angel Miranda-Acosta
 

In AP Statistics it is very important to keep up with each lesson, as everything you learn will build on each other, and it is very possible that not learning something will lead to you needing to self-teach yourself something and then get behind in what you’re learning for a while. It’s also very important to, when taking any type of test, but especially AP Stats, read over everything very carefully because it is very likely you’ll miss something important in there which completely changes the way the question is answered.

In Precalculus it’s important to make sure your homework is done before class, as that will turn out to be a very large part of your overall grade. Although it is a large part of your grade, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try on tests too, as they are also large impacts on your grade.

Overall it’s very important to actually pay attention in class, and especially during morning periods. Even if you only get 1 hour of sleep you should put in as much effort as you can to both stay awake and actually take the information in, and caffeine isn’t always the answer.

Caden Heath
 

Incoming sophomore,

The year which is ahead of you will be full of ups and downs, as well as twists and turns. It’s as if someone took a water slide and turned it upside down after inverting it. Now, this will be true for certain aspects of this upcoming year, but there are a couple of things to do which could make this year easier.

The first important thing to do this year is focus in class; from personal observation and experience, I have discovered that the most effective strategy in succeeding is paying attention in class. For many people, paying attention allows them to perform excellently on the exams and assignments; however, for those who don’t pay attention and do things such as sleep, it is much harder to succeed on assignments and examinations. Additionally, it is important that you take responsibility for your actions. What do I mean by this? I mean don’t procrastinate; however, it’s ironic I say this when I’m doing this assignment an hour before it’s due. Taking responsibility for your actions means knowing your priorities and what you have to do. I won’t emphasize that procrastinating is bad – even though it may be terrible, everyone will be guilty of it at one point or another. The important thing, however, is that you learn from the instances in which procrastination leads to negative outcomes. You must reflect on what the consequences of the procrastination were and accept that your decisions led to these consequences. Make sure you take this responsibility – this responsibility is what will allow you to grow from experiences involving things such as procrastination.

Two other topics that will be important this incoming year are your academic life and personal life. It is important that you do not allow your academic life to engulf your personal life; if you find this happening repeatedly, you are doing something wrong. Be sure to focus on extracurricular activities and things you enjoy – these activities will enable you to relax your mind and may even contribute valuable aspects to your college resume. For me, one of these extracurricular activities was A–Team, an afterschool club which enabled me to relax and end my sometimes stressful week on “chill” terms. Most of your classes won’t be very different from freshman year. You will find that the workload of freshman year prepared you well for this incoming year. Some classes which caused a lot of people trouble this year were Chemistry and AP US History; my advice for these classes is to pay attention. I cannot emphasize that enough. The teachers are amazing and strive to help you – don’t be scared of engaging in class and actively asking questions. Most importantly, don’t stress yourself out too much. If things seem too overwhelming sometimes, take a step back, breathe, and a take a little break. Keep a calm, cool, and focused attitude in order to help you succeed. Remember that you are an IB student – you’re one of the smartest kids around and will do amazing!

Sincerely,

Aaryan Dhaduk
 

To whom this may concern, my Sophomore year in the International Baccalaureate program is neither as hard nor as easy as I would have expected it. Thus, I encourage anyone about to take their second year of IB to know what to expect. While the work load may seem like it decreases, the complexity of your courses and your responsibilities as a student are going to increase. You may have less homework in Sophomore year, but you will find yourself needing more time to study for exams and tests.

More specifically, I urge you to take advantage of study guides and opportunities that some teachers provide. If you take Pre-Calculus, make sure to do the study guides as you will find that the content on the study guides is very similar to what is on the exam. In APUSH, take advantage of your study guides and actually read your textbook as you need to retain a lot of information for this class. In a class where there aren’t study guides, such as chemistry, ensure that you understand your notes and everything you went over in class.

Most importantly, you need to persevere if you want to succeed in your Sophomore year. I found myself beginning to lack motivation halfway into the school year. Fortunately for me, I realized my severe need for determination. I had a newly-found sense of drive that pulled me through all of my finals, AP tests, and EOCs.

Matthew Snowball
 

Congratulations to completing your first year at IB, now you are one step closer to making it out of the program and doing what you want to pursue. While you did complete arguably your most difficult year, you still have 3 years you most put forth your effort into completing to the best of your ability, hence, your sophomore year. Many IB juniors, seniors, and even teachers will say that sophomore year will most likely be the year you will feel is the easiest. However, do not be put into a mentality of, “I can just breeze through this year no problem!”. Sophomore year poses its own challenges, but you can prepare yourself by following these three tips.

The first tip for sophomore year is to manage and plan your time out wisely. A properly kept agenda with all the due dates for assignments and tests is essential for this to work, allowing you to keep gather the information you need to manage your work load. Seeing all the dates laid out allows for you to know what to study for each week. Studying for all the subjects in one week will leave little time for other assignments and for the activities you do outside of school. Not studying for the right subject for that week can lead to you failing an exam worth one hundred or two hundred points. The same applies for assignments, doing an assignment due next week and forgetting about an assignment due tomorrow will lead to low quarter grades. By planning your time accordingly, you can get all the assignments and studying done for the week, while still maintaining a life.

Going off studying for exams accordingly to their dates, the second tip for sophomore year is to divide your study time according to each subject’s difficulty. For the most part, everyone has a subject they do excel in and a subject they do poorly in, and then the rest of the subjects are all moderately difficult. In sophomore year, you should identify which subjects are those for you. With the knowledge of your best, worst, and moderate classes, you know which classes to study for more and which classes do not need as much attention. Giving your worst class the most, your best class the least, and an even amount of study time to each of the other classes will allow you to maintain good grades across the board.

While the second tip can work for most people, a group of people may still find difficulty in the subject they are weak in; in case that person happens to be you, the third and final tip is to seek additional help. Some subjects are difficult for people to grasp, and the amount of study time they give to the subject, while large, is not enough for them to understand the material. The amazing thing about IB is that you have access to the top teachers of that subject in Polk county, and each one wants to see you exceed at their subject. All of them are willing to set time aside for you if you ask or send an email to them about a time and date. The one on one interaction with the teacher allows for you to ask all the questions you have about the subject and allows you to fact check any ideas you have about that certain topic. Even if it is your worst subject, spending time with a teacher who is extremely experienced with the subject will benefit you and improve your scores.

In conclusion, the tips that are presented are general, but important if you wish to succeed in sophomore year. Managing and organizing your work and time wisely, determining worst and best subjects, and seeking guidance if necessary are all basic tips on how to thrive in this upcoming year. Sophomore year does pose some daunting assignments and tests like in freshman year, but with these tips, you will be more than prepared for anything coming your way.

AJ Perez
 

Dear incoming IB precalculus student,

If you’re coming into this course unsure of if you made the right decision or not, I can assure that you did. I’m not going into what’s great about this course but I will give you some advice. Don’t miss too many classes or you will be confused (I speak from experience). Try your best not miss any test days so you can get the extra credit. As you’ve probably heard, you shouldn’t procrastinate. I know everyone is probably saying this but it truly isn’t good so you should take our advice. Once again, I speak from experience (I mean I am typing this an hour before it’s due so). But yeah, procrastination just isn’t good. Oh also, if you have a question, ask.

Try your best to succeed in IB, but don’t stress out too much. You need to find a balance between school and your social life. Personally, I had a lot of difficulty with this but once I found the right balance I was thriving in both. Definitely join some clubs, such as the OAC. They’re fun and help you make new friends. They can also give you many opportunities. For example, in the OAC you can hike and camp, make new friends, and also get community service hours for picking up trash along the trails.

Additionally, always remember that once something happens you can’t change it. Many times this year I would beat myself up for things I did (and for chances I didn’t take), and that didn’t have a good impact on me. Once that grade is in or once those words are said, they can’t be changed.  You can always try to improve but you can’t go back and change the past so don’t focus too much on it. Most importantly, I also feel like you should make your own decisions and not base them off of other people and what they’re doing — both with school and just life in general. Lastly, make sure to have fun and enjoy your time here while you have it. Make some nice memories and do some things that will leave you with cool stories to tell.

Hope this helps,

Maja Oponska

P.S. You can do this! I truly do believe in you

(Also, if you need some help or advice, you can come to me. And if you don’t want to go to me, just please be sure to go to someone)
 

Dear incoming peeps

Sophomore year is going to feel a bit easier at the beginning of the year however don’t get too comfortable with it. At the beginning it is something that you got used to last year and you get the hang of. But then it turns upside down and gets you with that uppercut. Time is going to be your worst enemy from here on out. If you can’t manage your time correctly, then it will come back and haunt you. As for always a rule of thought for every year of IB is to don’t procrastinate. If you do it will be your downfall. You might want to go out with your friends but know how to manage your time with fun and school work as now it will be more important.

Pre Calc

Overall pre calc was not a hard class if you know what you are doing. Just try not to fall asleep and you will be ok and do well. Ms Frisbie is an amazing teacher and tries to be reasonable with us and try to make us feel ready. Her teaching style is incredible and if for some reason one day you do not feel well or are not in the mood she posts all the notes online meaning that you can go back and look at them, Also if you correct her mistakes a certain times a week then you get candy.

Computer science

Don’t have to worry about this one as it is not a course and you can take it online. If you do take it online just manage your time again and incorporate time to do the online and school work. You can find it fun and do it quickly.

English

Mr. Guice is a chill teacher and will work with you. He teaches well, and you will have fun in this class. If you become known to him it will be even better. He focusses a lot on grammar which is good as many people will sometimes not know what to do and with him you will no longer have that problem.

APUSH

I don’t know how to feel about this class. It was mixed feeling with this one. Sometimes she was a good teacher and did cool stuff with us and was chill. Other times she wasn’t and was not fun. Overall this is mostly a teach yourself class and read as you might fall short of time to learn with her, so it is better that you learn on your own.

Chem

Loweke is almost like a student like us. She understands us and will cooperate with us. She jokes around with us and has fun. Her notes are always helpful and organized so for a test it will be easy. Just know the content as her test are basically your grade so do well on them. At the beginning it starts of easy and then the third and beginning of the fourth nine weeks that’s when stress starts pilling on you. Just make sure you get the content and study and you will be fine.

Stats

Naki is a fun teacher and teaches well. By this time, he knows you and knows almost what you are capable of. He tries to work with you and makes sure that you understand the content. Also, he has random moments of story time which make the class a lot more fun. Stats was easier than algebra 2 and Naki really prepares you for the ap exam. So, towards the end of the year this is one exam you really don’t have to worry about not doing well as he will prepare you.

German

If you take this that means that you took it before. It is not much different from before. Just know to do your worksheets on time and don’t fall behind on online assignments as that could bring your grade down. Porter is a nice teacher and jokes around but just pay attention.

Overall just do your best and don’t stress out about it. The 2nd semester is when everything starts to come down so just stay strong and hold on. All the AP exams and finals will be together and you won’t have a break from anything so just hang on and manage your time well. The teachers you get are amazing and will do their best to prepare you so they will do their part. It is up to you to do your part.

Jorge Andrade
 

To those beginning their sophomore year at IB, I’d first like to congratulate you for making it past the first obstacle in recurving your IB diploma; your freshman year. That doesn’t mean that you will get the opportunity to slack off now, quite the opposite.

I find that the hardest part of my year was learning to manage my time. I try to work on whatever will take me the longest first and work my way down to the shortest or easiest assignments, but it is up to you to decide how you tackle your pile of assignments. I’m sure that you’ve all heard this many times before, but I cannot emphasize enough that you should not procrastinate. Pulling an all-nighter is not a fun experience while you are doing it or the day after. Try to do your homework and projects as you get them instead of rushing to complete things the night before they are do, as some classes tend to have heavily weighted assignments due around the same time.

This is not to say that you should stress yourself with this upcoming year. Take 15 minute breaks from your homework, go for a walk, eat a healthy snack (processed goods might give you more of a boost in the moment but will lose momentum quickly), do a few breathing exercises. Your health, both mental and physical, comes before your grades.

Teresa Ko
 

Hello fellow IB student!

You have completed your first year at IB. Congratulations!

A lot of upper-class IB students have told me that sophomore year is the easiest. Like my dad would say, take that with a grain of salt. IB is easier in some ways because you have run the gauntlet of freshman year: surviving the ungodly school start time, learning how to take notes, and getting organized. However, there is more to IB than that. Here are a few things I would have liked to know before this school year.

1. Do not procrastinate. You probably heard this last year, but it may develop into a bigger issue this year because the teachers are much more lax and give long deadlines. Read the books early and don’t start an essay midnight the night before it is due.
2. Work super hard the first and third nine weeks. If you do that successfully, you have a buffer zone for the second half of the semester. It makes exam time a lot easier because you won’t have to make a super high grade to maintain that GPA.
3. Study. Like really study. Find something that works for you and do it WAY ahead of time. I personally find flashcards and a study buddy to work for me.
4. Practice what is on the test. Your classes are a lot different than last year. Pre-calculus requires you to practice the math. Whatever you do, practice your chemistry problems. This science course has a TON of math in it. Do the darn math problems from the textbook. When you think you have done enough math problems, do 10 more. Practice makes perfect (or at least better). It makes the exam seem easy because you’ve seen the problems many times before.
5. Study your literary terms for English, the trig values for Pre-Calc, and your vocab/conjugations for whatever language you have. You will find yourself better prepared than the majority of your classmates. It may be an ego boost for you, but it will strengthen your study habits.
6. Do not annoy your teachers. They control the almighty grade book. We all love that gradebook so make friends with your teachers.
7. Find a core group of friends, at least one in each class. That way if you are absent, they can send you the notes and you don’t get too far behind.
8. Have fun. This is very important for your sanity. That one B in a nine weeks won’t kill you. You can bring it up the next quarter and still have a perfect GPA. Trust me.

That is all I have for you. Good luck in your classes and study hard.

Sincerely,

Zoë Parker

(Someone who loves flashcards and chemistry.)
 

Dear incoming sophomore,

Coming into a new class is weird. At the beginning of freshman year, if you were like me, you were probably confused and felt as if you didn’t know what you were doing and how high school life worked. The world seemed ambiguous. By the end of my freshman year, while I knew how to plan for and do work, I was still surprised to find that the lingering sense of ambiguity of what I was doing with my life hadn’t gone away; I hadn’t become this organized, well-put-together person who knew how to handle life’s circumstances and aspects. I was still just a somewhat lost kid who didn’t have a plan for his life.

Now I’m at the end of my sophomore year, and I think that I’m beginning to realize that people who know just how to react to everything life throws at them don’t exist. I still feel the same as I did as a freshman, just sort of clueless as to what I was supposed to do with my time and a bit surprised that I’m almost a junior. So I guess what I’m trying to get at is that by getting older, that daunting sense of the irresoluteness of your existence doesn’t go away. That’s a good thing, because not knowing what lies ahead means you are free to make your future for yourself; you’re at the age where you can change the course of your life for the better. With this intimidating responsibility comes freedom as well. As a high schooler, you have more freedom than ever before (e.g. being able to drive and having more independence from parents).

I think that an important aspect of IB is to balance the both fun and responsibility that comes with freedom. In less annoyingly vague terms, make sure to do your work and to put effort into academics, but at the same time, have a blast while you can. Go hang out with friends and do things that you can look back on and be glad you did, or else high school won’t be enjoyable. Make sure to have fun despite all of the work, or else you will regret what you didn’t do.

Chances are you stopped reading this because the first few paragraphs entirely don’t answer any questions that would practically help you through sophomore year. If you are, thanks for bearing with it. Here’s some stuff you might actually care about.

First and foremost, I know if you’ve ever existed or if you’ve already read some of these essays/letters, you’re tired of people listlessly telling you to not procrastinate. It probably sounds like a meaningless broken record. With that being said, D O N ‘ T P R O C R A S T I N A T E. It never ends well for anyone. You are doing the same amount of work that you would have done before, except now your work is most likely going to suck and you want to die while doing it. Enough said.

As for your classes themselves, I have some advice too. These classes aren’t in any order that matters, they’re just in the layout of my schedule this year so that I can remember them.

👏👏Class Review:

Chemistry:

There’s a lot of math to chem, so if you were good at bio and are good at math, this class will be easy for you and possibly enjoyable. Luckily for me, I am a math-science person so this class didn’t take much effort. However, to those of you that find it harder to grasp math or science, from what I’ve heard, this class will not be easy, and you will have to study to do well. Either way, Mrs. Loweke is a really good teacher and makes chemistry easy to intuitively understand, which is good news to anyone taking this course. The hardest part of this course is probably the third nine weeks, specifically in the unit where we learn how to determine if a reaction will be spontaneous, in which a lot of the components seem abstract and hard to understand at the depth provided by the course. However, if you are good at math and science it should be no issue.

AP Computer Science:

Probably about two of you guys are going to take this so I won’t say much about it. This course got deleted from campus for a reason none of the students know (to our annoyance). As a result, some of us took it online and others just chose a new course. The only issue with the course is that you are on your own and are responsible for your own learning. Yet again, for math/logic people, this course is easy and even fun.

English:

Mr. Guice is a good English teacher. The way he teaches and grades things is logical, and he will accept different takes on writing assignments as long as the evidence is sufficient, being impartial to whether he agrees. This class has a lot more emphasis on grammar than most English classes, which is preferable for math/logic people (as opposed to more writing/synthesis assignments). I really enjoyed this class, as Mr. Guice is really fun and lenient but still teaches well. He also might hit you if you are standing up while he’s talking.

AP United States History:

oh

sorry about this one

Pre-Calculus:

Just getting this out of the way: I’m not saying this just because Mrs. Frisbie is reading these; this is what I truly think. Anyway, I thought precalc was a really fun and engaging class. We often get off topic on weird stuff that’s loosely or not at all related to the course content, which I find quite enjoyable. Additionally, the way the math is taught makes sense and is easy to understand. You might like this course less if you aren’t a math person, but it should be fun nonetheless. Don’t throw carrot treat or the FrisCon will plummet.

AP Statistics:

Also getting this out of the way: I’m not saying this because the teacher can kick me out of my house in two years from now, it’s my honest opinion as a student. I sort of liked statistics, but it’s not at all what I thought it would be. There’s a lot more abstract reasoning rather than concrete math, with estimates for ranges of numbers dealing with wanted information about populations. Then, those estimated ranges of numbers are used to make more estimates about whether a hypothesis is true or not. There’s a surprising amount of subjectivity. However, the math is pretty interesting and has lots of applications. Unfortunately, there is much more writing than one might expect in this class.

German:

If you’re doing German, then you took it last year, so my advice is a bit useless. However, I can say that if you thought German was easy last year, it will be easy this year, and vice versa for those who find it hard. Don’t build up VHL assignments.

In general, I enjoyed almost all of my classes this year (6 out of 7 to be precise), and I’m sure you will enjoy this year. While they say Sophomore year is the easiest year, which is probably true, don’t think it’s going to be like taking intensive reading. This is still IB and you should remember what you signed up for; there are still some nights with 4+ hours of homework even if you didn’t procrastinate. Remember to enjoy this while it lasts.

Jacob Nakamura
 

Dear incoming sophomores,

Good job on successfully completing freshman year; the fact that you were able to survive through the freshman year shows that you have the capability to complete the IB program. My biggest advice to you as a sophomore is to do more activities outside of school because you will probably have the most time as a sophomore in your IB education. Personally, I noticed that I had way more time than I did last year, I even managed to get an average of 6 hours of sleep this year compare to last year’s four hours. Thus, I think sophomore year is the best year to start joining clubs, volunteering more, and sports because I’m pretty sure junior year will be insane with the amount of work (based just looking at the classes that I have on my schedule) that you need to do.

Now as for the courses that you will take this year; I will go through my personal schedule so that you have a good idea of how classes would go. For first period, I have pre-calculus with Ms. Frisbie, honestly I think that I have learned the most math in one year compared to any other math courses that I have taken in the past. I think the reason why this is the case is that the class is just super well organized by Ms. Frisbie. You can find everything you need on her website (worksheets, formula sheet) and she provides a calendar that very accurately tells you what to expect in the 9 weeks. Finally, the notes that she posts on what we did in class is super helpful and I use it all the time whenever I forget something or study for a test (I never take notes in her class because I know she post the notes on edmodo and those notes are better anyways). For second period, I have AP statistics of Naki, which is a more difficult class than pre-calculus because you have to write more than you do the math and if you forget to write one word, you can lose a lot of points for it. Despite the class being a little more challenging, it definitely prepares you for the AP exam very well. For third period, I have pre-ib chemistry with Loweke. This class offers a lot of concepts that are easy to understand (Gas laws, molarity, stoichiometry, etc.), I understand things very well but the class itself is more difficult for me because I can make a lot of careless mistakes. For instance, when I calculated molarity on the test for molarity, I forgot to change the Celsius temperature into kelvin which cost me a lot of points. One thing I recommend for doing better in chemistry is just to do a lot of practice problems. For fourth period I have AP European history with Mr. Wright and all I have to say for this class is study more individually. For fifth period I have pre-ib German 2 with Herr Porter. This class is structured basically the same way as it was last year so if you did well last year, you should do well this year (remember to do vhl assignments, paper assignments, and study vocabulary). For sixth period I have AP United States history with Mrs. Sommer. I personally think that this class is really easy but super tedious. We got so many random paper assignments and writing assignments (DBQs and LEQs) that I have a hard time keeping track of when things are due (the calendar didn’t really help because dates keep on changing). My advice for doing well in this class is just practice answering multiple choice questions for her exams and talk to her about your DBQs before you turn them in. Finally, for seventh period, I have Mr. Guice for pre-ib English 2. In my opinion, Guice is my hardest class because I just loathe writing and don’t really enjoy learning about grammar. However, I think for most of you guys, this will be an easy class because Guice is very chill.

Just remember, to do your best in every class and save time after school to pursue activities that you enjoy. Also, remember to get as much sleep as possible because the more sleep you get, the better you will perform in school (trust me I learned this the hard way). I think that’s all the advice that I can give so good luck next year future sophomores.

Benny Liu
 

Dear incoming 10th grader,

Congratulations on making it through your first year of I.B! You’re a fourth of the way done. I know that doesn’t seem like a lot now but trust me it will go by quick. In my experience, the second year of I.B. goes by much quicker than the first. The first year is full of lots of useless worksheets and time-consuming material. The second year of I.B. is more about tests and quizzes. This year will be easy if you are a good test taker. It is a good time to figure out how to study the most efficiently based on your personality. For me, the hardest class this year was chemistry. I was very bad at the subject. With that class make sure you study hard at the beginning. This allows you to set a strong foundation for the rest of the course.

First I will discuss the teachers. The teaching staff for I.B. tenth graders is very strong. Most of them are very knowledgeable in their subject and know the best way of teaching you. They are all very approachable even if they may not seem like it in class. They just want to better your education. Just trust them and ask them questions. I promise that they don’t bite… that hard. Classes during your tenth-grade year tend to have deadlines that are farther away than just the next class, so keep up with your work. If you procrastinate then the year will be very hard for you. Most of the teachers don’t put in a lot of classwork or homework so make sure that you do the little that is assigned. Also do the extra credit in case you don’t score as well on a test as you thought you would. I promise, it’s not too bad of a year if you just keep up with your work and study your notes.

The next thing I want to talk about is extra curriculars. Colleges look at extra curriculars when you apply. They are impressed if they see that you have not only juggled a rigorous program like I.B. but have also been able to do other things in your free time. If you aren’t athletic, then volunteer. There are plenty of places to volunteer at in the community. Just make sure to make some time for something other than school work! I hope you have a great year. I also hope that the information I gave you helps even a little bit. Just believe in yourself and do your work like you should and you will be fine!

Regards,

Logan Duncan
 

I would tell anyone that is coming into the course that it is not as hard as it seems. When I started 10th grade it was overwhelming at the beginning. I would advise to approach the year one day at a time and make sure that you do not leave any work for the end of the 9 weeks because that just makes everything ten times more stressful.

AP US History, English, and chemistry were they classes that required more attention for me, so I would say to stay on top of those classes. If you take German, do not leave all the online homework till the end of the quarter because it will kill you.

Coming out of freshman year will make sophomore year easier but time management is still a big part of a successful year. Perfect your time management skills and that will leave you with more free time and less stress.

Angely Chavez
 

Hello incoming IB person.

Whether this is your first, second, or even third year of IB, there is still a lot you have to learn about the IB program, precalc especially. First, and most important, is being organized. If you are organized, then you will be able to turn in your assignments on time and completed. Doing your assignments is important, but how can you do your assignments if you don’t know what they are. Speaking from first-hand experience, sometimes you complete homework, but then proceed to leave it at home. Don’t be like me, and be organized.

Another important thing to learn is that if you feel like you need help in an area, don’t have so much pride that you aren’t willing to ask for help. Swallow your pride, and ask maybe one of your classmates or Ms. Frisbie for help on an area you don’t understand. If you fail a test, ask for help from someone, then go in and rock the make-up test.

A third important thing is to have some self-confidence. I see many of my peers who have 0 confidence in themselves, and as a result, they feel insecure about many things that are trivial. Have some self-confidence, walk with your shoulders back, arms straight, and look people in the eye when you talk to them. This will make a drastic difference in how people perceive you, and how you even perceive yourself.

A fourth important thing: self-control. I get it, everyone wants to have fun, but you need to know when and where is the appropriate time to have fun. If a teacher is saying something, don’t interrupt them, that is plain rude and annoying to other people. You have to understand there is a time and place for everything, and understanding when and where you can say and do certain things is extremely important. Have enough self-control that you can contain what you want to say until someone is done talking.

There is more information I would like to explain to whoever is reading this, but some of it would be too lengthy to talk about. So this is a list of some important things I feel like everyone should know. Organization, self-confidence, and self-control are all virtues you MUST master in order to succeed in IB. Also, just note, getting a “B” is not the end of the world.

Sincerely,

Daniel Scott
 

The sophomore year is much better overall than freshman year. I don’t know if it is the fact that we are more used to managing homework or because the teachers actually give less homework, but it is true that the workload seems much less. So if you use your time wisely, sophomore year should be fun.

Subsequently, the aspect of school that improves the most by far is English class. Guice is probably the best English teacher that you have ever had. Enjoy.

Lastly, you will have APUSH. Unless you really like history, this class won’t be the highlight of your day, and I seriously doubt that you like history to such an extent. You probably won’t struggle with regards to your grade, as there are so many points in the gradebook. Just make sure to write the LEQs, SHACKs, and DBQs well.

Vraj Patel
 

The 2018-19 10th grade school year for me went by so fast. I would recommend for you to keep track of your time as it goes by so fast. The workload compared to 9th grade was similar but still less so if you managed fine last year you will do fine this year. Mr Guice’s class is absolutely nothing like Rossi’s; it is so much easier so that wouldn’t be a problem. The hardest class for some was Chemistry so be prepared for that.

The 10th Grade year gave me a lot of free time as the homework and workload was less than 9th grade. I would recommend for you to seek opportunities to showcase your talents (or just relax like me and do nothing whichever one you prefer). In general, hang out with your friends (if you have any); I did and they gave my company and made this school year far more enjoyable. Treat your teachers well as you will have some of them in 11th and even 12th grade (Like Ms. Frisbie in 10-11th or 11-12th).

IB Precalculus for some can be tough and difficult so if you are in trouble and need help don’t hesitate to ask. Our teachers are more than willing to do so (same with chem and other classes for some). I have a good chance you probably won’t listen to this command but try not to procrastinate (like me writing this at 10:58 PM on the day it is due) it will come back to haunt you later. Overall, manage and use your time wisely and form genuine bonds with others and your class.

Samuel Mulaparthi
 

Sophomore year can be stressful at times, especially with chemistry, APUSH, and two math classes. One of the most important things to do is set an order of importance for which classes matter more to you and which ones you think you should prioritize over others. If there is a class that you are very good at and you can make great grades in without doing more work than what’s required, then don’t do more than what’s required. If there is a class that you’ll fail in if you don’t put a significant amount of effort into it, put a significant amount of effort into it. You only have a limited amount of time in your week, and your mental health is always important, so prioritizing is your best friend.

Another incredibly important piece of advice is to make your limited number of late passes last. If you end a quarter without using one, but you manage to get all of your work turned in, you’re doing great; however, sometimes it just isn’t possible to get all your work done, or you just forget. Keep track of which classes offer late passes, the teacher’s policy on how late passes work, and which you’ve used. If a class allows late passes to be turned in for extra credit, try not to need them. If a class only offers one late pass a quarter, don’t use it unless you absolutely can’t get the work done. It’s always good to have a fall back. If there is a night that you know you aren’t going to be able to get all of your work done, you can plan to use a late pass, or you could turn the work in late, depending on the class. Make sure you do your work when you should, but always keep late passes and late work policies in mind when doing homework.

Lastly, try to make sure you have supportive friends. I don’t think I would have made it to this point in the year with my mental state mostly intact if it weren’t for my friends. It’s always important to have friends inside and outside the program that can help you through the problems that you’re dealing with, be it homework or something personal. Chances are, you already have friends in the program, since freshman year tends to help people come together in the stressful environment that is IB, but be open to making new friends, and don’t take letting go of old ones too hard. I thought the friends I had last year would be people I was extremely close to my entire life, but this year has proved me wrong. Despite having to say goodbye to several long-time friendships that just weren’t working anymore, I feel as if the friends I’ve come closer to this year are people that I have a much stronger connection with. Don’t be afraid to open yourself up to people you never thought you would hang out with, I’ve even become really close friends with someone I used to call my nemesis. Friendships can be a hard thing to make or let go of, but opening yourself to that can make your experience as a student and as a person so much better.

Adara Harris
 

IB in itself can be a daunting setting. The brightest kids in middle school now struggling to keep their GPA afloat is a somewhat likely description of how many people, both IB and non-IB view the program. Freshman year is similar to the selection process, where students decide if they want to stay with the program or drop out and take less rigorous coursework at their zoned school. As far as my class, this is the time when most students dropped out, leaving only those with the will to stay. Now that you’ve just gotten past that year, you now have more flexibility and can decide how you want to branch out throughout the rest of the program

Sophomore year is not too different from Freshman year. Having experienced and gotten used to the IB coursework as well, the previous year’s teachers have prepared you well given that you were diligent and motivated to maintain your grades. Sophomore year compared to freshman year differs from person to person. Having taken APES last year along with the standard IB classes, I found the workload to be much lighter than freshman year. The tradeoff is that the work can be much more difficult than Freshman year, meaning that you might have to put some time into studying material you have trouble in.

Personally, I found chemistry to be the hardest class given my trouble in remembering formulas and constants, especially as the year progressed when we had to combine certain concepts mathematically. APUSH starts out heavy on reading but eventually lessens the load in favor of more studying to prepare for the AP exam. The class where most things came naturally to me was Precalculus. Unlike chemistry, where you have to find out how to apply your mathematical knowledge, precalculus was straightforward. The math itself was more difficult, but the way the class was set up with the lectures and assignments helped me learn the material and I personally found the class enjoyable.

Overall, if you did good in Freshman year through adopting good study habits and paying attention in class, keep it up in Sophomore year. Those same habits will likely prove to be even more effective with the lighter yet more difficult workload. If you haven’t then I strongly encourage you to find a system that works, because it will only get harder from now on.

Joshua Flores
 

Hey Freshman (and future Pre-Calc Students who procrastinated on this essay and need examples),

The IB experience is nearly guaranteed to be different than your run of the mill high school, but that’s what makes it so entertaining. From the workload to the overqualified teachers, going to IB sets you up to receive one the best educations possible. Not only is the academia itself extraordinary, but so are the people you’ll meet during this program. In fact, you’ll be surprised to find how many likeminded idiots there are around you. One would be hard pressed to find a “normal” student in the any IB class, so don’t worry too much about fitting in. You’ll find yourself surrounded by people who are anything but normal.

You probably have heard the de facto advice of “Don’t procrastinate” so I won’t bother repeating useless information to deaf ears. One piece of advice to try and avoid is pulling all-nighters. All-nighters use to be cool in middle school but in IB they become commonplace, so no one really cares. Sleep is important and if you’re not getting enough at home you might fall asleep in class. That’s a rabbit hole you don’t want to go down, trust me. Obviously, you won’t be getting 7-8 hours a day, but just get enough to function through the day. I’m a tad bit lazy so I’ll just make a list of things I’ve learned not do which is as follows: Don’t cram for AP’s, don’t set a fire proof table on fire during a state competition, don’t take classes just because your friends are, don’t try to please everyone, avoid doing STNT’s at lunch, don’t fall asleep during notes, and don’t forget your ID at home.

Moving to good advice, there are several important things you should do when you enter IB. The first being learning how manage time. I know a few lines of text probably won’t change a life time habit but at least don’t put massive projects and final preparations off until the last day. I’m not qualified to judge considering this assignment is due in sub five minutes but at least try to manage better than before. This will be especially useful if you choose to participate in clubs (which is another thing you should do). **Join swim team** Don’t try to join as many clubs as possible to look “well rounded”, colleges aren’t dumb. If they have to choose between a person who is in eleven different clubs with no accomplishments in any of them or a person who went to internationals in both of the clubs [s]he’s in, it becomes a pretty easy decision. Choose clubs you’re interested in and drop the rest. I got lazy again so here’s another list: Attempt to do homework the day it’s given (key word being attempt), be kind to your teachers and classmates, get some leadership experience, find a place to volunteer at for hours, spend time with your friends outside of school, spend time with your family (you’ll be gone in four years), and most importantly pay attention in class. That covers most the advice I would have given my freshman self, so hopefully it’s enough for you.

Varun Singh
 

Dear student,

This year will be a wild ride start to finish. I’m going to say what everyone says but don’t procrastinate. You may think the deadline is forever away, but I guarantee the year will go by so fast a month will feel like a week. When the deadline finally arrives, you’ll probably have three tests to study for and four assignments to do. The best thing to do is work for two uninterrupted hours every day on any homework you got that day.

Furthermore, if you do find yourself drowning in assignments, talk to your teachers. Your teachers know how hard IB is and they’re here to see you succeed. If you are worried about a test, ask your teacher for help. If you are confused about a lesson, ask your teacher for another explanation. If you are struggling with time management; ask your teacher for advice. You might get frustrated for a grade, but your teacher will sit with you and explain why you got that grade. Your teachers want the best for you and will help you if you ask.

Finally, make the most of your time. You don’t want to spend your time complaining about this or that; spend your time learning all you can or spending time with friends before school becomes too hard. Go to dances and enjoy school. Get excited for life and you’ll find your time in school will go by almost too fast. Enjoy your freedoms and live your life for you.

Sincerely,

Izzy Sawyer
 

Dear incoming freshman,

Congratulations on making it through the year where you thought you were going to die multiple times! You didn’t. Honestly, mainly everyone would count sophomore year the easiest out of all the years of IB. Sorry to say it isn’t, it’s still IB.

Because it’s IB, it’s still advanced and more complex subjects. It’s easier in the sense that you learned what to expect or what the IB standards are, but at the same time, it’s still kind of hard. At least for me, and you have to take into mind how I’m the average student of IB, definitely not at the top. My best advice is to not get lazy and slack off just because you can. The course load you get lightens up so you get into the habit of putting less effort. Once you learn that deadlines are a month later, you’ll slack and procrastinate. Freshman year, I was an overachiever and always strived towards the “A.” Sophomore year didn’t require that much to get an A, so I slacked off which was where it got dangerous. It’s a bad habit to break once you get it, so my advice is to not get it in the first place. I’m not saying that you should be an overachiever but to at least keep the effort up before it gets bad.

As for classes and teachers, this year you’ll get really great teachers. Not that last year didn’t have great teachers considering you have Rossi, Allison, and Kennon in the mix. This year, however, you are going to have Guice. He’s really chill and funny and makes English kind of breeze. Yes, there’s going to be random literary terms quizzes, and you are going to regret not studying them every week. But besides that, English is where you could breathe. He sets deadlines like a month later, so that’s half the reason why. He’s reasonable on a lot of things, such as homework and deadlines, but make sure not to procrastinate. Loweke made scary chemistry, a lot less scary. She’s really understanding and an amazing teacher who will make sure you understand the concepts. Also, make sure you memorize your polyatomic or they will haunt you for the rest of the year. Frisbie is really awesome, who I didn’t really appreciate in the beginning of the year because she kind of scared me. I quickly got over it though once I realized how great she is at teaching Precalc so it’s understandable and almost easy. She always makes these review packets before the test, which are essentially just the test, so make sure to do those. Trig quizzes will either be your best friend or the death you, so I recommend memorizing those.

You are already told a million times to not procrastinate, so I’m not going to do that. I am, however, advising to manage your time. Just because homework takes five minutes does not mean you should do it the lunch period before. Lunch was always the break for me where I could talk to friends and filling that time with school stress is not fun, to say the least. Manage your time appropriately so you have social time as well as time for your homework. It’s still high school where you should enjoy a life not centered around the work. I am still learning this, considering I always find myself staying up to 12 on Sunday night trying to finish the homework for every class. Speaking of C days, your teachers are forgiving if you don’t have everything prepared for every class, so staying up to prepare for every class is sometimes not worth it. And the lack of sleep then kills you in class later on where learning becomes really hard when your half asleep. Frisbie’s class this becomes especially true, especially when your card gets pulled. Sorry for the scattered direction of this advice letter but I mean you have to consider I kind of procrastinated this. See still learning time management. Anyways, I’m sure you’ll do fine just avoid my mistakes and you’ll do a whole lot better.

Best regards, a past sophomore student,

Jessica Loaiza
 

Dear incoming sophomore,

If you’re anything like me, your first year as a freshman was quite the eye-opener. Many new ideas and lessons could be drawn from your freshman year, like studying more and getting a proper schedule; therefore, repeating all these ideas in this letter would be repetitive and pretty useless, as they have already been stressed so many times. Don’t get me wrong, though. These ideas are still pretty important and can help you through your sophomore year. There are, however, other things that I can say that I think are just as, if not more, important and relevant. That being said, the classes you take can be generalized and categorized into two distinct groups: classes that are more conceptual and classes that are more memorization-based.

What I mean when I call a class “conceptual” is that it doesn’t require that much memorization of a bunch of information, but rather is based on working out problems through a process. These are the classes that I don’t really recommend studying too much for, as most of it is application, which can’t really be studied. Personally, I’ve never spent more than 20 minutes studying for any of them, and they all were easy. Based on my schedule, these classes are German, pre-calculus, AP statistics and probability, and chemistry. The second year of German is when you should start to actually understand German and its grammar, something that completely flew by me during the first year, and is when you start noticing trends, relating English concepts to German, and refine prior lessons. All you really need to do is keep up on the online homework and German should be an easy A. The next two are pre-calculus and AP statistics and probability. They both are pretty easy. All you have to do is pay attention in class and understand the processes through which the problems are solved. Both classes are good times to catch up on homework or cram for upcoming tests if you know what you’re doing. The final one is chemistry. Since this is the first chem class, all of the concepts are really easy and basic. There’s not much else to say about it other than to do well on the tests, and it’s an easy A.

The next type of classes are memorization-based, which, as the name implies, require a lot of memorization rather than concepts. These are the classes that I recommend studying the most for because it’s harder to forget random pieces of facts than actual processes. Based on my schedule, these classes would be English, AP psychology, and AP U.S. history. English is a bit of a mix between concepts and memorization. The grammar lessons are definitely more conceptual, having you determine what a word acts as in a sentence, but there’s also tests over books and literary terms that requires a lot of memorization, which is why I classified it as memorization-based. Be sure to read over your essays, or have someone else read over them, before you turn them in to find grammar and spelling errors that could cost you a few points. Overall, this class is relatively more challenging than the conceptual classes, but it isn’t that hard. AP psychology and AP U.S. history overlap quite a bit, with most of the learning coming from reading the text books in both classes, and both curriculums having a lot of purely factual information that has to be memorized. These classes aren’t particularly challenging, but they definitely are more tedious, and I would recommend spending most time studying for the tests in these classes. It’s also important to note that AP psychology has plenty of time in class to work on other stuff, but AP U.S. history doesn’t.

Logan Altvater
 

I think that opposed to Freshman year, Sophomore year is a real test of endurance and will. While there was infinitely less homework to deal with, the tests came rapidly and weekly. There is period in the middle of this year when you will have 2 to 3 big tests a week and will feel extremely stressed. This was apparent in everyone in our grade, even the smartest people.

My advice for dealing with this is to cut out all your distractions. I suggest putting your phone on silent and out of reach while studying or doing homework. It does make a difference. Studying with friends that are as focused on their education as you is also important and effective.

I’d also advise committing yourself to doing clubs and sports. While you may think that this is going to take up precious time, the rewards are substantial. It gives you purpose and pride and can help deal with the massive stress that you may feel. Don’t be afraid to talk to your teachers as well, because many of them can be lenient when given a good reason.

Gus Mittal
 

Depending on what school you came from, IB curriculum can be either the same rigor on a different campus or a major adjustment. I was one of the freshmen who had some major adjustments to make. Most importantly, I learned to respect deadlines in my first semester. If possible, it’s best to do your work as soon as you’re able to prevent a backlog, it feels much better than being rushed.

Class ranking is not as important as people will make it seem. It’s likely that, no matter what school you’re coming from, you’ve been at or close to the top of your class for a while. Your peers in IB will be other top-of-classers, so it’s best to consider only your own grades rather than comparing to your peers. With that being said, take your classes based on interest, not contribution to your GPA.

Overall, IB is a place for people who enjoy learning and want to make the most of their high school years. It’s not for everyone, but with time and effort you can do well. Join clubs and make sure to have extracurriculars you’ll enjoy, your time spent in high school can be great.

Liam Holton