Are IB students destined to be consumed by academics?

Each school year a new grade of 11th graders rise up to the challenge to complete the IB Diploma.

For some that challenge starts earlier than others through their ability to take IB science classes as a sophomore.

Though many choose the path of IB, either through pursuing the full IB Diploma or taking many IB courses, not all are actually ready for it. Regardless of previous academic success in past rigorous courses, the time and dedication required to be successful in rigorous courses like IB is all too real and may pose a real challenge to some.

Talking to my friends, most of whom are pursuing the full IB Diploma, it seems as though most are equipped with the ability to sustain themselves running on much less than the recommended hours of sleep a night. With many of them reporting numbers as low as two and as high as five. I was left to wonder if school really was as taxing for other students as for them. I see this pattern in junior students as well, old habits should die hard, but instead they rinse and repeat. Talking more with friends and peers, I also learned that many of them are seemingly unable to find the time to do things like socializing outside of school—even on the weekends. They dedicate their lives to school, and though academically it has paid off for these individuals, it has taken a lot to get here.

For many IB students—mainly IB Diploma candidates, it seems as though they struggle to maintain a healthy balance between self-care, like getting sufficient hours of sleep per night, and taking time to rest and their academic demands.

Though, not a reflection or criticism of the IB courses or diploma candidates in any way, one must wonder why every year a new class of juniors and seniors continue to struggle to maintain a healthy balance between their personal lives and their academic lives: it seems that eventually the lines always blur, with the academics always gaining superiority over the personal lives.

As a new class graduates each year, the hope is that this habit will not follow seniors into their post-secondary lives.