Anxieties about IB Diploma Program at BIS Houston

Welcome back to another year at BIS Houston, where we are almost back in full gear. Although the masks must stay on, students are now allowed to move more freely across the school, eat inside, and be less socially distanced. This also means the IB students get the IB lounge back, an area that includes its own fridge, microwave, and study/eating spaces. It was given to the teachers in the previous year, due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

Although we are now returning to a form of normalcy, this does not change the great leap that the new year 12 students are having to make into IB, myself included.

With the last-minute exam cancelations and the frantic gathering of evidence, the year 12 students still haven’t had a proper chance to get used to large exams or a normal year of high school before being thrust into an entirely new way of thinking. 

The IB diploma program is known for its difficulty, but also its amazing ability to entirely prepare students for a life after high school. It’s made up of taking 6 subjects (three at a higher level and three at a standard level) and 3 core areas (the extended essay, Theory of Knowledge and CAS which stands for creativity, activity, and service) that all add up to a possible perfect grade of 45. 

The students get a choice of their six subjects, which must include a math, an English, at least one science, a language, and a humanity, to help them prepare for the path they wish to take through university.

“Starting back at school and beginning the IB is exciting yet daunting. Seeing friends and teachers and being able to move around the campus again has made school feel a little more normal,” said year 12 student Christina. “It will take some adjusting to get used to our new IB course but I’m looking forward to all we get up to this year and the amazing opportunities that await.”

Teachers and staff at BIS Houston are amazing, but the IB program is a huge leap from what we were previously taking on. It requires one to be an expert at time management and have extreme focus. There is a massive increase in subject content and difficulty, too.

“Beginning the IB was more daunting than I imagined, but it’s a challenge I’m willing to take head on, especially now that I’m back in school with my peers. I’m glad I can bounce off them when I need to,” said year 12 student Mawiya.

Eventually, as we settle in, we should start to feel more relaxed about what the next two years will include, but I get the feeling that this is just the beginning, and we have a much longer journey ahead of us.