Although it felt neverending at times, I just completed my first year of the full IB diploma course and learned many invaluable lessons along the way. I grew in all areas of my life and schoolwork, and I can credit this to the IB program and teachers who have pushed me this year.

One area I grew tremendously in was time management. Going into IB, you go from having a few honors classes to an entire schedule full of advanced classes. While in the past, I had the luxury of prioritizing and delegating more time to my honors classes, I didn’t have this option with IB. I needed to prioritize all of my classes because they all required a unique amount of time and attention devoted to them.

This meant that there were times I had to choose what was more important to work on, as there are only so many hours you have at the end of the day or over the weekend to study. Sometimes when you have an essay, a test and a project in three different classes all due on the same day, you have to choose what is more important to spend time on. This doesn’t mean doing worse in one class; it means being more efficient with your studying and effectively using the time you have to work.

This brings me to another priceless tool I learned through IB: time management. When I would get home at night after school and extracurriculars, there is only so much time you have for homework and studying. I learned to start doing things before the due date because it was always better to have the feeling of comfort knowing you were ahead than feeling panic because you didn’t have enough time.

I also learned that my best work isn’t done at the last minute. I write essays better when I have time to write outlines, drafts and edit. I can’t write something the night it’s due, and learning this about myself also enabled me to complete my best work.

Through IB, I learned the importance of my fellow classmates and how we can all benefit and help one another. Everyone has strengths they can bring to the table, and in helping others understand topics you are also helping yourself. Sometimes the class I was struggling in was something that made total sense to someone else and vice versa. We could each use our strengths to the advantage of others and collaborating with others makes the learning process more enjoyable.

IB is very student led, and there are many times where you have to lead discussions or apply scenarios to your own life. You can no longer take a back-seat position and wait for a teacher to guide you to the answer. You have to be curious and open-minded to different opinions or viewpoints.

I also realized the importance of advocating for myself. IB made me a more self-sufficient student because I learned how to communicate when I needed help or if I had questions. I not only gained more knowledge through IB, but I gained practical skills that I can carry with me for the rest of my life.

Looking back, I can say with certainty that I wouldn’t change the decision I made to do full IB. I know that I have grown as a student and person in the last nine months, and this is a result of being challenged academically on a daily basis.