The International Baccalaureate program is widely known to be rigorous and intense. However, there are many students who balance the heavy workload with multiple sports and activities. How do they do it all? Let’s find out from a few IB students and see what they had to overcome to stay on top of it all.
For some background on the program itself, your freshman and sophomore year is “pre-IB”, because the program technically doesn’t start until your junior year. Your first two years prep you for the rigors of your last two years in the program, as your last two are the hardest and most extreme. On top of the workload, you will have to complete a CAS project, (creativity, activity, service) which allows students to participate in a variety of activities that involve creative pursuits, physical activity, and community service. This gives students a hands-on experience beyond academics. You also must complete an EE (extended essay), which consists of a 4000-word research paper on a topic of your choice. With all of these responsibilities, IB students are additionally expected to participate in clubs and sports. But how do they stay on top of it all?
Madi Harting, a sophomore in IB plays club soccer, varsity school soccer, flag football and is in various clubs. Normally she tries to get all of her assignments done at school, having very limited time afterschool. Harting said “my club is an hour away, so if I can do any homework with my motion sickness, I try to, but normally I am not able to- majority of my homework is done later at night around 9pm”. Harting also commented that “the workload is manageable with sports; you just have to be okay giving up some free time.”
Marin Repka, a junior in IB who does competitive dance and track said, “I have to give up my afternoons to stay on top of my schoolwork.” Not only does she have to give up her personal time in the afternoon, but she also has to give up time with friends. Repka said “I am only available to be with friends once or twice throughout the week because I have a lot of responsibilities.”
Sabina Schuller, also a junior in IB, plays club soccer and does track, who said “sometimes it is difficult when assignments pile up, so it is very important to use your time effectively, so it does not have an effect on sports.” However, when you get to junior year, instead of having one class period as a free period, you have two classes back-to-back, called a block. Once in the actual IB program, you will get two block free periods. While they won’t be on the same day, in general 90 minutes of free time should be more than enough to get lots of assignments knocked out of the way.
All of these athletes in pre-IB and IB say the workload is manageable, although you have to be willing to give up some of your free time and time with friends. While this program can be intense, it also builds time management skills you will need throughout the program and later in life.
