Montgomery is the only school in Santa Rosa that offers both IB and AP classes. Most kids in these types of classes will tell you that to survive the IB life you have to accept that most nights are spent staying up past midnight, doing late minute homework or just trying to get an essay in after a sports practice, all while balancing a social life. IB life is both hard and rewarding; one just needs to figure out how they can live a regular life within a school schedule.

In my junior year, I was enrolled in four IB/honors classes, and this year I am taking two. During these times, I was able to participate in weekly community service, three musical groups, a mentoring program, and clubs, along with my regular social life. It may seem like too much to someone who stresses trying to maintain all of these different activities. To me though, it is manageable. All a person needs to maintain a work-filled life is a planned out schedule and persistence. 

Some tips and key points to surviving IB life are:

Make a schedule- Plan your evenings accordingly. Work your extracurricular activities into your homework schedule. Homework should take priority because it is so important to your grade in a class; the homework should also be written down rather than you trying to remember it. You get overwhelmed when trying to remember so much, and are unable to learn new things.          

Pace yourself- No one should ever sit and work on homework or study for more than 90 minutes without a break. Decide how much time to work on a particular class’s homework, take a short break, and move on to another assignment. By giving yourself a time limit, you get more homework done and are less tired. This in turn makes less stress, and you will be asleep before midnight. Also, allow yourself about one week to write a fully developed essay.

Study- Use guided study to your advantage. If you do not understand something, ask your teacher. They are always glad to help. Also try forming a study group with friends to sit down and study or do homework together. This way, if you do have a question, you can ask someone right then. 

The most important one is to give time to yourself. Allow some “me” time a couple times a week to sit down and do something that helps you relieve stress. A stress free life can really help you feel better about yourself and makes your goals look more reachable. 

To survive an IB life, a person should follow all of these tips. They really do help you accomplish what you want for the week while giving you time to sleep and hang out with friends. It is not impossible to take IB classes; all it takes is time and effort on your own part.