Now that you have completed my crash course on the IB, read on to find out what the diploma taught me.<\/p>\n
In my course, critical thinking, presentation skills (digital and in-person) and essay writing were crucial elements. Aspects of the IB such as TOK presentations and the Group 4 Project helped me gain confidence in my presenting, editing and speaking skills which prepared me for the academic demands of first year.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t just take my word for it. Weronika, an IB alumni, who is now a first year Psychology student (and also happens to be my flatmate) also found that taking the IB helped to prepare her for university.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IB\u2019s internal assessments (IAs) taught me how to be reliable in group projects and self-sufficient in my own projects.<\/strong> I learned the importance of proactivity and diligence, which made me feel confident \u00a0\u2026 in my Psychology BSc course. I felt prepared and knew what was expected from me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n-\u00a0\u00a0 Weronika, BSc Psychology<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Critical Thinking Skills<\/h2>\n
Every subject in the IB encourages students to engage with critical thinking.\u00a0 For example, in history class, we were pushed to engage with different historical perspectives critically through historiography. Overall, critical thinking is an invaluable skill I gained from the IB that I continue to use in university.<\/p>\n
Valentino also completed the IB and is now a second year International Management and Spanish Student (and a Salsero). When I asked him about his experience, he said\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonally, I think IB helps to set students up so much better for university.<\/strong> IB students are able explore a wide range of subjects and have an opportunity to develop a greater critical and analytical viewpoint<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n-\u00a0 Valentino, BSc International Management with Spanish<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Organisation and Time Management<\/h2>\n
I\u2019ll always remember cramming for my final IB Biology exam, which was a few hours before my prom. Although managing time was a struggle, I learnt how to maximise personal organisation tools like Notion, which I continue to use for everything from noting down my friends\u2019 birthdays to logging research articles for essays. Additionally, my course at Bath has a similar structure of both coursework and exams, which allowed me to utilise the time management skills I developed during the IB managing IAs and exams. These time management skills included creating countdowns to my deadlines and setting short term goals ahead of time for each task.<\/p>\n
Andrew (Andy for short) is an IB alumnus who is now studying Computer Science. He also found that managing the workload of the IB helped him to tackle the demands of university.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompleting the IB was pretty rough<\/strong>, I spent a lot of time doing work\u2026.whether it was my higher level subject or standard level subjects or doing other things like CAS, TOK and my extended essay. Although, I still had a lot of time to do other stuff so I played a lot of rugby and was helping out at the science club during IB.<\/p>\nBut yeah, I think that helped in a way to prepare me for the workload at uni\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n-\u00a0 Andy, MComp Computer Science<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n
Iona also graduated with an IB Diploma and is now a second year Biomedical Science student (and a Salsera). I asked about her experience and it was a similiar success story.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking the IB was one of the best decisions I have made.<\/strong> Taking 6 subjects alongside TOK and CAS meant that I learnt how to cope with a busy schedule and maintain a healthy lifestyle.<\/strong> Having developed these skills at home in a nurturing environment meant that moving to university and coping with assignments and stress was very manageable<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n-<\/strong> Iona, BSc Biomedical Science<\/p><\/blockquote>\nNew Challenges<\/h2>\n
While the IB did help me to prepare for university, there were many new academic challenges in university. Recognising and accepting the differences between IB and university study is essential to success.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing I would say is that taking the IB will not necessarily make first year a \u201cbreeze\u201d,<\/strong> which I have been told in the past. You still have to put a lot of effort into your studies, and you will learn new things that the IB did not cover.\u201d<\/p>\n\u2013 Weronika, BSc Psychology<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Alongside new information, university also introduces a new style of studying, where students are expected to work independently. The IB encouraged independence, but it was still a much more structured educational experience than university is. \u00a0Iona explains how this experience was for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say it was quite different for me to have so much free time in University in comparison to high school<\/strong>. I am used to having a jam packed schedule whereas at university it is expected that students self study<\/strong>. This has been a challenge for me<\/strong> as I have discovered I work best with longer contact hours and less self directed learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\u2013 Iona, BSc Biomedical Science<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Social Life and global awareness<\/h2>\n
In my experience, attending an international school to do IB was really valuable. I got to form friendships and learn how to interact with people from all over the world,\u00a0 finding out more about their cultures and perspectives.<\/p>\n
Weronika had a similar experience studying at an IB school.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile at an IB school, I had the opportunity to interact with many individuals from various places; I became culturally aware but also interested in learning about people\u2019s backgrounds<\/strong>. When I started University, I found it easy and exciting to talk to people<\/strong> about their lives, as I knew that people often enjoy discussing their home country and their background. \u201c<\/p>\n\u2013 Weronika, BSc Psychology<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
All in all, the IB prepares students well for the transition from high school to university. As you complete your university journey, I encourage any IB students reading this to make use of the skills that the diploma provides during university and to be gracious as you learn, remembering that despite all you know there is always more to learn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Does the International Baccalaureate (IB) prepare students for university? Will University be easy after doing the IB? What is the transition from high school to university like? These are some of the questions I know I was asking myself (or...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1921,"featured_media":1269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[91,103],"tags":[343],"class_list":["post-1267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-skills","category-student-skills-ambassador","tag-international-baccalaureate"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/05\/marvin-meyer-SYTO3xs06fU-unsplash-1-scaled.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":858,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2022\/09\/05\/studying-in-the-uk-my-experience-as-an-international-student\/","url_meta":{"origin":1267,"position":0},"title":"Studying in the UK: my experience as an international student","author":"Erifyli Vologianni","date":"September 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"My name is Erifyli, I'm from Greece, and I\u2019ve recently graduated from the University of Bath with a degree in International Management. In this blog, I\u2019ll share the experiences and skills I gained as an international student, the challenges I faced, how I dealt with them, and tips for settling\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Academic skills"","block_context":{"text":"Academic skills","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Erifyli Vologianni","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/09\/erifyli.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1201,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2024\/04\/19\/meet-your-skills-co-creators-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":1267,"position":1},"title":"Meet Your Skills Co-Creators Team 2024","author":"Lola Osinoiki","date":"April 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Introducing the vibrant, new team of Skills Co-Creators based in the University of Bath Skills Centre! We're a dynamic group, each with our own unique backgrounds and passions, all dedicated to empowering students like you. Read on to discover more about each of us and our role. \u00a0 Maddie\u00a0 \u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "student experience"","block_context":{"text":"student experience","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/student-skills-ambassador\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/04\/estee-janssens-2enBTsIVhUU-unsplash-1-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/04\/estee-janssens-2enBTsIVhUU-unsplash-1-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/04\/estee-janssens-2enBTsIVhUU-unsplash-1-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/04\/estee-janssens-2enBTsIVhUU-unsplash-1-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/04\/estee-janssens-2enBTsIVhUU-unsplash-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/04\/estee-janssens-2enBTsIVhUU-unsplash-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1787,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/08\/meet-the-new-skills-co-creators\/","url_meta":{"origin":1267,"position":2},"title":"Meet the new Skills Co-Creators","author":"Aneesa Zafar","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019re\u00a0excited to introduce this year\u2019s Student Co-Creators (SCCs)\u00a0at\u00a0the Skills\u00a0Centre! They are\u00a0current\u00a0University of Bath students\u00a0bringing\u00a0real\u00a0insight\u00a0into student experiences\u00a0and helping us\u00a0improve how we support students\u00a0across\u00a0a\u00a0range of skills support.\u00a0Over the next few months,\u00a0they\u2019ll\u00a0be working on a\u00a0variety\u00a0of\u00a0projects,\u00a0from developing\u00a0new resources\u00a0on\u00a0MySkills, to shaping new Digital and GenAI initiatives and enhancing My Employability Profile. 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