The IB Pressure CookerThe journey of IB is quite perilous in itself. I still have to Google the correct spelling of Baclaureate. Sorry, I mean Baccalaureate. No critic to the wonderful curriculum, this is a fresh perspective of a student who is yet to complete the frightening expedition. With ever extending submission deadlines (which are a so-called pre-taste to college life), internal assessments, pesky class tests, homework and CAS hours, looming over heads, it is nearly impossible for the student to predict the near future. When I finished my IGCSE, I was confident about taking five HL subjects in the Diploma program. Quite sooner than expected, I was shaken back from Candy land. Five became four. And finally, three. Couldnt go down further, you see. Along with my dream-count of the number of HLs, the numerators on exam papers started reducing at a rate greater than what Calculus in IB has taught me to calculate. The so-called downfall in grades initially was sudden, precipitous, and measurable on the Richter scale at some of my friends houses. Getting scores I had never expected, helplessly outnumbered by the tasks at hand, I started losing focus. Believe it or not, what smart and famous people say about organization and making planners, works! Tried and tested. It may not increase your scores directly, but at least you know what to do at a particular time of the day, and can help track you work patterns which leads to better understanding of oneself.While sharing my personal experiences, I am in no way discouraging aspiring students. Each of us is different, and should have different takeaways from the course. However, somewhere, embedded in the rigorous program, there is a small packet of life-skills which is priceless. This packet, which I guarantee most of us will take back, will be with us beyond just college. Certain Math concepts and Chemical equations might not come with you beyond your academic career into your real life, but this little packet, stays forever. With this program, I have had the opportunity to connect and interact with numerous people with different perceptions of the world and worked with some very creative ideas to make the world a little bit better in my own way. These dealings and experiences are beyond what you learn in school, in a class, sitting on a desk, looking at the board; and teach me how I will have to make my own path in the big world, where those Chemical equations and Math concepts will actually be secondary for me. All these little activities and skills are invaluable for me. This is what I think will make me a better individual, and something that we all want to be a good citizen. For me, every seemingly-small activity in IB is equally important as the other HLs and SLs. These co-curricular activities in form of CAS in the course build my communication skills, social skills and entrepreneurial skills along with many others, which will actually help me when I am thrust out of college, into the real world where Chemistry might abandon me. Picasso said, every child is born an artist. Each of us have special, creative abilities the skill to imagine and innovate, make mistakes, but try harder again. Young children are less afraid to fail and make mistake than adults. According to me, beyond just plain academics which educate the student out of creativity, the IB aims to retain this set of natural abilities, by giving chances to students to think out of the box, create, and make changes in the society. My IB score might get me into some famous colleges all over the world, but will not get me across real life problems and situations, where in, the invaluable experience throughout the journey of the program, and the skills developed through the experience, will come to aid.Throughout the journey, amidst all the impediments, I have always looked upon my teachers as guides and sources of motivation. We are actually quite lucky to have an understanding set of teaching faculties, who are supportive till the end. These small bursts of motivation a simple pat on the back, have a tremendous effect on the student, perhaps lifting the whistle-weight briefly, releasing some pressure, and giving him space to wish to do more.One thing I realized while writing this article Life is quite simple. Taking unnecessary stress complicates it further, entwining and twisting it, until it leaves you in a tangled mess. What you learn while doing something, is much more important that what you would possibly achieve at the end. It is the same for IB. IB is for life, they say that, dont they?

Raahish Kalaria