IB TIPS (By Emerson Calderón)

Hi, my name is Emerson, and I'm one of the first students that entered the IB Program in Voramon. So Mirela, our beloved English teacher, asked us to make an article, about a topic of our preference to help you, new students that will join us in this experience.

Thus, it made me realize that one thing I would've killed to know when I began to study, is how to start, how to manage this new concept, etc. Moreover, to help all of you, I will try to give you some advice and tips. First of all, as you may now, there is the IB profile, and there is one in particular, that I want to focus on: balanced. I can guarantee you that if you are balanced enough, everything will come easier to you. Take me as an example, I work, study, play sports, play instruments, and have a life, meaning I have free time, and I can do all of this because I am balanced. If you can be organized, then you can do all of this and more. So my first aid: be organized.

Second of all, as our experience goes, or at least mine, you have to have good companionship and respect for each other, it's a very healthy environment, and everyone is happy. Consequently, don't make the same errors I did. If there is someone that you don't like, or just can't stand, be mature, and just ignore it, be better.

In conclusion, there are a lot more tips I/we could give you, but for now, you should focus on these two, and if you ever need help, talk to us, the first generation, the OG's if I may. If you are reading this now, have a beautiful summer, and enjoy it as much as you can, believe me, you should, but if it's after summer, have a good first trimester and let's hope, this program suits you.

WELCOME TO THE VORAMON STUDENT IB COMMUNITY

In this space, our students will help the new students enter the IB world with their pieces of advice and some personal wisdom based on their experience:). Every day one of our students will post a text with some personal advice they consider may be helpful for the new students.

You can leave a comment, discuss different topics on the forum, ask for extra advice...

The only condition is to be respectful and tolerant towards all the members. It is fine to disagree, as long as we respect each other's feelings:)

HOW TO SURVIVE THE IB PROGRAM (By Heidi López)

First of all, I would like to present myself. My name is Heidi López and I am doing the IB in Voramon.

Unfortunately, my pieces of advice can be only focused on the subjects that I have chosen, nevertheless I think that new students can find them very useful.

- Mandatory subjects: CAS, TOK, Extended Essay, English B

(You will have to forgive me because I’m not able to give tips on the Extended Essay, I haven’t started yet)

- Personal choice of subjects: History, Global Politics, Catalan Literature, Environmental Systems and Societies.

CAS

(creativity, action and service)

Teacher: Pep Bou

P.S: He can also be your tour guide if you are from the countryside or from abroad.

If you had personal projects that you didn’t develop due to a lack of time, here’s your opportunity.

Some tips:

- Everything can be CAS if you are able to make a relation with the fundamentals of the subject

- DON’T UNDERSTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBJECT (f you don't pass CAS, you won't pass the IB)

- You should focus on a principal project since the beginning

TOK

(Theory of knowledge)

Teacher: Victòria Priante

Don’t be afraid, it is less than it seems. Honestly, you won't know what the course is about until the end of the first year.

Some tips:

- The TOK guide is the Bible of the subject

- You need to pass the subject. If you don’t, you won’t get the IB diploma.

- Personally, I recommend you to make summaries of each unit of the text book.

English

Teacher: Mirela Domitrovic

The English level on the IB is very high, in my case, I don’t really have it because last year I went to Belgium so I focused on French. Don’t panic, you will improve as the time passes by.

Some tips:

- Use a small notebook to note down the new vocabulary.

- Series, films, documentaries… in English

Catalan Literature

Teacher: Joaquim Belsa

Alias: Quim

P.S.: He’s a walking library, if you don’t know what to read, speak to him.

Catalan Literature in the IB is focused on a different way than in the LOMCE. Here, you will discover the literature for yourself with the opportunity to center on your favorite topics.

Some tips:

- You must read a lot to be able to make interesting relations

- Doing all the tasks helps a lot to improve your text comments

History

Teacher : Aina Bertran

History is also taught in a different way. You will learn to be critical of the historians and about the importance of the sources.

Some tips:

- You should study hard for every unit because if you do not, then you will have a lot of syllabus accumulated

- You must be highly organized with your notes

Global Politics

Teacher : Aina Bertran

It is a subject with few topics but in which you must extend it with your interests in Global Politics.

Some tips:

- Watch the news

- Follow on the medias the news/organization accounts of other countries a (Example: BBC News, OMS …)

Environmental Systems and Societies

Teacher: Alejandro Galeano

It's the subject you choose to avoid doing science. The subject matter is quite interesting.

Some tips:

- Watch the news, reed articles… It will allow you to have examples and possible study cases

- Make summaries of every unit in Spanish if you will take the final exam in Spanish

- Study hard for every subject, there is a lot of syllabus and everything is interconnected

MARCOS: the best receptionist you're gonna find. He can teach you all the philosophy you want.

OTHER PIECES OF ADVICE:

- Internal assessments: You will have to make like a ‘small research project’ for every subject. The ideal will be to have the internal assessments done at the beginning of the second year of the IB to avoid more stress in the May exams. However, you have one summer to progress on the internals. Personally, I recommend you to choose a topic that you feel attracted to in every subject due to the time that you will dedicate.

- Organization : In my case to organize my notes, I have a folder for each subject. In my point of view, it is more worthwhile to work directly with the laptop to avoid later the loss of time on organizing your notes.

- HELP HEIDI WITH HER CAS PROJECT ABOUT THE RECYLING SYSTEM IN VORAMON😊