So, you’ll be starting the DP soon. You’ve probably heard that it is either really difficult or is a breeze. Either ways, you might feel like you want to prepare yourself before the semester starts. In that case, here are some ideas you can consider to do to prepare for the DP over your break!
Table of Contents
Review what you’ve learnt the year before
While you can technically survive the DP without remembering much from your previous education, it will put you at a severe disadvantage once school starts again and I can most certainly testify about it. Especially if you’ve done the MYP, whatever you’ve learnt there will continue to be used and your teachers will probably teach your class with the assumption that you remember some of it to some extent. Make sure you’ve covered the gaps that you’ve learnt
Develop a note-taking system
Most of my friends who have done the IB, including those that got total scores of over 40 points, will agree that it is key to develop a consistent note-taking system that you can work with.
Get into the routine of studying
You are probably currently in the holiday mood. So was I at the time. Do make sure you are able to enjoy it to the fullest (since you won’t have much of a proper break after that) but it may be a good idea to get into the routine of setting a time in your day where you know you’ll be at home from school, studying away anyways.
Sleep early lmao
You heard me. And you know why I say this? I say this because I was at a panel last week with students who have all achieved +37 points in their IB. The number one thing they emphasized to future DP students was to sleep at a normal routine, preferably get your 8-9 hours of sleep. It makes sure you stay physically fit and will make it less likely for your precious brain cells to die (I’m not kidding, there is a study on it). And as someone who had awful sleeping schedules of going to bed at 2:00am and having to wake up latest by 7:30am, you do not want to do what I have done. So you better get used to sleeping early.
Conclusion
There you have it, these are some points where you can start to prepare yourself for the IB DP program, curated based on other people’s successes and my mistakes. If you have more suggestions, comment down below and help your fellow IB students from around the world!
More awesome resources
Textbook review and recommendations by a +40 score IB student (Math, Physics, History, Chemistry, Chinese)