Nice reflections on the shocking transition from high school to university.
Engineering Girls at University of Waterloo
Ah, it’s over. It’s aaalll over.
What a strange feeling it was to have over the holidays. The feeling that you don’t have to do anything. No homework, no assignments, no studying. Just whatever you feel like doing. It honestly felt as though I wasn’t being productive enough and I that I should have gone to review my notes or finish an assignment. Instead I watched movies all day, played a new game that I got, Starbound, and went skating. What a great ending to a fun term. Don’t get me wrong, it was super tough, but in the end it was very satisfying when I finished all of my exams and didn’t have to worry about it anymore.
The first term of university was amazing. Frustrating and stressful at times, but still a really great experience that I do not regret even one bit. You know how as…
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A Professor in Waterloo Engineering 
this is quite funny. my whole grade is experiencing this tension, frustration and unsatisfaction all the time this year.it is soul crushing. It really sucks to study in the IB program in a public school. In a private school, marks can be relatively subjective in comparison but when u compare an IB public vs private school, it is quite insane of mark distribution as well as giving misleading factors to universities. IB was the biggest waste of my life. It crushed my hope, my dreams, and also my future. But, not only me, it’s pretty much all the 40 students studying in my grade. I believe there is falsity in that IB is standardized. It is not in the case of predicted scores. Very subjective, and also very soul crushing. There are misleading facts going to universities that there is an adjustment in our marks. THERE IS NO ADJUSTMENT IN OUR MARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who came up with this anyways. The mark on our ouac is the mark the teachers put for us, and it is clearly stated for Waterloo that they don’t look at predicted grades but rather the ontario grades. It is quite depressing to know that some friends which dropped IB, and who were near the bottom of the class in IB have high averages now in academic I am one of the top students in the grade, meet all the requirements, have done so much over the years comparatively, and it is so frustrating how universities fail to realize, the pain, the torture we go through and you fail to factor in the time dedicated to huge projects known as TOK extended essay and CAS. University first year, will be quite easy for me and my fellows compared to academics who have a bit higher average than us even. last year when i applied i had a 85% top 6 average after conversion, and it is frustrating to know desired engineering program at waterloo and my friend who dropped out of ib with a converted average of 78% before dropping IB had 92% average and got in program i desired. this is the sad, depressing, and most obnoxiously viewed life of an ib student. this is the sad and worst choice made for me. the IB program would be suited for universities international which do look at IB grades the final ones in May which are fully objective because of the standardized exams and decisions are made on these grades, but universities like Waterloo and other ontario universities fail to see and miss quite deserving students. we go through two years of pain, hardwork, torture, sleepless nights, like a university student, expecting some sort of return, yet the only return is nothing other than 2 high school years wanting to never be remembered again.
thank you,
one return though is that things are a breeze now, but i am doing something i do not love
2013 Applicant
This is a perennial concern and debate. We do show some preference for IB applicants and admit quite a few. We do use adjustment factors too, when our internal data supports it.
I certainly must agree with the graduate speaking. Since I am a person who dropped IB and instead am studying in academic I must honestly admit the great difference in all subjects. Math is INSANELY hard in IB. The IBs in our school are insanely smart, they’ve been carefully handpicked before entering high school, and are sort of next level, yet, they fail to get into some programs that we get into. I felt Math and Chemistry and English was intense in IB. Physics and Biology were also intense, but something I was doing well in IB. In math, this year, I saw my friend’s test, and they are doing some next level stuff I have never even heard of in my life. The things I am doing in my Grade 12 Advanced Functions class are what IBs did in the first semester of Grade 11. I did very poorly in IB even when working hard. I decided to drop because almost everyone knew that Ontario universities do not care enough of whether you are in IB or not. I am so happy with my decision as well. Getting out of the IB program was the best choice I made in my life, and several IBs regret staying in the program. The IBs that stayed in the program believed that there was some return, but now regret their decisions. The IB program started with 150 students, and now is around 50 students (much higher than Engineering dropout rate probably).
I am enjoying my final year of high school, making it a memorable experience. The IBs on the other hand are stressing about the major assessments, insanely hard tests and quizzes they are being bombarded with.
I believe that if you take a look at one IB Math Higher Level Exam, you will certainly personally understand the difference.
One thing to realize also is that there are OPTIONAL TOPICS, which includes one must be chosen for exams. The one the IBs in our school are forced to learn is Further Calculus. That stuff looks insane.
Click to access hl_math_paper_3_specimens_for_2014.pdf
If I knew, that ontario universities cared about IB a lot, I would have stayed in the program. I dropped out out of fear that I won’t get into the desired program into Waterloo which I believe that now I will get in without any hesitation.
Also, why is AP difficulty compared to IB difficulty. Not even close to each other. Maybe for Physics and Geography though haha??!!
Being in IB can positively sway an admission decision, so there is some effect. Many programs give some transfer credits for IB courses too (except for engineering, because of professional accreditation issues). But obviously it depends on the individual whether they find it worthwhile or not.
I’m so excited!!!!! Can’t wait for the uni life!