BIHS next year
My daughter was placed in BIHS next year, which was her first choice. I'm excited and concerned for her as I've heard many things about how stressful the workload is at BIHS. I've heard a lot of "worst-case scenarios" about kids feeling really stressed and up until 2AM - having increased anxiety due to the challenging curriculum. She's a good student, and very capable, but it comes with effort on her part and she does run towards tightly wound. So far, the universal 9th grade curriculum hasn't seemed that challenging for her and the homework load has been pretty light. She is participating in crew and wants to continue with it next year - I would love her to continue so long as she can still get a good night's sleep and maintain her sense of well-being. Any information that can shed light on navigating the demands of BIHS - and some reality checks around what those demands are is greatly appreciated.
Parent Replies
Our sophomore in BIHS is handling it well - conscientious but not an academic star, so has to work at things - good about staying on top of homework, starting on Friday and Saturday for Monday, that kind of thing. Very manageable so far, never in bed late, getting A's, does a sport three nights a week. It definitely gets harder next year, but students do ease into it year by year so it's not full-on all at once.
Hi, my daughter is a junior IB student. I think it's a good program with interesting classes, very inquiry based (which works for my daughter, but maybe not for everybody). She also will have access to subjects that she would never study otherwise (like Theory of Knowledge). It requires work but nothing impossible (my daughter is part of a dance company which takes her a lot of time and it is doable to do both). What is more challenging is the IB diploma but she can decide if she goes for the diploma or not. You can also only take some IB classes exams (and it will still give you credit when applying for college) but not go for the whole diploma (which of course is better but more stressful). She can decide all that along the way. Anyway, it's a great chance to have a public school offering the IB. People pay tons of money for IB programs offered almost only in private elite schools. So consider yourself lucky! Your daughter did an excellent choice!
My son was a reluctant convert to BIHS, iffy about it for two years and then really dialed into the Theory of Knowledge curricula. He seems pleased about his choice in retrospect. He never got swamped by homework before senior year, when he took AP Physics and AP Calculus. He never went to bed after midnight and usually by 10:30. Participated passionately in his sports team for four years and the jazz program for four years. The senior year thing is a killer, because they are applying to college and experiencing senior-itis. But there is still an emphasis on taking these challenging courses. I suspect that issue would be the same regardless of which program you select. Good luck to her, I'm sure she can handle it.
My son is a senior in BIHS. He chose not to do the IB diploma and is really regretting being in BIHS this year. Because the program is very focused on the IB diploma students, the senior year (and much of the junior year) includes extra work that EVERYONE has to complete, even if they are not doing the diploma. My son is a very good student, and wanted to take several classes not included in the IB diploma program (honors anatomy, Chicanx and Latinx literature, AP calculus, AP environmental science, etc). This means he has a lot of work, much more than his friends taking similar APs that are in AC. Work is actually ramping up second semester of this year as the diploma students get ready to take their many IB exams. He feels that some of the IB assignments are busywork, leading to several hours of homework every night and every weekend. As a second semester senior already accepted to college, he is really disappointed to not have the time to explore other interests or get an after school job to start earning money for next year. I would look at AC unless your daughter has her heart set on the IB diploma.