"The IB Program was one of the things at Stuart that best prepared me for college. It taught me time management and essay writing skills that were very helpful to me once I got to college. The last two years of the IB Program were challenging and kept me very busy. In fact, I found that my busiest semesters in college were actually easier than at Stuart. I did not complete the full IB Diploma but I am very glad I took the challenging IB courses, as I learned how to be a better student which definitely was a part of my college success. Taking these classes will always help."
Daniel Runnerstrom -  J.E.B Stuart Class of 2007, Virginia Tech Class of 2011


"The IB Program prepared me for college in many ways, especially the heavy paper writing. The extended essay, which seemed long in high school, became something that I would write 4 or 5 times a semester in college. My friends were always surprised that I could write papers so quickly and get such good grades. I even took junior level History and  English classes my Freshman year and did really well. The IB classes also gave a lot of group work assignments, which were extremely useful. Everything in college is group work!! Unless it is a paper, then you're on your own.

I would recommend the program to others, and if they weren't going to the program at least take the classes. However, as much as community service and the extended essay may seem like grunt work, I think that they are the best part of the program. Community Service is great for college, and I still do it all the time for fun. Sometimes you just need a little push that the IB program gives you!"
Casey Schulman - J.E.B Stuart Class of 2009, University of Virginia Class of  2013


"The IB Program at Stuart was very helpful in preparing me for college, specifically in essay writing. During my freshman year of college I used many of the skills I learned while participating in the IB Program. My first year of college was difficult, but compared to my junior and senior years at Stuart I felt very comfortable with the workload and the degree of difficulty. I know many people who felt overwhelmed and swamped with work their first year of college. I was amazed how, even though they complained about the workload, I felt right at home with our assignments. When I was a student at Stuart I thought that the IB Program wouldn't be helpful beyond college admission and the first few weeks of school, but after seeing how similar the work has been to my IB classes -  I am very thankful I completed the program." 
Ryan Herron - J.E.B Stuart Class of 2011, Boston College Class of 2015  


"College was hard, really hard. I think that I would have felt that way regardless of the classes that I had taken in high school. College work is a very different kind of work, long tedious assignments that last weeks or months, rather than being due the next class the way that they are in high school.

I would do the program again. I think that one of the most important parts of the program is that it surrounds you with motivated, dedicated students which will always help you. In other classes, students may be likely to goof off or not care because that is what others seem to be doing. The IB program is the top level of education at Stuart, and I think that is always important to take advantage of. You will make connections with other smart people, surround yourself from people that you can learn from, and learn how to have good team work.
 
One thing the IB program did not give me (which I know is different at every school) is college credit, which isn't a big deal, but if someone wanted to graduate early or focus on specific classes it can be difficult without credits. I think I got 3 credits, while some of my friends doing AP came in with 45 credits."
Casey Schulman - J.E.B Stuart Class of 2009, University of Virginia Class of  2013