WELLBEING AT IBP an

Student well-being is an area that I see more and more students focusing on. Although most of us know the importance of our well-being we don’t always do much to change our current situation. Life at IBP can be great but it can also be tremendously challenging. The program's competitive nature can be overwhelmingly stressful when you have to have the best grades,job, and social life. It simply is impossible to accomplish everything and still have the ability to relax and take a moment for yourself. So why do we all push ourselves and each other into this stressful place? It just isn’t that simple. It is not only the students who create the competitive environment but the professors and employers who create this pressure. I am so tired of hearing how unique, talented, and smart we IBP students are, and because we got intoa program with such a high-grade point average they also expect a lot from us. Here we have the first misunderstanding.

A high grade-point average is not equal to the hardest study program. It is simply equal to the most competitive one. So why are we having such a stressful time if it is not supposed to be the hardest program? Because so much is expected of us. CBS is a very unique place in terms of the pressure for having a relevant student job. What happened to young people working in cafes and restaurants? While CBS places the pressure of a relevant student job on us, the IBP culture emphasizes that a relevant student job is not enough - you should have the ‘right’ relevant student job. You should work for a large corporation that makes your CV look good. No doubt people are stressed out if they feel that already so early on in their careers they have to work at some of the most prestigious and competitive companies. While IBP is great on paper and people are caring, friendly, and kind to each other, the environment in which it is embedded can at times be toxic.