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FRANTIC ABOUT EXTENDED ESSAY? Here's my story.

Hey all you IB1 or IB2's, :biggrin:

As an IB student in my last year, I feel like i should share my story with you all in hopes that it helps in anyway in sparking an inspiration/motivation etc for your own EE's.

I remember feeling just the way you are now last year; it's such a frantic feeling! So for context i am currently a UCAS applicant, applying as a biomedical sciences major (prospective Doctor/Surgeon).

I take:
HL Biology
HL Chemistry
HL English
HL Psychology
SL Math
Ab Initio Spanish

Anyways here's what i went through>>

My teacher wanted me to do it on hygiene like testing the efficiency of those "99.9% bacteria killing sanitizers" but i found that to be so dull so instead i decided to do it on something close to home.

I am Ethiopian, i love my country, It's heritage and traditions and because I've moved around, I've never actually lived there - though i visit every year; and i thought to myself how cool would it be to be able to do it on something to do with Ethiopia. I simply LOVED the thought and couldn't drop it.

Please remember you will dedicate a lot of time to your work so pick something that you can remain interested in for that length of time, the last thing you want is start getting bored with it because you're fascination with the topic will drive you to produce a great EE!

Anyways, one thing i came to realize (though it was right underneath my nose) about Ethiopia is that they have such a strong culture of traditional medicinal practices - everyone from in the city to the rural outskirts uses traditional medicine as their primary source of healthcare. So i decided to explore just that - THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFICACY OF ETHIOPIAN PLANTS.

^^ I questioned whether or not perhaps the reason infectious diseases are the leading cause of death in Ethiopia and other countries, was perhaps due to the fact they used traditional medicine rather than contemporary drugs. Then again, so many drugs originate from plant extracts - so how could plants not have some sort of antimicrobial or antifugus properties. >> I was bursting with questions!!

In the end, i decided that My topic of choice was the antimicrobial property of plant extracts.

I did a brief survey contacting my friends and family in Ethiopia and found out the 3 most prevalent plant extracts. So i organized for them to be shipped over and tested their efficiency and efficacy on inhibitting the growth of S. aureus and E. coli. For further research i also compared the 3 extracts to the antibiotic Cholaramphenicol - a broad spectrum drug frequently used in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa.

I carried out my EE at the nations Medical Research institute - i wrote them a letter about my research, my teacher submitted a recommendation letter, i sent in a C.V and they allowed me to work with them as long as i shared my results with them in the end.

My experience was BRILLIANT. Regardless of the fact that this came to me in July of IB1, when more than half of my class mates were writing up their conclusion and i was feeling very depressed at the fact i did not even having a question and thoughts of failing IB because of EE were rushing through my mind.

Needless to say i had a busy summer, writing up this piece of work but i can honestly say that i enjoyed every minute of it.

Because that's how it's supposed to be, you're supposed to be excited to learn of your results. I now, can talk about my research in essays, personal statements and conversations. I can go on to Uni and explore this further.

I am predicted an A for this work ( i got 33/36).

I suggest you do just that. Sit down and think about what fascinates you, what have you always wanted to find out. What would sound interesting enough to work on for the next year or so. Think about who you are, you're culture, heritage and so forth.

My EE was brilliant (sorry I'm overusing this word, but it's the only word coming to mind right now) and the reason i believe i was able to get a good grade is because my passion only intensified with my results, i was so excited to not only carry it out and write it up but at the thought of sharing my knowledge.

I am proud to have carried out this original piece of research, but more than that i am now working to get my EE published - as one of my plant extracts showed activity in inhibiting the bacterial cultures superior to that of the antibiotic Chloramphenicol. Brilliant i tell you - i never thought all this would have happened not even remotely!

So BELIEVE>> think outside the box, look around you; sometimes the best of ideas are "right underneath our noses".

Ask yourself what do I want to find out? I firmly believe that passion, drive, determination etc can land you an awesome grade for EE. Look at it as a lifelong experience, something you can bring up down the line, rather than "just another essay".

And please, please, please, though you should know you'r capability/potential don't be discouraged by people telling you, you're task is too big, that you're EE is too much to handle.

When i came up with my EE, EVERYONE was against it. My teachers, my supervisor, my friends and my parents thought i was in over my head>>but deep down i knew i could do it, and when i showed initiative and found a place to carry out my research they saw how serious i was, they came around.

So, have an awesome time researching and carrying out your EE. Good luck with all your endevaours; and if you ever want to talk, hit me up with an inbox :smile: