AP? Full IB? Partial IB? OIB?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi everyone, </p>

<p>I'm new to this and must confess that I am really confused about what is the best choice to enhance my chances with the top universities of the world (ivey league in US, Oxf/Camb in UK).</p>

<p>I am multi lingual and multi cultural. Through homeschooling and my school in Shanghai I could be well prepared for a full IB or AP, or IB/AP and also OIB or OIC (French Baccalaureat with international option in American or Chinese syllabus)...but I am not too sure which path to choose. Working hard is not an issue but since this is competion at the top, I wish to do it the most efficient way. I am tempted by OIB because I find the French programme very open, solid and broad (esp. in history and philosophy) but I fear it will not get the recognition it deserves with the top US colleges. </p>

<p>I thank everyone how had done some research/thinking/past experience to enlighten me and guide me in this process.</p>

<p>Humble Thanks!!!</p>

2

<p>Hey there!</p>

<p>I’m doing the OIB in France, but the British version administered by Cambridge. I imagine that is what you mean? The OIB is very, very, very broad. Unfortunately, this means having 36 hours of class a week for me and lots of homework. This does look good academically, as everything you do there is either AP or higher, but unfortunately, it doesn’t leave much time for both extra curriculars that you enjoy, enjoying yourself loads by going out loads, or actually doing ec’s that you think will enhance your degree.</p>

<p>At the same time, I never considered going to america to study until recently, which kind of left me a bit low in terms of extraordinary ec’s, but then again, if you’ve heard of a competition or something that would look good on an application, there is nothing stopping you from doing it. Then again, most universities don’t really look at the ec’s of international students, because they don’t really know what to compare them to, or how much of a chance people had to participate in them.</p>

<p>Basically, academically, I’m not sure there is much better, in terms of subjects and difficulty (although I don’t really know much about the IB), but just watch out for your schedule and school work.</p>

<p>If you didn’t understand much of what I said, or have a question to ask about the OIB, just post away :)</p>

<p>Oh, and I’ll attach a link from my school counselor,w ritten by him, explaining our school system (OIB) to everyone. It even comes with a grades comparison so that you don’t dispair, when you realise that a 13/20 is actually a 3.9 GPA :)</p>

<p>[Our</a> school system, school profile and grading system - [L’Anglais]](<a href=“http://www.ac-grenoble.fr/cite.scolaire.internationale/Peda/Discipli/Anglais/spip.php?article41]Our”>http://www.ac-grenoble.fr/cite.scolaire.internationale/Peda/Discipli/Anglais/spip.php?article41)</p>

3

<p>If you’re planning on applying to Oxford and Cambridge, DONT do IB. They require all 7s on IB tests for applicants or else it’s an automatic rejection.</p>

4

<p>Balling’s Statement is completely false. I know more than one person who has been accepted to Ox/Cam without perfect IB scores. That said, IB is generally considered harder than AP and therefore it is easier to get better AP test-scores so you might look better as an AP candidate. Personally I am in IB and I really like it, however if your goal is only to get into Ox/Cam then Ap may be for you.</p>

5

<p>In order to get into schools like OxBridge with an IB Diploma is difficult, but not impossible. Usually they set the bar at 38-39 out of 45 total points, and depending on how they feel that year they can make it higher. Usually what happens is your school reports your “expected” or “anticipated” IB Grades and then the school you are applying to gives you a conditional offer. For example, let’s say your expected grade is a 38, they’ll tell you to get a 39 or something like that. If you don’t get the score they told you to, you don’t get in. So basically, getting into a school like Oxford or Cambridge is based almost solely on your performance on the final IB Exams. Remember though, a 38 is a very hard score to get.
From my own experience, however, the IB has been very fulfilling and rewarding, as long as you take courses that are interesting to you. I take Chem, Physics, and English higher level, and because I enjoy those disciplines to much I have no trouble with the magnitude of work given and subsequently get pretty exemplary grades in a by no means easy course load. So my recommendation to you is to take whichever system you like, although the wrong way to go about it is to take the program that is simply the easiest. Try a challenge. Pursue your passions. In the end, it’s much more fulfilling.</p>