<p>Hello everyone. At my school, which is a language magnet, language classes are only offered as IB-- not AP. They are, however, five-point classes. As a magnet student, I am required to have at least five language credits upon graduation, and I am planning to have at least six. This fills up a considerable amount of space in my schedule, filling slots that could otherwise be used for elective APs (psychology, comp. gov, etc)
While I am going to do everything that I can to squeeze in as many APs as possible and will take as many core APs as I can possibly handle, I am still at a relative disadvantage when considering the number of AP classes. So my question is this:
Do colleges take IB classes into account when looking at AP classes?
Thank you. :)</p>
<p>What colleges will look at is how challenging your schedule is overall. When people on these boards talk about taking lots of AP classes, they mean lots of "highest-level-offered" classes, which in most cases means APs but could also mean IB.</p>
<p>Phew. That's really good to hear. :) Thank you!</p>
<p>lol. you can get college credit for IBs too you know...</p>
<p>Yeah, but don't you have to take the IB test? I'm not in the IB program or anything, and I haven't heard of anyone at my school taking the IB test without being in the program.</p>
<p>You can take the test without being in the program. You wouldn't be a "Diploma Candidate" but a "Certificate Candidate" and instead of earning the IB Diploma you would get Certificates for the tests you took.</p>
<p>As far as admissions go, most colleges see AP = IB.</p>
<p>As for credit - that might not be the case. However, if you really want to take the language courses -> go for it. They usually much rather prefer you to be who you are instead of tailoring your schedule to something artificial just for college admissions.</p>
<p>Actually, they see IB>AP, because you have to take IB everything not just your strengths like in AP.</p>
<p>In terms of admissions, AP=IB. My school offers both full IB diploma and AP classes. This is where the ppl in my grade are going for college: </p>
<p>IB Kids:
Harvard
Princeton
UChicago
Cornell
NYU
UCLA </p>
<p>AP Kids:
UPenn
Duke
Northwestern
NYU </p>
<p>I dont know how each individual school views IB or AP but the general concensus is that both are equivalent.
IMO, IB is more difficult in that you have to be well rounded as DeltaRoyale mentioned above.</p>
<p>IB in my experience and some of my friends' experience, AP courses are relatively the same, and in some cases easier....but colleges view them as the same. What is considered to be a great advantage is TOK and Extended Essay...and the maximum number of languages you can take is 3 at IB..and if u take em all at HL, it would look great...</p>
<p>Hmm. That's something to think about. I really dislike the IB coordinator at our school, but if I took a few tests I probably wouldn't have to see that much of her. I'm pretty sure I won't join the diploma program at this point.
Thanks for the replies, everyone. (:</p>
<p>
[quote]
but colleges view them as the same.
[/quote]
No, it depends on the school. I know Duke favors IB, and I've heard Chicago does. Other schools, like Caltech, consider them equal. Not that it matters for the OP. </p>
<p>Elanorci, you'll only get credit for HL exams, so it might not be worth it to take the exam if you're taking an SL language.</p>
<p>IB huh?...well...IB's real tough and takes lots of your time...so...as an IB diploma senior, I advise you, if you wish to take the IB, not to be arrogant and take two many HL subjects - math and physics are difficult - and ONE REALLY IMPORTANT THING...most of the universities do not care much about the IB - it's better to do good in SATs than in IB. Many of my friends who scored over 42 in the IB got rejected by many good unis like Brown, Yale, etc..cuz their SAT scores were too low</p>
<p>
[quote]
not to be arrogant and take two many HL subjects
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I beg to differ. I have 4 HLs and I do not see any difference between my grades from the first month when I had 3 HLs and now that I have 4 HLs. Actually, my grades are improving with every semester. I think it depends on whether or not you are determined to do great and are willing to give an amenable effort.</p>
<p>debate_addict -- don't you also think that taking HL's in subjects where you are either extrememly good or extrememly interested makes a difference?</p>
<p>My son will be doing the IB program and his school only allows the kids to do 3 HL and 3 SL. they can sometimes make an exception.</p>
<p>I would think that a fourth HL would only be a good decision is the student already had a good background in that area. for instance, if the student is taking HL English, HL History of the Americas and HL math -- adding on phyics (if the student loved math and physics) might work out ok. But adding on HL French, if the student had only had two years of French and did ok -- but not great -- might be a disaster.</p>
<p>what do you think?</p>
<p>Depends. For example, my HLs are English A1, History, Math and Chemistry. Specifically for English A1, I was completely unprepared for the subject since I was not a native speaker. Nevertheless, with a lot of practice I managed to raise my scores from 6.3 and 6.7 to 7. In the midterms as well-an experience completely new to me as in Greece there is no such thing (i also came from a public school where the level is ludicrously low and the subjects degraded). And eventually, with a lot of perseverance, I managed to get all 7 on my highers in the midterms...I believe that I did not have such a solid background in the English department, yet effort and diligence is all it took for me to overcome some hindrances in that discipline.</p>
<p>that is good to know. my son is not big on math and science. he does well in those subjects -- but the motivation would not be there. He is thinking of doing HL English, and two HL social studies. his second language is Arabic and is not offered, so he will need to start another language -- so that won't be HL. and he wants to leave math and science at the SL level -- so the only other possible HL for him would be art or theatre and he isn't sure about the time commitment.</p>
<p>History is in my opinion really fascinating, but also very demanding. English is good, and one of my favorite subjects. Economics HL is also very very hard and it needs a lot of work (a 7 is not an easy goal). I think that your son should take an ab initio language course...it does not matter if he is familiar...he just has ti be motivated. PM me and I'll show u some samples of past papers.</p>
<p>I am luckily in an international school that offers IBs,APs, and even AS-levels. I am doing all three so I can give you guys a pretty good idea of the difficulty difference between APs and IBs.</p>
<p>First of all, if you're not very "mathematically oriented" and you're strong in languages then IB is your best bet. In AP there are no math courses that are of a moderate level, which contrasts with the IB's Math Studies course. Also, the language programs are so much more in depth in IB than in AP. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if you think you are going into the physics/engineering area then it depends on your level of ability and dedication. In my opinion, if you are a more medicore student then AP is the one to take. It is much more to get the second-best grade of 4 in AP then the second-best grade of 6 in IB. BUT if you are very passionate and naturally intelligent, then IB would be the course for you. You have the opportunity to excel, and achieve the outstanding grade of 7, which is a hell of a lot more difficult than a 5 in AP.</p>
<p>Also if you are freakishly mathematically minded, then you are able to take the IB Further Mathematics course which delves way further into maths than any high school course than I have ever seen offered. Trust me, the course is really difficult and it the amount of time that is needed is overwhelming. My school doesn't offer it as a true class as such, so I am secretly allowed to self-study the course (IB doesn't allow self-study...thats a major drawback)</p>
<p>Also don't forget the IB's CAS, ToK, and Extended Essay which look amazing on your college application. </p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Also hsmomstef, IB Arabic is a course that is offered in most schools. However, even though your son speaks arabic and might pass the test with a 7 with almost zero teacher guidance, he still must have the school work hours. So you'll need to get him a tutor thats a qualified IB Arabic teacher (because there are internal assessments, the tutor must be a qualified IB teacher)</p>
<p>
[quote]
IB doesn't allow self-study...thats a major drawback
[/quote]
Not so true. I agree strongly with everything you have mentioned before...but this is not correct. A friend of mine is doing Danish self-taught and you can request a self-taught course. But the thing is that self-taught courses in IB could result in a huge debacle, as it is extremely hard to cope with the massive syllabus and demands of the rigorous program. It would be extremely hard to get a 6 or a 7 at such a course...</p>