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IB expects students to know about 80-90% of the material for the IB Biology HL exam while the AP Biology exam you are only expected to know about 40-50% of the material.
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<p>That proves nothing unless we know what material is fair game for each test.</p>
<p>I take FULL IB Diploma and I can tell you that 2-year program is time-wise more in depth than AP programs.
Not only that, in IB Diploma, you have to take Theory of Knowledge (TOK), produce an Extended Essay (EE) on the subject that you are interested in and also meet up with Creative, Action Service (CAS) credits. Not to mention that some people are taking 7 subjects or 4 Higher levels and 2 Standard Levels. </p>
<p>IB gives an all-around education and students see the interlinked-ness of the subjects through TOK, EE and CAS. I think it is more comprehensive than AP, which is 'class'-drive, not program-driven...</p>
<p>but that is just my opinion.. :)</p>
<p>Daughter completed Full IB Diploma and took AP exams in the same subjects, plus AP European History. Except for IB Theory of Knowledge and IB History of the Americas the AP and IB classes are together. This is a very large public, non-selective H.S. with a large minority population. Several hundred students take AP tests, while 15-20 complete the IB Diploma program. Historically about 80% of the full Diploma candidates get the IB Diploma. </p>
<p>Because the IB Core (Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge, and Creativity, Action, Service) is taken very seriously, the Diploma Program is better preparation for college level work. The students get a one-on-one mentoring experience with the EE supervisor, they learn strategic learning--how to think and learn for themselves--in TOK, and they learn how to create and execute a project that solves a problem in CAS and document it. Most educated adults learn these skills in college, graduate school, and on-the-job. </p>
<p>The IB test scores are generally lower than the AP scores, but the IB kids get more acceptances at highly selective colleges. Through shared suffering and learning to respect each other's abilities--the kids who are great at art help the math whizzes and vice-versa--they become friends and stay in touch with each other. They aren't necessarily the strongest students academically, but they are strong in spirit and develop incredible esprit de corps.</p>
<p>Haha, I am so lucky at my high school. We have what is called "The Bridge Program", in which all of the students in it accelerate and get their IB dimplomas as Juniors and take college classes as Seniors. I personally love IB, though it is not as hard as it is said ot be. However, I really doubt that AP is any harder. Anyways, I took 2 IB tests this year( I am a sophmore), and survived, so it is not so hard.</p>
<p>As a sophmore (this coming year) in the IB program at the only school in my region that offers IB (with AP), I've come to earn 3 extra credits (not much, though as much as i could get), finishing all my requirements for highschool (except tech) next year, first semester. My grades aren't the greatest, but with my added points my GPA is a 3.8/3.9.
And yet I party, go out, and screw around too often. IB cannot be as hard as it is said to be, or I wouldn't have survived this year (though it's not much). I've destroyed my habits, ready to start the next upcoming year with patience, anticipating the finish of sophmore year with 2 electives of my own choice, and about 16 credits without an other AP tests. (I have taken World Geography, one of the most useless AP exams that can be taken as a freshmen and recieved college credit).
I'm graduating with double language (Japanese & Spanish), 4 years in guitar, FFA (welding, agriculture offered at our school), and computer science as optional electives. I'll also take AP Gov/Eco in Junior year, and all together I should reach about 39 credits, without AP exams.</p>
<p>Now I'm honestly wondering, is it smarter for me to take AP, and get out of IB? will my GPA be any better, and will i have more freedom? THe only way I'll get into college is through scholarship.
(And i do realise I haven't actually reached real IB and am in pre-IB, but pre-IB = pre-AP, no? )</p>
<p>If there's already a thread on this, please excuse me and shoot me towards that thread!</p>
<p>Anyways,</p>
<p>I'd just like to know which program prepares one for college the most and which one do colleges like to see a student work hard in.</p>
<p>At my school we have a pretty rigorous IB program.</p>
<p>Over the years, our valedictorians and salutatorians have had stellar GPAs and ECs but got denied from most of their schools except UVA and such, with the exception of one kid in '04 who went to Yale (but he wasn't human). </p>
<p>A lot of my good friends try to argue that AP is better than IB but who knows?</p>
<p>IB makes us do lots of essays in the middle of the year (IAs) and the extended essay (4000 words!) and CAS hours and all that bologna.</p>
<p>So tell me, what do colleges like to see more? and which one is better for the student?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Take a look at this thread.
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ask-dean-topics/475905-ap-vs-ib-do-colleges-prefer.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ask-dean-topics/475905-ap-vs-ib-do-colleges-prefer.html</a></p>
<p>Basically, both IB and AP have the potential to be great, although very different programs; it all comes down to how individual schools implement the programs. </p>
<p>AP allows specialization, whereas IB (full diploma that is) promotes well-roundedness.</p>
<p>Colleges want to see that you have done well in classes that challenge you. If your school offers IB, you should attempt some IB courses, and if you find that the program suits you, you should complete the diploma. If your school offers AP courses, you should attempt one or more of them. If you school offers neither, you should do your best in the courses that they do offer.</p>
<p>It truly is as simple as that.</p>
<p>As to why students from your high school have not gotten into the colleges that they applied to, well that would be another story entirely. In fact, it would be nx different stories entirely where n represents the actual number of students involved, and x represents the actual number of colleges each of those students applied to.</p>
<p>Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Simply put, IB is marginally better. I have taken both APs and IBs, but IB classes offer material at a higher level. Even the teachers at my school admit that the IB curricula is at a higher level than the AP curricula. I know there will be a bunch of people who disagree, but from experience, IB is better.</p>
<p>Harvard's admission program on campus on the last Friday in February this year included a statement by a Harvard admission officer that Harvard doesn't prefer one to the other. That makes sense, because implementations of each program at particular high schools differ a lot more than the two programs differ in any way that is meaningful to highly selective colleges. College admission officers still have to be familiar with each high school in their docket from which students submit applications.</p>
<p>Princeton University's Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye:
“If the student has the opportunity to do the IB diploma, we really value the diploma,” Rapelye advised.</p>
<p>It would be good to point to journalistically reported statements or to official college websites to verify this frequently discussed issue. I'm not aware of any college that says officially that it has a systematic preference for one brand of high school curriculum over another.</p>
<p>Oh, I see, the hypothesis to the reply from Dean Rapelye was omitted earlier: </p>
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If you’re an international student, pursue the International Baccalaureate diploma.
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<p>Translated into its import for applicants studying overseas, this probably means, "Study a course of study that prepares you for universities outside your home country." That's good advice, of course, but it doesn't really indicate that IB is preferred to AP.</p>
<p>Yes it does. Please do not edit my posts.<br>
You will note that the part in quotes does not mention international at all and was merely a transition added by the student blogger. Call her yourself and verify what she meant.</p>
<p>I don't think colleges are likely to ever state explicitly whether they prefer AP or IB, even if they do have a preference. They may say that if you do IB classes, they'd like you to get the diploma (which may be what the Princeton rep meant).</p>
<p>Colleges in general like students to challenge themselves in general, but colleges aren't promising that one brand name of high school curriculum is definitely the optimal curriculum for getting into college. That would set up perverse incentives on high schools.</p>
<p>No college admissions officer will say one way or the other. But i received several scholarships just for taking IB! Its very challenging and focuses on making students diverse and well rounded through the core curriculum, CAS, Extended Essay, etc. Whereas, in AP you can just take one AP course and be done</p>
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i received several scholarships just for taking IB
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<p>Which organizations or colleges offered those scholarships? Are you in college now?</p>
<p>Now I know it's been said a hundred times that it's a tedious task to even try and compare AP and IB grades, however I've heard an idea that if you are taking the full IB diploma and receive 38 points (45 is the max), this would be equivalent to a GPA of 4.0? Is there any sense in this. It might have been that this GPA did not concern AP's, but just the "ordinary" courses of the U.S curriculum.</p>
<p>Just so you know, I live in Europe and know very little of the U.S high school system.</p>
<p>Well, I'm in the IB program and even though I'm still taking AP classes, I'm taking much more IB than AP classes. So I was wondering if IB and AP are "the same' when it comes to college admissions.</p>