<p>My school offers only the IB diploma; it's a substitute to AP classes. Some (public and private) schools offer both. A-levels are British exams that I don't know much about.</p>
<p>how do you take IBs/ be enrolled in IB programs? </p>
<p>your school has to offer the IB program. the pre-requisite for taking IB exams is a certain number of classroom hours. so unlike the APs, you actually have to take the class in order to take the test. the class will include internal assessments, otherwise known as projects or essays. </p>
<p>"if it's a "way of life", do you have to go to special schools for it? "</p>
<p>no. some schools offer AP and IB. it's a way of life because you spend so many hours doing IB, and because all IB kids take the same classes, you see everybody all the time. i've had friends who had an IB classes with me maybe 6 or 7 out of the 8 periods at school. LOL.</p>
<p>wow.. .haha i would've loved to be an IB nerd.. haha but instead im just an overloaded AP girl</p>
<p>oh yea forgot to mention, 8 periods because 7 periods werent enough to fit all the IB classes together for the school. so yea we had class afterschool LOL.</p>
<p>yah we have classes outside of school time. (I'm in IB too by the way.) We have morning classes (before school), afternoon classes (after school) and night classes (on weeknights). The program is painful. Like someone said earlier, you have to be the right type of person. I'm not and I hate it. I honestly wish I had not gone into the program. haha maybe I'm just saying that because exams start next week and I'm really stressed out right now.</p>
<p>aps are stressful too since im taking one everyday for a whole week the 2nd week of ap... 2 tests per day except tuesday only 1</p>
<p>the person who said "IB is a way of life, AP is just classes" is basically right on the money. The IB Program is so much more than just a bunch of classes, which is what AP is. The IB program requires countless hours of outside involvement in different activities.</p>
<p>people in AP classes cannot take IB tests, because the IB score is more than just a test. Your IB score for a class could be composed of countless parts. For example, your IB English score will be made up of: 2 papers, 2 oral presentations (1 jr year, and 1 sr year), and the 2 papers (exams) in May. IB is also internationally moderated. IB exams are also bell curved, unlike AP exams. A ridiculous percentage of people score a 5 on the AP BC test, while the percent that gets a 7 on IB HL is like 5-6.</p>
<p>HL math goes beyond BC calc, and SL Further Math goes beyond that.</p>
<p>My school had 7 periods, and with 6 IB tests + the extra IB class you need to get the diploma + band = taking class after school.</p>
<p>This talk about HL math is getting me very, very scared. I signed up for it but I can change it before next year. Eep. I hate math, but I'm not really bad at it. But... but... :(</p>
<p>Also, HL Math Methods is certainly harder than AP Calc BC. At my school, you take Calc BC as a junior and a combination class of HL Math/Calc III as a senior.</p>
<p>
[quote]
...with 6 IB tests + the extra IB class you need to get the diploma...
[/quote]
Extra class? What? ETA: Oh, ToK? :P Never mind then.</p>
<p>poubelle: there is no such thing as HL Math Methods- math methods is SL. HL math is HL math.
I<code>m taking HL math, it isn</code>t THAT bad, but it certainly is one of the classes that require a lot of time and commitment. I was always good at math before, but my self-esteem has been very low ever since I started HL math..not to scare you or anything lol .But be prepared.</p>
<p>Holy....IB classes are giving me goosebumps...I'm taking that junior-senior year for sure.</p>
<p>"IB is a way of life, AP is just classes" --- I can't think of a better way to compare the two!!</p>
<p>While I do agree with "IB is a way of life, AP is just a class" talk, I think that you do have to keep in mind that students get different things from classes/programs depending on how much they put into it. I know some people who take some IB classes who don't work that hard, but loooooove to talk about how superior they are. Conversely, I know people who are fully involved in the IB program and work themselves almost to the point of exhaustion and love every second of it. Because almost, if not all, of your classes are IB, most of your friends are probably IB too, so what you talk about is...IB! In that way, it is a way of life.</p>
<p>But like all nationwide programs, the depth varies. Two students across the country could be taking the same AP class, but one will work hard and develop that kind of community with his class because the teacher is that good and makes the work that hard. The other student may barely work and never develop that kind of community. The factors can change so much.</p>
<p>I'm not in IB, but an honors/AP track at a high school. I have almost all my classes with the same 30-45 people, and we have a similar sense of community (and unfortunately the elitism that often comes with that). I turned down IB, and looking back, I'm not sure I should have.</p>
<p>AP have different levels of diplomas:</p>
<p>AP Scholar
Granted to students who receive grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.</p>
<p>AP Scholar with Honor
Granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.</p>
<p>AP Scholar with Distinction
Granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.</p>
<p>AP State Scholar
Granted to the one female and one male student in each U.S. state and the District of Columbia with grades of 3 or higher on the greatest number of exams (at least three exams), and then the highest average grade (at least 3.5) on all AP Exams taken.</p>
<p>National AP Scholar
Granted to students in the United States who receive an average grade of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.</p>
<p>National AP Scholar (Canada)
Granted to students in Canada who receive an average grade of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on five or more of these exams.</p>
<p>Department of Defense for Education Activity (DoDEA) Scholar
Granted to the one male and one female student attending DoDEA schools with the highest average grade on the greatest number of AP Exams. The minimum requirement is a grade of 3 or higher on three exams.</p>
<p>AP International Scholar
Granted to the one male and one female student attending an American international school (that is not a DoDEA school) outside the U.S. and Canada with the highest average grade on the greatest number of AP Exams. The minimum requirement is a grade of 3 or higher on three exams.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, as others have said, that IB DIPLOMA is worlds apart from IB Certificate candidates...</p>
<p>I took AP Tests and Classes in addition to IB Diploma. Math Studies SL was super easy, and this year I took Calc BC. I also took AP US History as a sophomore and then took IB History HL. The rest of the tests I self-studied for.</p>
<p>I think taking ALL AP classes at a COMPETANT high school is much better than IB. I was an IB student, and I feel most of my IB classes were pretty useless (for example, TOK) except for those which were labeled as both AP and IB.</p>
<p>I agree about TOK, especially after taking a 'real" philosophy course at the college level.</p>
<p>This past junior year I was fortunate enough to have a truly wonderful ToK teacher. He was among the wisest people I have ever met (not to mention cynical), and completely changed the way I will forever look at the world (a real paradigm shift). I know this was better than any intro to philosophy 101 course given at any college or university, and for that I thank IB immensely.</p>
<p>Few people take ALL AP classes. IB is more than just 6 academically rigorous classes, though. It's a full 2-year (or 4-year with Pre-IB) program, with indepdent Internal Assessments, a 4,000 word Extended Essay, and hundreds of CAS volunteer hours. It's a life in itself. Three of my IB classes this past year were AP also, but I will continue IB all of next year...and I can't say the same about the AP courses, because they can't match IB.</p>
<p>what do you guys think about the extended essay though? i thought that and the history internal assessment (paper) did a good job in preparing me for college writing.</p>
<p>what topic did you do your extended essay on?</p>
<p>my TOK class was awesome...</p>
<p>The best teacher in the school, no contest, taught it. He had a double major in English and Philosophy. Now this year, some art teacher is teaching it, and I hear it's pretty bad.</p>
<p>IB makes you write like crazy, in every subject.</p>
<p>/I did my EE on US Foreign Policy Towards Great Britain and France from 1939-1941
//National AP Scholar is about = to IB Diploma minus EE, CAS, IAs. IMO</p>