<p>which is better to take the AP route or IB route. i really wanna take the IB but the amount of workload really scares me. im scared i might not be able to keep my GPA up. im not like a genius. i dont get straight A's. like right now, i have 4 A's and 2 B's. i've heard that GPA is very very important to get into a good college. my goal is to get into UCLA or USC or UCSD. wat do you guys think? wat do colleges look at more? does taking IB help you get into a good college?</p>
<p>Permutation: do both. AP and IB are not mutually exclusive, and in fact doing both will be more impressive to colleges.</p>
<p>IB Diploma = Full AP Schedule > a mix of both > IB Certificate = a couple APs > honors > regular</p>
<p>If you want to do the IB, then do it! The woarkload is perfectly managable- it might seem hard at first, but you'll get used to it. It can be a lot of work at times (like when you've got lots of internal assesments, the extended essay, ToK presentation, etc. all at once...), but it IS worth it. You'll learn so much, and have so much fun along the way!</p>
<p>is this going to become like that old thread "IB vs APvs Gifted/Honors"???</p>
<p>^true, there are a lot of these threads. The OP should do a search, it should yield enough results to answer the OPs question</p>
<p>I hate these IB vs. AP threads. Each program has its own advantages....no one is better than the other.</p>
<p>I find that AP has a decreased emphasis on understanding complex topics and an increased emphasis on rote memorization and facts, as far as History goes. Math and Science classes are virtually identical. Both English programs have their strengths and weaknesses. The real strength of the IB Program, in my experience, is the foreign language program.</p>
<p>mj93, I'm not completely clear on what you meant, but I think I disagree with you. I would say:</p>
<p>Workload
IB diploma > AP = mix > IB certificate = a few APs > honors > regular</p>
<p>Difficulty
IB diploma = AP = mix > IB certificate = a few APs > honors > regular</p>
<p>At least at my school, the IB diploma is slightly more rigorous than a full AP schedule in terms of workload, especially because of IB requirements like CAS and EE. In terms of difficulty, I'd agree with you that AP is just as good as IB. I don't think they're uniformly the same (ie the IB math exam is harder than calc BC, but other IB exams can be easier than their AP counterparts), but they probably average out to be roughly the same. </p>
<p>Why would a mixed schedule would be less than a full AP courseload? </p>
<p>And to the OP, I'd personally take the best of both worlds. IB can be rewarding but limiting, while AP doesn't involve the kind of "work" IB does but allows you to take whatever you want.</p>
<p>I agree with do both. Not a mix, but do full IB, and take the AP test too when applicable.
Of course, if too much work is what you're worried about...that's probably not the way to go.</p>
<p>take the full ib schedule, in which you will also take a bunch of ap's</p>
<p>My French teacher is an IB teacher, and he says that he thinks that "AP is 10 times more difficult than IB."</p>
<p>maybe for your language, but i disagree w/u b/c taking IB is like taking AP everything, as opposed to just a few courses of your strengths.</p>
<p>^ Yeah, I agree with that...I am taking a full IB schedule next year...junior year..wahoo!</p>
<p>to chocolatelover, IB foreign language is SO much easier than AP, but other classes are harder than AP.</p>
<p>thanks 2 all of u who replied. but im still in need of more opinions. anyone else out there who can help? plzzzzzzzzzzzz. im desperate. more opinions plz.</p>
<p>IB is more of a holistic, worldly approach. If you just look at their website it really says it all, whereas AP is more "get college credit". AP teaches you, but I think IB makes you more aware.</p>
<p>AP classes really depend on the teacher. If you have a good teacher, than you will learn as much or more as an IB, holistic worldly approach. Other teachers don't teach that well and teach it based on what they're given at one training. From what I've heard and experienced with my teachers, IB teachers tend to be a bit more trained in their teaching and go through a lot more to be a certified IB teacher.</p>
<p>In my personal opinion, coming from two different schools who do IB, then AP, IB is much more time-consuming (if you're doing the program or trying for a certificate).</p>
<p>The classes really depends also. I heard IB SL Calculus is a lot harder than AP AB Calculus. But the IB HL Calculus is 10x more difficult than AP Calculus altogether (and it's pretty true; I'm in an AP class but was in an IB class for a day (visiting my old school) and they were already done with BC stuff and were going on to more advanced topics when I was still finishing up AB topics)</p>
<p>If you're doing the IB program, I would just do it. You can always try it, and if it doesn't work out, just drop out of the program (with all the ToK and extended essays, a reason why it's so much more time consuming) and at least do the classes. Some schools let you integrate both AP and IB classes into the program. I would choose the more interesting and more important classes to you as IB, and less interesting AP. And AP Psychology is a bit of a joke, so if you ever come across it, choose IB over AP psychology. Unless it's not much of an interest to you.</p>
<p>Students get accepted into schools either way through IB or AP. They're both vastly accepted.</p>
<p>What if my schedule will look like this?</p>
<p>-IB Math HL
-IB Bio HL
-IB French SL
-IB English HL
-IB European History HL
-Concert Choir</p>
<p>My school only has a six-period day and doesn't offer IB Music SL or HL, so the only way I can take music (which is very important to me) is by taking 5 certificates. (As in, I can't do the full diploma and music) Will colleges look down on me for this schedule? I'm taking more HLs than even most diploma candidates at my school.</p>
<p>I am doing the full IB Diploma and I still manage to fit some AP classes in (well mainly because I do not have lunch, I have a class during lunch lol.)</p>
<p>Oh yeah you can only have 3 HL class, the 4th one does not count towards the diploma.</p>
<p>My Schedule Last Year:</p>
<p>-IB Bio HL
-IB History of the Americas
-IB Math SL
- Theory of Knowledge (During Lunch)
-IB English HL
-IB French SL
-AP Physics B</p>
<p>Don't know why you school wont let you do the full diploma with music. At my school there are people doing thefull diploma and still doing band/orchestra/marching band as well as playing sports lol.</p>
<p>That's a post I made on this issue a while ago. Read it.</p>