do colleges like one over the other?
Esp the Ivies and other good colleges such as Stanford, UVA, Duke etc
What is offered in your school, and which one do you personally like more?
<p>I went to my school because of its IB program (a newer, prettier, safer HS that's 5 min. away from my house has AP instead). In my school district anyway IB is far superior -- it draws the best students, it offers more classes (other HS's don't have that many APs), etc. There are districts where the AP is superior to the IB Program, though. In places where they're equally good, I'd still say go IB -- I like it that it's a PROGRAM, so a lot of "synthesis" goes on between your classes and you start seeing connections between biology and history (so everybody gets your nerdy jokes!). I also like the ToK aspect and the Extended Essay (it sounds intimidating but it's honestly really fun to do); CAS also made me do stuff I wouldn't have done otherwise. Anyway, point is, I think IB offers a very good education as well as good opportunities for personal enrichment.</p>
<p>As far as colleges go, I think it comes down to the quality of the programs offered in your area and the level of your involvement. If your school has a fabulous AP program but a worthless IB program, go with AP (or vice versa). As far as IB helping you with college admissions...if you get really really into your EE (like I did), it might provide you with an excuse to do independent research or talk about it at your college interviews; if you get really really into your CAS and start or run a community service project, then that looks good too. But you can do any of that ANYWAY even if you do APs. It's what you do with it (IB), not whether or not you do it, that defines what a college "likes."</p>
<p>I'm getting a definite feeling from educators that IB is more respected. I know the admissions representative from UVA said that if a school offered a full load of AP's and a full load of IB's, the IB's would be considered a more challenging curriculum.</p>
<p>Plus, and IB diploma says you're capable of things like the extended essay and portfolios things that are usually developed in the middle of college. IB's CAS requirement also gets respect.</p>
<p>Of course, I'm aware of schools where a 7/7 in Higher Level IB Physics is not awarded any credit at all, while a 4/5 in AP Physics is given 2 semesters of credit. I expect this to change.</p>
<p>I took a mixture of both, without being a full diploma candidate. I wanted flexibility in my classes and flexibility in my free-time, and the IB just didn't grant me that. And I'm not sure the colleges I applied to realized that I was only doing certificates.</p>
<p>"do colleges like one over the other?"</p>
<p>the general consensus is that if your school offers a full IB Diploma curriculum, you are expected to take it if you are aiming for top notch schools. the reason is, not only does IB have demanding and well-rounded coursework and tests, but it also requires extra projects/papers and CAS and TOK and EE... it forces you to be challenged across the board on all subjects AND MORE. </p>
<p>"What is offered in your school, and which one do you personally like more?"</p>
<p>IB was offered and the vast majority of the better kids took it. That does not mean that AP kids failed to gain successful college admissions results or that all IB kids got into the best colleges. It's what FITS YOU BEST, because IB isn't for everyone; not everyone can handle it and some thrive better on the AP program. So, the question isn't which one I personally like more, but rather, which one do YOU think you'll do better at.</p>