<p>I'm a sophomore getting ready for Junior Year and I'm contemplating whether to take Full IB or not. I attend an International School in Beijing, China and I want to go to a college in the US. I'm a California resident and I want to probably attend USC, UCLA and colleges along those lines. Can i have some feedback on what i should do. FULl ib or no? I'm not sure how much they help?? =/</p>
<p>Full IB, like AP can give you credits for introductory level courses in university. Some of the people I have talked to have said that university is really easy in comparison to what they had to do in the full IB program. Also, I think more and more universities are recognizing the difficulty of the full IB program, if they haven't already, and it might give you a boost in the admission decisions (you know how universities always say you should take the most challenging courseload offered and that you can handle?)</p>
<p>Just some things to consider, I guess. I can't give any first-hand accounts, since I won't be entering the full IB program until next year. Good luck!</p>
<p>full IB diploma is always preferred and expected if it is offered and if you want to get into a top college in the US</p>
<p>what's your alternative if you're not doing IB? you should always try to take the most rigorous curriculum that you can succeed in if you want to get into a good college.</p>
<p>I <3 IB. I'm in my senior year of the programme and I've loved it. It's way better than the local hs curriculum and I know I would have been bored to death otherwise. </p>
<p>My advice to you, however, is take a good long think about whether or not you can handle it. If you are confident and organized, you'll be fine. If you are being pressured into taking the programme by parents, friends, or teachers, and you still feel uneasy, don't put yourself through it. It is a LOT of work, but you can do it if you want to.</p>
<p>I personally think its crap. a waste of 2 years. CAS hours, extended essay, portfolios whatever
look up on what u have to do for two years before deciding, talk to the seniors in your school about it.
i think taking AP's are much better for the US.</p>
<p>IB is well worth the time, and the US colleges look favourably upon you if you take the most rigorous course available to you.</p>
<p>i've had my ups and downs with the IB, but from what iheard after you take the first year of college is always a blast. plus i tihnk its rarer that AP so that makes you are more exotic applicant. with the fear of sounding liek a complete dork i hve to say that IB is a lot of work, but it really prepares for reasearch papers and stuff. plus, once you get the hang of how the system works its pretty easy to get high marks</p>
<p>I recommend IB. As others have said, colleges prefer you to take the hardest course available to you. I think if AP and IB are offered at the same school, the IB Diploma is preferred. It's broad, at least 3 in-depth subjects and also makes you grow as a person and part of community and stuff. </p>
<p>Yeah, some might say it's better to do community service because you want to and not because you have to, but I wouldn't have loved basketball and joined the basketball team at various schools if I didn't have to play it during P.E. </p>
<p>If you have choices available to you, choose widely which highers and standards to take. For example, some places look more favorably at a B in Math Highers than, say, a B in Math Studies or something...</p>
<p>Also look at the credit transfer policies for the UC's. Some friends have dropped the Diploma for Certificates when they see that the whole Diploma isn't used in anything after acceptance and only HL credits counts. I think that's taking the easy way out, but it's up to you.</p>
<p>Doing the EE does help with college papers, (according to friends), and if you're going straight to a LAC (or a school of Arts and Sciences in a large uni), the broad requirements of the Diploma helped prepare them for the requirements of such colleges. Another friend got one year credit for Philosophy because he got an A for his TOK paper.</p>
<p>you can get frustrated with IB once in a while..believe me. i'm almost done with it and yes, it is hard work. sept-march were hectic months and a lot of sleepless nights. however, my friends that have already done IB tell me that they don't regret it, they agree that it does help you get into college in the US and Europe and that it prepares you for college.
if you wanna get into those schools, i recommend you do the diploma.</p>