<p>I will be entering my junior year of high school in the US this following 2014-2015 school year and my school allows the students to choose whether to take diploma program or AP. I am sure both programs are great, but I cannot decide which program to choose especially considering the circumstances. There is one guy in my class who is deciding not to take the diploma program and has decided to stack up on the AP classes instead, constructing his schedule to consist of only AP classes and 3 free periods (we have 8 classes available in our schedule, therefore he will be taking 5 AP classes). If I am using the correct technique to calculate weighted GPAs, he will have a 5.0 by the end of junior year if he maintains all A's, which makes him well on his way to becoming valedictorian. I am a viable candidate for a top spot in the class ranking but am unsure whether I should follow this guy in order to compete for that top spot or do diploma program. If I took diploma program, my tentative schedule would consist of 5 AP classes and 2 regular classes (due to the DP requirement of Theory of Knowledge and a language). I have not decided whether to leave my 8th labeled as free on my schedule and continue playing on the basketball team which I've been playing on since I was a freshman, so that it does not lower my potential GPA, or give up my sport and fill it in with an extra AP class to raise my GPA (assuming I get an A). Which leads me to my next question: should I give up my sport and fill it in with an extra AP class? However, I would still play club basketball and run track because the track team allows for athletes to not take the sport as a class, both of which I have been doing since I was a freshman. But back to my first question: whether I leave my 8th as free or fill it in with an AP class my GPA will range from 4.71 to 4.75 (again, assuming that I maintain all A's), still remarkably lower than the other guy's potential 5.0 GPA. So in a college admissions perspective, the underlying overall question is, "Who looks better: the valedictorian who did not take the diploma program or the top 5/10 who took the diploma program?" And if you could answer another question, does it look better to colleges if you fill in your schedule with a lot of classes to look like you are challenging yourself or to take less but the highest point-earning classes?</p>
<p>So to sum it all up, here are my three questions:
1. Should I take diploma program or AP considering my situation?
2. Who looks better: the valedictorian who did not take the diploma program or the top 5/10 who took the diploma program?
3. If you think I should do diploma program, should I give up my high school sport and fill it in with an extra AP class?</p>
<p>I think you should take exactly what you want to take and stop stop stop worrying about the other guy and what the other guy’s potential gpa might be. </p>
<p>I also have a very hard time believing that anyone who takes 3 study halls will be taken seriously by colleges.</p>
<p>Play your sport and get the diploma. Colleges know that weighted class rank is pretty arbitrary (or at least I hope so) and would rather see you persuing your interests.</p>
<p>Like what mathyone said, stop worrying about what the other guy is doing and just take whatever you want. You’re creating so much unnecessary stress for yourself.</p>
<p>1) AP. Could you elaborate on what the diploma program is? More than likely, colleges will only nonchalantly glance at it.<br>
2) Valedictorian who did not take the diploma program. Hands down. The program isn’t that special. It’s recognized at your school, but no future employer (post-college) or grad school will care about it. If you can get college credit vis-a-vis your AP classes, then it’d be foolish to pass that up. The diploma seems nominal. If that’s the case, then the diploma will not matter. What you’re doing in high school != what you will do in college.
3) Do your AP classes, but don’t drop your sports. See if there’s a way around that requirement where you don’t have to take the class but can still play the sport. </p>
<p>Be cautious about the answer above, he/she seems to think it’s one of those arbitrary high-school programs (e.g Honor Roll/National Honors Society) and is probably completely unaware/ignorant of the International Baccalaureate Program. </p>
<p>@sluchy523 OP never mentioned it was IB, so mea culpa. Had I known that, my answer would’ve completely changed. I was under the impression it was similar to some nominal engineering “degree” programs offered by schools in my state. Don’t appreciate the pejorative “ignorance,” however. Simply a miscommunication. </p>
<p>“The diploma seems nominal. If that’s the case, then the diploma will not matter.” I should’ve specified and included a catch for if the diploma was IB. </p>
<p>OP–
If the diploma’s IB, then do some research around here on the merits of IB vs. AP. This is a common topic. </p>
<p>@Vctory i understand why you may not have caught that, but for future reference, when someone says the “diploma” program and are comparing with AP, they mean IB, unless they state otherwise. I thought it was pretty clear, but then again my area doesn’t have any nominal degrees. Not calling you out, just wanted to make sure you knew.</p>
<p>Except that in a ‘real’ IB program, there aren’t AP classes. It’s one or the other. When my daughter was interviewing for an IB program and I asked if she could take an AP class, there were gasps all around. WHY would anyone want to do that!!! IB math is IB math, not AP Calc. Before you tell me all IB programs do this, this is one of the oldest and best known of the IB’s, and does not. It is a school within a school, and the only things the students might do outside IB is a music or art class, but that is rare (marching band). They have 150 enter each year as ‘pre-IB’ 9th graders, and by the time they are done have only about 80 IB diplomas granted.</p>
<p>Schools have started combining the AP/IB higher level courses, but then both programs are shorted a little.</p>
<p>Class rank seems like a short term goal. Look at what you’re going to do as determining your future. You should definitely do the sport (esp. if you want to) because you’ll stand out more in front of colleges in comparison to that one kid that only did academics. </p>