Dilemma and Thoughts

Don’t get hung up on CDS GPA. Unless one knows how institutional reporting is calculating the CDS GPA, it’s a meaningless number (unweighted? Weighted? What’s the weighting methodology? Are they taking GPAs off the HS transcripts, regardless of calculation method? Core courses only, or all classes including electives? And on and on)

Some school’s IR departments calculate GPA differently than how GPA is used in the admissions process, further complicating things.

What you can do is have a balanced list of schools, including match and safety schools in your country. UVA is a reach for all unhooked international students.

Separately, AP test self study will likely not help you in admissions. Having a test score won’t compensate for not taking the class, or in your case not choosing the IB route. You could earn college credit at some schools for certain AP scores, depending on where you matriculate.

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I understand that not taking IB could possibly get a punch on my chances, can going to the top amount of AP courses cover for that?
I really hate IB because it’s a one go: go big or go home. So I decided not to take it despite the fact it is really rigorous.

As an international student, you likely would full pay for these colleges at close to $80,000 a year. Is that OK?

yea totally fine I could break NYU fees if I wanted to be let’s just say preferably not.

NYU is $90k. It’s one of the most expensive colleges in the US.

Yes I can afford it, but that’s the limit.

If you don’t like Go Big or Go Home, high stakes exams, then the UK is not for you. This basically describes how you get your grades: 60-75% of your mark will be from one final exam.

This decision will possibly be an issue in terms of getting into the most selective schools. I mentioned before that you will be compared based on your school profile. So other students will be in the IB diploma program and you aren’t. Which is totally fine by the way. You have, very sensibly, chosen to not undergo the stress that is part of the IB diploma program. But when colleges consider rigor (most highly selective colleges do) it is likely you will not have the most rigor available at your high school, even if you do have rigor overall. Rigor is very important to top colleges.

Just be aware that you need a balanced list. Apply to colleges you would be happy to attend, where you have a reasonable shot at getting in.

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Yes, thank you for the advice. For now I’d just leave at somewhere like UBC (uni brit columbia) Georgia institute tech, virginia (if possible), NYU, Uwashington, and probably some UK schools. I’ll make sure my AP’s are fine at least this year first and then get ready to take calc ab/bc, stats, chem and/or physics, and maybe a couple of IB’s (3AP 2IB and another 3/4 AP in senior)

Thanks!

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I don’t have big problems with it or anything, I’m just trying to avoid it in high school as much as possible so that I don’t lose all my hair before another major hair falling incident. Also, I’ve heard plenty of students (approximately 1/3+ of ib students) at our school complaining about the teachers having plenty of problems to deal with including:
-taking three months to finish one single unit
-Both AA AI HL and SL students experiencing an approximate 10% (I could be wrong) higher expectation for each score 1-6 for expected scores with people barely passing the course when they’ve done reasonably well in precal
-New teachers who’ve come in when they seem like they have no capability of teaching such a rigorous and they state they can (Like the IB teacher for xx just went from a random Freshmen English and high school American lit to doing that (Ridiculous))

of course, these aren’t limited, and there’s only like one teacher so you can’t pick. UK colleges (maybe) you can at least pick professors that won’t seem this helpless.

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Its a multiple factors thing, I just like the AP system better but I have no problem towards the diploma and its courses; I love rigor if I seemed misleading. I would also like to apply for some UK schools maybe but I’m completely unsure about the AP’s you need like Edinburgh wants 5 ap’s from you but there are also A level and B level AP’s? Does self study count to fulfill? Does it have to be done in 3 years or four?

The school doesn’t offer lots of guidance until the end of junior and senior year and by then it’s too late and i’ll end up in schools I’d never asked for. That’s why I hopped up in CC hoping for some info despite not knowing how to use this thing.

This would help if you’re on the AP track and can complement the courses taken as a junior and senior.
What courses would you take each year under that scenario?

Are you full pay?

UCB is extremely unlikely. CS there is as hard to get into as into Harvard.
CMU is a “niche” school like Swarthmore, very intense - and it doesn’t sound like studying 24/7* is your scene so are you sure?
(* okay, slight exageration but hopefully you can get what I mean, ie., you’re not in the IBD program trying to score 6s&7s in everything, which I’m sure a couple classmates are trying to do.)

UEdinburgh will want to see 5s in calc BC, a physics course (1 or 2), and in another science, probably CS A, plus 2 other 5s in subjects of your choice.

Calc ab (With bc test) stats physics 1 comp sci HL and econ hl if possible (If not i’d take the ap csp test)
Yes I am doing full pay and will not have any debt.

Can you more precisely list your proposed AP+IB schedule

  • for junior year
  • for senior year

AP Calc with BC score, APstats,AP physics 1 + CS HL would be excellent for jr year , as long as you ALSO take English and History (can be AP or SL).
I suppose CS HL would be 2 years so you’d have that, but does your school offer a post-AP math class?
But then what would you take senior year for math? Or would you take AB jr year then prep BC+take stats senior year? Any chance your school would actually offer BC for seniors?
What about a senior science - Physics 2? or would you be allowed to take another AP science (bio, chem…?) or IB SL science (Engineering design, Physics SL)?

Sounds like the AP path makes more sense for you as long as your school is willing to accomodate you for Calc BC (independent study period supervised by Calc teacher?)