<p>Can anyone tell me how the AP or IB courses work in college? Is it true that if S or D have take them in high school they are able to finish with college early.</p>
<p>It depends on the school. Some schools will accept the credit, others won't. Some schools will let you use an AP to place out of an entry level course, but won't give you credit.</p>
<p>I find it frustrating that kids are expected to take these classes to be considered competitive at admissions time, but they often aren't allowed to take advantage of their benefits.</p>
<p>My daughter is a senior getting ready to take her IB exams to complete her IB diploma. If she scores 5 or above on her HL (higher level) exams, she will be given credit in those subjects. She will receive 1 class credit for a score of 5, 2 class credits for a score of 6 or 7. If her total IB diploma score is 30 or above she will receive an additional class credit. This is the policy of the college she will attend. </p>
<p>On the other hand, another girl in her class who is also working on her IB diploma will attend CalTech. Despite very challenging Chemistry and math classes, she will not get any credit, regardless of how she does on the IB exams.</p>
<p>The IB program is extremely stressful with lots of research and writing. There have been times when I was afraid my daughter was on the edge of a breakdown. Despite this, she is glad she has gone through this program. Her ability to analyze and write has improved and will serve her well in college. </p>
<p>Another benefit is the close friends she has made, most of whom gave each other great moral support through the process. We moved here just before her junior year and during this time, she has friends who she will carry with her for a long time despite the fact that they will all disperse once they graduate. (We live overseas, so her classmates will attend colleges all over the place)</p>
<p>The IB is definitely worth considering, but is not for everyone. It's a tough program.</p>
<p>Our H.S. has an interesting option for Students who want to do less than the entire diploma track for IB. We have IB certificates so that a student can earn a certificate in as many areas that they want while taking AP classes to be able to utilize the AP testing benefits. </p>
<p>My D did English Literature and Spanish certificates although I would consider those two of her weakest areas. She had to choose in 9th grade when she didn't know she was so capable in math (perfect SAT in Math). She will get extra cords at graduation.</p>
<p>My eldest D decided to forego the IB program and go for straight AP classes in her jr. and sr. year. IB is very impressive to colleges but it depends on where you want to go if it is worth it.</p>
<p>I guess I should mention, she doubled up and for the areas of lit and spanish she is taking both the AP and IB tests starting this week. Spanish is 5 hours long. She won't need it though if she does well on AP.</p>
<p>Atlmom, the AP Spanish test is actually more demanding than the IB SL Spanish test (my daughter took both last year). On the IB test, students have a lot of choice of what to write about, which minimizes difficulties with vocabulary. The AP test, on the other hand, is very demanding in terms of vocabulary. The situation may be different if your daughter is taking IB HL Spanish.</p>