Do the Best American I.T Colleges Care About Whether IB Full Diploma / Non Diploma (Course Student)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’m a sophomore and yesterday there was a presentation about the IB Curriculum, I was pretty much set on taking the full diploma, but I heard him say “If you’re focused on America then you wouldn’t really need a Full Diploma (since they do not require it) since they focus more on GPA, extracurriculars, SAT/ACT”. So I was thinking that if I wanted to take Computer Science at one of the best universities in the U.S (Stanford, Ivy League, etc) then should I just not take the full diploma since my gpa could be at risk? Is the IB full diploma really setting me apart because it is a risk for me. My Dad was telling me that if something bad happened in the U.S I would have nowhere else to go (that was good)… How feasible is that?.. and also that not taking the diploma was for lazy and stupid people (and I’m not that)… I’m not too sure now… is not taking the full diploma the smart or stupid choice? I would obviously have more free time to make sure my SAT was good and really focus on extracurriculars, right?

I mean I’m aiming high for colleges and although I haven’t really taken the standardized testing yet, my gpa so far is good (although I had a bit of a drop at the start of this year for the first quarter…)… I do a wide range of extracurriculars: Robotics Club President, Wrestling, Brain Bowl, Student Council Class President, MUN, School Tech Group, I’m also part of a international academy of students trying to solve problems, Honor Band, Speech… Is the IB just more of an unneeded extension that is risky for me…

Please do tell me your thoughts. Thanks!

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IMO for normal students I think it is the diploma or no IB at all. The IBD doesn’t set you apart. I live in a western state and there are 4 IBD schools that I can drive to. IB certificate is no advantage over a full AP schedule IMO unless you love certain classes enough to commit to HL understanding it is not better for your uni application. IBD is great uni prep, but it isn’t any hook. It can be a GPA killer if you are not the right kind of student. Many students do IBD, varsity, ECs, research. top SATs ACTs etc etc. IME IBD kids are a self selecting group of kids who know the score, that are usually fed from the magnet elementary and middle schools. Even then there are plenty of dropouts from IBD to certificate.

     If overseas schools are in your view,t it seems not all US IB schools get the scores that UK etc kids would attain. For the UK it is easier to apply with APs (from the US) than the IBD (because they want top IBD scores). I think if you are not excited by the IBD then you won't choose it anyway.