<p>I just started IB diploma, and I was wondering if US universities even know how much more different/difficult this program is from AP. I'm scared that after putting 2 years of hardwork into this and getting the best scores possible, highly selective colleges would just go like 'meh a 6 is ok I guess' like wth D:</p>
<p>It depends on the university. My state flagship had a reputation of not taking into account IB’s difficulty when looking at students’ grades. But for the more selective schools, I suspect they have a better sense of this.</p>
<p>Not all IB classes are more difficult then AP. AP physics C is considered harder and at a higher level then IB physics HL.</p>
<p>My son’s high school do not like IB Math HL. The plan is for students to study diff equations in the fall semester then do IB math sl in the spring semester.</p>
<p>Most school will not penalize a student if their schools do not offer IB. They review in the context of their school.</p>
<p>Another problem with IB is it does not allow students to take IB HL classes as a sophomore or earlier.</p>
<p>You can take AP any time you have the ability. So you will see many students taking AP calculus, AP chemistry, AP us history as a freshman or sophomore . Or sometimes AP calculus in middle school.</p>
<p>IB Math is just weird, that I will admit. But there are a lot of cases where similar topics will be covered in SL IB and AP, and schools won’t offer credit for the SL IB test. (Ex: chemistry. Got a 5 on the AP test and got credit, but I was in the SL IB class).</p>
<p>The part about not being allowed to take tests/classes earlier is annoying: you can’t take any tests before junior year.</p>
<p>Nervousfreshie, I don’t think a lot of universities take into account the difficulty of the classes, as evidenced by those who will give AP credit but won’t give credit for an IB SL class. That being said, I think that they realize that IB students will tend to have a well-rounded high school education, with LOTS of writing experience.</p>
<p>IB is so much harder but it’s the only programme offered in my school</p>
<p>My younger kid went to a competitive private high school in the states for 2 years then transferred to an international school overseas. She didn’t think IB courses were more difficult than her honors courses at her old high school. Books she was reading for English HL she had already read in 10th grade. She said they covered those books more in depth at her other school. She thought there were a lot of busy work for IB courses. That being said, many US adcoms are very familiar with the IB program.</p>
<p>In May 2012 ~64,000 students took IB exams in the US. While that isn’t close to the 2 million students who took AP exams that year, it isn’t an insignificant number, and college ad coms are aware of IB. Schools who take a holistic approach to evaluating apps. recognize that being an IB diploma student is a greater academic challenge because of ToK, CAS, and extended essay requirement, and because students may have to take courses in their weaknesses as well as their strengths - they can’t only choose what they like or are good at. I suggest you go to the websites of the colleges you are interested in and look at their policy for awarding credit for IB. Ask admissions if it is a factor in your favor. There is not one answer to this question. There are schools that award 30 hours of credit for the diploma. There are schools that give large scholarships for the diploma. They aren’t ivies, they don’t need to do this to get top students. Decide why you are doing the diploma - college credit, scholarship money, better transcript, good preparation for college - and see if this fits the schools you are interested in.</p>
<p>@MrQWERTYQWERTY IB is more than just the subjects. CAS, EE, TOK are all essentials for IBDP and a student will not pass if he has not completed these whereas AP are just academic courses and exams.</p>
<p>The main difference between IB and AP is that IB is a program while AP is just a group of classes each separate from each other. The IB in my opinion teaches you more holistically instead of AP classes which usually are taught towards the test. I think that more and more US colleges are recognizing the full merits of the IB which extend far beyond the class room in terms of volunteering and projects rather than AP which is simply a test.</p>
<p>I think a lot of private US colleges view successful IB students as very prepared for college-level work, more so that AP students. </p>
<p>I have hope!! I am investing a lot of time into IB, and I have attained a good score for my French exams this past May! can’t wait for the 5 other subject exams…</p>