Full IB Necessity?

Pre-College Issues International Baccalaureate (IB)
1

My high school for some reason offers only IB and no AP even though it seems that everyone in the community except the administration believes AP would be better. I personally don’t see the benefits of IB as it doesn’t save nearly as much money on college as AP and going full time is kissing your social life goodbye. I’m not Ivy League material in any way, but have pretty good grades and if I really apply myself could get into top schools. I’m wondering if I want to get into schools like Rose-Hulman, Hillsdale, or Michigan do I need to go full IB or is partial OK.

P.S. Don’t know if this would help, but I’m currently in my sophomore year with a GPA of a little over 3.7 unweighted and a little over 4.0 weighted.

2

You may or may not be OK depending on a lot of different factors + the opinions of adcoms, but colleges really like to see students taking the most demanding course load possible at their school.

3

My daughter took the full IB diploma program. It was a lot of work, and yes, it’s harder to get college classes edit because a lot of schools only accept high scores from HL classes and not SL.

However, the rigor of the curriculum helped her in two ways. One, admins saw that she took the most rigorous coursework offered at her school. Two, the critical thinking skills she developed and the amount of research and writing she was required to do prepared her very well for the work at her selective LAC.

Best of luck!

4

You can check each college’s web site to see what subject credit and advanced placement it gives for individual IB exam scores.

5

You can take 3 HLs in your strongest subjects, then SLs that have AP matches (like EES=> take APES exam).
It’ll be okay for Hillsdale, Hope, Alma, Albion, Rose Hulman, Michigan State. Michigan will be a reach because they’ll likely expect the full IB.

6

I’m currently completing the full IB diploma, and I just to warn you that it’s a lot of work. But I guess it depends on what grade you’re aiming for. I’m currently predicted a 42 and I honestly doubt I’ll get that in the real exams. The extended essay and the theory of knowledge course is really exhausting and time consuming. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had more than 6 hours of sleep during weekdays. I feel like partial IB would be good for you, I don’t think the colleges you are aiming for expect you to do the full diploma necessarily. A good SAT score will probably do the job along with nice essays.

7

It really depends on what you are planning to major in college. Daughter graduated with an IB diploma and will be graduating college in May with an engineering degree. Had I known she would choose to study engineering I would have sent her to the school with an AP program or she could have just focused on the math and science classes to have a stronger background for a STEM major. Once she entered college no one cared whether she was an IB diploma or ib certificate graduate. Once in college you start out with a clean slate and you don’t look back.

8

@GoCubsGo719 What we have found is that many colleges, especially college admissions counselors, don’t have a good grasp of what the IB is. Some didn’t know the difference between SL and HL . Some schools will assigned the same weight to an SL class as an HL class. What we have found is that it is difficult to gauge the possibility of acceptance to any specific college because 99% of students are taking AP. So treat IB like AP and see where your SAT or ACT score falls. That being said I know students with GPA’s below 2.5 that were accepted to most of the colleges they applied to because the IB program is so rigorous. In addition Ivy league schools are now coming yearly to interview the top students in the school. You will be well prepared for college and that is actually what is most important.

9

My son took a full load of IB courses to prepare him for college. Due to scheduling issues at his high school, He did not complete all of the full diploma requirements. As he is planning on majors in engineering, He completed several PLTW engineering classes instead.

The challenge of the IB classes has done an excellent job preparing him for college. In addition, ithe IB program has also provided the “academic rigor” that most colleges look for in their applicants.

10

Thank you for all the responses so far, they have been very helpful. As I was reading through these I had another thought goes along with this that was triggered by something @payasugo said about GPA. I go to an expensive private high school in Indianapolis and was awarded a scholarship for scoring high on their placement exam. This scholarship comes with a yearly condition that I keep my GPA above 3.5 unweighted. I think I could keep my GPA relatively good looking, but would struggle to keep it at this 3.5 mark. Does anyone think losing a $1,500 a year scholarship is really worth it when it comes to the IB program? If it has any effect, my parents, the providers of the education, would be very unhappy if I lost it.

11

If you think about what degree would provide the best foundation for a thinking life, I would pick the IB. It is a diploma, and it “guarantees” a level of achievement in a mix of areas that are a great basis for further educats on and scholarship as well as the requirement of pursuing a few to a higher level.

On the practical side, there are kids who don’t stay with the full IBD because their school doesn’t offer the courses they want, there are conflicts, etc. Personally, I hate the idea that someone who wants to do the IBD does not because of fear of it impacting their GPA, either for college admissions or in your case, for a scholarship. It seems wrong but I do understand where you’re coming from.

I would ask first if there is any adjustment made to the requirement for rigor (IB). I would also work through course planning to see if you can balance the workload. If you are weakest at FL and chemistry and do both as SL junior year, you’d have to figure out how much gas you’d have left in your tank for the classes you’d normally excel at as you would need them for your GPA. But if you could split the 2 weak classes, taking one junior year and the other senior year, that problem would go away. It’s all a matter of how strategic you can be.

I might also discuss your concerns with the people who might be unhappy about the scholarship. That you might be getting less out of your education to keep their money may not be what they intended at all.

12

@GoCubsGo719 its an interesting situation you have here. The IB has a huge upside but it is stressful and alot of work. The diploma at many schools is worth a semester at college and that is significant. To get the diploma you will need at least three HL classes. That doesn’t mean you have to take HL chemistry. The courses you take at HL should be your strong subjects. A 3.5 unweighted GPA in IB will translate into about a 4.2 on a 4.0 scale when you apply to college. That will open many, many doors at elite schools and thousands of dollars in merit scholarships. It sounds like you don’t want to put in the effort the IB demands. You wouldn’t be doing yourself any favors by taking the easy route.

13

I transferred schools just get away from the IB Program for the same reason as you. I wasn’t “Ivy” material like the other kids. And maybe this was just at my school, but my self-esteem crippled comparing myself to a lot of arrogant IB kids that boasted about their every accomplishment. If you complete it, good for you! But don’t feel like it is detrimental!

I still got into my dream school being a drop out—which is highly competitive, I might add! I prefer AP for a couple of reasons:

1- courses are accepted almost everywhere, and since AP is such a popular choice and the curriculum is standardized, online help is readily available.

2- because it is affiliated with Collegeboard, I found it to be helpful with my SATS

3- and my favorite reason, you can challenge yourself in classes you’re good at! I took AP Stats Environmental Science, and Bio to seem well-rounded in STEM for colleges (I’ve always been a liberal arts person) because I knew I could succeed in them, and was able to avoid Chemistry, Calc, and Physics—which would have killed my GPA! This isn’t always possible in IB.

4- I’m aware you can choose which courses are SL or HL or whatever, but I personally found my hardest AP classes to be easier than Pre-IB! Haha

5- IB still an edge in college apps, but AP carries an equal amount of weight when it is less work. I felt adequately prepared for college with my AP classes. Many of my IB friends breezed by college, but a lot of them also had mental breakdowns due to the stress imposed on them in high school. Adderall addictions, debilitating OCD, was highly prevalent at my old school and over half of the people dropped out anyway.

I’m not trying to discourage you, but these are my two cents. Also, if you’re doing it just to boost your GPA, seriously look into dual-enrollment if it’s offered to you. Community college classes are easier than both IB and AP. Plus, it prepares you for the college atmosphere and isn’t intimidating. I shock everybody when I tell them I had a 6.4 GPA, when at least a point came from my secret weapon of DE, haha. Good luck everyone! Academics are important, but so are extra-curriculars and a good state of mental health!

14

Thank you for the advice @98Iris , I understand what you mean fully with the elitism in the program. I’m currently in a trig class that leads into HL math and the elitism in that class is overwhelming at times. Sadly AP isn’t much of a choice and my counselor is really pressuring me with IB so hoping everything will work out, but really not liking the way IB looks right now.

15

Depends on the school: At SUNY Binghamton, for example, my daughter got a years worth of credits with her IB diploma.

Students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program may receive up to 32 credits. To receive the full 32 credits, the following conditions must be met:

The IB Diploma must be completed with a score of 30 or more points; and
The student must complete at least three Higher Level exams with a score of 5 or higher.
Diploma holders who meet these conditions receive credit for their individual exam scores plus additional liberal arts elective credit to total 32 credits.

16

My IB Diploma son maxed his credits that he could receive for our state school. We were so excited that he would be be able to save a whole year’s tuition thanks to those credits. However, it seems that he and many of his fellow classmates will be taking the usual 4 years to graduate for various reasons. In his case, he was told that he would need to redo some of his IB courses for the credits to be accepted in a lot of med schools. He said that if he were to do it all over again, AP would be the way to go because the credits are more readily accepted. He did say, however, that IB prepared him so much for college that it feels much easier than HS. He tried to dissuade his siblings, unsuccessfully, to do IB. As a parent, I really don’t think it was worth the stress with near breakdowns a few times (he was also a 3 sport athlete, as were many of his IB peers, so truly very little sleep during those last 2 years of school). I’ve seen his peers who did STEM instead at another high school have a more balanced high school life and now attend the same university. Worth noting as well that neither my son (whose only non A grade was the A- in that 2nd semester TOK class taught at stupid o’clock a.m.) nor his other classmates (full 4.0 unweighted and otherwise) was admitted to any Ivies. So, yeah, not truly a fan of IB in terms of the stress level and results re: college. BTW, my son did do math HL- I don’t think the students thought of themselves as elite; instead I think they were more incredulous that they’d be doing that level of math. Sadly, after all that work, my son doesn’t even want to pursue math or engineering. Good luck with your decision-making.

17

Out local public is an IB school, my 3 kids did partial IB. 3 HLs, 2 SLs. They also took a few community college classes online. They were not applying to Ivy’s but focused in CA UCs. All three got into top UCs and never regretted not doing full IB.

18

Med schools will not accept IB or AP no difference there

19

@Busy_Momma, I enjoyed reading your comments. I have a son who is contemplating the IB program for Junior and Senior year, with a heavy commitment to baseball in the spring! He’s ahead in math and sciences at school. He wants to take advantage of the academic challenges at our school but is afraid that he won’t have time for sports (He’s also played football for several years now too). He figures he will have to cut one to do IB. Is this really possible? He’s in concert band (plays euphonium) and involved in MUN and other cultural activities. Afraid I’ll have a ragdoll left for a son at the end of it!

20

@going4three, if your HS is like mine, I think it is possible to do all of them as long as you know going in that there will be very little sleep and that you have understanding coaches and music directors. However, again, don’t really think full IB is worth it if partial IB is possible of if there are other honors courses that can be taken instead. That said, we have a supportive wrestling coach who knows that academics is always the priority. S1 didn’t want to give up any of his sports/activities, BUT he wasn’t a musician. S2 is a sophomore who ended up quitting all sports (which is unfortunate because he was really good) after his 2nd fall season because he is a serious school musician (pep band and highest level school band) who participates in the local youth symphony. He already knew that full IB next year with music commitments was not going to work. S3 is a freshman who does the same ensembles as S2 but also did jazz band, which is a different animal- zero period classes, a lot more concerts, weekend-long festivals hours away, and last minute performances. Unfortunately, this conflicted with wrestling practices before and after school, meets that can go until 9-10 at night twice a week and a lot of road trips. He doesn’t want to give either up but is realizing, on his own, that he is not going to be able to do all when full IB begins. The full IB students who also did music didn’t have stellar grades (good but not great), did 1 or 2 sports, and played strings - so didn’t have to go to basketball and football games as pep band did. Still, even with those commitments, don’t know how they managed it. Kids do a lot more nowadays than we did! Hope your son is good with time and stress mgt