Hi, i’m a grade 11 student in Canada. My school offers the IB program, and i’m currently taking partial ib (math (hl), bio, physics, chem(hl)) and i was wandering the difference it would make (if any) for me to go full IB (which means i have to go into english and social ib) for the ivy leagues.
Any suggestions appreciated.
<p>Do it. I graduated last year with the full I.B., and since colleges really respect the IB, it could make the difference between acceptance and rejection. It'll be a bit more work, especially with the extended essay, but since you already have four highers you can take englsih and something easy like geo at standard level which isn't that much work.</p>
<p>Right now you have
Physics
Math (HL)
Bio
Chem (HL) </p>
<p>You need..
English
another language
Social Science
to meet the requirements for full IB </p>
<p>Is English your first language? If yes, then you need to do an A2(second language) If you`ve taken a few years (atleast 3) of another language such as French or Spanish, (or whatever is offered at your school)then you need to take one of those as a IBclass.
If you havent taken a number of years of another language(or dont have enough experience), then you can take a language at an initio leve=beginner level. Initio IB does not require previous experience in that language. Some schools do not offer languge at initio level. If you do not have any previous language experience in any language, and your school does not offer initio IB language course, you can not do full IB.
If English is not your first language, you should do English as A2. For instance,if French is your first language, then you would do French as an IB first language class.
You also need to do a social science too. Powereddie says that you are doing 4 HL, but arent you doing only 2 at HL? In that case, you need to do 1 more at HL. I would do bio at HL, sicne it is the easiet. Unless you are really good in English, you shouldnt do that at HL(IMO)
If you can handel 7 IB courses, then you dont need to drop a science class. But if you cant, then you would have to drop either bio or physics. (dont drop chem cuz you are doing it at HL) Bear in mind that you also need to do TOK and the extended essay and CAS, so 7 IB courses might be too much. It really depends on that person. It might be hard to catch up in 3 IB classes(the 2 language and social science) that you would need to add in order to fullfill full IB.
IMO, I think you should do full IB if everything works out(if your school offers the classes you need and if you are capable of doing it) provided that you maintain good grades in those courses. Full IB is more respected than just IB courses, but I dont know if it makes the difference between acceptance and rejection. It all depends on WHAT classes you toook and WHAT grades you got. No one wants a full IB canidate with low grades..
If you can not do full IB, I suggest you move 1 or 2 of the classes to HL. Your doing 3 sciences,and I think that is still pretty good if you are planning to go into science. I couldnt do full IB becaus of schedule reasons, so Im doing 5 HL IB courses.
If you can, Id say you should do it. If you cant, there`s always other things you could do.</p>
<p>My school offers math, chemistry, social and english in HL, and comp sci, bio, physics, math, social, english in SL.</p>
<p>I'm already taking (or going to) math, chem HL, so all i need is one more HL. For some reason, my counsellor told me i have to take english HL if i were to become a diploma student. Then i'd have to take a social IB to make 3 SL courses. </p>
<p>I'm taking Chinese IB outside of school to make up for the second language (which really isn't my second...) CAS wont be a problem since i'm doing lots of volunteer work already. </p>
<p>I'm not planning to go into science, although it is an option. I know it's a waste of time to do all 3 sciences but i would like to increase my areas of knowledge. I've also heard from my friends that English IB isn't really that much different from regular.</p>
<p>No, you do not need to take English at a HL. Unless you are really good in English, do NOT take English HL... The requirements are very very strict. however, this is only my opinion, so maybe ask a student who is taking HL Englihs. There isn<code>t much of a difference between the content of IB SL English and normal English, however, it</code> s much more work becasue you need to send IB your essays and do oral examinations.
However, I suggest not moving another Science to HL, unless you really know you are going to go into a science realted area. If you aren`t going to take English at a higher level, you should take one of the social study at a HL-this will make you more well rounded. </p>
<p>Also, think about your extended essay. Will you be able to write a research essay in one of your subjects? Discuss the possibilities with your TOK teacher. </p>
<p>Anyways, you do not need to do HL English! So if you are able to, do full IB! Hope everything works out.</p>
<p>why are you considering taking "partial IB" a.k.a. IB Certificate? If you could, I would highly recommend taking "full IB" a.k.a. IB Diploma. if you're looking for ivy league, they expect you to take the most rigorous curriculum available to you (IB Diploma), and besides, IB Diploma is good preparation for the rigors of an ivy league education. </p>
<p>English IB HL isn't too hard, i would say overall its about as tough as AP, but the proctored part of the exam actually seemed easier than the AP prompts.</p>
<p>Yes you should do full IB instead of partial.</p>
<p>I think if you don't do full, might as well do AP because is there really an advantage to do partial over AP?</p>
<p>And one more question, don't you have to start in full IB during junior year? I didn't know you could do partial and then come back to full.</p>
<p>"And one more question, don't you have to start in full IB during junior year? I didn't know you could do partial and then come back to full."</p>
<p>okay the OP didnt use correct terminology so we're a little confused. as a junior, you are an "anticipated" candidate, and you are on track for both certificate and diploma. it's only when you are a senior do you declare to go on as a "Diploma" candidate (and fulfill the rest of your HL's) or decide to stay on track as a "Certificate" candidate. so the OP is currently an anticipated candidate trying to decide whether or not he should fulfill the rest of the HL's, and if so, turns into a Diploma candidate.</p>
<p>can ib exams be retaken?</p>
<p>"can ib exams be retaken?"</p>
<p>i dont think so, but i think they can be rescored. im not 100% sure on this, can someone check on this?</p>
<p>thanks for the clearification kfc4u. "Full" and "Partial" IB is a slang commonly used in my school. My school does not offer the AP program and everyone who wants to take honor classes have to eventually go into IB. </p>
<p>BTW, thanks for the replies.</p>
<p>IB exams can be retaken.</p>
<p>yea, but depending on your school, they could cost from nothing to a whole lot of $$$</p>
<p>Hmm.. how would 5 IB HL subjects be regarded by competitive schools?? (ivies+ ivy caliber schools) I trasferred in 11th grade from a totally different system and I couldn<code>t do the full IB cuz my GC thought I wasn</code>t able too... so i just moved everything up to 5 HL. What do you guys think? Will this make a difference between rejection and acceptance?</p>
<p>"IB exams can be retaken."
Northstarmom, are you sure about that? My understanding is that a they were a one shot deal which is why they are so critical in Europe.</p>
<p>"Hmm.. how would 5 IB HL subjects be regarded by competitive schools??"</p>
<p>um... i thought you're only allowed by IB to take a maximum of 4 HL subjects and 2 SLs.</p>
<p>"IB exams can be retaken."</p>
<p>i thought they couldnt be retaken either (although i think they can be rescored). but even if u retake them, you'll have to wait till the next testing period! so i guess if u failed the may ones of your junior year, youll have to wait till november of your senior year and by then youll have college apps and probably forgot a lot of material.</p>
<p>then again, my argument doesnt make sense, because the point of failing an IB exam is to weed out those who werent well-rounded enough to deserve the diploma.</p>
<p>IB exams can be retaken. But yes, you will have to take them in the next testing period. And guess what... most (all?) American schools don't offer them at the November date, so it will result in you going a whole year without the material. But the scores don't come back until well into the summer... so I highly doubt you would want to keep worrying about them.</p>
<p>You can take 5 HLs, but you must get permission from IBO. Each case is considered individually.</p>
<p>o but if you aren`t doing full IB, are u still allowed? or do u still hae to check with IBO? cuz i thought u cant take 5 HL if you are doing full diploma, but otherwise, its okay...
if i do get permission from the IBO, how would that be regarded by colleges? ( this was actually my inital question.. ) i cudnt take full IB cuz i came at the end of 10th grade from a different country and the stupid counselor said i wasnt able to... so.. what do u think?</p>
<p>Yes, IB exams can be retaken. This happens in Florida because in-state students who get the IB diploma get 100% tuition scholarships to in-state public universities. Thus, the students have a lot of incentive to pass the exams, and will take them over if they fail. I think they have to wait until Dec. to retake exams.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, it is possible to not do the full IB diploma. The ability to do this probably rests with the individual school offering the IB program. If a student could not take the full IB program for reasons beyond their control, colleges could understand this -- as long as the GC explained this in their recommendation letter.</p>
<p>If a person could have taken the full IB program, but didn't because of laziness, the top colleges would not be impressed. With the incredible competition now to get into top colleges, slacking in terms of curriculum could count against a student. If the curriculum weren't offered in one's area, colleges wouldn't count that as a negative, but not taking an available IB curriculum could hurt you.</p>