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<p>But does your IB program offer HL in math and all of the sciences, making it suitable for a student with strong interest in math and science? The OP’s IB program is missing HL in math and physics, which makes it a less than ideal choice for a student looking for a well rounded IB-level education but with the opportunity to take more advanced math and physics courses.</p>
<p>I’ve done the full-IB program and have taken 6 AP exams on top of that. Based on that, with very little knowledge of the situation I suggest that your son goes to the specialty center, specifically if he wants to pursue math/science/economics at the university level.</p>
<p>Is IB harder than AP? Without doubt. But at the end of the day, it’s not some transformational experience that another curriculum can’t offer. ToK is a bunch of BS and you don’t need a class for the essay. To score well on the essay (trust me, I scored a 39 on 40) all you need is a general template and some smarts to figure out how to squeeze your topic into it.</p>
<p>CAS is also a bunch of BS. Every kid has 150 hours by the time he graduates, all this system does is force kids to “log” their hours. We all just fill the forms retroactively the night before the due date. It’s a waste of time and did not encourage me to do more (especially because I went well above and beyond anyway).</p>
<p>The Extended Essay, likewise, CAN be a rewarding experience. I worked in the subject of Economics and the application of what we learned in class to a real-life situation proved to be a very useful learning tool. That being said, it’s useful if and only if his advisor is willing to work with him and he has the inclination to collect real data. </p>
<p>The curriculum itself is good. IB Math HL is incomparably better than Calc BC, which is a joke. Having done both (predicted a 7 in math and got a 5 in Calc) I can say that IB math goes WELL beyond what AP even attempts to test. Furthermore, AP Calc focuses on just Calc (easy calc, at that) whereas IB examines a thorough amount of pre-college mathematics.</p>
<p>I don’t want to give an account of the rest of IB, but I can say it has its strengths and weaknesses. I’ve found that IBDP kids are very snobby about the program and say that it is without doubt better than AP. It is without doubt harder to score well than AP, but I reserve judgement on whether it is “better”.</p>
<p>For example, the AP Physics C is just a better course for someone going into university physics than the IB Physics HL. There’s no two ways about it. The IB exam seems to be designed for a very bright student wanting to study something less quantitative but still understand physics at a conceptual level. But if I want to do engineering or something quant-oriented it’s a cruddy syllabus. </p>
<p>In all, though, the specialty school will be better because he will be surrounded by quantitatively enthused kids around him. The broad appreciation for science and math by one’s peers can go a LONG way in inspiring oneself, and he won’t have that at the IB high school. A selected student body is better than an open-student body (though, presumably because it’s an IB school, the school is still somewhat selective by wealth because only good zipcodes can afford it). </p>
<p>If you want to talk to me in more detail send me a PM and I’d love to help.
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<p>I really appreciate everyone who tries to help my son decides where to go. It is Thursday night and tomorrow is the deadline we need to turn in our decision. After all the research and consideration, I lean toward to IB. Then my son told me he decided he wants to go to the math/science center. I found myself learning another lesson as a parent–let go. While I think IB will get him to better college, yet I have to learn to let him make the important decision himself. It is not easy to do but I am sure I will need to exercise that over and over again as I watch him growing from adolescent into adulthood. Thank you again for the valuable and unselfish information. 4 years from today, I shall report to you which college he ends at. Thank you all.</p>
<p>“But does your IB program offer HL in math and all of the sciences, making it suitable for a student with strong interest in math and science?” - Yes. I should clarify that. </p>
<p>IB should be picked if a student wants that it experience. I would NOT recommend it just for the sake of impressing colleges. Good for you, sydclu, for listening to your son. One of the things that I tell parents considering IB is that student needs to realllly want it. If the student is on the fence, they should not be pushed into IB decision. That way, if it is not liked… there can be no blame on the parent. Good luck!</p>