<p>^same 10char</p>
<p>At my school we don’t start taking history classes til sophmore year o;</p>
<p>My school just made a requirement for class of '16 and below to need 4 histories instead of 3 and a fine art to graduate. Just my luck :/</p>
<p>At my school we are able to take history all 4 years but freshman year it is an elective. If you take the elective you are eligible for AP Euro in 10th instead of taking world history. As for AP Bio my brother took it in 10th, he said it was really hard and he only got a 1 on the exam. I took Chemistry this year and I’m taking AP Chemistry next year. I’m planning on taking AP Bio 11th grade. I don’t want to be with a lot of freshman in Honors Bio.</p>
<p>I don’t particularly like science but I’m determined to take all of my core classes at the honors/AP/IB level. Next year I’m taking honors chem. Then depending on which I hate less - bio or chem - I’ll take an AP science junior year. If I really like chem, I’ll take IB Chemistry II senior year. If not, AP physics.</p>
<p>Wow, you can take both IB and AP classes? I hope AP Chemistry is good next year, my teacher this year goes really slow because I’m not in Honors and we are so unprepared for the Standardized Test we take in 2 weeks. She really wants me to be in AP Chem next year in her class though. I hope she teaches well.</p>
<p>Hm, that’s gotta suck. At least you’ll have her for AP chem too.</p>
<p>Why would you want to take AP classes that don’t interest you? Why not take it just in the fields you enjoy? I love math, chem, and physics and I will take them as AP. But I won’t waste time with something like AP bio that I won’t enjoy and that won’t help me in my field of work.</p>
<p>I second that ^</p>
<p>I wish I had more opportunities to sample subjects rather than devote an entire semester or an entire year to the class. :/</p>
<p>I certainly wouldn’t want to get stuck in AP Bio for a whole school year.</p>
<p>What’s the real difference between IB and AP by the way? Does IB have more gains than AP?</p>
<p>Once it gets to like junior and senior year, it’s AP or regular. And the only regular science classes they offer are investigative science (ninth grade), biology, and chemistry. And I need 3 science credits to graduate so my only choices will be AP/IB classes.</p>
<p>IB’s more of a cohesive program. AP is more </p>
<p>I read an article thinking about the same question. So basically in IB you have to advance classes. So in AP you can take regular and then AP. In IB you can go pretty far with a subject, so after the IB 1 you would go to as higher IB class. That’s what i’m inferring right now. With AP you could burn a lot more college credit easily where as in IB you need to take more years.</p>
<p>I guess I’ll elaborate a little more. It’s a lot harder to earn college credit if you’re going for the IB Diploma. But then again, you don’t really become a Diploma candiate for the college credit. IB prides itself on being a rigorous college prep program. So I mean, I guess you’ll be really prepared for college from what I hear. </p>
<p>One of the places where IB differs is in their exams. While with AP you just take one exam at the end of the year, in IB your exam score comes from like three essays that you write over the course of the year, including one in May. That’s basically the gist of it, correct me if I’m wrong. All of it is written, even math. You can score 1-7. It’s extremely hard to get a 6 or 7. Colleges will only give you credit if you get a 6-7 in an HL class. </p>
<p>Now, IB has two different types of classes. HL (higher level) and SL (standard level). HL classes are two years long and SL classes are one year long. If you’re a Diploma student, the most HL classes you can take is 4. So what I’m saying is that it’s a lot harder to earn credit through IB, since you have to score so high, since you can only get credit with an HL class, and since an HL class is two years long. Plus, for example, IB Biology HL will get you the same amount of college credit as AP Biology. </p>
<p>For this reason, many kids at my school shell out ~$1000 each May to take both the AP and IB exams. Now, you may be wondering why they don’t just take the AP exam. Well, the AP exams are just for credit and the IB exam is to actually earn the diploma. At my school, IB and AP kids take the same classes. As in, they’re in each other’s classes and learn the same stuff, but take different exams. </p>
<p>Like I said earlier, IB is more of a cohesive program. Being part of IB means you take a class called Theory of Knowledge, you take six IB classes, you write an Extended Essay that is some 4000 words long, you do 150 CAS hours (creativity, action, service - 50 of each). Altogether you need 24/45 points to earn the diploma. Exams are 7 points each and the extended essay is 3 points. Oh, and you won’t get the Diploma in the mail until after you’ve graduated high school.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for clearing it up. We have an IB school in my district that offers IB classes and the diploma. It is the school I am supposed to go to but that school is ridden full of bad kids with bad intentions. The IB system seems better than AP though. You do research in your subject and write essays about applying it. I feel like AP classes just teach you how to do a test. I feel like schools are just teaching you how to do tests. I don’t see that as right.</p>
<p>No problem, happy to help. 
I’m kinda meh about whether AP or IB is better. At this point, I’m personally leaning toward going AP, since IB seems like a lot of work. I’d be with the IB kids either way, so I’d be learning the same stuff.</p>
<p>Yeah, they’re changing the AP exams though, they are looking to make more written answers than multiple choice. Maybe an essay like the SAT. Even in AP exams today they judge more on written answers than multiple choice. Really hope it goes through. Its better for college. Except that if it does go through we will be the guinea pigs and fail the tests miserably.</p>
<p>IB definitely not for me. I cannot wait until Junior year! I will be in an easy on level class for once (US History).</p>
<p>Anyone else have vacation right now? I feel like the NE only has April vacation… :/</p>
<p>Well, considering I get out of school next month…</p>
<p>I get out June 21st… However, my new school will get out in May. ^^ </p>
<p>Swinter, do you attend a public or private school?</p>
<p>I get out May 23!</p>