<p>is the international baccalaureate so helpful?</p>
<p>Well lets put it this way. I was in at my school however they wanted me to drop gifted status something that followed me since the 1st grade. (first one in my class to get in) So i chose the gifted instead. I have the same gifted classes/ap that the IB have, some could argue that IB is more rigurous. BUt a 4.0 in AP/Gifted is on par with a 3.7 or 3.8 in IB and trust me those extended essasy are a pain. If you want extra time for EC's and a live. Stay out. If you want the other stay in. To be honest, If all you have is a 4.0 in IB. It wont be helpfull at all because to keep that you would be studying all the time and have little time for ec's/</p>
<p>Hope that helps.
DANiel
P-IB from (6th to 9th Grade)</p>
<p>It's as helpful as is taking a strong AP program.</p>
<p>Here we go again. There are several threads on this board about IB v. AP and how colleges look at each program. There is also a wonderful student thread in which students report the colleges to which they were admitted and whether they took AP or IB classes.<br>
Search this board for IB and you will find all the opinions you could possibly want.
Good luck.</p>
<p>I graduated with a 4.0 in an IB program and I was a procrastinator, a lazy ass, and someone who intensely loathed studying. I went out and partied on the weekends, I put off my work till like one in the morning, but I still got everything done - you can definitely pull off a high/perfect GPA in an IB program and have a great life. The kind of learning IB taught me will stay with me forever, and I hold that I would be nowhere as ambitious about life as I am now were it not for doing that program. There are times where you will absolutely hate it and wonder why you couldn't go to a regular school, instead of being a masochist, but in the end, duddde, does it pay off. And colleges love it, trust me - there's a difference between taking AP classes and going through an IB program. How do I know this? I did both - my classes were joint IB/AP, so I took both tests at the end of the year. The sheer amount of intuitive understanding it takes to do well on a HL History test is ridiculous compared to the measly A.P. U.S. History, but man, do you LEARN. If you love learning (you don't have to be diligent/nerdy/social-life-less to do IB, but you have to sincerely enjoy and appreciate learning), then do it. You won't regret it. Otherwise, you might hate it. It's hard and it's tedious, and you will have to BS a LOT (after all, IB, therefore I B.S.) but you still learn your stuff. And when college applications roll around, you'll see that all of the interviewers are going to give you that knowing little wink of a look when they see IB - during my MIT interview, the guy looked up and said, "Ah, IB. We certainly love IB students." So, I wouldn't really equate AP/IB, because ones just a set of classes, whereas the other is a whole entity - you don't pick and choose what parts of the program you complete, it's all or nothing. And it's not just a series of tests that determine your success, it's Internal Assessments, World Lit Papers, Extended Essays, ToK papers, English Orals, and THEN tests - and in the end, you get your diploma for completing the whole. They're very different, and although AP is challenging, IB is a whole other world. I'd highly recommend it - granted, I'm a bit biased, but I had a great high school experience with lots of friends, lots of fun, lots of extracurriculars, and lots of cool, hilarious teachers that treat you like equals as opposed to patronizing you. Sorry this is such a novel, but I feel I really owe it to IB; the kind of learning skills they imparted on me has changed my life. I don't think I could handle the MIT workload without having gone through that first, personally.</p>
<p>Anyway, good luck on your decision, and remember - the love for learning's a must.</p>
<p>I'm an IB Diploma candidate and I'll try to put it simply:</p>
<p>Being a full-IB student shows colleges that you are taking one of the most demanding curriculums a high school student can take. It shows you have the incentive and drive to excel academically.
Other than college acceptance, IB prepares you very well for college work.
I'm an IB student, make all A's, and definitely have a "life". It all boils down to your work ethic, time management skills, and your attitude.
However, simply being an IB student won't cut it. You still have to maintain a high GPA, get good standardized test scores, write good essays and be involved. Colleges look at the entire package, but definitely place a lot of importance on how well you did in your classes, the rigor (IB!!!), GPA and the ACT/SAT.</p>
<h2>Some colleges even offer scholarships for doing IB and getting the diploma. (I know one college gives $7,000 annually).</h2>
<p>I would also suggest you to search for IB threads to get different opinions. If you have more questions, feel free to PM. :)</p>
<p>It really depends on the local implementation of each program. Colleges truly do not have a brand name preference. </p>
<p>My younger son is a junior at a highly competitive IB program this year. His 9th grade Pre-IB English class was as difficult as the AP Eng Lang course my older son was taking that same year. His Standard Level IB courses (which, unfortunately, not many colleges recognize for credit) will enable him to take the comparable AP exams this year. That gives you a sense of what HLs are like -- two years of that kind of intensity in a subject. S2 is a serious history/IR guy, so this program really fulfills what he wants to achieve in his education. Two years of IB Euro makes him VERY happy.</p>
<p>There are pros and cons, to be sure: the workload is intense. I find it frustrating as a parent that there is relatively little available out there to help me understand what my S is studying. On the other hand, it means he is compelled to be independednt and responsible. My older son found a different program was better suited to his interests, and he did a number of APs and post-AP courses. </p>
<p>Younger S's GPA has taken a hit from what it would be at our neighborhood HS, but he would not trade the experience for the world. He is also taking APs and IBs to cover his bets re: credit/placement on his IB Standard Level exams (for him, Economics, Spanish and Math) and English Comp exams. (IB HL and the senior year SL exam scores don't come out until after graduation, and we feel it is important for S to present a nationally-normed English score, esp. since he will have Bs in IB English but likely do very well on the AP and SAT CR/W.) </p>
<p>Search some of the other IB/AP threads -- there is a lot more info and vigorous (!) discussion.</p>