<p>Im in an IB school, but I just want to be an AP student. Is it bad for my college applications?</p>
<p>Im in an IB school, but I like AP much more than the IB program because I have to wait until junior year to start IB and every subject takes 2 years. 4 HL courses is the cap. Also, there is no final IB scores before I send my college applications. </p>
<p>My school only offers some humanity AP courses, but all math and science courses are IB. Ill take their AP humanity courses for sure, for the math and science courses, Im going to take IB HL courses in school, and also self-study AP for AP May exam. My goal is to be an AP national scholar before my senior year. If everything goes well, 8 Aps would cover all my interests and also fulfill college requirements. In senior year, Ill quit all IB HL courses and still keep 3 APs and all honor classes in my school schedule. I wont take any IB exams at all.</p>
<p>Questions:</p>
<p>What do you think about my plan?</p>
<p>If I am not an IB diploma student in my IB school, will I be second class to the students who are IB diploma students? Do college heavily consider IB diplomas?</p>
<p>Will it look better if I didnt take the extra AP courses and just stayed with IB?</p>
<p>Is the AP national scholar award meaningful?</p>
<p>I heard of colleges wont punish the students if their school cant offer enough AP courses, Will colleges reward the students who take extra AP classes? Would more Aps with 4 and 5 scores be better?</p>
<p>Please advise me. Thank you in advance:-)</p>
<p>sorry to post here, It's a parents forum. I've talked to my parents, they are clueless, Can anyone help me? please :-)</p>
<p>Even those of us who are parents of current or past IB students can’t really answer your questions.</p>
<p>The problem is that IB is implemented in very different ways in different schools. Some schools gear their programs specifically toward students who are aiming for the IB diploma. Others welcome students who want to take only a few IB subjects, which sounds like what you have in mind. In some IB programs, every subject takes two years, and students don’t take any tests until the end of 12th grade. In other IB programs, SL subjects may take only one year, and students often take two SL exams (the most IB allows) in 11th grade. </p>
<p>No two IB programs are alike.</p>
<p>You need to talk to your guidance counselor and the IB coordinator to see how things work at your school.</p>
<p>“If everything goes well, 8 Aps would cover all my interests and also fulfill college requirements. In senior year, I’ll quit all IB HL courses and still keep 3 APs and all honor classes in my school schedule.”</p>
<p>You seem to have a very clear plan. By starting the HL classes, you would be able to modify this original plan if you reach your senior year and you have changed your mind. </p>
<p>Factors that may enter into your final decision about finishing the IB could include the career goals that you develop in HS, the group of colleges that you decide you want to apply to, and your earlier AP scores and GPA. </p>
<p>“Will colleges reward the students who take extra AP classes? Would more Aps with 4 and 5 scores be better?”</p>
<p>Each college and university sets its own policy on which AP/IB/CLEP/etc. exams to award credit for. Some are more generous than others. Some award credit only for a score of 5, or offer no credit but rather advanced placement for a given score. To find out the policy of each of the places that you are considering, search for “credit by examination” or “AP credit” or the like in the school’s website.</p>
<p>Realistically, you are not going to change the way that your school arranges its curriculum. Perhaps you might want to concentrate on working within to existing system to accomplish your goals. Use IB courses to nail AP exams. </p>
<p>You can take the AP exams off of your IB class curriculum. One is not required to take AP course to take the exam. Tons of prep school kids take AP exams based on thier own schools’ more rigorous curriculum. Showing, through a high score, that your IB or regular class is “AP-eqivilant” helps colleges understand the rigor of your school. College love concrete metrics. Given the varying quality of AP classes, just taking the class is not as powerful at rigorous classes capped with a top exam score. College credit is an entirely different topic.</p>
<p>You would need to request to the AP coordinator at your school to register for the an exam for which you did not take a course. If they object, you can approach a nearby school that is offering that exam. Schools are paid a small fee for administering each exam, but it does not anywhere near cover the cost to the school, so proceed gently. College Board really frowns on school denying access to exams, but sometimes going outside is easier. </p>
<p>At many schools, many AP courses really need two years as well, regular level with a follow up at the AP level, Bio, chem, physics and computer science come to mind. So the IB program is not that different.</p>
<p>Thank you all for replying. I appreciate your help :-)</p>
<p>To toadstool,</p>
<p>Thank you for mention “AP coordinator” , I’ve received a email today from my state Ed. dept. , they told me several schools nearby offer the AP tests which my school doesn’t offer. I’m sure I’ll find a place to take AP tests. :-)</p>
<p>anyone else? Please advise me. I’m still listening :-)</p>
<p>It’s not bad for your college application, I don’t think. I went to an IB school and did exactly what you are talking about (although I never officially enrolled in the IB program) because I felt like a lot of it was a waste of time.</p>
<p>Our school has both AP and IB. Both of my daughters chose to do AP instead of IB and they had great success in the college app derby. They also had to take HL IB classes in some instances and took the AP test (along with IB test). </p>
<p>One thing that you’ll have to watch out for…make sure that the material covered in class covers everything that will be on the AP test. You may have to do some self study in some areas.</p>