IB Certificate vs IB Diploma, Week to decide!

Applying to College
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<p>I know this has been asked numerous times before, but here is my input and situation. I have a week to decide...</p>

<p>How does IB Certificate compare to Diploma? Will someone who took diploma look better in comparison to someone who only took certificate? How much work is IB?</p>

<p>I am leaning towards certificate, and this is why: I feel diploma is not worth it. I feel it will constrain me. I am afraid it will take up much of my time and effort, and that i won't have time to work on my other interests like internships/jobs, volunteering, sports, cubs, or just learning things not a part of the IB curriculum. I know IB has CAS (Creativity Action Service), but i still think IB diploma will force me to emphasize more on the academics. I do not think the diploma will make a student truly stand out either.</p>

<p>I know i could probably handle IB diploma, but i don't know if i can handle it while trying to focus on other interests of mine. I am afraid i will regret not taking the diploma, but at the same time, other things will look more outstanding than effort in trying to take the IB diploma. </p>

<p>About Me:
I am a pretty well-rounded student and i still plan on taking many rigorous class, even without taking the diploma. My freshman year was a bit of a joke,but only because my high school chooses to give students educational barriers. I am currently taking AP Bio, AP World History, Calculus AB, English, and Spanish 2. I have a B+ in spanish 2 and a B in whap, unfortunately. (Foreign language is not my forte; i am afraid to continue studying it) My cumulative GPA is 3.9 and top 5% of my class. I play tennis and run cross country. I am a part of Red Cross and Key Club. I am an editor for Journalism. I founded a Kiva chapter at my school and now president. I interested in computer science/web design and want to focus more of my time gain experience, knowledge of that field. I plan on getting internships/jobs, and doing more volunteer work (maybe even abroad), and learning some skills pertaining to my field of interests. I hope to get into the ivies. Do you think i should do the diploma or certificate?</p>

<p>I would love to hear your stories and experiences! Especially ones admitted to prestigious schools. Thank You!</p>

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<p>This is something I wrote on another post, but it applies here. </p>

<p>Diploma looks better than certificate. I was able to pursue a wide variety of interests while maintaining high grades. I probably have upwards of a 40-42 predicted score. If you would like a challenge and enjoy learning things, do the Diploma. BUT, make sure you pick courses that interest you.</p>

<p>This is what I will have had to do for my IB Diploma:</p>

<p>"IB Diploma is very rigorous.</p>

<p>1st, you must take 6 courses PLUS TOK. Other than that, you have IAs in almost every class, the extended essay, IB orals.</p>

<p>This is what I have had to do for the IB:</p>

<p>IBH Chemistry - labs every two weeks, made up of 3 parts (Design, Collection & Processing, Discussion). 2 sets of the best 3 parts (i.e 2 design, etc.) will be sent to the IB as my internal assessment (IA) which is approx. 26% of my IB Chem grade. 3 Exam papers take in May 2012 making up the rest of the 74% of my grade.</p>

<p>IBH Physics - Same as Chem.</p>

<p>IBH English - 2 World Lit papers are sent to the IB, one comparative piece and one creative, both with analytical aspects. Combined account for 20% of the IB Grade. An Internal oral presentation must also be prepared, which accounts for 15% of the grade. An unseen internal oral commentary must also be conducted, accounting for another 15%. After this 2 papers taken in May 2012 will account for the following 50%. </p>

<p>IBH Italian - For italian, the internal assessment is an oral presentation with two papers also taken in May 2012.</p>

<p>IBS Psychology - I did this in one year, but it was basically two years of material condensed into one. The IA was a independent psychology experiment/study which accounted for 26% of my IB Grade. There were then 2 papers, taken in May 2011, which accounted for the remaining 74%. No orals.</p>

<p>IBS Math - The IA consists of 2 math portfolios on unseen topics that you will have covered. They are usually pretty difficult. Don’t know the percentages. Then there are 2 papers, one a calculator, one a non-calculator exam, both taken in May 2012.</p>

<p>On top of this there is TOK, which is usually a two year course that applies to all your courses of study, and in order to pass the IB, you must prepare a presentation and also write a TOK essay. Then you must write an extended essay on any topic. I chose Chemistry, but you can choose anything that you study. Together, EE and TOK can give you up to 3 bonus points in the IB.</p>

<p>Of course, class marks came from things my teacher graded, like tests, labs, essays, etc. Altogether, I am happy with my performance so far and would not have traded IB for anything. Hope this helped."</p>

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<p>Nice post by moonman676 above^. </p>

<p>I’ll add that the most selective schools (ivies) expect the most competitive applicants to have taken the most rigorous courseload and/or pathway. Full IB is obviously a more rigorous path than an IB certificate. Another very important component will also include your standardized test scores. If they are hovering near the bottom 25% range for the schools you are applying to then I don’t think it will make any difference which path you take. Your chances would be lower, than others with higher scores, plus there doesn’t appear to be anything in your resume that really makes you stand out. On the other hand, if your scores put you in the top 25%, than I would choose the full IB diploma track to help strengthen your application, to the fullest extent possible, for your best chance at being accepted into these most selective schools. Are you considering being an athletic recruit to help bolster your chances?</p>

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<p>Haha, thanks for the criticism. I am actually taking SATs next year. I am planning on prepping this summer, and taking it next year.</p>

<p>@ moonman676
What are you interests and extra curriculars? </p>

<p>I am sorta afraid of taking 4 years of foreign language and being tested on it.</p>

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<p>if you’re afraid of continuing spanish, you can always take an ab initio (presuming that your school offers it, of course) course in another language, and start over</p>