My current HS sophomore knows that he wants to study engineering in college, with Virginia Tech as his dream school. He will be a full IB Diploma candidate (currently attends an international school) and needs to finalize his course selections. He wants to take HL Math, HL Physics, and HL Design Technology (along with SL English, SL French, and SL Global Politics), but is wondering if he needs to substitute Chemistry for Design Technology. His school does not offer IB Computer Science. He is strong student (current ~3.95 UW GPA) but is a bit worried about carrying HL Math, Physics, and Chemistry - and Design Technology interests him more than Chemistry. Any BTDT experiences to share?
From your user name, I take it that your son is a US citizen living abroad, so he will apply as a domestic student and will have to complete the âbasicâ requirments of each school. For engineering, a lot of schools require Pre-Calculus or Calculus, so I would double check if this is part of the HL Math curriculum. He also needs to take at least 2 years of labratory science from biology, chemistry, or physics, so if he has not yet taken Biology, I would substitute Design Technology with Chemistry, otherwise, Design Technology should be okay. A lot of schools also require a year of US History, even though I believe that requirement might we waived for US citizens educated abroad.
We were in the same boat a few years ago when we had to decide between an IB program or online schooling, and my son ultimately ended up taking all of his HS classes for years 10-12 online (which was a better fit at the time because of Covid and did not disadvantage him during his college search). Those type of courses are also an option if your son wants to take additional classes, such a AP Calculus or AP computer science, and some IB schools might transfer those credits.
Good luck to him in his upcoming college applications!
HL Math goes so far beyond Calc BC that itâs a solid choice. Ditto for Physics. Our school didnât offer Design Technology, so I am not sure what it covers, but it sounds appropriate.
If he has had exposure to Chem and Bio prior to the IB, I would guess you are fine. He is also right to be thinking about balancing workload within the IBD curriculum. My hunch is you are fine, but my IBD kid was not an engineer, so perhaps others have more insight.
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My DD is an IB diploma candidate and was accepted this year into VT engineering. The best answer is to look at what VT requires in terms of years of high school science and labs and see if your son matches. You can reach out to admissions too. Also to apply early in the process to increase chances (doesnât need to be ED). My DD was heavy on the sciences because thatâs what she likes but keep in mind senior year of IB is a beast with the IAs and extended essay.
On a side note, in general weâve found that most schools give more credit for AP tests than IB including math A&A HL vs calc BC although sometimes you get credit for stats with IB. A lot of students will take the AP tests to get higher amounts of credits especially for the SL classes where credit is limited.
Thank you for this detailed response. In some ways it feels crazy to be thinking college applications strategy in 10th grade, but he is the youngest of three and I have seen what a difference it can make. His current school isnât very big and doesnât really have a lot of different course offerings, especially in grades 9 and 10. So he has done âintegrated sciencesâ in 9th and 10th, which I hope will cover the laboratory science requirements. I think that we are okay in regards to US History - he wonât have it, but it wasnât an issue for my two older kids since they did their entire high school overseas.
@gardenstategal Thank you - this is a helpful reminder to be careful about not stretching too much. His current math teacher has been very forthright about the challenge to come with HL Math and HL Physics, so my gut is telling me to not add Chemistry to the mix. He has had chemistry as part of âintegrated sciencesâ in grades 9 and 10 - and he actually feels pretty good about his capabilities with it - but I have heard that it is another really tough IB subject and as I said previously, Design Technology is more in line with his interests and likely career path. He has no interest in chemical engineering.
@2020hindsight Thanks for this reply. We tried to find the requirements for VT Engineering, but only found the general requirements for freshman applications. Were you referencing requirements that are specific to engineering? I know that VT requires you to apply directly into a major field of study, so maybe we need to call admissions to double check.
Are you saying that kids who study IB course take AP exams for the same subjects? Our school doesnât have AP courses, so I am not sure if is possible to register for AP exams here.
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I would suggest that you check the entrance requirements for any engineering schools that might be of interest, not just VT. For example, my S23 applied to some Canadian universities that assumed two years of both Chemistry and Physics as preparation for an engineering program. We were surprised they wanted two years of each (S23 had it, so it was ok). So if your son might be interested in applying to a school like U of Toronto, for example, that might give a little more weight to Chemistry. However, I donât think most US programs put as much emphasis on Chemistry.
I looked at the IB Design Technology curriculum and it looks like it could be useful preparation for many areas in engineering.
Are you saying that kids who study IB course
take AP exams for the same subjects? Our school doesnât have AP courses, so I am not sure if is possible to register for AP exams here.
At our school, kids in SL chem could take the AP exam. Ditto with FL.
Some did for credit but as most were going to schools that just gave placement rather than credit, it wasnât as many as youâd think. Theyâd just take a different science anyway.
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Here are VTâs IB credit listings:
HL: https://www.registrar.vt.edu/content/dam/registrar_vt_edu/documents/Updates/ap_ib_clep/IB-Higher-2021.pdf
SL: https://www.registrar.vt.edu/content/dam/registrar_vt_edu/documents/Updates/ap_ib_clep/ib-standard-2022.pdf
Here are VTâs typical first year general engineering courses; those with IB or AP subject credit can start with more advanced courses:
In terms of chemistry, if he had high school level chemistry, he should be ready for general chemistry in college.
For engineering, VT frosh applicants apply to general engineering (engineering undeclared). They take first year courses and then apply to their desired majors. 3.0 college GPA is automatic admission; otherwise, admission to major is competitive. See Change of Major Policies and Deadlines | Engineering | Virginia Tech .
HL Maths, HL Physics, and HL Design Technology would be a great combination for an Engineering major.
Universities know the IB curriculum.
Integrated Science would typically include Honors Bio, Chem, and Physics over 2 years so heâd be good.
VTech will give credit for up to 3 HLs and 1 SL, or up to 38 credits for the full diploma depending on a combination of subjects&scores, including EE, CAS, and TOK points (3 credits in Philosophy).
Heâd get a full year of Calculus credit for HL Math with a score of 6 (could take the AP Stats exam at the end of HL1), a full year of Engineering Physics+Lab for HL Physics for a score of 5, and English (Lit or Language&Lit) with a score of 5=1st year writing. Thatâd be 22 credits right off the bat and the fact heâd only need a 6 in Math + 2 5s to get credit lowers the pressure.
(He could take the AP French exam at the end of French SL1 or SL2 to get 3xxx elective credit in addition to the Intermediate French placement/credit; depending on how he does with the course, he could take the AP Comparative Gov&Pol exam for Global Pol SL = 6 extra credits, +4 extra credits for AP Stats.)