<p>I'm in my junior year and have to make the decision between IB Diploma or Certificate by Monday. I dont know which to do because if I do diploma, I wont have room in my schedule for leadership (ASB). I talked in with my counselor and she told me 5 certificates and leadership was just as competitive as full diploma, but I cant make up my mind. Which would look better full DP or 5 certificates and leadership? If I did certificate I would do Math SL, English HL, History of the Americas HL, Biology HL, and Spanish SL. My top college choice is UC Berkeley. I know I could handle DP but I'm not sure I want to. I need some advice. Thankyou.</p>
<p>IMO, only do certificate if: You will still complete 150 hours of CAS, TOK, five IB classes (including 3-4 at HL), and your EE. Essentially, only take leadership if the rest of your IB schedule will be identical to that of a diploma student. In this case, your counselor can write on your recommendation that you were, for all intents and purposes, a diploma candidate with a scheduling snafu. Otherwise, not taking the full IB diploma is likely to hurt you in college admissions; IB, after all, is a thorough program, not just a set of classes. </p>
<p>(FYI, I’m speaking anecdotally from my experience in an IB program.)</p>
<p>^Agreed. For a school like UC Berkelely, certificate is a mistake.</p>