<p>Okay, so my school offers both AP and the IB. It's great to have options, but also a curse at the same time. I would very much like to/plan on applying to UK universities. However, the IB at my school is only 5 years old. There are also teachers in it I have had in the last two years, that I do not care to have again. So, which of the following two year plans would be a better choice for admission to a UK university for most likely medicine, biochemistry, law, or economics?
With AP:
11
AP English Language
AP World History
AP Biology (double period):
AP Psychology
AP Calculus AB (we have to to AB before BC here):
Honors Spanish 4
12
AP English Lit
AP Chemistry (double period):
AP Economics (both)
AP Calculus BC
AP Spanish or Honors 5 Spanish
Honors Anatomy and Phys.
With IB:
IB English 1 HL(required here)
IB History 1 HL (also required by my school)
IB Biology 1 HL
IB Math 2 SL (possible 4th HL here)
IB Psychology SL
IB ToK 1/EE
Elective (Theater 2 or technology)
12
IB English 2 HL
IB History 2 HL
IB Biology 2 HL
AP Calculus BC/IB Math HL
IB Chemistry SL
IB ToK 2 (semester)
Honors Anatomy & Phys.</p>
<p>Oh and my school is in the US, and is pretty good public school.</p>
<p>First off, it is incredibly difficult for non-EU students to get a place at a UK university to study medicine, mainly for funding reasons. I believe that qualifying as a Dr in the UK can also cause some problems if you want to return to the US and practice there. </p>
<p>After that, you need to think if you want to go down the quantitative / science route that is biochemistry or economics, or the essay based route that is law. </p>
<p>Then, look at the websites of some UK universities that you are interested in and see what their requirements are in terms of the subjects that you need to take for IB / AP.</p>
<p>It seems that most of the people who we talk to here who are Yanks applying to UK colleges or unis do it with AP tests.</p>
<p>UK students who apply to UK colleges and unis take a difficult set of exams called “A-levels”. So the schools look for something similar from foreign students. Usually, the American exams that most resemble A-levels are the AP exams. So the UK schools will want you to have taken AP exams and will be looking at your scores.</p>
<p>I really don’t see how the IB can be used this way. Because it is nothing like “A-levels”. It doesn’t have different subject tests. (Unless I really don’t understand how the IB works).</p>
<p>Remember, the UK colleges and unis are going to be looking at your TEST SCORES. They don’t care about what your class schedule looks like, or anything like that.</p>
<p>You are going to need to pass at least three AP tests to get into ANY UK college or uni. To get into the better ones, you might need one or two more, and you will need good scores on the tests.</p>
<p>But you really should narrow down your choice of major. Which are you really interested in out of “medicine, biochemistry, law, or economics”? Through personal statement and interview, the UK schools will be looking for someone who is seriously committed to the subject they have chosen (they are not looking for “well-rounded” people like in the U.S.). Someone who can’t really decide whether they would rather study natural sciences or social sciences would look rather strange to them.</p>
<p>Both IB and AP results would be considered. My suggestion is that you compare the number of UCAS points you would expect to earn. If the difference is large then that could be a determining factor in choosing between IB and AP.</p>
<p>This page provides a starting point for UCAS points: [UCAS</a> - Tariff tables](<a href=“http://www.ucas.com/students/ucas_tariff/tarifftables/]UCAS”>UCAS | At the heart of connecting people to higher education)</p>
<p>As you can see, a critical issue will be your exam scores.</p>
<p>IB exists in some UK (high) schools, especially private ones. APs do not. However, most if not all UK unis accept APs for admission for US students. Check with the specific schools you are applying for, and then choose the courses which you believe you have the best chance of excelling at.</p>
<p>I assume you are aware that only relevant courses/grades count? For medicine that means sciences (just look and see the required subjects for A-level students. You need to do the same subjects). They will ignore things like AP English.</p>
<p>I just want to echo what boomting said above, you have to understand that however good you are, the chance of admission into medicine for a non-EU student is always very low. Oxford for examples takes 6-7 non-EU medicine students per year. That is nothing to do with the quality of the students, but all to do with the UK quota (wherein they have to fill all the predicted vacancies in the UK national health service first before any non-EU students can be admitted). </p>
<p>Most UK applicants for medicine have LOTS of medical-related work experience. Generally ECS don’t count for much in UK admissions, but medicine is the exception where directly related ECs are very important. Volunteering at a hospital etc is needed.</p>
<p>I am slightly concerned that you cannot decide between law, economics, medicine or biochemistry. It is vaguely possible if you started in medicine you could switch to biochem in the first few weeks (but not the other way round. You cannot swop onto a more competitive course). But to switch to a completely unrelated subject like law would probably mean dropping out and re-applying. The UK isn’t a good choice for the undecided in my view, so do think about this carefully.</p>
<p>If you qualify as a doctor or lawyer in the UK and wish to practise in the US, this may only be possible if you take some more courses/tests/exams in the US which could be time consuming and expensive. You need to investigate this before committing.</p>
<p>I wish you the very best of luck with your application.</p>
<p>I got the impression somewhere that “UCAS points” are no longer important, and UK colleges and unis no longer pay attention to them. But maybe I am confusing this with something else.</p>
<p>But it is true that what counts are the scores you get on standardized exams, such as AP tests. The grades you are given by high school teachers don’t count at all.</p>
<p>I agree with KEVP. I don’t think conditional offers based on UCAS points are given much anymore, if at all.</p>
<p>Offers in terms of UCAS points are only really given out by lower ranked unis nowadays, and often they will say 300 points from 3 A levels (or whatever) so that you can’t include your pony care certificate. I think there was some talk of abolishing the system altogether at one point.</p>
<p>[Ucas</a> tariff system looks set to be axed](<a href=“http://m.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jul/31/ucas-tariff-system-to-be-axed]Ucas”>Ucas tariff system looks set to be axed | Students | The Guardian)</p>