IB or AP

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>I've been wrestling with this choice forever but a recent letter from the school district requires that I decide soon.</p>

<p>I'm asking Guidance about it tomorrow, but I'm a bit antsy.</p>

<p>For Junior and Senior year, do I go for the International Baccalaurette Diploma or AP?</p>

<p>IB is less practical. Taking it might mean:</p>

<ul>
<li>A lower GPA and rank, since the weight for AP and IB courses is the same despite IB courses being more demanding</li>
<li>A smaller social life, due to workload and alienation from rest of student body as well as the program being held at a school different from the one I officially attend</li>
<li>Problems expanding extracurriculars due to reasons social life may be inhibited</li>
<li>Traveling to/from the farther away school</li>
</ul>

<p>The biggest thing is the extracurricular complications. Frankly, I'm willing to let my social life suffer at this point so that I can have a better future, but my ECs...
I was planning on continuing my growth in Track, founding a club focused on activism in the school/community, running for student government and using my power for something meaningful, and finally joining those bs NHSs and Beta Clubs. Sure I'll have 150 hours of CS to complete for IB, but I want to do stuff for/at my school. Apply my supposed smartness.</p>

<p>I don't care about the drop in GPA; school is about learning, not achieving. The increased college credit I get from AP doesn't matter to me. And I'm sure colleges understand that IB is harder. Besides, I love the IB curriculum and its internationalist values and liberal arts-based ways. I REALLY want to do it.</p>

<p>But is it worth it?</p>

<p>Is the education better, in such a way that I'll learn more, not get bored, and, most importantly, get higher scores on standardized tests?</p>

<p>Does it mean more to top colleges? Or the same as AP?</p>

<p>Might there be some other way to expand ECs..? I can do anything, and enjoy it, too, esp. writing, activising, and science/math experiments, except for time/money constraints..</p>

2

<p>I would say it’s the same as AP. At least at most schools in America.</p>

<p>If you really want to do IB, do it. The social life thing is overrated.</p>

3

<p>If you want to learn, IB is definitely for you. Everything, absolutely EVERYTHING is harder in IB from languages to the social sciences. An exception might be maths. IB math is a joke, unless you’re doing HL.</p>

<p>The IB Diploma is not given appropriate recognition in the US, but in places like the UK it is by far the most recognized curriculum based on UCAS rankings. </p>

<p>I know teachers that teach both AP and IB in their respective subjects, and they say getting a 5 in an AP exam is insanely easy compared to a 7 in IB. You definitely do LEARN more in IB with IAs and what-not…but even the most organised workers must be prepared to pull a few all-nighters. If you are a chronic procrastinator, IB will give you a beating of the likes you have never seen before. I am, of course, assuming that you aim for a 40+ in the diploma programme. Below 40 is very manageable with a social life. But about 50% of those stories they tell about IB are true. </p>

<p>Don’t mind your ECs. You actually NEED to continue those ECs for CAS. They DO apply to CAS. </p>

<p>IB also no doubt prepares you for life and university better. EE is actually a very good simulation for college-level papers, and the amount of research you do for it is eye-opening. Some find TOK redundant, but if you are enthusiastic about it, TOK is very enlightening. I personally hate TOK, but many of my friends disagree.</p>

<p>College credit is not an issue at all. Even if you end up in a lower college course than you are supposed to be due to lack of credits, all that’ll happen is you’ll come out with a higher GPA considering you’ve already covered the material. </p>

<p>Also, many IB courses prepare you extremely well for AP exams. I’ve seen students who got a 6 in IB History get easy 5s in AP his exams. IB English is also very good prep for AP English exams. Math as well. The other subjects will require some self-study to get 4s and 5s in AP exams, but its definitely manageable. </p>

<p>Ivy league reps have once come to my school and told us that they don’t look at IB GPAs and AP GPAs the same, but failed to elaborate further. I’m guessing IB has a SLIGHT edge over AP, but not much and due to the lower grades, it is often still AP that is more impressive. In the UK, however, where you should be considering university, IB is recognized as probably the most rigorous curriculum based on UCAS points. Some countries definitely give more credit to IB. The US is not one of them. But a 45 in IB is definitely a much more impressive feat than 13 APs with all 5s.</p>

<p>Do IB. When AP kids smirk at you for having no life and doing work all day, you will actually feel pride rather than envy ;)</p>

4

<p>There are many, many threads on this topic. I’ll say that I think (as an IB student) that IB does a better job of preparing kids for college. But I also think the two opportunities fit very different kinds of people: IB is for the kid with a general interest in all subjects, a sense of global awareness, strong time management skills, and who can write well. AP will work better for the “well-lopsided” applicant. </p>

<p>Ask around–see what kinds of people end up succeeding in the two programs where you live.</p>

5

<p>What do you plan on majoring in? IB would likely be better preparation for the humanities fields, while AP would likely be better preparation for science and engineering (I say “likely” because the strength of each program also depends on your particular high school).</p>

6

<p>Honestly… If you want to have an IB feel program, then just shoot for the AP classes in every area (math, English, history, and science). To me, it sounds like life is going to be a lot more complicated for you to do IB, especially with having to go to another school.</p>

<p>In the US, AP and IB are weighted the same at most colleges, so colleges will not look down on you for taking AP courses.</p>

<p>The advantage with AP, in my opinion, is that you can take AP level in classes that interest you/you are strong in, rather than having to take high level courses in every subject, which you have to do to get the IB diploma.</p>

<p>Does your school offer a rigorous AP program? (15-20 AP courses at minimum?) If it does, then I don’t see why you’d take so much hassle just to take IB.</p>