<p>So I found out that UC's and some prestigious universities (Stanford, USC, etc.) do not reward grade boosts for some International Baccalaureate classes... Most of my HL classes are next year (senior year) and I am taking 2 AP's next year. I am very sad and frustrated because this really reflects badly on my GPA. I feel like my hard work and determination to do well has gone to waste... Here is my schedule for my junior year: </p>
<p>Spanish III
IB History of the Americas HL (not honors)
IB English HL (honors)
IB Physics SL (not honors)
Yearbook
Art IA/IB
Theory of Knowledge (not honors)</p>
<p>I thought that being in the IB Program would give me a boost in the eyes of the admissions process, but now I feel stuck and worried. I was only able to take 1 AP class sophomore year and I got B's both semesters. I have ~3.86 unweighted GPA and ~4.21 weighted GPA, but this doesn't matter since most universities will calculate their own GPA (i.e UC GPA, etc). I also believe it isn't fair for IB classes to not be weighted, because we do as much, if not more work than AP (we have internal assessments, CAS, TOK, etc.) students. I feel duped. I truly thought I was going into a program that would boost my chances and make me look special in the applicant pool. I know GPA isn't everything, but it's what admissions people look at first and foremost. </p>
<p>Please tell me is this all untrue? There must be something I can do to pull myself up from this mess...</p>
<p>FutureBruin, </p>
<p>I was in the same place as you are right now, but I want to encourage you to take the IB courses, because they are recognized during the admission process :)</p>
<p>I am currently a senior/ IB Diploma Candidate…and got accepted to UCLA for next fall 
I got accepted with the same UW as you, but a higher weighted GPA (4.7).
Despite my terrible ACT score (28) due to my handicap in english/reading, I still got in. </p>
<p>I dont know if you are going full IB or for certificate, but if you are going for the diploma, then it will boost your chance of admission. I think it gives you an advantage over other students, despite the risk of dropping your GPA, while you also receive a college preparing experience, which is useful no matter where you go for college
.
The CAS,ToK and EE requirements are very stressful, but its part of the IB diploma program, which is definitely recognized during the admission process. From what I heard from the admission people, there are many IB graduates at UCLA </p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Ibsmashed222 (I like your name), </p>
<p>Did you take many AP classes your Sophomore year? I bet that helped compensate for the unweighted IB classes we have to take.<br>
Do you know what your UC GPA was? I’m not really sure how to calculate it, but I’m sure mine will be lower than my weighted GPA. ): Your GPA is awesome and I wish I had it, haha.<br>
And yes, I am a diploma candidate. The program is really overwhelming, but hopefully it will be worth it.</p>
<p>FutureBruin </p>
<p>I took AP Stats sophomore year… IB/AP/Honors classes are all weighted.
My weighted UC GPA was around 4.7… at my high school, my weighted was 5.25.
Heres the link for calculating the gpa…[CaliforniaColleges.edu</a> - Calculating Your GPA](<a href=“http://www.californiacolleges.edu/admissions/california-state-university-csu/gpa_calculator.asp]CaliforniaColleges.edu”>http://www.californiacolleges.edu/admissions/california-state-university-csu/gpa_calculator.asp)</p>
<p>Remember that UCLA/Berkeley uses weighted UC GPA not capped weighted UC GPA; therefore there is no eight class limit for honor/ap/ib bonuses, so more ap/ib/honors you take the better :). </p>
<p>From my IB experience, it was very tedious and stressful, but in the end, you will benefit from it in some form such as time management and work efficiency. Now, Im hoping that my IB diploma experience will give me a slight advantage over other UCLA students.
At my IB school, everyone with a unweighted gpa of 3.6ish at end of their sophomore year (which you clearly have) is likely to be successful in the program and get their diploma.
Good luck!</p>