According to the exit survey given by IBO in 2012, IB candidates (both Diploma and Career Certificate) are accepted at higher rates into the top-ranked schools in the country. In some cases, such as at Columbia and Harvard, the difference is small, 2-3%. At other schools, both selective privates and flagship state schools, the gap is much more significant, ranging from 11% at Yale to 44% at UMD.
http://www.harrisoncsd.org/docs/academics/guidance/IB_acceptance_rate.pdf
Of course, the caveat is that these results are self-reported. However, I have a hard time believing that this accounts for the statistically significant differences in percentages. The differences seem particularly significant to me now as I wait for my own decisions from many of these schools.
These acceptance rates are in many cases much higher than the average. It makes me think about the factors influencing those, and whether it is really due to the value of an IB diploma. A much higher percentage of applicants will apply with AP classes, so does it set IB students apart? Is it the IB program’s tendency to be focused in centers of higher income? Is it the IB’s focus on well-rounded education, which doesn’t leave students with the same opt-out path as AP in a particularly difficult subject? Do colleges believe that IB truly better prepares students for college?
My school is an IB school, but my hunch is these results are skewed by selection bias and other ways of exaggerating findings with statistics. Nevertheless, the IB (and the AP) is a great program.
Compared to non-IB students, IB students generally attend better high schools, have a more rigorous curriculum, are driven to pursue EC’s, etc. I think it’s more correlation than causation.
@Nevets04 I thought pretty much the same thing. Although it seems to me like sometimes (at least at my school) that IB can actually limit extracurricular opportunities.
Do you think colleges are of the same opinion of IB students as driven and involved and generalize that, offering the whole pool a benefit? Or that they see those aspects in other parts of the application and the student just happens to be IB?
Higher achieving students are more likely to both enroll in IB and be accepted into higher ranking schools plus IB better prepares students for college admission. Some of the things colleges look for like community involvement, leadership, research, and impactful projects are built into the program.
You have to be careful about this sort of claim. What is the comparison? Compared to all high school graduates? Compared to other honors or AP programs?
Probably due to selection bias. The high workload of IB means that weaker students will be in non-IB tracks. Also, at some high schools, IB may be the only option for stronger or more advanced students, so the stronger or more advanced students will be absent from non-IB tracks at those high schools.
AP and honors students are very well prepared for college too, but IB students get a little something extra.
does anyone have data on students who took full ap courseloads vs the general acceptance rate?
Here’s the fuller report from the horse’s mouth. This reminds me of the same efforts from College Board.
http://www.ibo.org/contentassets/12ca22e438df4a65b4c92e42b70b10ea/globaldpdestinationsurveyus.pdf
@lookingforward Thanks! I was looking for that but couldn’t seem to find the official report.
@lostaccount I’m not necessarily agreeing with the claim made by the survey. Just interested in hearing discussion.
I’m sure selection bias, which others have mentioned, plays a role.
The other factor to consider is that IB students do a lot of writing over the course of two years. IB students who don’t learn to write well - and write academic papers, although that exercise doesn’t necessarily reward good writing - make up the bottom end of the grade distributions. I’m sure there are students who complete the IB with top grades and then struggle with distribution requirements (quasi-illiterate STEM kids are one common stereotype), but all the writing means they’re few and far between.