<p>Anyone taking it? Anyone love it? Anyone hate it? Think it's better than AP?
Discuss. </p>
<p>I'm in IB1...
English A1 HL
French A2 SL
European History HL in French
Chemistry HL
Math Methods SL in French
Biology SL</p>
<p>Fun times...</p>
<p>I really feel that the rigors and well-roundedness IB program prepared me well for college admissions and for college itself. Students loathe it when they are actually doing it, but I think many IB graduates feel accomplished in the end. I do think IB is better than AP in that it provides a challenging program that is well-rounded, but unfortunately, IB credits generally do not carry as much weight as AP credits do when transferred to colleges.</p>
<p>This topic has been debated over and over. I took both IB and AP classes, and was not impressed with the IB program. For its ridiculous cost, there is no increase in the level of difficulty over AP classes nor is there any real benefit when applying to colleges.</p>
<p>IB costs money in California?
That must suck.</p>
<p>I think IB has the advantage of giving a student more well-roundedness. Plus, the student can always take AP exams if they are in IB, but the reverse can't be done.</p>
<p>I agree with Icarus ... </p>
<p>Michael_pham, a student can take an IB exam without being in the IB program for an IB certificate. </p>
<p>I still feel that IB places too many restraints on a student - while of course it encourages a student to be well-rounded, in a school like mine ... it doesn't work. I was the only IB junior to sign up for both orchestra and IB and I was forced to drop history because of my schedule conflict. Now things are complicated.</p>
<p>Plus, I took AP/IB economics last year but was not allowed to take the IB exam because I wasn't in junior/senior years yet, so I wasn't in the right grade level. I felt fully capable to take the exam; I got two 5's on the APs.</p>
<p>But in order to get the whole IB diploma, you have to be in the IB program. Or is there a way to get around that too?</p>
<p>That would be interesting because I am applying to NCSSM (the Exter and Andover of North Carolina), which does not have IB.
So Lavender, could you elaborate on the IB Certificate as opposed to getting the diploma?</p>
<p>IB is more well-rounded! IB involves more than the classwork that AP involves. IB requires 150 hours of community service (creativity, action, and service), Extended Essay, Group 4 Project(s), planning labs, Oral Presentations, Commentaries, World Literature Papers, Internal Assessments, Math Portfolios, and...Theory of Knowledge! AP doesn't have anything like TOK... :p</p>
<p>11/12: IB Physics HL, IB Chemistry HL, IB Biology HL, English HL, History HL, Mathematical Methods SL, Psychology SL, German SL, TOK</p>
<p>No, I don't believe you can get the entire IB diploma without being in the IB program, as there is no IB certificate for writing an extended essay, and obviously that is an essential part to getting the diploma.</p>
<p>I'm in it, I like it. I feel as if I have learned a great deal. It's worth doing, in the end.</p>
<p>I wish we had an IB program here. I would so do it once I was a junior or a senior.</p>