I know this is a very common topic but I couldn’t find another thread that really helps.
I am a Sophomore in High school at the moment and can take AP/IB classes starting next year but I’m unsure over which one I should take. I could handle either but I do know IB is much rigorous and rather not waste my time on it if AP gives me the same benefits or more. Can someone explain the pros and cons of both or tell me the differences, etc. I know I should probably ask my counselor about this stuff but our old one retired (she was great) and our new one isn’t very helpful/friendly. As far as college goes I want to go to Emory University and know pretty much what they want in upcoming students from a college tour I took. On the other hand it has already been decided by my parents that I will go wherever I receive a full scholarship from and that would be schools like UAB, UAH, UA, or smaller schools like Talladega. However I want to minor in Japanese and major in either Education, Mechanical engineering, software development, or Architecture (I am still very undecided on a major but that’s the sphere I’m looking at.) Here’s all I know about my schools IB/AP programs:
AP
Anyone can take them
Classes:
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Environmental Science
Statistics
Calculus
Trigonometry
American History
European History
Government
American Literature
Language
Psychology
IB
Selected few can take them (me included)
Classes are about 10 students or less
Must haves to graduate with IB Diploma:
-90+ hours community service
4 years of foreign language (Spanish for me)
-IB Elective
Classes:
Chemistry
Biology
Physics
Economics
American Literature
Mathematic Studies
Theory of Knowledge (elective)
IB Music
Film
French (part of 4 years language)
Spanish (part of 4 years language)
Visual Arts
Theater
I may have left a class or two out but that’s all I saw in our class options. We take 8 classes a year at our school by the way just in case its different for you all replying and there are work shops for the AP classes which take up its own class. I have heard from IB students that its not worth it but they want to got to schools like UAB, UA, etc. (Nothing wrong with those schools at all!) And the IB French and Spanish are part of your four year language program. I provided a lot of information but really I just want to know which one is more worth it in my situation and what classes I should take.
I have taken both IB and AP courses. I was a student in the IB Program, but had to take AP classes instead after being forced to switch high schools. I must also admit that my IB experience was unusually negative compared to others’ experiences I have heard about, so take my testimony with a grain of salt.
In IB courses, you will cover fewer topics but you will do so in great depth. High reading level is a must. Half-arsing your work is simply not an option and if you have extracurricular obligations you will need to rethink those if you want to devote your time to IB coursework. In AP courses, you will get a greater “sampling” of subjects but you won’t delve as deeply into them as you will in an IB course. It used to be that AP was better known in the United States than IB, but that is rapidly changing; every college I applied to had heard of IB and considered the courses on par with AP. However, in my opinion, IB courses are far and away the more rigorous ones, and it’s not unusual for IB students to overload themselves during high school and find college is easy in comparison. IB is intellectually fulfilling to some people, and it was to me at first, but there are others who snap under the pressure and “spin out” (while both AP and IB tends to attract high achievers, in my experience IB had a far more competitive atmosphere). In my experience AP courses are more relaxed because they are more integrated with the rest of the high school. IB can feel very secluded from the “real world” and it’s easy to feel like a small fish in a big pond. Just my $0.02
@deepseafish thank you for replying when no one else did. I’m still on the fence about both just because I’m not sure if college favors one or the other, not just Ivy league wise but even state schools. Nonetheless thanks for the input.
AP is certainly more “established” but IB is rapidly closing the gap. To be honest, if a college has not heard of IB by this point then they are simply ignorant of the times. If I did see such a college, I wouldn’t apply there.
The only danger is that sometimes people underestimate the difference in difficulty between AP and IB courses. Both are tough but it’s harder to get a good grade in an IB class than an AP class, so a lower grade in an IB course might “look worse” than a higher grade in an AP course even if the levels of effort put into both classes are the same.
I am an IB diploma candidate and I have taken at least two AP’s since sophomore year along with balancing a full schedule of IB courses. While I agree that most of my IB courses were more “rigorous” than my AP classes, there were some (TOK and other IB electives like IB Visual Art) which I would say tend to be a bit easier. A big difference between AP and IB is that IB encourages you to analyze things more in depthly while AP covers more material but not as in depth as the IB, if that makes sense. This is because most IB courses (excluding SL electives) are two year courses while AP classes are one year. Looking back on it, I would have still chosen to be in the IB because it teaches me to think on a global scale and to analyze effectively. However, there are a few requirements like completing an extended essay, CAS journal, IA’s for all of your IB classes, TOK essay, etc. that do tend to be a bit superfluous but in no way not beneficial I would say go for it if you would like, but be wary of all of the extra requirements necessary to obtain an IB diploma.
Check with your GC what constitutes the most rigorous course though, if that make a difference to you. in my kid’s school (large, public, open enrollment for IB) only the full diploma gets the tick by the GC as being most rigorous.
My son went through the PYP and part way through the MYP, I became convinced that the DP was not for him. He loved the innovative and challenging assessments of the IB, but he didn’t have a life. He is a thoughtful writer who spent WAY too long on written assignments and terrible at time management. I just couldn’t see him do well on his extended essay and course work. With him, he would excel in one or the other. He also is more science oriented and at his current school, he can focus more on his interests whereas The IB demands more well-rounded learning.
The ideal IB candidate should:
Enjoy writing and do it efficiently, from the EE to someone mentioned the CAS ( community and service) diary which is easy but easy to forgot…
Be good at juggling various projects, managing time
Be well rounded in arts and sciences. You can select higher or standard but you still have to take them. As someone mentioned, most unis respect the full IB diploma and some do not give credit to individual HL courses taken.
Be self-motivated and enjoy open-ended assignments.
My son is at a AP boarding school and he finds some of the assingments similar to the IB ones so he enjoys them. He is good at traditional tests so he should end up with solid AP scores, probably much than his IB score would be and less stressful.
@Disneymama thank you for your little snippet. I’m definitely leaning toward AP now from what everyone has said. As bad as it may sound I could care less about which type of learning I receive, I just wanted to know which looks better as a college applicant and the pros and cons. IB seems like a lot of extra work and not enough benefit. My assistant principal himself told me I should choose either based on the “status” I wanted when I graduate. If IB doesn’t place me too far of regular AP students I might as well save myself from the stress and extra unnecessary classes and workload. And while I could handle the criteria necessary for IB I rather not overwork myself. Thanks everyone I’ll definitely choose AP next year.
The thing with IB though is that it apparently really prepares you for the kind of work you’ll be expected to do in college (kind of more like a ~lifestyle than a course_. It’s not much of a status thing, but it’s up to you if you’d rather work harder now or in two years. As an IB student, I just really like the challenge and the kind of intellectual stimulation you get from having discussions with classmates, and I don’t mind doing CAS or writing. It depends on the person, and even though I love IB and find that it’s more beneficial to you as a person, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it lightly.
