<p>at my school, the only ap classes sophomores going to be in ib junior and senior years can take are Ap Euro and Ap Human geo. If a sophomore is not going to be in ib, they can take any ap class they qualify for. For example, i am taking ap calc ab and ap physics b. in ib, there are way too many restrictions.</p>
<p>IB Math HL isn’t very impressive because it is a TWO year class, compared to AP Calculus BC being one year. Algebra, functions, trigonometry, matrices, vectors, and statistics should all be done in pre-calculus in the first place. A student should not be stuck in math HL for two years if it is feasible in one year. An AP student can take the exam after a year and take discrete mathematics if he/she wanted to. Some students excel in a certain subject; such individuals should be able to take harder classes that match their ability. AP goes much more in depth than IB. While IB prefers to include a lot of subjects in the courses, AP includes less subjects but much more detailed and closer to college rigor.</p>
<p>Avtrox, just because you are korean does not automatically mean you are smart. The fact that you dropped out of Math HL has nothing to do with the difficulty of the course, it just means that you, personally, weren’t ready for it. Please finish the actual course before you make assumptions.</p>
<p>I was not trying to imply that being korean equals smart. I only mentioned me being korean and me having dropped out of Math HL to make a point of comparison. What I meant to get across was that IB Math HL requires much more than just memorizing or knowing how to process certain questions. I was fine in math classes back in korea and had been doing AP prep and found AP calc not too challenging, yet I looked at the IB HL courseload and yes, I decided that I wasn’t ready for it. But do you see the comparison? It is just my personal experience; but I felt I could get through AP but couldn’t get through IB. “Please finish the actual course before you make assumptions” assumptions about? me “assuming” that IB is harder than AP? I’d studied both courses, granted didn’t finish either AP Calc or IB HL. Then let me mention again what I think I’ve written in my other posts. I know plenty of people who took both AP and IB and most of them found IB harder than AP. One guy in last year’s graduating class from our school, a full diploma candidate and Math HL student he self studied for AP Calc and got a 5. Said it wasn’t very hard.</p>
<p>And could you please take a close look at the IB curriculum before saying that it lacks rigor. Also, you completely neglect the fact that IB students actually get a year and a half to study the coursework, not two full years due to most international school’s schedules (mock exams, early leave for seniors for final IB examinations). And you don’t consider the two IB internal assessment analysis papers. Writing 30-40 page papers are not something to disregard.</p>
<p>Stepson was convinced by counselor to go IB (school also offers AP) - told him (and his mother) that it would open tons of doors, get him full ride at many schools, blah blah. Turns out - as I’m sure you all know and he learned the hard way - it was just a tremendous time sucker with really no benefits that AP would not have conferred. He has done well, but would definitely NOT go that route if he knew then that colleges don’t give it any more “weight” than AP classes.</p>
<p>Higher Level Math is the hardest course there is to IB.</p>
<p>IB Math HL is THE most insane subject.
<em>studying for my mocks xP, trust me.</em></p>
<p>Good luck ifgodwills.
I didnt have the courage to take it on but I’m doing IB as well 
Senior year, right?
Mocks are next week … :O</p>
<p>Haha, ahh Math HL, it’s a one of a kind subject.
Planning to do engineering, so it’s almost compulsory haha.
My mocks start tomorrow :O.
Thanks, best of luck to you too!</p>
<p>^^^^Haha you guys got Math HL. My school only offers Math Studies SL, which is such a joke, but hey, its the “most challenging” math course for junior year and I don’t have to take Math HL. I’ll be taking AP Calculus next year, though, and I’m thinking it’s going to be a lot harder.</p>
<p>IB is much more challenging than AP for a number of reasons. First, is the very nature of the program. An IB education can be thought of as that which one would receive at a Liberal Arts college. It focuses on producing a well rounded student. I am a senior at an IB school, and the program is very demanding. For each class, students are not only to required to learn the core material, but also to submit Internal Assessments which are first graded by your teacher, then moderated by experts in the field abroad (to assess whether the IAs were properly graded). The internal assessments are graded at a university level. Completing the IAs as practical application of the knowledge you have gained from class is mandatory in order to take the IB exam for that subject area. This is different than AP where a student can sign up for the test at will. Also included in these classes are External Assessments, which are completed under monitored conditions, then submitted for evaluation abroad. Internal assessments and external assessments can take the form in lab practicals, experimental write-ups, recorded oral presentations/commentaries, original statistical data collection and analysis, and research papers. Various assessments are demonstrations by the student that they have a sound understanding of the material. By giving students the information and skills they need to solve a real world problem, IB makes learning an experience rather than just memorization of facts and formulas. </p>
<p>I personally am taking a total of eight IB courses this year, five of which are higher level courses. I will also be writing an Extended Essay (4000 word original research paper) that will be assessed by experts in the field abroad. The IB program also requires Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) hours. A guideline of these is to complete about 50 hours over two years in all three areas. The goal here is to expand your horizons, try new things, and give back to your community. All of these, CAS, Extended Essay, Internal Assessments, External Assessments, and proficiency demonstrated IB final exam scores are required when working towards the IB Diploma. </p>
<p>In regards to IB final exams, it should be noted how these exams are created. Every year, teams of experts in individual fields (physics, chemistry, literature, economics etc.) create exams based on the concepts that are taught in the IB syllabus. The questions on the exam are not basic application of formulas or comprehension questions. They take what you learned, and make you apply it in a way you have likely never seen before. They create problems that are complex to not just see if you know when to use a formula (for example in physics), but rather to see if you understand the theory behind it, and whether you can use the skills you have gained to solve a new problem. </p>
<p>With scoring on exams, one must keep in mind that unlike AP, IB is an international program. You receive your score of 1-7 based not on how you did relative to students in the United States, but to students across the globe. It is a much more competitive “playing field”. Earning a score of 7 demonstrates that you have a higher understanding of the subject area than most students in the world not just the U.S… Indeed, some colleges have recognized this and have started awarding more college credit to IB students as opposed to AP students.</p>
<p>A point that has been brought up in previous comments is that IB is a more broad, less in depth coverage of material. I assure you this is not true. Having taken IB courses, then looked through AP study guides, the IB covers every topic (from what I have observed) that AP does and more. I would challenge someone to compare an IB higher level course syllabus to that of an AP class and say that is wrong. </p>
<p>Finally, in regards to IB Mathematics HL (which I am currently enrolled in) it is extremely difficult. We are currently doing Set Theory, and there are other topics which cover extensions of Calculus that are not covered in the Standard Level Calculus syllabus section, and other areas of math that students seldom encounter until higher level courses in college. </p>
<p>The fact of the matter is, IB is more challenging than AP. Many of my teachers have told me that much of the material we are covering now, in my last year of high school are comparable to material they covered in their freshman, sophomore, even junior years of college at reputable universities. The IB Diploma Program creates a well rounded, globally aware, problem solving student.</p>
<p>When talking about the difficulty in the two styles of advanced learning, when taking one or two AP or IB classes, AP tends to be harder in some cases. For instance, AP chemistry covers all of the curriculum of IB HL chemistry, minus one topic and the choices, although there are IAs and Group 4, AP chemistry is still very much more intensive. I took IBHL econ and at my school, the first year of ib econ is AP micro economics, i found that the first year was much harder than the second year.
Next, people are comparing the entire IB program to taking some ap classes, being that the IB program contains 6 2 year courses and 1 one year course (TOK,) the only fair way to represent it is to compare it to taking 13 ap classes in 2 years. Then i feel they would be on equal difficulty.</p>
<p>I’ve taken plenty of classes in both AP and IB subjects. Frankly IB has far more busy work, and a less rigorous curriculum. It is unfair to compare them side by side, but in terms of learning the material, you’re better off with AP. If you want to feel “worldly” or waste your time debating pseudo-Philosophy in TOK, the IB program may be of interest to you.</p>
<p>You guys are absolutely crazy. I cannot understand why anyone would say AP is harder than IB. First of all, in my school, many classes are taught AP/IB. For skeptics who presume that combining them leads to lower scores, people consistently get both 7s and 5s. IB English is much more difficult than AP Lit and APLac, I have taken two years of IB English and the aforementioned AP courses. They have comparable end-of-year tests, but the Internal Assessments place IB way ‘ahead’ in difficulty. All of the bs that you have to do for IB is really frustrating and obnoxious sometimes, but looking at comparable students who have taken all AP classes instead, I don’t regret it at all. I will graduate with an amazing group of fellow IBers who have gone through the hell that is IB together, and will have a diverse and thorough high school education. For anyone who is talking about their personal experiences with teachers and classes (^Kerlappen), you are not adding anything to the discussion because your arguments are purely anecdotal. Maybe your IB teachers happen to suck at teaching and give busy work, that is not a reflection of the program. IB shows a commitment and an overall accomplishment that cannot be matched by IB. However, I concede that they are viewed equally by colleges, and so if all you desire is to be accepted somewhere, perhaps taking just AP classes would be your best bet. </p>
<p>P.S. if anyone brings up particularly easy IB SL/HL to take, just remember AP Human Geography. Not all classes are created equal, even within the same courses.</p>
<p>I am referring to flaws built into the IB program, not weaknesses of my school. Most of my classes are combined AP and IB as well, so clearly it’s not related to teacher quality. The busy work I refer to is exactly the internal assessments you talk about. I have taken both AP english lit and am in IB english HL now, and I can speak to both programs extensively. I would recommend IB to anyone who enjoys meaningless camaraderie, and even if you want that, I’m not in the IB program, but I’ll still graduate with the exact same group of people at my school who are in the program. That doesn’t exactly speak to the strength of the curriculum. IBers seem to think doing a lot of work equates to educational quality. Unfortunately, your time may be better spent elsewhere.</p>
<p>I like the IB program, but I’ll play devil’s advocate here for a moment. Assuming your AP and IB curriculum are both rigorous and competent, IB falls very, very short in the sciences. Like, seriously, AP physics makes IB physics even more pathetic than it already is - and my program’s shortfalls don’t end there. From personal experience I can say that many AP exams have a reputation for being significantly more difficult than their IB counterparts, who are more irritating than anything for their IA’s and research papers. And IB math courses outside of HL math are just a sorry joke - fortunately they can pull their “IB only” mantra out of their heads and, at least in my school, let us take AP calculus, because IB math studies is basically honors pre calculus with a cute sounding name.</p>
<p>But I’d still recommend IB for reasons others have pointed out. And not to sound snobby but your typical high-level IB program is going to have on average a higher quality student body than your AP class that doesn’t have a 7% admissions rate.</p>
<p>Hey! I’m also thinking about IB or AP. In my school they have AP but in most boarding schools in Europe they have IB. I know that many people that did APs in my school got into good unis for example King’s College in London, UCL, University of Boston and many more (btw I live in Italy and it’s an international school). But the people that I know that did IB didn’t get into some universities, but I think it’s more about them and not IB since on this website I hear About IB students that get into great universities. So I need to decide if to finish high school with AP or IB pleaseeee (I would like to go to college in Europe especially UK). If I would do IB In would go to a boarding school so can somebody tell me about their experience at a boarding school or tell me what some good boarding schools are (I would like to try with UWC but I also want to know about other schools) </p>
<p>Thankyouuuuuuu 
:)</p>
<p>^^ Take the full IB diploma.</p>
<p>Thank you so much! I wasn’t sure because many people said it was too stressing but from what I heard if you work hard you can do well, right? Another question: do you think it would be good to do IB at a boarding school, if yes what are the best in europe (possibly not costing more than 30k a year or with scholarships)? </p>
<p>It would really help me if somebody would answer, thanks :)</p>
<p>My school offers both, but I chose AP for a few reasons…
- My school’s AP program is much better than the newly established IB program…students receive proportionally higher scores on the test.
- It’s widely recognized that IB HL Math is at best just as rigorous as BC Calc, and if you look at the credits offered by colleges for good exam scores, you often see that BC earns more, which indicates less rigor (check out Vanderbilt if you want evidence).
- IB is stronger in the arts; AP is stronger in the sciences. I’m a science geek, if you haven’t already guessed.
- Many American colleges simply don’t know enough about IB. I visited Clemson about a year ago, and they stated the reasons they offered less credit for IB classes were twofold…it’s relatively new here and the quality of IB education varies greatly among the schools that offer it (like mine).</p>