IB vs. Honors/AP

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>I am a rising sophomore at Stanton college prep and in the IB program.
recently i have considered dropping out of the IB program and going to honors
(the curriculum is fairly difficult by Junior/senior year all classes are AP)
I am not dropping out of IB because I find it extremely difficult but because it takes a lot of time out my schedule conflicting with my ECs
would this be a wise decision and will it still give me a shot at Harvard and the other ivies?
please tell me your opinions about the IB program Vs. regular AP courses</p>

2

<p>I chose AP instead of IB for a few reasons.<br>

  1. our school IB classes are rather limited
  2. if after 2 years you can’t get the diploma, you would have wasted two years
  3. it stops you from having more than 1 or maybe 2 ECs
  4. it seems that AP is more in-depth
  5. everyone coming out of that class has a similar college profile e.g. almost identical classes, barely any ECs, etc.</p>

<p>However, if your school is like some of the schools that I know where the IB program is better than the AP (you would know if there was only 2 or 3 AP classes vs. all of the IB classes), you should stay in IB.</p>

3

<p>All IB classes have an equivalent AP class
(to Autumnfrost) so you think it would be better for me to swith to IB?
I dont want the admissions board to think i am undedicated</p>

4

<p>IB, colleges want the highest possible and hardest possible classes you can possibly take and IB is harder than AP. And IB is more in depth than AP. My principal said that AP is like going to a foreign country, say Italy, and going to every town and just doing a little in every town. And IB is like going to one town, say Venice, and doing it in depth.<br>
And not every school offers IB, so it is something special that many students applying to Harvard don’t get. So take it while you can.</p>

5

<p>I stay with my philosophy…stay in IB if you are sure you are going to get a high score. My experiences show that hardly any school will reject you on grounds of academics if you apply (not with predicted scores!) with a 40+ diploma.</p>

<p>Choose whatever suits you best. My school has been sending a large number of students to oxbridge, harvard, sciences po and other prestigious schools in the U.S. and around the world, noting that we have graduating classes of about 55-60 students each year. These students have all had 38, 39+ diplomas. </p>

<p>However, on the other hand, students scoring lower grades, 34-37, still attend very good universities (most of our students go to imperial and King’s college, london) but barely have a chance at those top-notch institutions. </p>

<p>IB is not just exams and <em>stuff</em> like the AP. It is a structured program with a philosophy. In my school, dealing with Rusia in History meant reading Dostojewski, Turgenjew and Gogol in my A1 class. One does not read literature from the age of englightenment without reading pieces from Sturm und Drang in the second A class (such as A1 German and A2 English, if you are doing the billingual diploma) in order for you to be aware of both sides. Then you write a comparative world literature assignment on those works in order to make your own judgement. You should know all this, if it is not your approach to academic work then choose the A.P.</p>

<p>You choose, its your personality we do not know, but you know it!</p>

6

<p>Unfortunately, my school only offers AP courses so I luck out for IB.</p>