<p>I really need some help I just finished 10th grade and I study in an average Georgian school. I am from Georgia and I am thinking about moving to another school and going for the IB diploma. Is it worth it? shall I try AP? or just stay in my school take private SAT classes and try get a really good GPA and recommendations. help me please ? I am very concerned about the IB. </p>
<p>You will find a great divergence in opinion on this subject. My son just graduated from an IB program at a private school. We do not know his HL and senior scores yet, but I think it worked out very well for him. He might have had better unweighted grades in some subjects as a Senior, but the full IB diploma will probably grant him sophomore status in college. It carries a fair amount of weight in many college admission circles. If your school offers it, and you choose not to pursue it, you should expect to have to explain why (there are many valid reasons). Does the school you are considering have a good record with the IB program. Our local public high school has offered it, but it has not been an unqualified success, and they might drop it. I inferred from some parents that a number of students were not well prepared for the IB tests, and so they were unable to claim some of the college credits they hoped for. Can you investigate the range of final IB scores for the school you are looking at?</p>
<p>I am a 4-year IB Magnet program rising senior, which means I spent two years in pre-IB and have just finished my first year of the Diploma. Here’s my advice to you, do it if you think you have what it takes, because it takes A LOT. I’m from Montgomery County, MD, and I think we have one of the best US IB schools in the country and it is challenging to say the least. Coming out of 4 years of this program, I know I can succeed in nearly any American university, as long as I get in and can pay for it. IB prepares you for college both in the states and outside the States. IB is recognized worldwide. Most people say that IB credits are worthless for credits but I beg to differ as I have done extensive research and many well-known universities actually take a majority of IB credits as long as you get a certain score on the test. It definitely hurts your GPA, but that’s made up in the pride and glamour of the IB diploma on top of your high school diploma. The experience of the classes themselves will change you forever, you will learn like you have never learned. </p>
<p>The IB is a very strong program and is amazing preparation for college. If you can, do the IB.</p>
<p>I did IB and definitely don’t regret it. I was really well prepared for college, especially in writing, which AP doesn’t emphasize as much. (IB exams are almost all essays, vs. more multiple choice in AP) It’s brutal, but worth it. I started college with 45 credits and cruised through my first year.</p>
<p>That said, it’s hard to judge if you should change schools for it. What is offered at your current school? Will you have a chance to challenge yourself and take AP courses there?</p>
<p>I did AP, and I have friends who did IB, and I can definitely say they were better prepared for college than I was. I’ve had a lot of trouble figuring out how to study and manage my time, and I know that the friends of mine who did IB learned fairly quickly how to multi-task and organize themselves. So from someone who took AP classes, I would say take the harder road by taking IB, and be better off for it in the end when it comes time to apply/go to college.</p>