We have no AP at my school and I will DEFINITELY take a bunch of IB classes, but is it really worth getting the diploma versus getting 4 or 5 certificates?
No. Not unless you can handle the whole diploma.
Yes. If you are going to take a bunch of IB classes anyways you might as well get the diploma. I’m currently a junior in the diploma program and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. TOK is enlightening, the EE is fun, and you would’ve done CAS hours anyways.
Another thing is, how hard is it to keep up a high GPA in IB? (like a 3.9+ uw)
Whether it is worth it depends on your goals and your school. At my kid’s high school, the coveted “most rigorous curriculum available” designation on the guidance counselor’s recommendation form, is only given to full Diploma students, not certificate kids. The most selective schools want to see that box checked, and if it isn’t, they want to understand why a student did not take the most rigorous curriculum available. OP should check with his guidance office to see what their policy is about certificate kids.
More substantively, the time management, and project management, skills developed by full Diploma kids, as well as the substantive critical reading, writing and thinking skills, certainly help in adapting and being successful in college. CAS is not usually that big an extra burden, since most high-achieving kids are already active in several ECs that often can be adapted to count for CAS (depending on the activity, of course). The Extended Essay, while demanding, is good preparation for college, and TOK was one of my kid’s favorite classes. So if a student is doing 4-5 IB classes, and can accomodate the HL and SL distribution across the 6 subject matter groups, why not do the Diploma? And, yes, it is hard to maintain a top gpa.
And to add that some colleges will give extra credits to IB Diploma holders…e.g.,
At SUNY Binghamton:
“Students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program may receive up to 32 credits. To receive the full 32 credits, the following conditions must be met:
The IB Diploma must be completed with a score of 30 or more points; and
The student must complete at least three Higher Level exams with a score of 5 or higher.”
https://binghamton.edu/harpur/advising/transfer/ib-credits.html
My son who’s a junior in IB program is just finishing up the most grueling year. To keep up a near perfect GPA with some AP courses thrown in and with a very heavy list of EC’s, it still was very well worth the experience. I know that he’ll have a better chance of surviving and perhaps even thriving once he gets to college. If you’re willing to work very hard, I’d highly recommend the full IB diploma program. My older son, who also went through IB diploma program, just returned home from his first year in college and told me that college was easier than the high school.