<p>I need your guys' advice on something. I'm in my sophomore year of high school. Near the middle of our sophomore year, we have to decide whether or not we want to enter IB. Up until this year, I was all for IB; I loved the fact that I would get to learn things that otherwise would have been inaccessible to me. But, this year we have all new teachers; these teachers are incredibly inexperienced. Our PE teacher for last year, who just happened to speak Spanish, is teaching IB Spanish this year. The rest are no different. My councilor is still pestering me about joining and saying how all the top colleges expect you to take it.
I am a fairly academically inclined person and have a good work ethic. I've had straight A's since entering high school. At this point I'm fairly opposed to taking IB, but my folks are really bent on the prestige of it and the fact that you get college credit. </p>
<p>I would really like to know if IB really makes that big a difference. I've had friends who've done regular programs and have managed to get into Ivy leages.</p>
<p>I really want to go to NYU Stern; it's been a long standing dream of mine. Would IB be necessary for Stern? If I somehow maintained a 4.0 GPA (No IB) and miraculously got over a 2100 on the SATs would I have a good chance? </p>
<p>Thank you! I'll appreciate any and all responses! =)</p>
<p>Sorry if this isn't the appropriate place to post the question; it's my first time really using forums.</p>
<p>Btw: I go to an international school in Egypt and all they offer is IB and a regular diploma (No AP courses)</p>
<p>As a current IB student, I can assure you that it doesn’t matter how horrible your teacher is. My first year in IB (junior year), I took the Economics SL my school offered. The teacher was not the best. We learned a ton on microeconomics, broadly learned the basics of macroeconomics, and totally skipped the other two topics. Somehow, we all understood the concepts and were able to complete the internal assessments without much trouble, and we all passed the exam with 3’s and 4’s.</p>
<p>Basically, if your teacher is not good, get other help. There are so many resources out there for IB students, and other teachers at your school would be more than willing to help you. It’s not hopeless like many people believe.</p>
<p>As for NYU Stern, I would recommend IB. It would give you the edge up over other students, as many US applicants choose AP over IB. Also, IB prepares you reaaaally well for the workload of college (so many papers to write!)</p>
<p>Your school doesn’t offer A Levels/GCSE?</p>
<p>It all really depends on what your looking for academically. The IB doesn’t suit all students as it requires you to be well rounded academically, involved in extracurriculars extensively (CAS) and a fairly good writer. It’s very work intensive and requires you to have top notch time management skills to get those top scores (40+). </p>
<p>However, I am adamant about the fact that no student should do the IB Diploma if the school/teachers are inexperienced. It’s a disaster in the making and will most probably jeopardize your future. In my opinion, steer clear and just do the regular high school diploma. Like you’ve said, others have made it to top schools by going this route and therefore if you put in the effort you’re much more likely to be rewarded for your effort if you take this route than by risking everything by doing IB at your school. </p>
<p>Yes, you’ll still stand a chance at getting into Stern if you manage to do well with the most rigorous course load (by doing the regular diploma), get a high SAT score and have a strong list of extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>P.S.: Have you thought about switching schools? My schools a level results sucked so after doing my IGCSEs I switched to the better school in my city to do IB. I’m very glad that I did as I’m comfortable with the fact that my future isn’t in the hands of my old school’s incapable teachers. </p>
<p>Thank you for the advice! I’ve considered changing schools but I feel as though the move would probably hit me pretty hard. For now, I’ll give my all in the regular diploma and see where that gets me. Again, thank you for your input; it was a huge help! 
</p>
<p>Just a quick questions. For a school like NYU Stern, what kind of classes should I be taking (In the regular diploma)?</p>
<p>I understand what you mean. It wasn’t so bad for me as I was moving with several of my friends. That sounds like a good plan (y). Take the <em>most rigorous</em> classes available to you that interest you. And since you’re applying to Stern it would be advantageous to demonstrate your interest in business - perhaps take an economics class? Avoid business classes though as there are seen as ‘soft’ and aren’t highly regarded (economics is, though). If an economics class is not on offer you can also demonstrate your interest by joining a business like club. </p>