I am currently a 10th-grade student in Estonia, and after this year, I have two years left before I graduate. My school is an IB school, and I have to make a decision in April of 2020 whether I want to study in the national curriculum or the IB. I was quite sure for a year that I want to be an IB student, but then a lot of the really good students who are a year above me, decided to go for the national curriculum. Also, many seniors (from both curriculums) have tried to convince us that the IB is not a good idea.
I want to Estonia’s education system because it is very different from the UK and the US. We have our compulsory subjects: Math, Estonian, Estonian Literature, English, Russian, German (in my case), Biology, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, History and some electives as well.
As you can see, we have a lot more subjects that the British students who take A Levels. Of course, I understand that A-Levels go much more in depth and they are challenging, I just wanted to show the difference. So in my case, I would actually have a broader choice of subjects in the national curriculum than in the IB.
My main question is: is an IB student more attractive to foreign universities than the one who has studied the national curriculum? Also, I would like to add that education in Estonia is good regarding our PISA tests, but it can be quite rigid and difficult. Still, we only have to take three exams in our last year: Estonian, Math and English. The only one I’m concerned about is the Estonian one because it is not one of my strongest subjects.
Also, is being on the verge of a mental breakdown 24/7 worth it? I am willing to study a lot if it pays off later but does it pay off?
One thing that does concern me is the fact that I have to take either German or Russian. I am not good at neither of those, so I’m afraid it is going to bring down my average score.
FYI: I want to study politics in after high school.
I would be very grateful if someone gives me advice
Where do you want to go to University? In Estonia or elsewhere? Do the Estonian Universities value IB?
What do you want to study? Will the courses you take line up with what is needed in college?
Can you talk to any graduates who did the IB program who are now in college? They may feel that that they were better prepared for the rigors of college than those with the National Curriculum. I can imagine that the seniors who took IB think it was a ton of work…but they don’t know how that will pay off.
I personally think those who do the IB Diploma make the transition to the college workload in HS instead of college.
I agree with @bopper , the answer may depend upon where you want to study after high school. If you plan to attend an overseas university, say in the UK or the US, the IB will likely be more familiar to those schools than the Estonian curriculum. At least some of the UK schools state specifically on their websites, what IB point score is needed for entry into specific departments. In the US, the IB program is very well-respected by the universities and there is some evidence that an IB diploma provides an advantage in the admissions process. My son completed an IB diploma last year and, while he found the program to be rigorous (although maybe not compared with the Estonian curriculum you describe!), he now feels that the IB program’s focus on research, writing and analysis prepared him very well for college-level studies. Most of the classes you mention are available in the IB curriculum, although you do need to make choices - you wouldn’t be able to study all of biology, chemistry and physics, you would have to choose one or at most two of them.
Hey, thank you so much for answering. I definitely don’t want to study in an Estonian university.
I want to study politics, so I should probably study History HL.
I talked to some girls who just graduated from the IB (one when to the University of Amsterdam, the other to Sheffield) and while they were happy with it, they said that it definitely didn’t help with getting into university.
IB’s approach to teaching analytical skills may prepare you better for college-level coursework, writing, and research than standard high-school courses. Internationally recognized IB qualifications may help you to meet admissions requirements if you’re considering colleges in countries other than the U.S.
