<p>My school is a full IB school, but I have many friends who are only taking 2-5 IB classes (instead of the required 7 for the diploma). Much of this has to do with scheduling (Music students can't fit that into a full-IB schedule) or just personal preference in subject areas (students who are really strong in humanities might take only, say, English, History, foreign language, and Art History).</p>
<p>So assuming a student like this got a perfect or near perfect GPA (the kind of GPA that would make a student competitive for top schools with a full-dip schedule), what kind of college selectivity could they shoot for? I know I've been told by many admins that the most important factor in selection is course rigor and GPA...Where could a student like this aim?</p>
<p>I have the opposite question - do schools give you any “credit” for taking the full IB diploma - insane rigor like 7 IB classes each semester for 4 consecutive semesters, but having a 3.8 instead of a 4.0? Or do all those kids who have only 1-3 IB classes, but a 4.0 (and are ranked ahead of you because of it) get looked on with more favor? I don’t know the answer, but my S is pretty stressed about the question.</p>
<p>kenzie1992 - Apply to the institutions that interest you and stop worrying about this. If the full IB didn’t make sense to you because of your other goals the admissions officers will understand and will be able to interpret your program appropriately. If all they wanted was students with full IBs, that would be a requirement for admission.</p>
<p>puma12 - Different admissions offices weight courses differently when they look at applicants’ transcripts. Short of asking each college/university about their particular policy, your S can’t get a clear answer on this one. If he can’t quit stressing about this question, he should talk with his guidance counselor and/or the IB coordinator about the track record of IB candidates with profiles like his in getting admitted to the colleges/universities on his list.</p>