I was nominated for the IB Diploma Programme, apparently. I don’t know how it happened but I was summoned and a few kids were summoned, but however it was a meeting with the IB Coordinator and the nominated students based on teacher recommendations and GPA but however there was a informational meeting about it and the requirements and stuff like that and they showed us the courses offered and such, but the question is… Should I do it?
There is these juniors that I sit next to during AP Spanish Language and they told me to not do it because you will lose your friends, you will most likely fail and you will have no life and you have to sacrifice ASB and all the do is watch films (I assume TOK) and then people are failing. But is it all true? I need answers and apparently the UC system will give you college credit if you receive a score of 30 out of 45. I am so confused, I mean this semester I received at 3.5 GPA this past semester and I’m so skeptical and some friends said they are doing it next year so I need advice.
These are the junior year courses if I do IB route:
IB English HL 1
IB Spanish HL 1
IB History HL 1 (Gov/Econ credits inside)
Theory Of Knowledge (technically a semester, but 4 semesters in order to support students for the Extended Essay)
AP Chemistry or AP Physics (senior year it’s the SL version)
AP Psychology or IB Visual Arts HL 1
Algebra 2 or Pre-Calculus or AP Statistics
Non-IB Class
These are the junior year courses (I want to do/required) if I do AP route:
AP Spanish Literature
AP US History
AP English Language
Algebra 2
Introduction to Psychology
Chemistry
AP Studio Art
Leadership
I mean as for the CAS hours spiel, I mean I haven’t done a lot of service hours which is needed for college applications so that might work, but however will I have time to focus on my SAT/ACT preparation? That’s the main concern and I have this program called, Upward Bound and they offer a SAT/ACT course for juniors but it’s not certain if they will offer it next year, but it could be possible?
As for teacher opinions, my English teacher told me to do it. My Bio teacher said if I’m taking 3-4 AP’s then I should just do the program but I kind of don’t want to do Spanish Literature because the instructor, might not prepare you for the exam.
Im in my senior year of IB right now and Im fighting an actual war right now… That being said, every single former IB student Ive spoken to says that having an IB diploma opens more doors than AP. And don’t worry about CAS: it isn’t a big deal its very easy to bs…I haven’t done real CAS activities since the middle of junior year
For background I’m an engineering student at a top 20 university who graduated with an IB diploma two years ago.
You should take IB if you:
want a program that’ll prepare you for the rigors of college and teach you time management. The sheer amount of work that goes into obtaining an IB diploma helps you get a feel for what your schedule will be like in college. The type of work may not be the same, but the amount is comparable. Additionally the writing, presenting, and critical thinking skills you learn in IB are very useful in college. Finally some of the classes (specifically History HL) prepare you well for the format of college classes (in class essay exams, seminars, etc).
have diverse interests. The IB requires you to “specialize” in 3-4 classes from different subject areas. Students who are only interested in one subject find this difficult.
have decent writing and presenting silks or are willing to learn how to write and present. IB isn’t just worksheets and problem sets. There are a lot of presentations and essays in various subjects (especially English HL). These skills also help a lot in college.
have diverse extracurricular interests. The IB mandates that you spend 50 hours doing community service, 50 hours in an athletic activity, and 50 hours in a creative activity (this is known as CAS). If you’re not inclined to spend the time, you’ll be miserable. It’s worth noting that the activities you do for CAS can go on your college app, and it’s not unduly difficult to meet the requirements.
are interested in research. The IB requires that you complete a 4,000 word extended essay in a subject that you’re interested in. This is a legitimate research paper and can be published - or it should be if done correctly. Additionally many IAs (internal assessment) are research based. This isn’t restricted to science either, Math, Econ, and History IAs are research and analysis based.
Don’t take IB if you:
want lots of college credit. Some universities give credit simply for completing the IB diploma, but often times that’s “empty credit” (doesn’t exempt you from pre-reqs or gen eds). Most schools only give you “usable credit” for 5-6+ on HL exams of which you can take a maximum of 4. AP students (at least high achieving ones) can take 12+ AP tests which gives them a lot more usable credit.
are only interested in one subject. IB forces you to take a lot of diverse classes which you may not want to do if you’re only really interested in one subject. You would be better served taking AP, DE, and college classes to pursue that subject instead of spending countless hours on subjects you hate/don’t care about.
hate writing. Writing in a huge part of the IB as mentioned above.
If you have a 3.5 GPA, even if you are taking several APs as a soph, I am not sure that IB would be a good plan unless you really love the idea and are prepared to do the work to optimise that GPA. It appears your school does not have a selective IB entry so do some reading and see if the sort of rounded, writing intensive approach that is a great way to prep for college rather than get into college, is for you. It is a process, not a product. As a parent, I might not encourage a kid of mine to do the IBD without having a strong GPA and some AP courses supporting that GPA.