<p>Hello, I'm currently a high school freshman participating in the International Baccalaureate Program. Without a doubt, I'm looking to get into a really, really good university after high school and I'm willing to put in a lot of work. However, I'm not certain IB is the right place to be.
At this point in time, I'm doing extremely well! I'm getting straight A's and am at the very top of my class. I know that I'm capable of doing this, if I choose to.
At the same time, the workload is truly immense. I've been working for hours daily- it's intense, stressful and rigorous. I have virtually no time to do the things I love to or spend time with my friends and family. I'm very hardworking, but the fact that it's only going to get harder is very daunting. I spend about an hour in the car daily in commute to the school where the program is situated, which is inconvenient for whoever has to take me and pick me up. The teachers are negative and judgemental, and the general attitude is that the students in IB are superior to everyone else- it's frusterating. On one occasion, my geometry teacher called a friend of mine 'stupid' to her face.
I know that I could easily transfer out of the IB Program and take AP and honors classes at my zoned high school. I would still be challenged and receive a very good education, right? Do you think the IB Program is worth it? Is it better than taking AP classes? What would you do in my situation? Thanks so much in advance!</p>
<p>What you want to hear: Your chances will not be impacted if you switch to your local high school.</p>
<p>My slightly more convulted answer: You’re going to have to do your homework. Where do kids from the IB school usually end up? From your local hs? How rigorous is the AP program–how good is it at preparing kids for college?</p>
<p>In my hs, which offers both AP and IB, IB offers a much more writing-based curriculum. Kids consistently come back from college saying that it’s much, much easier than IB, that they know how to write well-developed research papers and manage their time. But there are also schools in my area that don’t offer IB and have AP classes that are just as rigorous as IB classes. The added bonus is that you would get to design your own curriculum, to decide which classes you wanted to pursue at an advanced level. Certainly, speaking as a very well-lopsided student, that could have its advantages.</p>
<p>Also, there are many (many!) threads on this topic. Use the search function for more in-depth responses.</p>
<p>Thank you glassesarechic, you’re absolutely right! I plan to look for threads on this subject! Does anyone else have any input? It would be much appreciated. :I</p>
<p>The transition from middle school to very academic high schools – whether they are like the one you’re attending (with an IB program) or others (some magnet schools, other academic private high schools) is dramatic. Adjusting to the work load, the rigor and teacher’s expectations is often very difficult for freshmen. Talk to sophomores and juniors in your school. My intuition is that they’ll tell you that the work gets easier – in part because you learn to recognize and focus on the important assignments and balance school work and ECs by the time you’re a sophomore.</p>
<p>If you are planning to attend very selective colleges stay with your program. It will prepare you well. It will also significantly increase your chances of admission.</p>