Hi! So I’m a sophomore in high school and my counselor just did my schedule for junior year. She put me as an IB Diploma student (so all IB classes). I originally was going to do a mix of IB/AP classes but now idk. So if anyone who’s gone through the IB Diploma or is currently in it could tell me how you feel about it and the difficulty that would be great! Also, if you have knowledge on it, what might be better doing IB Diploma or mix of AP and IB classes?
My son is on the full IB diploma and I’m a middle years program teacher so let me know your questions and I can try to help…
I feel like a mix would confuse you, because they’re just such different courses. I mean in the way they curriculums are set up and taught. I took IB after being used to AP, and I found it a little difficult to adjust. That’s just my experience.
Then again, the diploma program has many other requirements, I would go through those with your counselor or IB coordinator to see if you can handle it.
@Dancer14 Full IB is honestly not THAT hard, I’m in it right now (a little over a month to exams right now, yikes). The key is time management. Full IB gets stressful real quick, with IAs, EE, ToK, CAS, you absolutely have to be on top of everything. With regards to applying to uni, if you are applying US, 1st semester of Senior Year can be hell, with college essay writing, but if you make a plan for the summer before, you should be good. And the sort of good thing is that most US schools don’t give ‘conditional acceptances’ (which means if you don’t get the predicted score you sent to them, your admission could be withdrawn), so if after you’ve heard from your dream schools or whatever, you could slack off a bit in your…how do I say, ‘lesser’ classes (for example, I only did Econ HL because I needed a Group 3 and my other alternative was History which was so not happening. My predicted is a 5-6, but I’m not planning on taking any Econ classes in college, so I’ll aim for a 5 in order to focus more of my energy on a 6-7 in Bio, because I want to bypass some Bio pre-reqs in college, and I already got into my dream school). That isn’t to say you fail the whole diploma, just gently loosen your stress a bit, if you know what I mean
I’ve never done AP, but I’ve heard a lot that IB is a more comprehensive program: whereas AP you basically take the class and do the exam and move on, IB you have to do a full 2 years with 6 classes, plus the ‘add ons’ (ToK, CAS, EE), but it prepares you for a uni workload.
So bottom line: if you want to have a bit of free time, don’t do full IB (take courses if you can; the level of work with less ‘add on’ stress, lol)
Hope this helped and good luck 
Hey! I’m getting a full diploma with AP and IB. I wonder if your school will allow you to do both, as some classes have the option of being one year ( for me, my science and math classes are/can be one year). I think taking full IB depends on how much you want to commit to it, as I personally consider all 5 of my IB classes easier than my AP Stats class. However, in that aspect, I hate the multiple choice and hate AP. The downside of it is that it is incredibly time consuming, and you write a lot. If you love writing, than IB is perfect for you! On the bright side, taking IB and committing to it can double your chances at getting into some schools! I personally would recommend it, but it’s totally up to you, I’m sure you will do great in whatever you choose!
Hope this helped!!
Thank you so much @Disneygirl66 there is an option to take mix of AP/IB classes, but not one where I would still be receiving the diploma. I do love writing! I’m hoping loving to write will really help me with IB and I’m feeling really motivated to go for the diploma and take a rigorous course. Thank you for your advice!
People saying IB is time-consuming and that time management is key, I absolutely second that statement. I am a senior in the DP program who also did MYP freshman and sophomore year. You get a lot of work, truth be told, but if you manage your time and not procrastinate like 90+% of the class, then you’ll be on top of things. You’ll have internal assessments (IAs) and the dreaded extended essay (EE)–which isn’t that bad if you choose a topic you enjoy and have a helpful supervisor–but so long as you distribute your workload rather than be one of the students who attempt to complete an IA overnight, it’ll be a cake walk.
For instance, I completed my math IA well over a week before it was due, so while I was relaxing and watching Netflix, people were asking me to see my IA as a reference in desperation to finish before the deadline in 2 days.
If you don’t think you can resist distractions and will give into procrastination, I wouldn’t suggest the DP program… or perhaps take the mix of classes if you don’t mind not getting the IB diploma.
I also wouldn’t suggest the DP program if your sole motive is to appeal to colleges. It very well prepares you for an easier-than-normal transition to the rigor of college, but you’ll ruin your experience if every action you take is with respect to college. If you want that, go full IB.
Then again, that is only my opinion. Best of luck to you
I’m in the first year of the IB Diploma and my sister is doing a mix of IB/AP, so I think I might be able to contribute a few points here. (We go to different schools though, so keep that in mind).
The difficulty of the IB diploma highly depends on what subjects you’re taking. At my school, you could coast through the IB program doing ESS (similar to APES), Geography, HL Language B (in a language you’re fluent in), an Arts subject, etc. Of course, these subjects are challenging in their own right, but a student taking those would not struggle as much as someone doing (for example) HL Physics, Chem, Math, etc. If you’re interested in the arts, the IB can do wonders for you compared to AP (I think) but it does come with a lot more deadlines and you need to manage your time REALLY well. As the previous poster said, if you have a lot of self-direction and good time management, the IB is definitely possible. Depending on how your school structures IAs, you may also be stuck with all your assessments due the same week, or spread out over 6 months.
AP/IB, on the other hand, gives you a lot of flexibility. There are courses offered only in one program and not the other (depending on the school, of course), and if there’s an AP course you definitely want to take, or if you want to specialize in your last two years of high school (usually this applies to doubling up on science/math classes, less so with english/humanities I think) then AP/IB gives you more opportunity for that. Another advantage to AP/IB is college credit. My sister will be getting credit for her HL IB classes as well as AP classes. If you’re extremely motivated, you could do 3HL subjects in the IB and replace your SL subjects with AP classes, allowing you to graduate with 6APs and 3 IB courses which (ideally) will give you a three times as many credits as regular IB diploma. This, however, is extremely intense and probably isn’t necessary. If you’re looking to apply to colleges in the US primarily, also know that colleges don’t really care about the Diploma. Without doing the Diploma, you don’t have to fulfill the EE, ToK, and CAS requirements, so if this is a consideration then AP/IB does win on that front.
Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions
Thank you so much @eas4vr I absolutely understand the rigor of the IB Diploma. The reason why I’m doing IB is because we don’t have many AP opportunities at my school. There are not many subjects with AP at my school and many of the classes that were AP are now being changed to IB. I was already going to be taking 4 IBs which is why I was put into the program. Honestly I’m very excited that I get the opportunity (cause many schools in my state and/or area don’t get this chance) and I’m just tired of my college prep classes where I feel like I knew more before I got there.
If you had already intended on taking 4 IB classes and your school is switching to a focus on IB, I would just go full IB in that case. You also seem genuinely interested in the long-term benefits of the program rather than the whole “I just want to get into a good college” attitude that virtually everyone regrets embodying by the end of the year. The habits and perseverance you’ll develop in the program are known to help the most in college, and while I have yet to experience this first-hand since I am just finishing high-school this next month, I’m sure I’ll be grateful for the challenge, especially as a pre-med major.
Anyhow, do whatever you think is best in your gut, and that will be the right answer. If you ever have any questions regarding the DP program, I’ll answer them to the best of my ability.
Best of luck to you!
Thank you so much @eas4vr!!! Honestly, this comment was so nice! I’m also considering a possible medical pathway for myself, so it’s nice to see someone who has medical in mind coming out of the IB diploma!