Hi guys! So Tufts is my dream school and I want to apply there this year. I am currently in year 2 of my ib diploma, but I face the risk of failing the diploma. Not in terms of my grades however. I have the most rigorous courses my school offers. My subjects are Chemistry HL, Bio HL, Math HL and I am taking English literature, my second language and Economics in SL.
I have a mostly As on my HLs and most recently, Bs in my SLs. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I missed my Individual oral commentary (IOC) for my second language. It accounts for 15% of my grade for that subjects.
So the thing is my counselor said that I can choose to switch to IB certificates now if I want to avoid failing the diploma because of that one subject (I always had As in this subject so it will be appearing as so in my high school diploma).
I have already completed my EE and tok presentation and I can choose to have those graded even if I am doing IB certificates.
Basically, if now I apply as an IB diploma candidate i run the risk of failing the diploma as I have missed a component, and IF I get accepted to Tufts (or any other college), they might rescind their offer.
In my school, people consider IB certificate students to be stupid as they were unable to meet the requirements for the diploma, but that isnt the case with me So if I HAVE to switch to courses, I am thinking of taking two APs this May to show my competitiveness to colleges. Which one seems like a better option?
A little more background:
I received 8 A*s and 2 As in my Olevels (grade 9 and 10). I am the only student in my school who will be participating in the National Biology and Biochem Olympiads this year. I have been leading a service based project since 6th grade (I can elaborate a bit more on my Extra curriculars if required). I am also expecting to have two really good teacher recommendations (not sure about the counselor rec after my missed assessment lol). Please help!!
The IB Diploma isn’t awarded until after the evaluation period. IN the US, the scores of HL IB tests are used for placement and/or advanced credit. Your transcript is more important than certificate or IB diploma.
I wouldn’t bother. Your final scores for the classes won’t come back until, what, June? Apply as an IB diploma candidate, and if you don’t get it, it will be too late to rescind, and they probably won’t care anyway. It’s not like you have been putting like 23/30 on IOP on your transcript. It’s simply irrelevant.
My only experiences with IOCs are with HL literature. In that class, we also have IOPs and written assignments that all add up to our IB grade. Is the IOC your only IA in that class, or do you have other IB-style assignments in class? If you do have others and you’ve gotten/will get a 5-7 and you get a 5-7 on the actual IB test, I’m sure you could pull off a passing grade.
Remember that since this language is SL, you can get a 1 and as long as it adds up to 24 points, you won’t lose the diploma.
One other thing :
When my teacher was talking about IOCs, he said that we could make up our times as late as February. They wouldn’t count for credit in the actual course, but just for IB. Is that not available/have you asked/checked?
@marijke Thanks for the advice! The teacher in question is not my biggest fan hence she does not want to grant me another chance. I got a 6 in my IOP and she predicted a 6 for my written assignment (since it is externally graded). I have never received a grade below a 5 for the practise Paper 1s, and I got a 7 on my practise IOC. Hence, if I were to receive a 1 on my IOC I would be fine with that since I am comfortable with the other components. But my IB coordinator said that the rule states that since I missed the ioc, I cant take the may exam. I think that’s absolutely bogus. I will take that 0/1 anyday. Should I fight for that 1? I know they are not going to let me retake it since I was late due to traffic.
You will definitely need to be an IB Diploma candidate for a top school like Tufts. American colleges want to see that applicants have taken the hardest curriculum offered by their secondary school. Tufts will evaluate you based on your Predicted IB results. If the actual results vary significantly, they may rescind their offer, but it isn’t as black and white, as in the UK. If need be, add an explanation in the additional info section of the Common App, including a good explanation for why you missed your IOC sitting.
I take the IB diploma and I agree with you that its total bogus when your teacher says you cant take your may exam if you miss your IOC. That is completely untrue as far as Im concerned. Even if you do get no points on your IOC you can get a passing grade in english, and its only an SL so its not that bad. The IOC is unrelated to your may exams and no one should be telling you that one affects the other. Also, you should still get the diploma even if this IOC thing happened. I wonder if you could give the school (and IB) a reason for your missed IOC? If it was illness that could be certified by a doctor you’re allowed to not go to the exam, same should count for another dramatic event that happened.
So if I HAVE to switch to courses, I am thinking of taking two APs this May to show my competitiveness to colleges. Which one seems like a better option?