Currently I’m enrolled in the IB prep program and I’m on the fence about switching out. I currently have a 4.075 GPA but I feel more STEM bound career wise. I want to double up on science classes and take a CEC class on CAD but IB limits your class selection. I want the best choice for college and plan on going out of state and am going to be reliant upon scholarships to pay tution. Another factor is I’m not strong in language classes and I’ve heard the requirements for the IB diploma program and you have an oral exam which I dread. The deadline is coming up to turn in our registration cards and I’m stuck. Any advice will be helpful.
My daughter majored in Math in College. She took IB Physics HL, IB Math HL, IB Chem HL, English SL, Business SL and German Ab Initio.
The ib program prepares you for the rigors of college…you will get experience with writing your extended essay so you will be familiar with doing that in college.
Look at your potential colleges of interest. HOw much credits do they give for IB/AP? My daughter got 32 credits for her IB Diploma (at Suny Binghamton).
Many kids double up on science within the IB program at my kids’ school instead of taking art.
Make a proposed schedule for the rest of high school for both the IB case and the non-IB case, using the courses that are offered at your high school (presumably, you want AP and IB HL courses available in math and science). Then decide which one includes the courses of more interest to you.
But also ask the counselors whether the proposed schedules will be marked “most demanding” on the counselor recommendation if you apply to highly selective colleges that want that.
I personally would stick with the IB Diploma program.
“Another factor is I’m not strong in language classes and I’ve heard the requirements for the IB diploma program and you have an oral exam which I dread.”
The only way to get over your fear of public speaking is to actually do more public speaking. It DOES get better over time and by avoiding it you will make the dread of public speaking worse. It’s a great skill to have and will help you throughout college, your career, and your personal life.
What is your UW GPA? Do you know how well the students score on the diploma, what is the drop out rate, are the teacher and the coordinators strong, and it is realistically the best option your school has to offer as far as rigour of curriculum goes?
I have compared the class structure and I would be looking at three HL classes and most likely three or four ap classes although I can squeeze more sciences in without doing the IB program. I talked to the IB coordinator and she suggests that IB is yet more beneficial because the first two years of college are liberal arts and foundational core classes and I will get exposure to work load and writing essays. Although, I’m not certain on my career path and thought AP would offer wider selection and more exploration within my high school years to consider occupations based on a variety of classes. I’m not sure which succeeds the other.
It’s not that I fear public speaking per say it’s more if I’m comfortable with the subject I’m presenting and that’s not the case in language. My spanish one and two teachers have not been consistent and I’ve struggled and my fear is more placed in struggling with the subject and not meeting standards.
I know you need a total of 24 points from your IB exams to achieve the IB diploma which the coordinator said is obtainable because you’re taking 7 tests and it’s on a scale from 1-7. They have only had one student exit the program halfway but it was a hassle to switch and identify credits attained for graduation. I do firmly believe they are well organized coordinators but they push the program heavily for numbers to send to the district to show the success of IB in our high school. They also say it’s s step further than AP but again I won’t get the multiple science classes.