Should i do AP or IB Diploma?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>I got accepted into the IB diploma program last week at one of the best IB schools in the middle east, but the thing is i dont know if i should enroll at the school or at the american school that offers AP courses.</p>

<p>Pros (IB route):</p>

<p>-The IB school (British school btw) offers 34 IB subjects and also offer pilot courses such as global politics etc. They definitely have a wide range of subjects to choose from which i like, they also have a extensive CAS program and get good grades (average ib score of 34-35 points).
-The program seems appealing to me as it seems like very good preparation for University (i am interested in American AND canadian universities - i am a US citizen though)
-My extracurriculars are weak at the moment because my school doesn't offer much, therefore going to the IB school will open up a lot of opportunities extracurricular wise, which is obviously important for US universities.
-Their IB program is well managed and they have good teachers</p>

<p>Cons:</p>

<p>-I really don't like the fact of having to do a second language.
-The workload is much much more than AP
-Probably won't do as well in IB than i would in AP hence i wont get into better colleges
-Since, i wont be capable of doing HL maths (too hard- since im only in a math class equivalent to pre-calculus ) it would be a great disadvantage because i wont be able to take the hardest math course available - important for me cause i plan to major in finance. Atleast if i go the AP route i know i will put into AP calculus AB junior year, and BC senior year (which is harder than SL maths- which is what i'll have to take if i do IB)</p>

<p>Pros (AP)</p>

<p>-Can choose which ever AP courses i like and won't be forced to take certain classes
-Will get more credits at college
-Less workload therefore i can focus on studying for the PSAT, SAT/ACT and 3 SAT II subject tests
-The school offers 17 AP courses which i think is good enough
-Will be easier to get leadership positions in clubs etc since the IB school doesnt offer positions in clubs, the only way you can achieve leadership roles is by applying for the positions such as senior prefect, house captain, head girl/boy etc.
-The school gets people into pretty good universities (US/Canada) where as the IB school (since it s British) get people into better British/European/Canadian universities.</p>

<p>Cons</p>

<p>-A lot of grade inflation (i know that should be a good thing but i dunno...). My friend who was in my class in 9th grade moved to this school after 9th and is currently getting straight A's when she was getting C/D's at my school (british one). Therefore, attending this school would probably not challenge me enough
-The IB school has much better resources and i've heard that a lot of the teachers suck at the school but i cant confirm anything</p>

<p>If you guys were in my position which would you choose? IB or AP? If i go the AP route i'd probably do 7-8 AP courses in total during junior and senior year.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice, any is appreciated!</p>

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<p>Don’t know if this helps, but…when we were visiting highly selective colleges/universities, these questions were often asked during group sessions with admissions counselors: “What do you like to see more…IB or AP?” and “Is it better to take IB (or AP) classes and get a lower GPA, or take less rigorous classes and get a 4.0?”</p>

<p>Invariably, the reply was: “We want to see that you took the most challenging courses offered by the high school you attended. If that was IB, great. If that was AP, great. If your school offered neither, we understand, and just want to see that you took the classes with the most rigor possible.”</p>

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<p>Can anyone else answer?</p>

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<p>From what I can tell, both are great options but the IB program just seems slightly the better option over AP. Although colleges are fine with either one you do, IB is generally the more rigorous one and probably the one that would prepare you the best for college. AP is less work, but if the teachers are really not that great then you will have to put in that much more work on your own in order to get 5s on the exams, thus taking away time from SAT prep and what not. Colleges will understand that HL maths was not on your track, and besides that’s not your fault. I think that a school with better resources and better teachers will ultimately benefit you in the end as well as during your college admissions process. You’ll never know how well you’ll do in IB unless you try, but a school with lots of grade inflation, less rigor, and not so great teachers will always seem like a second best option.</p>