Should i do the IB Diploma next year?

Pre-College Issues International Baccalaureate (IB)
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>Can someone answer please? I need to make a decision soon…</p>

3

<p>Well, if you want to challenge yourself then take the IB - but I am warning you, it’s hell. You will probably get more credits from IB just so you know, and the top schools really like it because it prepares you. It’s good that you’re school is all set with CAS because that’ll save you a lot of trouble. Remember there is also Theory Of Knowledge and Extended Essay that add to the already overwhelming work load, but it could be worth it in the long run! :slight_smile: </p>

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<p>@sia1995 I definitely am up for the challenge as i’d honestly want to be well prepared for university as imposed to being unprepared. How hard do you think my workload would be?</p>

<p>HL: Economics, Psychology and Computer Science
SL: Maths, Spanish Ab initio and English lang/lit</p>

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<p>I think the work load will be fine :slight_smile: It’s going to be tough and just so you know Ab initio starts off easy but becomes exceedingly difficult (just a warning) but I’m sure you’ll do well! I take economics as a HL and I find it quite hard as it is very different from other subjects if you haven’t studied it previously. Still, once you get the hang of it and master the way the questions are asked it becomes much easier :slight_smile: As for English LL, I’ve heard it’s pretty interesting - much easier than Lit I think, as I’ve had to analyze roughly 15 books, in LL you only do 4…anyways, don’t worry too much about the coursework; it’s more than AP or A-levels but overall worth it (I hope lol)! Also you get to be part of the IB community and procrastinate by relating to the stupid IB memes :wink: </p>

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<p>@sia1995 Since you said ab initio is very hard, would it be wiser for me to choose sl arabic. I’m not a native arabic speaker but i can write basic paragraphs and all, and know a bit of grammar. Do you think that would be sufficient knowledge to go into a SL language B course or should i just stick with spanish ab initio. By taking SL arabic i know i can get a private tutor easily as i live in a Arab country, but doing spanish ab initio would mean doing it all on my own. </p>

<p>Hopefully, HL economics won’t that bad for me as i am currently taking IGCSE economics and am doing well in the class. </p>

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<p>I don’t think that would be enough to manage a SL class - you need at least a few years of studying the language. Ab Initio is manageable, what I mean is that you shouldn’t undermine it. A lot of students think it’s super easy so they put very little effort into it (a lot of my friends did this) and are then surprised when their oral skills suck for the oral exam or when they can’t manage the written exams in which they’re expected to write mini essays (not very long ones, like 100-250 usually :slight_smile: ). Wait, what do you mean all on your own? Are you doing an online course? If you’re in a class it’s not so bad but even online works if you put in the effort. I had to start with online classes for spanish this year because I moved and my new school doesn’t offer the course - I’m managing pretty well though, teacher gave me a 6 but she’s confident I can get a 7. Anyways, it all depends on how good you are with languages - I’ve been pretty lucky in that department since my parents are both translators so I guess it’s in my blood :stuck_out_tongue: As for economics, you’ll be fine - just study using the syllabus and make sure you understand the concepts so that you can link them to each other in exams :slight_smile: </p>

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<p>@sia1995 No, its an actual class not an online course. What i mean by being on my own is that i won’t be able to get help outside school, so i’ll have to depend completely on the class teacher. I’d say i’m pretty good at language though. </p>

<p>And about arabic i’ve actually been taking mandatory arabic classes at school since Year 4 (currently in Y11) but since we don’t learn much and are divided up in terms of ability, my arabic hasn’t improved much through out the years. As all we do is read texts and answer basic comprehension questions on what we’ve read, write sentences and do a bit of grammar maybe one or twice a year. Ridiculous i know :confused: I did however contact the school’s IB coordinator to see if i could be placed in arabic ab initio and he said it depends on what my current arabic level is like. So, hopefully they’ll allow me to take arabic ab initio as it is a much more usueful language to me than spanish. </p>

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<p>Ah I see. Well, spanish is immensely useful as well considering how many people speak it. But if you’re planning on living somewhere where they speak arabic then I guess go for that. They might let you take it ab initio but that’s not really fair and the IB disapproves of that since you’re supposed to have zero knowledge of the language. You could probably manage it SL if you’ve been taking it since 4th grade :slight_smile: </p>