<p>I am currently a junior in an American system high school outside the U.S. I transferred to this school at the end of my sophomore year from Japan. The most rigorous course offered at my school is the IB diploma. My counselor thought that I did not have the potential to do full IB when I was choosing my junior year courses. I really wanted to do the diploma, but she would not let me- she thought that my English was not good enough to do it. She also thought I wouldnt be able to do it because I skipped most of my sophomore year (the Japanese school system is different, so I literally skipped my sophomore year because of the difference) Therefore, I am currently not doing the IB diploma.
During the first semester, I found my courses were not challenging enough for me. I was taking 4 IB subjects and got straight A` s in all of them. I wanted to do the full IB at that time again, but my counselor did not give me permission. Thus, I changed into math and physics HL. Because I changed near the end of the semester, my grades were very bad. (a B in math and a C in physics.)
I am currently taking 5 Higher Level subjects. This is probably the second most rigorous course offered at my school..
I heard the IB diploma can make a difference of acceptance or rejection in the college admissions process, especially in the most selective colleges. I really regret not doing the full IB diploma.
Therefore, I am thinking of repeating 11th grade and doing the full IB OR transferring to a British system school and doing the A-Levels.
How do you think this will affect me when applying to colleges? Is it a bad idea? Should I just forget it and go on with my current schedule? Will colleges understand that I didnt do the most rigorous courses offered at my school because of my circumstances? (skipping a grade/ transferring) Is it worth repeating?
Thanks to everyone who replied.</p>
<p>Repeating a grade due to a school transfer is a common thing in the US, especially when kids move to a boarding school in 10th or 11th grade. The schools like to have the kids for at least two years. My S is a second year junior, and is very mature and is enjoying some challenging courses. It doesn't hurt at all with college admissions- if fact, many colleges appreciate the extra maturity.</p>
<p>Thanks momofwild child!
However, do you think it is worth it? Do you think it<code>ll help my chances at competitive schools...? I</code>ll be doing 11th grade over again, will colleges think im just doing that so i can get a higher gpa?
anyone else?</p>
<p>Many IB students finish in 13th grade. I would think colleges would like the extra maturity as Momofwildchild has stated. Some kids graduate and then take a year off, gap year.</p>
<p>Colleges would know that your earlier secondary education in Japan was likely more rigorous than in most schools in the United States, and your desire to complete a program here would be a good, I think well accepted, reason to add one year to your high school studies. </p>
<p>Good luck in your applications. Gambatte.</p>
<p>I would definitely not repeat the first year of the IB program, if that is what you have in mind for your extra year. How do you see it working? NO college will be impressed with your taking the same classes again and getting the same or better grades. If you are going to add another year of HS, I would say you have to change systems again...is that what you really want?</p>
<p>Look, you are doing 5 Higher Level classes (your GC let you do 5 HL classes but not the full IB....I don't get that at all)..Do as well as you can in this incredibly rigorous program, and round it out with some community service and great EC's...and don't look back. The IB diploma is no more rigorous than what you are doing (plus the outside stuff), and colleges will know that..</p>
<p>Good luck..</p>
<p>Oh, after reading robrym's reply, I reread your message, and now I am rethinking what I said. (I don't understand the IB curriculum well, so I was unsure how much repeating you would be doing.) The most selective colleges in the United States do not even require high school completion documents for admission (a little known fact) and maybe you are better off just getting out of an inflexible situation at your school and into college sooner.</p>
<p>thanks for all your replies
robyrm: my GC technically DID NOT let me do 5 HL subjects. I just talked to certain teachers and told them that I wanted to do HL and they were fine with that. The GC didnt find out because its quite easy to switch from HL to SL or SL to HL, so thats why she didnt notice.. she would, however, find out if I had taken TOK.. </p>
<p>How would colleges regard 5 HL subjects tho? I was just thinking of doing all my 5 HL subjects this year and next year, and starting the first year of TOK and another SL course next year and then finishing that off the extra year and graduating an year later...</p>
<p>Japstudent,
I honestly don't think that your chances of admissions would be increased sufficiently to make that the reason that you complete what you are suggesting. If there are other, more significant reasons for wanting to do a 13th year, so be it...but stretching out a 2 year IB into 3 years is not what you want them to see. On the other hand, having great grades in 5 HL classes will be perceived very positively, particularly if these are rigorous/core classes. If you want to do other pieces of the IB next year (CAS, an Extended essay, etc...) go for it if your grades are good...but the most important thing is your transcript and the grades on your transcript..</p>
<p>Is there only one GC at your school? Is there another adult you can talk to about this at the school- like a dean for academics or something like this. YOu want to make sure that when your recommendations are written, there is a piece in there about how rigorous your program is, and also about the guidance that led to your current situation.</p>
<p>Remember, kids get into great schools all the time who do not do IB diploma...it is not the be all and end all...do great at what you are doing!!</p>
<p>Japstudent, where do you plan to go to college? If in the US, then I would agree with Robyrm that you should make the best of what you've done and finish up positively. Getting a full IB diploma can be a plus at a US college, but so can taking tough courses and getting good grades. Stretching two years into three for the express purpose of getting an IB diploma would seem strange. (I'm not even sure that the IB folks would allow it.)</p>
<p>It seems to me that you've received some wacky advise along the way, but trying to manipulate the system just sounds too complicated to be practical. I hope this isn't the same counselor who will write your college recommendation.</p>
<p>If you're planning to go to college in Japan or the UK it may be a different situation however which I couldn't comment on.</p>
<p>I thought you could only repeat a grade if you failed it? Like if failed 10th grade they'd hold you back and make you do 10th grade all over again.</p>
<p>"It seems to me that you've received some wacky advise along the way, but trying to manipulate the system just sounds too complicated to be practical. I hope this isn't the same counselor who will write your college recommendation."</p>
<p>If the student wants to do some IB courses, I don't see what the counselor's problem is. If there are tests that the student must take that cost money like AP's, then that is the parents/students problem, so I don't see why the guidance counselor is telling the student they cannot do it. It's the student's decision, right??</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who replied! I really appreciate it.
robyrm: Unfortunately, there is no one else I can talk to about this situation. My school doesnt have any other GC or academic dean. My GC is LEAVING THIS YEAR and so is my principal! ( who is just as stupid as the counselor, so no help there either) My school is just..... really messed up. How would I get someone to write about my situation? My counselor isnt obviously going to write, <code>O yes, it was MY fault that she didnt do the diploma,.....</code>. But anyways, thanks again for all your help! </p>
<p>momrath: Yes, I am planning to go to the U.S. I<code>m also planning to go to Canada.(possibly) I</code>m aiming for the top tier schools in the U.S, and some one said (on another thread) that some schools expect <code>that students take the most rigorous courses offered at the school</code>... One of the reasons I might want to stay another year is that I changed into physics(IB) at the end of the semester and I got a C in it... which would hurt my chances ALOT. So I thought maybe dropping it(since I didnt even take it for a full semester) and taking it again next year while fulfilling the diploma might be a better idea....
how would colleges perceive a <code>C</code> in a subject you changed into at the end of the semester? I`m planning to go to the top competitieve schools....
Yes, I know this is just wacky.. I hate my school and I hate my GC!! But thanks for all your help!
bluealien01: at my school, you need to get the GCs permission to do full IB because some ppl are notcapable of doing it`, which I personally think is bs.. but thats just how my school works. my counselor didnt know me very well because I moved at the end of my sophmore year and she thought I was stupid or sthing....</p>
<p>japstu - you will probably get continued valuable advice on this thread, and I am sure you will be monitoring. But I suggest you also pose your question to Ask The Dean on this website. These are qualified folks - eg, former college Deans of Admission at top schools - and you should get some well-informed and good guidance there re: what to do; and, how to explain how these circumstances occurred. Good luck and keep us posted.</p>