To IB or not IB, that is the question.

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>Okay, schedule time for next year HS, and although D [incoming HS soph] does not have to commit at this time, she does in a way, because she needs pre-req for her junior year when IB starts. Any college-bound seniors who are now seeing the benefits [or not] of having either IB certificates in subject areas or an IB diploma? At this point D is fixated on either pursuing a college degree in performing or visual arts so that is why I am posting this within this subject category.</p>

<p>BTW, D's school is just starting with IB so of course is not offering the IB diploma in the Arts, only IB dip/Arts-Humanities,IB dip/Math-Science,IB dip/Diverse-Undecided; she would have to do Arts-Humanities which isn't an exact fit for her interests either.</p>

<p>And just to muddy the waters a little more, these kids have this lovely thing called "area scheduling" where they go into the gym and run table to table signing up for classes and try to make them fit into a schedule. Kids who are decided on IB however are given preference and are guarenteed "in" to the classes they need as pre-reqs.</p>

<p>Wise ones who have gone before...please HELP!!!</p>

2

<p>I don't think IB is entirely necessary. I also do not believe US schools recognize the program enough - it is, after all, a European based system. I attended an IB school from grades 9-11 at a private school in Canada, which, in addition to the difficulty of the IB program, had a difficult grading scale. </p>

<p>Anyway...this school was small and the most artsy class I had was ART, which is one of the most difficult IB exams. While I am a good student and did very well academically, my heart was not in it and I was not getting what I wanted from the school. However, my transition to college work will probably be pretty easy because of this school. Towards the end of grade 11, I decided to leave this school because it did not fit (personal reasons), and I think that it wouldn't make a huge difference if I could just get really good grades at another school and finish up without the stress of IB.</p>

<p>All in all, IB is very work intensive and stressful. It is a good experience if you desire the academic vigor. I do not believe it will make a huge difference if your D can do very well in non-IB courses. I recommend that she take english and history IB and get certificates (or perhaps english + a science if she has a strength in chemistry or biology, etc.</p>

<p>If she wants to go into performing or visual arts, she should have the time to really delve into her passions while in high school. The full IB may not allow for this, but a couple IB classes might be nice.</p>

<p>The IB is a good program, but I am not sure that it is entirely worth it if you're aiming for US universities (even though you can get credits from Higher Level exams). </p>

<p>[ps. With my 3 years of pre-IB/IB and 1 year of homeschooling, I was accepted into Emerson College, Tulane University, and Dalhousie University(Canada).]</p>

<p>I kinda wrote a novel here, and this is definitely a topic that people could have different opinions on, but let me know if you have any questions.</p>

3

<p>Thought I would add:</p>

<p>My sister, who is currently a sophomore in HS, spent grade 9 at the IB school mentioned above. This year, she was in pre-IB classes at a public school here in Houston (like the ones your D would be taking I think) because the non-IB classes were too easy; HOWEVER, next year she will be attending the performing arts high school so she can spend lots of time studying MT/theatre. I think that the decision was incredibly wise and will probably be much more rewarding than if she stuck with the IB and tried to do theatre outside of school.</p>

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<p>Thank you, that helps a ton!!!</p>

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<p>I think your decision concerning IB will depend on your daughter. We have two kids. My daughter completed the IB program in high school and is now finishing up her MBA degree in business. She is the analytical type and although she had a rather difficult time with some of the writing assignments in the IB program, I think it was a wonderful program for her. My son is four years younger and has an entirely different personality. Although some teachers thought he should enrol in the IB program, we thought a different course was best for him. Our highschool also has a performing arts program and my son enrolled as a voice performance emphasis student. During his time in high school he got exposure to theater and now has completed his freshman year in musical theater at Point Park. I think both decisions were right for our kids. I wouldn';t rule out IB for a student even if they are interested in musical theater. One of my daughters classmates graduated from CCM in musical theater and now is in the touring company of Mama Mia.</p>

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<p>I'm a newbie...grateful having discovered CC and the MT board as we embark on my S MT college search! This is such a great resource for me! Thank you!!!! Imagine my delight when I could actually contribute something! Here goes: </p>

<p>My S and D are both students at a Catholic HS that offers the IB diploma. My S is a junior, not taking IB but has theater friends that graduated with IB or are jrs/srs taking IB, my D is a freshman and is currently enrolled in honors classes that are IB pre-reqs. My niece took IB classes (but did not opt for diploma program). All three are perfoming arts kids. S is MT, D is mostly dance right now and my niece is a sophomore at George Mason University in VA dancing and maybe double-majoring in dance/biology!</p>

<p>IB observations:<br>
1. The overall rigor of IB classes seem to be a great way to prepare for college academics. Several of my S's friends felt that the work ethic they had to develop to survive IB classes made their college classes a breeze. IB students at our school also write constantly. Another plus for college prep. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>The rigor of IB program makes extra curricular activity options challenging for some students. The amount of academic work demands and scheduling prevents some students from participating in more than one activity. A couple of my son's friends managed to do the play and the musical but only with lots of focused attention to organization and time management.</p></li>
<li><p>You may have to do some PR with a college to have your child get the credit they deserve. GMU (where my niece is) accepted her IB credits and she has had junior class standing all this year, although it's only her 2nd year at the school. It's given her the flexibility to take dance classes, tour China and double major. It will ultimately save her money if she chooses to graduate early. If she decides to follow a dance career path, early graduation puts her on her career path sooner rather than later...and with dancers that's a big deal.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>IB's not for everyone. If your child is looking to be challenged or looking at a BA or more liberal arts orientend BFA then it might be the way to go. It will certainly show any college admissions folks that they are serious about academics and with good grades, clearly capable of college level work.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

7

<p>My daughter is finishing up her Junior year in an IB diploma program. I think she would agree 100% on Katie's points 1 & 2 (we don't know about #3 yet). While my D is heavily involved with ECs, her friends who were serious athletes transferred after Sophomore (pre-IB) year. They were all great students, but were too stressed between their sports and academic demands. I don't know much about MT, but I suspect it may be similar. </p>

<p>The joke around her school is that when the IB grads come back to visit, they say how much easier college is than IB.</p>