Ok, I have a huge dilemma. I have one month left of my first year of the IBDP. I was really excited when I got in and in the start of the school year, but now I’m starting to think that maybe IB wasn’t for me. I have been very stressed lately and I do realize that the IB is supposed to be hard but I really feel unhappy. I have read some threads about dropping out during junior year and about IB compared to AP, but I am studying in Norway where there is no equivalent of AP. If I drop out of the IBDP I would start regular high school again, which I don’t actually mind. My only fear is if I have to redo my junior year? If I end up dropping out, will I have anything to show for this year? Do they transfer my grades into regular high school grades or do I actually have to spend an extra year at school redoing my junior year?
Oh btw I am going to be applying for American Universities and I read somewhere that if you quit the IB but don’t mention it to them, then they won’t know you dropped out. Is this true?
From a fellow Canadian student who goes to USC, he told me that he never took the IB. SAT, TOEFL and other American standardized tests are much more important. They especially want to see proficiency in reading and writing. American colleges do not treat IB the same way but stay in IB, it is valued pretty dearly in Europe.
If you’re applying to American universities, it really depends on where you’re applying. Nowadays, many top schools value the IB just as much as the AP curriculum; there is also the prevailing idea that the IB prepares students more for college-level work. Also, contrary to the above post, standardized tests generally won’t matter if you don’t have the grades to back them up (this is true in MOST universities). As you move down the ranking ladder, some schools offer even more benefits for completing the IBDP, like gaining a year’s worth of credits, which can save time and money.
Now, to answer your questions:
If your IB grades will be transferred to normal grades, then you could drop out of IB if you wanted to. However, if your grades will not be transferred and you are doing well in IB, then you should stay because universities will be able to see that you took IB subjects, yet do not have a diploma. This can negatively affect your chances at admission because schools like to see that you have challenged yourself appropriately during high school and will ask if you have taken the most rigorous courses available. And of course, if you’re applying as an international student, there will be tons of other applicants who took the highest courses available (and got good grades).
In the end, it comes down to whether or not you think next year will be manageable. Yes, IB is pretty miserable, but is what you’re learning and how you’re growing intellectually, emotionally, etc. worth that unhappiness?