Would IB Diploma be an advantage for me?

<p>I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section. I'm also sorry if this is a somewhat vague question that might not be able to be answered. </p>

<p>I am currently a rising senior. I've lived in California until the end of freshman year, and moved to Taiwan sophomore year. I've only taken 3? honors courses (no APs or anything) from 9th-10th grade, and I suddenly decided to take the IB Diploma junior year. My (letter) grades have stayed somewhat the same after taking IB classes, so I suppose that would be an improvement, considering that most of my classes weren't honors/AP/IB in the past. My weighted GPA (my current school only does weighted GPA) junior year first semester would therefore be about 3.9 or above (not sure about second semester). </p>

<p>I am a Taiwanese citizen (or at least, I know I have a Taiwanese and US passport...) and taking the IB Diploma, but I'm only looking into US schools. I've been asked why I took the IB Diploma instead of just APs, since I haven't considered European schools. Some people have told me that IB is therefore a waste of time for me; some others have told me that it's advantageous because of its rigorous program and it shows that you're a "well-rounded" student. This might be a horrible reason, but I've mostly done the IB Diploma because I assumed it would make me seem like a "better student" to colleges AND so I could get some credits. But I've looked into some colleges, and it seemed like they only used IB for placement and not credits. </p>

<p>So, what do you guys think? I'm hoping this question could be answered.</p>

<p>IB is a rigorous program, and colleges like applicants that have tried to take the hardest courses. If you think you can maintain your grades in the IB, it definitely would be an advantage for you to take it- but remember that you will have tons of coursework, TOK, CAS, an extended essay and exams, so maintaining your grades isn’t easy.</p>