Does it look bad to not do the IB diploma at an IB school?

[Anonymous]

For the people trying to compare IB and AP, they are apples and oranges. People in this thread so far are focusing JUST on courses. IB, for the full diploma, also requires the Theory of Knowledge seminar; a 4,000-word Extended Essay research paper; and a service component, as well as a certain course load. I am not listing those to make any point re: IB rigor versus AP rigor. I'm just pointing out that the IB diploma program is just organized totally differently from AP and it's not fair to either to compare them like it's apples to apples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB diploma candidates have a leg up at W-L in Arlington. Sure non-IB diploma students get accepted, but they are always competing against the full diploma students. The results speak for themselves. Is it worth it? DC went through it and got into a good college. Not sure we’d have him do it again. It was a lot of work, lots of it busy work.

W-L college admissions are better than Yorktown but no better than some of the AP schools in FCPS.

PP here. I wouldn't say that W-L admissions are better than Yorktown admissions. Anyway, the point is that IB admissions are better than non-IB admissions at that school. That could be self-selection (those IB diploma kids are gonna get into good colleges whether they do the diploma program or not), or it could be because colleges give them a leg up. My DC got into UCLA, and we feel sure it was because of IB. UC schools are known to prefer IB diplomas (there's a box to check on page 1 of the application!), and his stats were lower than other non-IB kids who got rejected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB diploma candidates have a leg up at W-L in Arlington. Sure non-IB diploma students get accepted, but they are always competing against the full diploma students. The results speak for themselves. Is it worth it? DC went through it and got into a good college. Not sure we’d have him do it again. It was a lot of work, lots of it busy work.

W-L college admissions are better than Yorktown but no better than some of the AP schools in FCPS.

PP here. I wouldn't say that W-L admissions are better than Yorktown admissions. Anyway, the point is that IB admissions are better than non-IB admissions at that school. That could be self-selection (those IB diploma kids are gonna get into good colleges whether they do the diploma program or not), or it could be because colleges give them a leg up. My DC got into UCLA, and we feel sure it was because of IB. UC schools are known to prefer IB diplomas (there's a box to check on page 1 of the application!), and his stats were lower than other non-IB kids who got rejected.

Do you mind sharing your DC’s stats? DS applied to UCLA and is an IB diploma candidate. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB diploma candidates have a leg up at W-L in Arlington. Sure non-IB diploma students get accepted, but they are always competing against the full diploma students. The results speak for themselves. Is it worth it? DC went through it and got into a good college. Not sure we’d have him do it again. It was a lot of work, lots of it busy work.

W-L college admissions are better than Yorktown but no better than some of the AP schools in FCPS.

PP here. I wouldn't say that W-L admissions are better than Yorktown admissions. Anyway, the point is that IB admissions are better than non-IB admissions at that school. That could be self-selection (those IB diploma kids are gonna get into good colleges whether they do the diploma program or not), or it could be because colleges give them a leg up. My DC got into UCLA, and we feel sure it was because of IB. UC schools are known to prefer IB diplomas (there's a box to check on page 1 of the application!), and his stats were lower than other non-IB kids who got rejected.

Do you mind sharing your DC’s stats? DS applied to UCLA and is an IB diploma candidate. Thanks!

2021 grad. UW GPA 3.85 I think. Weighted GPA is a distant fog, but I remember DC had to calculate a new UC-style weighted GPA. UC was test blind, so DC didn’t submit the 1540 SAT. ECs fine, not spectacular. UC schools love IB. DC is at UCLA. Likes it but now thinks would have been a better fit at UCSD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB diploma candidates have a leg up at W-L in Arlington. Sure non-IB diploma students get accepted, but they are always competing against the full diploma students. The results speak for themselves. Is it worth it? DC went through it and got into a good college. Not sure we’d have him do it again. It was a lot of work, lots of it busy work.

W-L college admissions are better than Yorktown but no better than some of the AP schools in FCPS.

PP here. I wouldn't say that W-L admissions are better than Yorktown admissions. Anyway, the point is that IB admissions are better than non-IB admissions at that school. That could be self-selection (those IB diploma kids are gonna get into good colleges whether they do the diploma program or not), or it could be because colleges give them a leg up. My DC got into UCLA, and we feel sure it was because of IB. UC schools are known to prefer IB diplomas (there's a box to check on page 1 of the application!), and his stats were lower than other non-IB kids who got rejected.

Do you mind sharing your DC’s stats? DS applied to UCLA and is an IB diploma candidate. Thanks!

2021 grad. UW GPA 3.85 I think. Weighted GPA is a distant fog, but I remember DC had to calculate a new UC-style weighted GPA. UC was test blind, so DC didn’t submit the 1540 SAT. ECs fine, not spectacular. UC schools love IB. DC is at UCLA. Likes it but now thinks would have been a better fit at UCSD.

Thank you and hoping your DC is happy with UCLA or is able to transfer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB diploma candidates have a leg up at W-L in Arlington. Sure non-IB diploma students get accepted, but they are always competing against the full diploma students. The results speak for themselves. Is it worth it? DC went through it and got into a good college. Not sure we’d have him do it again. It was a lot of work, lots of it busy work.

W-L college admissions are better than Yorktown but no better than some of the AP schools in FCPS.

PP here. I wouldn't say that W-L admissions are better than Yorktown admissions. Anyway, the point is that IB admissions are better than non-IB admissions at that school. That could be self-selection (those IB diploma kids are gonna get into good colleges whether they do the diploma program or not), or it could be because colleges give them a leg up. My DC got into UCLA, and we feel sure it was because of IB. UC schools are known to prefer IB diplomas (there's a box to check on page 1 of the application!), and his stats were lower than other non-IB kids who got rejected.

Do you mind sharing your DC’s stats? DS applied to UCLA and is an IB diploma candidate. Thanks!

2021 grad. UW GPA 3.85 I think. Weighted GPA is a distant fog, but I remember DC had to calculate a new UC-style weighted GPA. UC was test blind, so DC didn’t submit the 1540 SAT. ECs fine, not spectacular. UC schools love IB. DC is at UCLA. Likes it but now thinks would have been a better fit at UCSD.

Did she have any APs at all? I’ve heard there’s a big difference between applying as an IB diploma candidate with APUSH and AP Calculus, and applying as a pure IB student.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

[Anonymous]

My child hates that her school has IB. She much prefers the AP classes which she has been able to take through Junior year but for senior year there are few AP classes offered. She can take AP Lit but there are no AP science classes available. Also no AP world language, only IB. She has taken all of the AP social studies classes available (APUSH, Gov and World) and only IB social studies are available senior year. These are all classes that colleges might consider less rigorous (IB psych, Econ and geography).

Very few students (maybe 20) choose the diploma track at her school but it affects the whole school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB diploma candidates have a leg up at W-L in Arlington. Sure non-IB diploma students get accepted, but they are always competing against the full diploma students. The results speak for themselves. Is it worth it? DC went through it and got into a good college. Not sure we’d have him do it again. It was a lot of work, lots of it busy work.

W-L college admissions are better than Yorktown but no better than some of the AP schools in FCPS.

PP here. I wouldn't say that W-L admissions are better than Yorktown admissions. Anyway, the point is that IB admissions are better than non-IB admissions at that school. That could be self-selection (those IB diploma kids are gonna get into good colleges whether they do the diploma program or not), or it could be because colleges give them a leg up. My DC got into UCLA, and we feel sure it was because of IB. UC schools are known to prefer IB diplomas (there's a box to check on page 1 of the application!), and his stats were lower than other non-IB kids who got rejected.

Do you mind sharing your DC’s stats? DS applied to UCLA and is an IB diploma candidate. Thanks!

2021 grad. UW GPA 3.85 I think. Weighted GPA is a distant fog, but I remember DC had to calculate a new UC-style weighted GPA. UC was test blind, so DC didn’t submit the 1540 SAT. ECs fine, not spectacular. UC schools love IB. DC is at UCLA. Likes it but now thinks would have been a better fit at UCSD.

Did she have any APs at all? I’ve heard there’s a big difference between applying as an IB diploma candidate with APUSH and AP Calculus, and applying as a pure IB student.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Good question. Curious for my child as well. Has taken three APs total as freshman and sophomore but interested in doing IB DP, or at least a number of the courses.
I wonder how colleges see this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my sons MCPS school which offered both IB and AP, 9 APs counted for the same as IB and “most rigorous”

Do you mean IB classes or the IB diploma?

My kid is at RMIB, and there is no way 9 APs = IB diploma.

If you mean just the classes and without the diploma, then maybe. But IB classes do require a ton more writing than AP classes. My kid took both IB and AP courses.

Rigor doesn’t mean just one thing. You can get an IB diploma with no physics and no calculus. (Of course you can take those courses as well! But they are not required to get the diploma.)

This! They only allow 3 HL classes at BCC, and English is a given HL, so a kid can’t take IB a history HL, Physics HL and Math HL.
They can take multi calc(above AP) AP Physics C and IB history and IB English etc, and you are telling mw the second option is seen as less rigorous than full IB with perhaps no physics or only 3 HL classes? Makes no sense to me. A private college counselor told me that what you say isn’t the case.

That stinks. My DS (at an FCPS) is taking HLs in math, physics, English and history this year, and SLs in foreign language and an elective. His foreign language is not offered in an HL, but would’ve done that also, if possible. It’s a lot of work, but what he wanted.

what your son is taking sounds like what a rigorous ID program would be. What I don’t understand is the people who are saying that any IB diploma is automatically more rigorous than the sort of schedule I listed out above .

I question the premise that college admissions committees will downgrade an IB diploma as “less rigorous” if it doesn’t have the “right” IB courses in it.

That was never the premise. It way not about downgrading the DP but rather if taking the most challenging courses the school offers in math and science,
Which happened to be non-IB, plus the other IB classes (except for theory of knowledge and EE) automatically are less rigorous than the full IB diploma. Nobody said anything about admissions committees thinking less of the IB diploma. However I do think that taking the less rigorous IB courses in math and the science pathways would automatically be a less rigorous version of the IB diploma. Someone’s in the highest level of math and taking the high-level physics that is automatically more challenging than the sports medicine and the standard level math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my sons MCPS school which offered both IB and AP, 9 APs counted for the same as IB and “most rigorous”

Do you mean IB classes or the IB diploma?

My kid is at RMIB, and there is no way 9 APs = IB diploma.

If you mean just the classes and without the diploma, then maybe. But IB classes do require a ton more writing than AP classes. My kid took both IB and AP courses.

Rigor doesn’t mean just one thing. You can get an IB diploma with no physics and no calculus. (Of course you can take those courses as well! But they are not required to get the diploma.)

This! They only allow 3 HL classes at BCC, and English is a given HL, so a kid can’t take IB a history HL, Physics HL and Math HL.
They can take multi calc(above AP) AP Physics C and IB history and IB English etc, and you are telling mw the second option is seen as less rigorous than full IB with perhaps no physics or only 3 HL classes? Makes no sense to me. A private college counselor told me that what you say isn’t the case.

That stinks. My DS (at an FCPS) is taking HLs in math, physics, English and history this year, and SLs in foreign language and an elective. His foreign language is not offered in an HL, but would’ve done that also, if possible. It’s a lot of work, but what he wanted.

what your son is taking sounds like what a rigorous ID program would be. What I don’t understand is the people who are saying that any IB diploma is automatically more rigorous than the sort of schedule I listed out above .

I question the premise that college admissions committees will downgrade an IB diploma as “less rigorous” if it doesn’t have the “right” IB courses in it.

That was never the premise. It way not about downgrading the DP but rather if taking the most challenging courses the school offers in math and science,
Which happened to be non-IB, plus the other IB classes (except for theory of knowledge and EE) automatically are less rigorous than the full IB diploma. Nobody said anything about admissions committees thinking less of the IB diploma. However I do think that taking the less rigorous IB courses in math and the science pathways would automatically be a less rigorous version of the IB diploma. Someone’s in the highest level of math and taking the high-level physics that is automatically more challenging than the sports medicine and the standard level math.

Your premise is that admissions committees are going to believe that you took a "less rigorous" program if you didn't take physics and math HL. That is not proven. If they see your school offers IB and that you took three or four HL courses as required, they will regard that as a rigorous program, period. Only certain schools and certain majors are going to care which IB courses you took - eg if you want to attend a STEM-heavy school then it matters that you took math and physics HL, but for other schools any three or four HL courses will be considered sufficiently rigorous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB diploma candidates have a leg up at W-L in Arlington. Sure non-IB diploma students get accepted, but they are always competing against the full diploma students. The results speak for themselves. Is it worth it? DC went through it and got into a good college. Not sure we’d have him do it again. It was a lot of work, lots of it busy work.

W-L college admissions are better than Yorktown but no better than some of the AP schools in FCPS.

PP here. I wouldn't say that W-L admissions are better than Yorktown admissions. Anyway, the point is that IB admissions are better than non-IB admissions at that school. That could be self-selection (those IB diploma kids are gonna get into good colleges whether they do the diploma program or not), or it could be because colleges give them a leg up. My DC got into UCLA, and we feel sure it was because of IB. UC schools are known to prefer IB diplomas (there's a box to check on page 1 of the application!), and his stats were lower than other non-IB kids who got rejected.

Do you mind sharing your DC’s stats? DS applied to UCLA and is an IB diploma candidate. Thanks!

2021 grad. UW GPA 3.85 I think. Weighted GPA is a distant fog, but I remember DC had to calculate a new UC-style weighted GPA. UC was test blind, so DC didn’t submit the 1540 SAT. ECs fine, not spectacular. UC schools love IB. DC is at UCLA. Likes it but now thinks would have been a better fit at UCSD.

Did she have any APs at all? I’ve heard there’s a big difference between applying as an IB diploma candidate with APUSH and AP Calculus, and applying as a pure IB student.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

PP here. DC took 3 AP courses I think but none in 11th or 12th grades. Maybe took AP government if I remember correctly? Did not take APUSH or AP Calc (though the IB Math HL courses are analogous to AP Calc BC and then some).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS wants to take AP math classes instead of doing the IB diploma at Robinson. He has to decide next year. He's not great at writing, and there is a lot of writing for the IB, or so it seems. Thoughts as to how it will affect a VT application if he just takes AP classes and doesn't get an IB diploma? It seems like most kids do the IB.

FYI Robinson is not offering any AP classes starting next year. AP calculus will not be an option, he will have to take IB math or dual enroll at NVCC or take calculus through the online campus if he doesn't want IB math.

There are a lot of changes in the pipeline. All details will be provided in January/February when course selection starts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my sons MCPS school which offered both IB and AP, 9 APs counted for the same as IB and “most rigorous”

Do you mean IB classes or the IB diploma?

My kid is at RMIB, and there is no way 9 APs = IB diploma.

If you mean just the classes and without the diploma, then maybe. But IB classes do require a ton more writing than AP classes. My kid took both IB and AP courses.

Rigor doesn’t mean just one thing. You can get an IB diploma with no physics and no calculus. (Of course you can take those courses as well! But they are not required to get the diploma.)

This! They only allow 3 HL classes at BCC, and English is a given HL, so a kid can’t take IB a history HL, Physics HL and Math HL.
They can take multi calc(above AP) AP Physics C and IB history and IB English etc, and you are telling mw the second option is seen as less rigorous than full IB with perhaps no physics or only 3 HL classes? Makes no sense to me. A private college counselor told me that what you say isn’t the case.

That stinks. My DS (at an FCPS) is taking HLs in math, physics, English and history this year, and SLs in foreign language and an elective. His foreign language is not offered in an HL, but would’ve done that also, if possible. It’s a lot of work, but what he wanted.

what your son is taking sounds like what a rigorous ID program would be. What I don’t understand is the people who are saying that any IB diploma is automatically more rigorous than the sort of schedule I listed out above .

I question the premise that college admissions committees will downgrade an IB diploma as “less rigorous” if it doesn’t have the “right” IB courses in it.

That was never the premise. It way not about downgrading the DP but rather if taking the most challenging courses the school offers in math and science,
Which happened to be non-IB, plus the other IB classes (except for theory of knowledge and EE) automatically are less rigorous than the full IB diploma. Nobody said anything about admissions committees thinking less of the IB diploma. However I do think that taking the less rigorous IB courses in math and the science pathways would automatically be a less rigorous version of the IB diploma. Someone’s in the highest level of math and taking the high-level physics that is automatically more challenging than the sports medicine and the standard level math.

Your premise is that admissions committees are going to believe that you took a "less rigorous" program if you didn't take physics and math HL. That is not proven. If they see your school offers IB and that you took three or four HL courses as required, they will regard that as a rigorous program, period. Only certain schools and certain majors are going to care which IB courses you took - eg if you want to attend a STEM-heavy school then it matters that you took math and physics HL, but for other schools any three or four HL courses will be considered sufficiently rigorous.

This makes sense.

[Anonymous]

So, it seems like this thread has concluded that it’s better for even a future STEM major to take IB, even if that means IB AI Math SL, than AP Calculus BC.

Can that possibly be correct?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, it seems like this thread has concluded that it’s better for even a future STEM major to take IB, even if that means IB AI Math SL, than AP Calculus BC.

Can that possibly be correct?

This thread hasn't concluded that at all. If you are a STEM major in an IB school, you should certainly take IB HL math. And you won't have the option to take AP math if you're in an IB school.