Non-magnet IB program

[Anonymous]

I have a sophomore at Rockville HS and they are considering the IB diploma.

Can someone with children in this program at this school or other non-magnet IB schools weigh in on the time commitment? Is it bad for a kid who is very bright and hard working, but with higher than average anxiety?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore at Rockville HS and they are considering the IB diploma.

Can someone with children in this program at this school or other non-magnet IB schools weigh in on the time commitment? Is it bad for a kid who is very bright and hard working, but with higher than average anxiety?

My high anxiety kid tried out the IB program at another school and it was not a good fit for him.

I think AP is a better bet.

But I don’t know anything about that IB program

[Anonymous]

At Einstein, at least, the approach tends to be fairly gentle, because they want to encourage bright kids to sign up for IB courses.

The course and exam requirements are set by the IB organization, so it won’t necessarily be any easier than it would be at a magnet IB school. But my overall impression is that they’re trying to keep kids in the classes, rather than weed them out.

But it’s worth reading over the IB materials and descriptions carefully, to be sure it’s right for them. They should also take advantage of any panels or presentations aimed at students, so they have a chance to ask questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore at Rockville HS and they are considering the IB diploma.

Can someone with children in this program at this school or other non-magnet IB schools weigh in on the time commitment? Is it bad for a kid who is very bright and hard working, but with higher than average anxiety?

I'm not at that school but am familiar with the IBDP. Your child will be taking classes with the same advanced peers they already are, so from a cohort perspective it should be the same as they are already experiencing. The IB classes are same level of rigor as AP, but depending on the course the structure and emphasis is different. The main additional workload in IB comes from the internal assessment (IA) in each course and the extended essay (EE). It is my understanding that Rockville has TOK for 2 full years because they also do the EE through that course.

I would encourage your child to give it a try. Presumably they are college bound. Completing the diploma will help them develop organization and time management skills needed for college. If it becomes too much, they can back off and not complete the diploma. Treat it as an opportunity to grow, but not the end of the world if it turns out to be a poor fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore at Rockville HS and they are considering the IB diploma.

Can someone with children in this program at this school or other non-magnet IB schools weigh in on the time commitment? Is it bad for a kid who is very bright and hard working, but with higher than average anxiety?

I'm not at that school but am familiar with the IBDP. Your child will be taking classes with the same advanced peers they already are, so from a cohort perspective it should be the same as they are already experiencing. The IB classes are same level of rigor as AP, but depending on the course the structure and emphasis is different. The main additional workload in IB comes from the internal assessment (IA) in each course and the extended essay (EE). It is my understanding that Rockville has TOK for 2 full years because they also do the EE through that course.

I would encourage your child to give it a try. Presumably they are college bound. Completing the diploma will help them develop organization and time management skills needed for college. If it becomes too much, they can back off and not complete the diploma. Treat it as an opportunity to grow, but not the end of the world if it turns out to be a poor fit.

I didn't realize they can back off it's too much, but I'm glad to hear that's an option! Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Following as I have a kid on the same boat but at Seneca Valley HS. Would like feedback to see if kids who go for the IB Diploma program really do have an edge over the kids who take a bunch of IB classes but not get the diploma. Our school doesn't offer as many AP classes as other schools because it's an IB school, however they do offer a lot of IB classes. The IB diploma program seems intense and she already has a full plate with athletics and volunteer work.