BCC IB - Acceptances to Canadian and UK Universities?

[Anonymous]

We are moving with our 8th grader to the DC area, and as an international family would like to have our child attend college in the UK or Canada. Will enrolling her in the IB programme at BCC help with admissions to universities outside the US? Would it be more difficult to be accepted to college abroad if she did a typical high school curriculum with AP courses? We are also looking at private high schools in the area. Thank you in advance.

[Anonymous]

UK universities will accept either AP or IB exam results as credentials. If

But the research and extended writing in IB will better prepare them for the university experience. AP courses are geared toward the exam, and generally don’t include any research or extended writing component.

[Anonymous]

My kid was accepted no problem at McGill and St Andrews with all his APs, no IB. He's in a writing-heavy major, and the lack of IB didn't have any negative consequences.

Don't overthink this, OP.

[Anonymous]

100% agree that IB has great capacity to prep students for university. Full diploma holder here so maybe I'm biased but friends in school counseling agree. I don't think AP is bad or without its own benefits, but I agree that IB is better at prepping students, particularly if they plan on going into humanities, social sciences, law etc. (i.e. will be writing a lot in university).

Re applications - we are also going through this precise question right now although our interest is solely in Canada, so this response is going to make me sound like a secret IB booster, but it's really just that all of this is top of mind for us as well. It's not particularly common for people in DC to target Canadian universities--and definitely not beyond Toronto, McGill, and UBC--so it is difficult to develop any reliable sense of whether IB courses make a difference or not. There was a recent publication of college acceptances for students in public high schools in the Bethesda area, and it seemed to suggest that IB helps (Bethesda-Chevy Chase high school had, I think, a somewhat outsized number of offers compared to other area high schools), but the numbers are low enough that it's really hard to say either way, plus there could be other contributing factors (such as that Bethesda-Chevy Chase is probably the most urban of the high schools included in that survey, and maybe urban dwellers are more likely to have kids interested in heading off to Toronto or Montreal or Vancouver, or that are interested in getting out of the U.S.).

If you want IB, your best options will be (in no particular order) (1) Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda (Maryland), (2) Meridian High School in Falls Church City (Virginia), (3) Washington International School (private in DC, $$$$), or (4) British International School of Washington (private in DC, $$). If you are really, really keen on UK, at BISW they do GSCEs as well as the IB exams. There are other schools in DC that offer IB but...not very well. I think the above 4 are the key options. Depending on your budget and neighborhood preferences, Albert Einstein in Maryland also offers the diploma program.

One other thing to be aware of - as much as I'm glad I did the full diploma, I'm not sure my kid will want to, so I've found it important that she have access to IB courses without committing to the full diploma. I know Bethesda-Chevy Chase offers course access without full diploma commitment but haven't yet looked at the others. Just something to consider.

[Anonymous]

It is a good time for US applicants to UK universities.
3 AP's at 5 in the exam in relevant subjects for the major applied for are going to be enough.

i have 2 kids in UK universities (just started) who were taught regular honors and AP classes at Whitman.

The only thing I'd say about BCC's IB program is to check it is the "full IB" not just random IB classes that can be mixed in with the usual classes.

[Anonymous]

Long winded PP here - sorry, I completely forgot Richard Montgomery in Rockville. It's a magnet program requiring application and no idea how it works if you're moving into the area / what the timing is, but you could consider that as well.

And can confirm BCC's program offers both full IB diploma as well as access to IB classes for those who choose not to pursue the diploma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Long winded PP here - sorry, I completely forgot Richard Montgomery in Rockville. It's a magnet program requiring application and no idea how it works if you're moving into the area / what the timing is, but you could consider that as well.

And can confirm BCC's program offers both full IB diploma as well as access to IB classes for those who choose not to pursue the diploma.

I think Richard Montgomery is dropping the IB program, isn't it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long winded PP here - sorry, I completely forgot Richard Montgomery in Rockville. It's a magnet program requiring application and no idea how it works if you're moving into the area / what the timing is, but you could consider that as well.

And can confirm BCC's program offers both full IB diploma as well as access to IB classes for those who choose not to pursue the diploma.

I think Richard Montgomery is dropping the IB program, isn't it?

Oh, not sure! We aren’t really considering even applying so I’m out of the loop on it. Hopefully others can chime in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was accepted no problem at McGill and St Andrews with all his APs, no IB. He's in a writing-heavy major, and the lack of IB didn't have any negative consequences.

Don't overthink this, OP.

Me again. I going to disagree with the pro-IB poster and encourage you not to hyperfocus on IB. My kid above who was accepted at McGill and StA went to Walter Johnson HS, and compared to BCC, which my youngest attends, it's a better school. The teachers are generally good caliber, and the complement of APs is more reliably offered every year. BCC has some trouble offering the more difficult APs consistently every year because some years there isn't as much demand. Some lower-income MCPS high schools in other parts of the county offer relatively few APs. It's difficult to gauge because on their website, they all say they offer all the APs, but MCPS schools are not created equal. The best ones are Walt Whitman, Winston Churchill, Walter Johnson. BCC is a very good school, but not the best. For privates, the best co-ed is Sidwell. For boys there's St Albans. For girls, maybe NCS (it has a tough reputation at the higher grades, especially in writing).

STEM APs reach a higher level than STEM IB classes. Yes, IB teaches much better writing, and that's very important, but you need to factor in the caliber of the teacher who is leading the class - you might want to ask around whether IB teachers at BCC are any good. I know for a fact that the IB Spanish isn't great, because they have a joint Spanish 5 / IB Spanish that my DD is taking this year, and the level is lower than her Spanish 4 from last year!

[Anonymous]

Another, excellent, option is Richard Montgomery HS IB. It’s an application-based magnet, but any student can opt for the IB diploma. It’s well known for rigor and excellent teachers, and students are very well prepared for college. The downside is a highly competitive student cohort, with many gunning for Ivies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long winded PP here - sorry, I completely forgot Richard Montgomery in Rockville. It's a magnet program requiring application and no idea how it works if you're moving into the area / what the timing is, but you could consider that as well.

And can confirm BCC's program offers both full IB diploma as well as access to IB classes for those who choose not to pursue the diploma.

I think Richard Montgomery is dropping the IB program, isn't it?

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another, excellent, option is Richard Montgomery HS IB. It’s an application-based magnet, but any student can opt for the IB diploma. It’s well known for rigor and excellent teachers, and students are very well prepared for college. The downside is a highly competitive student cohort, with many gunning for Ivies.

I should add students take some AP classes, along with IB. DC qualified for an Oxbridge application based on AP test scores alone (five 5s) but decided not to pursue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long winded PP here - sorry, I completely forgot Richard Montgomery in Rockville. It's a magnet program requiring application and no idea how it works if you're moving into the area / what the timing is, but you could consider that as well.

And can confirm BCC's program offers both full IB diploma as well as access to IB classes for those who choose not to pursue the diploma.

I think Richard Montgomery is dropping the IB program, isn't it?

No, there will def be the IB program there. You can apply to it from anywhere in the country this year (to begin next year). Starting next year, applicants will have to live in the region in order to apply. But everyone already in the program will be able to finish it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another, excellent, option is Richard Montgomery HS IB. It’s an application-based magnet, but any student can opt for the IB diploma. It’s well known for rigor and excellent teachers, and students are very well prepared for college. The downside is a highly competitive student cohort, with many gunning for Ivies.

I should add students take some AP classes, along with IB. DC qualified for an Oxbridge application based on AP test scores alone (five 5s) but decided not to pursue.

Yes, this is accurate. Kids get into Canadian and UK universities every year from RMIB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UK universities will accept either AP or IB exam results as credentials. If

But the research and extended writing in IB will better prepare them for the university experience. AP courses are geared toward the exam, and generally don’t include any research or extended writing component.

This. IB won't help you get in over AP, but it will prepare you better for university.