Washington Liberty IB Program - Was it Worth It?

[Anonymous]

If pursuing full IB means your kid won’t be able to take the classes they want to take and/or classes that would be more useful prep for college studies, then I would skip IB.

I think it’s a shame kids can’t pursue music, art, second or third languages because the IB curriculum is so rigid.

Also, there is not one path to college acceptance. “Most challenging” can take many forms and if the focus is science or tech, may be more challenging to focus in depth on AP science and math coursework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore at WL high school who is struggling with whether she should do the full IB program at WL high school, or simply do a mix of AP and IB classes without getting the full diploma. A key factor in her decision-making is future college options. She is worried that if she does not do the full IB program, colleges will question why she did not take the most rigorous curriculum offered at her school. She is aiming for some of the most highly competitive colleges. Any thoughts from those who have been there/done that? It is worth putting yourself through the rigor of the IB program? She is interested in a STEM career and IB is not necessarily a perfect fit for that, but it is what it is. Have any of your children regretted their decision to do the IB program?

Uh? She wants to go to some of “most highly selective colleges” and yet the rigor of IB is at all a concern? I mean, I get that she wants to do STEM, but come on. Have you looked at the W&L matriculations to the “most highly selective colleges”? Not to mean, but you sound like you have no clue. Almost no one from that smart group of kids is getting into those schools. Except athletic recruits. And THE VERY BEST students, like top ten. None of those kids are scared off by IB and would only consider the most rigorous courses. To be clear, I am not including UVA.

This is the OP. She is not concerned about the rigor, but rather, the fact that the IB requirements preclude her from taking other classes that are more relevant to STEM and her areas of interest/focus. There is no question she would do the IB program if she was interested in going into a humanities field.

Again, look at the matriculations. No one from W&L is going to MIT or CalTech (ok like maybe one kid in ten years). So where is aiming for? Any of the best colleges or universities will expect her to be able to write cohesively and critically — even in the engineering school.

I really dont think you appreciate what it takes to get into these schools. She’d have to be one of the very best students at W&L out of a class of 500 AND that means in the classes perceived by everyone as the hardest. Most people think thats IB at W&L.

But since she’s not getting Harvard (and you are willing to accept that reality), and she truly doesn’t want to write papers and just do computer science, then she should do that. Following her passion will likely serve her better in the long run than chasing some nonexistent prestige war that she will never win.

She does not reasonably think she is getting into Stanford/Harvard/MIT/CalTech, but she would love to be competitive for a tier or two below, such as Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, UVA, University of Michigan, and some of the UC schools. Even schools like University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Purdue are very difficult to get into these days if you are applying for some of the more popular STEM majors like computer science.

You can look at the published acceptance data for W&L. Arlington magazine publishes it every year. She’s probably got to be like in the Top 25 kids in the school to even be considering many (Michigan/Cornell) of those schools. UVA typically accepts the Top 10%. So that’s about 50-60 at W&L. Assume every one of those kids accounts for any acceptance at Michigan, Ivy League, etc since it isn’t matriculation data, and UVA is a backup for those kids. IB is like 100 kids and usually (not always) it’s the smartest ones. You figure it out. She’s got to be the best IB kid to get into many of those schools. Do able and kids do it every year but don’t put your money it. Plus legacies. And URMs. And Athletes. So maybe she’s gotta be in like Top 15 is she’s a white girl with no hooks.

Looking at the stats of the individual colleges and universities would be better. Not everyone in the top 10% of WL applies to those schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore at WL high school who is struggling with whether she should do the full IB program at WL high school, or simply do a mix of AP and IB classes without getting the full diploma. A key factor in her decision-making is future college options. She is worried that if she does not do the full IB program, colleges will question why she did not take the most rigorous curriculum offered at her school. She is aiming for some of the most highly competitive colleges. Any thoughts from those who have been there/done that? It is worth putting yourself through the rigor of the IB program? She is interested in a STEM career and IB is not necessarily a perfect fit for that, but it is what it is. Have any of your children regretted their decision to do the IB program?

Uh? She wants to go to some of “most highly selective colleges” and yet the rigor of IB is at all a concern? I mean, I get that she wants to do STEM, but come on. Have you looked at the W&L matriculations to the “most highly selective colleges”? Not to mean, but you sound like you have no clue. Almost no one from that smart group of kids is getting into those schools. Except athletic recruits. And THE VERY BEST students, like top ten. None of those kids are scared off by IB and would only consider the most rigorous courses. To be clear, I am not including UVA.

This is the OP. She is not concerned about the rigor, but rather, the fact that the IB requirements preclude her from taking other classes that are more relevant to STEM and her areas of interest/focus. There is no question she would do the IB program if she was interested in going into a humanities field.

Again, look at the matriculations. No one from W&L is going to MIT or CalTech (ok like maybe one kid in ten years). So where is aiming for? Any of the best colleges or universities will expect her to be able to write cohesively and critically — even in the engineering school.

I really dont think you appreciate what it takes to get into these schools. She’d have to be one of the very best students at W&L out of a class of 500 AND that means in the classes perceived by everyone as the hardest. Most people think thats IB at W&L.

But since she’s not getting Harvard (and you are willing to accept that reality), and she truly doesn’t want to write papers and just do computer science, then she should do that. Following her passion will likely serve her better in the long run than chasing some nonexistent prestige war that she will never win.

She does not reasonably think she is getting into Stanford/Harvard/MIT/CalTech, but she would love to be competitive for a tier or two below, such as Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, UVA, University of Michigan, and some of the UC schools. Even schools like University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Purdue are very difficult to get into these days if you are applying for some of the more popular STEM majors like computer science.

You can look at the published acceptance data for W&L. Arlington magazine publishes it every year. She’s probably got to be like in the Top 25 kids in the school to even be considering many (Michigan/Cornell) of those schools. UVA typically accepts the Top 10%. So that’s about 50-60 at W&L. Assume every one of those kids accounts for any acceptance at Michigan, Ivy League, etc since it isn’t matriculation data, and UVA is a backup for those kids. IB is like 100 kids and usually (not always) it’s the smartest ones. You figure it out. She’s got to be the best IB kid to get into many of those schools. Do able and kids do it every year but don’t put your money it. Plus legacies. And URMs. And Athletes. So maybe she’s gotta be in like Top 15 is she’s a white girl with no hooks.

Looking at the stats of the individual colleges and universities would be better. Not everyone in the top 10% of WL applies to those schools.

The last several years the WL elite acceptances have all been URM, I don't really think IB matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore at WL high school who is struggling with whether she should do the full IB program at WL high school, or simply do a mix of AP and IB classes without getting the full diploma. A key factor in her decision-making is future college options. She is worried that if she does not do the full IB program, colleges will question why she did not take the most rigorous curriculum offered at her school. She is aiming for some of the most highly competitive colleges. Any thoughts from those who have been there/done that? It is worth putting yourself through the rigor of the IB program? She is interested in a STEM career and IB is not necessarily a perfect fit for that, but it is what it is. Have any of your children regretted their decision to do the IB program?

Uh? She wants to go to some of “most highly selective colleges” and yet the rigor of IB is at all a concern? I mean, I get that she wants to do STEM, but come on. Have you looked at the W&L matriculations to the “most highly selective colleges”? Not to mean, but you sound like you have no clue. Almost no one from that smart group of kids is getting into those schools. Except athletic recruits. And THE VERY BEST students, like top ten. None of those kids are scared off by IB and would only consider the most rigorous courses. To be clear, I am not including UVA.

This is the OP. She is not concerned about the rigor, but rather, the fact that the IB requirements preclude her from taking other classes that are more relevant to STEM and her areas of interest/focus. There is no question she would do the IB program if she was interested in going into a humanities field.

DP. My opinion is she should take the classes more aligned with her future interests. If she didn't have any idea what she wanted to study or pursue after high school, maybe full IB would be fine. But I think kids should take what makes most sense for them and their interests and goals. If a particular college doesn't think that's good enough, then likely that school isn't good enough for the kid and there's a better fit somewhere else.

She can easily explain her choices in her application essay.

Definitely this. I was an engineering major and didn't get to prep in relevant AP courses and was WAY behind my classmates.

[Anonymous]

AP is more rigorous than IB, which is what school systems implement in failing schools to create the illusion of rigor.

[Anonymous]

DC is a sophomore at WL and wants to apply to engineering schools. They would have to take lower math and physics if full IB, so we encouraged them to not pursue it. Friends whose kids majored in Journalism or political science or something similar definitely benefited from full IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP is more rigorous than IB, which is what school systems implement in failing schools to create the illusion of rigor.

Why does everyone flock to WL then rather than Yorktown which is an AP program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP is more rigorous than IB, which is what school systems implement in failing schools to create the illusion of rigor.

IB is very rigorous if you take the complete program and does really teach you to research and write. It's excellent preparation for college. But it does have limitations on classes you can take plus the community service piece.

My kids went to W-L and took a mix of AP and IB classes. Generally AP for math and English. IB when an AP wasn't available (Economics) or science classes. DD is very into science and asked her Intensified Biology teacher (who also taught AP and IB) which she recommended and she said 100% IB. The 2-year HL class goes deeper than AP and really prepares you for college work.

That said, I think the full IB program is a ton of work and I wouldn't have my kid transfer to do it (frankly, they couldn't handle it as both have ADHD and we preferred for them to focus on high-level classes just in their interests). We're just lucky to be in zone so they can sample classes from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore at WL high school who is struggling with whether she should do the full IB program at WL high school, or simply do a mix of AP and IB classes without getting the full diploma. A key factor in her decision-making is future college options. She is worried that if she does not do the full IB program, colleges will question why she did not take the most rigorous curriculum offered at her school. She is aiming for some of the most highly competitive colleges. Any thoughts from those who have been there/done that? It is worth putting yourself through the rigor of the IB program? She is interested in a STEM career and IB is not necessarily a perfect fit for that, but it is what it is. Have any of your children regretted their decision to do the IB program?

Uh? She wants to go to some of “most highly selective colleges” and yet the rigor of IB is at all a concern? I mean, I get that she wants to do STEM, but come on. Have you looked at the W&L matriculations to the “most highly selective colleges”? Not to mean, but you sound like you have no clue. Almost no one from that smart group of kids is getting into those schools. Except athletic recruits. And THE VERY BEST students, like top ten. None of those kids are scared off by IB and would only consider the most rigorous courses. To be clear, I am not including UVA.

This is the OP. She is not concerned about the rigor, but rather, the fact that the IB requirements preclude her from taking other classes that are more relevant to STEM and her areas of interest/focus. There is no question she would do the IB program if she was interested in going into a humanities field.

Again, look at the matriculations. No one from W&L is going to MIT or CalTech (ok like maybe one kid in ten years). So where is aiming for? Any of the best colleges or universities will expect her to be able to write cohesively and critically — even in the engineering school.

I really dont think you appreciate what it takes to get into these schools. She’d have to be one of the very best students at W&L out of a class of 500 AND that means in the classes perceived by everyone as the hardest. Most people think thats IB at W&L.

But since she’s not getting Harvard (and you are willing to accept that reality), and she truly doesn’t want to write papers and just do computer science, then she should do that. Following her passion will likely serve her better in the long run than chasing some nonexistent prestige war that she will never win.

Excellent advice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP is more rigorous than IB, which is what school systems implement in failing schools to create the illusion of rigor.

Why does everyone flock to WL then rather than Yorktown which is an AP program?

Because WL has both AP and IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore at WL high school who is struggling with whether she should do the full IB program at WL high school, or simply do a mix of AP and IB classes without getting the full diploma. A key factor in her decision-making is future college options. She is worried that if she does not do the full IB program, colleges will question why she did not take the most rigorous curriculum offered at her school. She is aiming for some of the most highly competitive colleges. Any thoughts from those who have been there/done that? It is worth putting yourself through the rigor of the IB program? She is interested in a STEM career and IB is not necessarily a perfect fit for that, but it is what it is. Have any of your children regretted their decision to do the IB program?

Uh? She wants to go to some of “most highly selective colleges” and yet the rigor of IB is at all a concern? I mean, I get that she wants to do STEM, but come on. Have you looked at the W&L matriculations to the “most highly selective colleges”? Not to mean, but you sound like you have no clue. Almost no one from that smart group of kids is getting into those schools. Except athletic recruits. And THE VERY BEST students, like top ten. None of those kids are scared off by IB and would only consider the most rigorous courses. To be clear, I am not including UVA.

This is the OP. She is not concerned about the rigor, but rather, the fact that the IB requirements preclude her from taking other classes that are more relevant to STEM and her areas of interest/focus. There is no question she would do the IB program if she was interested in going into a humanities field.

Again, look at the matriculations. No one from W&L is going to MIT or CalTech (ok like maybe one kid in ten years). So where is aiming for? Any of the best colleges or universities will expect her to be able to write cohesively and critically — even in the engineering school.

I really dont think you appreciate what it takes to get into these schools. She’d have to be one of the very best students at W&L out of a class of 500 AND that means in the classes perceived by everyone as the hardest. Most people think thats IB at W&L.

But since she’s not getting Harvard (and you are willing to accept that reality), and she truly doesn’t want to write papers and just do computer science, then she should do that. Following her passion will likely serve her better in the long run than chasing some nonexistent prestige war that she will never win.

She does not reasonably think she is getting into Stanford/Harvard/MIT/CalTech, but she would love to be competitive for a tier or two below, such as Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, UVA, University of Michigan, and some of the UC schools. Even schools like University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Purdue are very difficult to get into these days if you are applying for some of the more popular STEM majors like computer science.

You can look at the published acceptance data for W&L. Arlington magazine publishes it every year. She’s probably got to be like in the Top 25 kids in the school to even be considering many (Michigan/Cornell) of those schools. UVA typically accepts the Top 10%. So that’s about 50-60 at W&L. Assume every one of those kids accounts for any acceptance at Michigan, Ivy League, etc since it isn’t matriculation data, and UVA is a backup for those kids. IB is like 100 kids and usually (not always) it’s the smartest ones. You figure it out. She’s got to be the best IB kid to get into many of those schools. Do able and kids do it every year but don’t put your money it. Plus legacies. And URMs. And Athletes. So maybe she’s gotta be in like Top 15 is she’s a white girl with no hooks.

Looking at the stats of the individual colleges and universities would be better. Not everyone in the top 10% of WL applies to those schools.

The last several years the WL elite acceptances have all been URM, I don't really think IB matters.

How can you tell that?

[Anonymous]

Over the years a not insignificant cohort of high achieving students at W-L have opted for a mostly AP curriculum. Those classes have been very challenging. It may also fit in better with their desires to pursue specific course work, electives, and extracurriculars.

IB is a good option but it’s not for everyone which is why W-L has a full AP curriculum too.

[Anonymous]

Based on my DD's experience at WL, do the mix of IB. My DD took all IB except for one class and got in ED to her top choice. Two of her friends who did full IB did not get into their top choices, but ended up at fabulous schools. Don't do full IB for purely college admission. Do the combo IB and STEM. They want to see that you are challenging yourself and pursuing your interests. Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP is more rigorous than IB, which is what school systems implement in failing schools to create the illusion of rigor.

Why does everyone flock to WL then rather than Yorktown which is an AP program?

They don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP is more rigorous than IB, which is what school systems implement in failing schools to create the illusion of rigor.

Why does everyone flock to WL then rather than Yorktown which is an AP program?

They don’t.

There is a huge list of transfer from Yorktown to WL for IB diploma