Is the IB diploma worth it?

[Anonymous]

Background: High school that offers both IBDP and many AP courses. I have 2 kids that graduated with IB diplomas.

College acceptances do not vary among the students. IB does not give an edge if you are already taking a rigorous courseload.

It may differ by school, but I agree with the teacher above. TOK is universally hated and viewed as pointless. Kids who care about education would rather take another class. And one of my kids loves philosophy/is a philosophy major. Hated TOK.

It prepares students for college writing and research better than AP courses.

My personal opinion is that it is not as good for STEM. Both my kids took HL level sciences. I thought Bio was rigorous, but by taking a 2 year bio class, students often skipped physics or doubled up on science (which can be tough given HS requirements) or took over the summer. HL physics (at least the one offered at our school) is not calc based.

[Anonymous]

PP here - acceptances do not vary among full rigor AP and IB students.

[Anonymous]

Parent of kids whose school offers both IB and many APs. They only school I've heard it matters for is UVA. It's very difficult to get in from our school if you are not full IB. The only ones I know of were wait listed first. On the other had I know kids at Ivies and top LACs (e.g., Williams) who did not do the full IB diploma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of kids whose school offers both IB and many APs. They only school I've heard it matters for is UVA. It's very difficult to get in from our school if you are not full IB. The only ones I know of were wait listed first. On the other had I know kids at Ivies and top LACs (e.g., Williams) who did not do the full IB diploma.

What about William & Mary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of kids whose school offers both IB and many APs. They only school I've heard it matters for is UVA. It's very difficult to get in from our school if you are not full IB. The only ones I know of were wait listed first. On the other had I know kids at Ivies and top LACs (e.g., Williams) who did not do the full IB diploma.

At our public, the full IB diploma candidates are the ones that go to the ivys and other top colleges unless they are athletic recruits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of kids whose school offers both IB and many APs. They only school I've heard it matters for is UVA. It's very difficult to get in from our school if you are not full IB. The only ones I know of were wait listed first. On the other had I know kids at Ivies and top LACs (e.g., Williams) who did not do the full IB diploma.

At our public, the full IB diploma candidates are the ones that go to the ivys and other top colleges unless they are athletic recruits.

If this is the RMIB magnet, I think it's because of the caliber of kids who go to the magnet. They are mostly super achievers.

-RMIB parent

[Anonymous]

I think this may vary by school. If folks are comfortable posting their HS that would be really useful. Especially interested in this answer for Robinson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Background: High school that offers both IBDP and many AP courses. I have 2 kids that graduated with IB diplomas.

College acceptances do not vary among the students. IB does not give an edge if you are already taking a rigorous courseload.

It may differ by school, but I agree with the teacher above. TOK is universally hated and viewed as pointless. Kids who care about education would rather take another class. And one of my kids loves philosophy/is a philosophy major. Hated TOK.

It prepares students for college writing and research better than AP courses.

My personal opinion is that it is not as good for STEM. Both my kids took HL level sciences. I thought Bio was rigorous, but by taking a 2 year bio class, students often skipped physics or doubled up on science (which can be tough given HS requirements) or took over the summer. HL physics (at least the one offered at our school) is not calc based.

This.

If you opt for diploma then you’re saddled with TOK, community activity and extended essay, when instead you could be taking real courses that align with your interests. Two years for an advanced course is too long, and I don’t think there are many students that can handle an HL/AP level class over the summer. IB HL Physics is indeed not calculus based and it’s not that useful for kids interested in engineering majors.

I’d skip IBDP to take more rigorous classes, either more HL, AP or for math DE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine works at a top-25 college admissions office. When my child was looking at HS, one of them was an IB school, and I knew nothing about it so I asked her. She said admissions offices look very highly on kids in the IB Diploma Program. True, you don't get the diploma until after you've already graduated, finished the application process, etc. But she said it showed the admissions that the student could handle academic rigor

Your post sounds entirely made up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Background: High school that offers both IBDP and many AP courses. I have 2 kids that graduated with IB diplomas.

College acceptances do not vary among the students. IB does not give an edge if you are already taking a rigorous courseload.

It may differ by school, but I agree with the teacher above. TOK is universally hated and viewed as pointless. Kids who care about education would rather take another class. And one of my kids loves philosophy/is a philosophy major. Hated TOK.

It prepares students for college writing and research better than AP courses.

My personal opinion is that it is not as good for STEM. Both my kids took HL level sciences. I thought Bio was rigorous, but by taking a 2 year bio class, students often skipped physics or doubled up on science (which can be tough given HS requirements) or took over the summer. HL physics (at least the one offered at our school) is not calc based.

This.

If you opt for diploma then you’re saddled with TOK, community activity and extended essay, when instead you could be taking real courses that align with your interests. Two years for an advanced course is too long, and I don’t think there are many students that can handle an HL/AP level class over the summer. IB HL Physics is indeed not calculus based and it’s not that useful for kids interested in engineering majors.

I’d skip IBDP to take more rigorous classes, either more HL, AP or for math DE.

I don't know what this means. IBDP requires at least 3 HL classes, many of which straddle 2 years. Also, in some schools (like my kid's), the IBDP path includes AP courses starting from 9th grade.

The IBDP really doesn't start until 11th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Background: High school that offers both IBDP and many AP courses. I have 2 kids that graduated with IB diplomas.

College acceptances do not vary among the students. IB does not give an edge if you are already taking a rigorous courseload.

It may differ by school, but I agree with the teacher above. TOK is universally hated and viewed as pointless. Kids who care about education would rather take another class. And one of my kids loves philosophy/is a philosophy major. Hated TOK.

It prepares students for college writing and research better than AP courses.

My personal opinion is that it is not as good for STEM. Both my kids took HL level sciences. I thought Bio was rigorous, but by taking a 2 year bio class, students often skipped physics or doubled up on science (which can be tough given HS requirements) or took over the summer. HL physics (at least the one offered at our school) is not calc based.

This.

If you opt for diploma then you’re saddled with TOK, community activity and extended essay, when instead you could be taking real courses that align with your interests. Two years for an advanced course is too long, and I don’t think there are many students that can handle an HL/AP level class over the summer. IB HL Physics is indeed not calculus based and it’s not that useful for kids interested in engineering majors.

I’d skip IBDP to take more rigorous classes, either more HL, AP or for math DE.

It really does depend on your student. These classes and requirements termed a chore by this poster, were beneficial and enjoyable to my student.

Look at the course content and ask around about the teachers and I think your student can make a determination if it aligns with their interests.

[Anonymous]

My student had to pick up some activities and such to fulfill the IB CAS requirement, and I think that made them a more interesting applicant. They had the grades and the scores and got into their first choice school, so not sure if it made a difference? Either way, no complaints about full IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Background: High school that offers both IBDP and many AP courses. I have 2 kids that graduated with IB diplomas.

College acceptances do not vary among the students. IB does not give an edge if you are already taking a rigorous courseload.

It may differ by school, but I agree with the teacher above. TOK is universally hated and viewed as pointless. Kids who care about education would rather take another class. And one of my kids loves philosophy/is a philosophy major. Hated TOK.

It prepares students for college writing and research better than AP courses.

My personal opinion is that it is not as good for STEM. Both my kids took HL level sciences. I thought Bio was rigorous, but by taking a 2 year bio class, students often skipped physics or doubled up on science (which can be tough given HS requirements) or took over the summer. HL physics (at least the one offered at our school) is not calc based.

This.

If you opt for diploma then you’re saddled with TOK, community activity and extended essay, when instead you could be taking real courses that align with your interests. Two years for an advanced course is too long, and I don’t think there are many students that can handle an HL/AP level class over the summer. IB HL Physics is indeed not calculus based and it’s not that useful for kids interested in engineering majors.

I’d skip IBDP to take more rigorous classes, either more HL, AP or for math DE.

It really does depend on your student. These classes and requirements termed a chore by this poster, were beneficial and enjoyable to my student.

Look at the course content and ask around about the teachers and I think your student can make a determination if it aligns with their interests.

I would add that the writing requirements are challenging. It is difficult to produce a good piece of writing but it is a skill that only improves with practice. It is very good preparation for college work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Background: High school that offers both IBDP and many AP courses. I have 2 kids that graduated with IB diplomas.

College acceptances do not vary among the students. IB does not give an edge if you are already taking a rigorous courseload.

It may differ by school, but I agree with the teacher above. TOK is universally hated and viewed as pointless. Kids who care about education would rather take another class. And one of my kids loves philosophy/is a philosophy major. Hated TOK.

It prepares students for college writing and research better than AP courses.

My personal opinion is that it is not as good for STEM. Both my kids took HL level sciences. I thought Bio was rigorous, but by taking a 2 year bio class, students often skipped physics or doubled up on science (which can be tough given HS requirements) or took over the summer. HL physics (at least the one offered at our school) is not calc based.

This.

If you opt for diploma then you’re saddled with TOK, community activity and extended essay, when instead you could be taking real courses that align with your interests. Two years for an advanced course is too long, and I don’t think there are many students that can handle an HL/AP level class over the summer. IB HL Physics is indeed not calculus based and it’s not that useful for kids interested in engineering majors.

I’d skip IBDP to take more rigorous classes, either more HL, AP or for math DE.

I don't know what this means. IBDP requires at least 3 HL classes, many of which straddle 2 years. Also, in some schools (like my kid's), the IBDP path includes AP courses starting from 9th grade.

The IBDP really doesn't start until 11th grade.

It means that instead of taking IB diploma classes like TOK, don’t pursue DP and take more HL science, and dual enrollment math like Multivariable if you’re interested in a stem major. If the school offers also AP classes, great, you have more options to choose from, like AP Chemistry, calculus based AP Physics C, which have the added benefit of taking only one year instead of 2 years like an HL class.

For someone interested in engineering it’s a no brainer to choose calculus physics instead of TOK and extended essay.

It’s more nuanced for humanities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Background: High school that offers both IBDP and many AP courses. I have 2 kids that graduated with IB diplomas.

College acceptances do not vary among the students. IB does not give an edge if you are already taking a rigorous courseload.

It may differ by school, but I agree with the teacher above. TOK is universally hated and viewed as pointless. Kids who care about education would rather take another class. And one of my kids loves philosophy/is a philosophy major. Hated TOK.

It prepares students for college writing and research better than AP courses.

My personal opinion is that it is not as good for STEM. Both my kids took HL level sciences. I thought Bio was rigorous, but by taking a 2 year bio class, students often skipped physics or doubled up on science (which can be tough given HS requirements) or took over the summer. HL physics (at least the one offered at our school) is not calc based.

This.

If you opt for diploma then you’re saddled with TOK, community activity and extended essay, when instead you could be taking real courses that align with your interests. Two years for an advanced course is too long, and I don’t think there are many students that can handle an HL/AP level class over the summer. IB HL Physics is indeed not calculus based and it’s not that useful for kids interested in engineering majors.

I’d skip IBDP to take more rigorous classes, either more HL, AP or for math DE.

It really does depend on your student. These classes and requirements termed a chore by this poster, were beneficial and enjoyable to my student.

Look at the course content and ask around about the teachers and I think your student can make a determination if it aligns with their interests.

I would add that the writing requirements are challenging. It is difficult to produce a good piece of writing but it is a skill that only improves with practice. It is very good preparation for college work.

I may be in minority but I am not impressed with the writing in IB, especially the internal assessments and extended essays for math and sciences. Too much of a one size fits all so kids end up writing absolutely everything like it’s a humanities essay. ChatGPT on what should go in la lab report and you’re light years ahead of IB writing. It’s really sad how bad it is.