Is the IB diploma worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s common for advanced students in math to forgo the IB diploma and take dual enrollment math classes instead. Anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to have an adverse impact.

Agreed, my son does not find IB HL Analysis difficult compared to AP Calc BC

Advanced courses past Math HL are not going to help that much for admissions, but are better that doing the diploma.

Does anyone know if post IB classes get college credit? RMIB has a class called IB Multivariable Calculus, and I’m wondering if it’s worth taking it vs going to community college for dual enrollment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all the talk about how AOs are impressed by IBDP and the very challenging work, most admission results from IB schools are underwhelming, in particular for IB only schools. Some kids from IB magnet do fine, but even there, kids with 4.0 UW GPA, Multivariable, and an assortment of IB and AP classes, end up at UMD in the end. Maybe they weren’t stellar to begin with, but it just feels they would have done better in other settings.

Their mom comes back to report they were “well prepared for college” and “college was easy by comparison”. It’s UMD, and most kids of that caliber end up at more competitive colleges to begin with, where they’re challenged.

Many exceptional Maryland kids attend UMD for exactly the same reason many exceptional Virginia kids attend UVA: the state flagship has huge bang for the buck. They got into "more competitive" colleges that cost 2-3x as much as the state flagship and decided that wasn't worth it. Not every kid has a family that is willing or able to pay $90k+ a year for college.

You will note that 80% of the kids at UMD who submitted scores had SATs of 1400-1600 and it's very clear those kids could have gone "somewhere better".

Sneering at IB kids who go to UMD is simply ignorant.

They are good kids, but not exceptional, which means that are an exception in their cohort, like one or maybe two kids in their cohort. You don’t go to UMD, a top 50-100 school, and be exceptional at the same time. An SAT score of 1400 in the test optional era, is not that impressive.

Look, UMD only lists the SAT scores by 1400-1600, but anyone with a grain of common sense (ie not you) will realize that if 80% of the kids are in that group, then there are a LOT of kids who are well over 1500, which is exceptional. And yes, exceptional kids do indeed go to UMD and UVA. Your snobbery is idiotic.

+1,000. I couldn’t have said it better myself. There are exceptional kids at all sorts of colleges. Ivies by no means have a monopoly on this. And no, my kid doesn’t attend UMD, and I don’t even live in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s common for advanced students in math to forgo the IB diploma and take dual enrollment math classes instead. Anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to have an adverse impact.

Agreed, my son does not find IB HL Analysis difficult compared to AP Calc BC

Advanced courses past Math HL are not going to help that much for admissions, but are better that doing the diploma.

Does anyone know if post IB classes get college credit? RMIB has a class called IB Multivariable Calculus, and I’m wondering if it’s worth taking it vs going to community college for dual enrollment.

My kid did RMIB a few years ago. Took IB HL math, AP BC calc, and MVC. Teacher is awesome. DC is a math major and said Goetz is the best math teacher they ever had.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s common for advanced students in math to forgo the IB diploma and take dual enrollment math classes instead. Anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to have an adverse impact.

Agreed, my son does not find IB HL Analysis difficult compared to AP Calc BC

Advanced courses past Math HL are not going to help that much for admissions, but are better that doing the diploma.

Does anyone know if post IB classes get college credit? RMIB has a class called IB Multivariable Calculus, and I’m wondering if it’s worth taking it vs going to community college for dual enrollment.

colleges do give credit for IB HL if they get a score of 5 to 7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all the talk about how AOs are impressed by IBDP and the very challenging work, most admission results from IB schools are underwhelming, in particular for IB only schools. Some kids from IB magnet do fine, but even there, kids with 4.0 UW GPA, Multivariable, and an assortment of IB and AP classes, end up at UMD in the end. Maybe they weren’t stellar to begin with, but it just feels they would have done better in other settings.

Their mom comes back to report they were “well prepared for college” and “college was easy by comparison”. It’s UMD, and most kids of that caliber end up at more competitive colleges to begin with, where they’re challenged.

Many exceptional Maryland kids attend UMD for exactly the same reason many exceptional Virginia kids attend UVA: the state flagship has huge bang for the buck. They got into "more competitive" colleges that cost 2-3x as much as the state flagship and decided that wasn't worth it. Not every kid has a family that is willing or able to pay $90k+ a year for college.

You will note that 80% of the kids at UMD who submitted scores had SATs of 1400-1600 and it's very clear those kids could have gone "somewhere better".

Sneering at IB kids who go to UMD is simply ignorant.

They are good kids, but not exceptional, which means that are an exception in their cohort, like one or maybe two kids in their cohort. You don’t go to UMD, a top 50-100 school, and be exceptional at the same time. An SAT score of 1400 in the test optional era, is not that impressive.

Look, UMD only lists the SAT scores by 1400-1600, but anyone with a grain of common sense (ie not you) will realize that if 80% of the kids are in that group, then there are a LOT of kids who are well over 1500, which is exceptional. And yes, exceptional kids do indeed go to UMD and UVA. Your snobbery is idiotic.

Listen, UMD is respectable, with decent engineering programs, but don’t argue it’s on par with top schools just because your kid goes there, and you dug up narrowly curated statistics to prove your point. It’s a third or fourth tier school and that’s totally fine, it’s what you do with the opportunity you have.

UMD for CS is top 20.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s common for advanced students in math to forgo the IB diploma and take dual enrollment math classes instead. Anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to have an adverse impact.

Agreed, my son does not find IB HL Analysis difficult compared to AP Calc BC

My math major kid said IB HL is "harder" in that you have to know more content. But then, DC finds calculus super easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all the talk about how AOs are impressed by IBDP and the very challenging work, most admission results from IB schools are underwhelming, in particular for IB only schools. Some kids from IB magnet do fine, but even there, kids with 4.0 UW GPA, Multivariable, and an assortment of IB and AP classes, end up at UMD in the end. Maybe they weren’t stellar to begin with, but it just feels they would have done better in other settings.

Their mom comes back to report they were “well prepared for college” and “college was easy by comparison”. It’s UMD, and most kids of that caliber end up at more competitive colleges to begin with, where they’re challenged.

This. The worst is when promising kids sacrifice their interest for the IB diploma and for a high gpa. Like when a kid enters high school in Algebra 2, works hard to do AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Computer Computer Science, before the IBDP years, then taps out and takes the easy way out with IB HL Math, IB HL Physics and IB Computer Science. Because they want to keep their goa ant 4.0 are led to believe the IB Diploma is worth something as a stamp of being well rounded, and a seal for “critical thinking, analysis and writing” total bs.

Of course despite the 4.0, and the many doubled up advanced classes (AP and IB) they won’t do better than UMD, because the upper tier colleges want to see the student challenged themselves in high school, and didn’t just grade grub easy As.

If you sacrifice your interest and passion for the IBDP, then no, the diploma is not worth it.

You think IB HL Math and IB HL Physics are easy? You are hilariously ignorant. Opinion disregarded.

As for "sacrifice your interest and passion" what are you babbling about? lmao. Most of the IB classes are in core subjects (English, math, science, language) that you have to take anyway, you're not sacrificing anything to do that.

IB Math and Physics are similar to introductory first year classes albeit taught at slow pace of one semester per year if even that. Math doesn’t even cover the entire Calculus 1&2 and Physics is Algebra based. Go figure! They are not that hard, literally over one million take them each year. But when your degree is in French medieval literature, then it makes total sense why you believe they’re hard.

Also taking AP Physics first, then IB Physics HL is grade grubbing. Or doing the same trick with computer science. It’s the same material, it shouldn’t even be allowed since they are duplicate courses. But, yeah, that’s what “exceptional” students do.

Someone that has no interest in foreign language or silly subjects like TOK, CAS, but still takes them to get the diploma, is sacrificing their interest for a worthless piece of paper that nobody cares about.

Is that even possible? I’ve never heard of anyone doing this, what would be the point? They get credit for the same classes anyways. I doubt the high school counselor would even approve it.

UC Berkeley specifically say it’s duplicative work.

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/ap-exam-credits/#:~:text=Duplication%20with%20college%20courses,will%20award%20credit%20only%20once.

The point is to maintain a 4.0 gpa at all costs, challenging yourself and intellectual growth be damned. You’re shooting yourself in the foot, because you’re on auto reject at top colleges, but at least you’re feeling good about your grades.

Lower ranked colleges like UMD will give different credit to those classes, even if it’s essentially the same content.

The proud mom will post on DCUM that her 4.0 RMIB grad went to college with a year worth of credits and dual majored in math and computer science in three years. While not untrue, it’s gaming the system to some degree, with duplicate credit in Math, Physics, computer science and English.

Needless to say it will never work at any top 30 college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s common for advanced students in math to forgo the IB diploma and take dual enrollment math classes instead. Anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to have an adverse impact.

Agreed, my son does not find IB HL Analysis difficult compared to AP Calc BC

Advanced courses past Math HL are not going to help that much for admissions, but are better that doing the diploma.

Does anyone know if post IB classes get college credit? RMIB has a class called IB Multivariable Calculus, and I’m wondering if it’s worth taking it vs going to community college for dual enrollment.

My kid did RMIB a few years ago. Took IB HL math, AP BC calc, and MVC. Teacher is awesome. DC is a math major and said Goetz is the best math teacher they ever had.

I am asking specifically if the RMIB multivariable calculus (MVC) class gets any college credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all the talk about how AOs are impressed by IBDP and the very challenging work, most admission results from IB schools are underwhelming, in particular for IB only schools. Some kids from IB magnet do fine, but even there, kids with 4.0 UW GPA, Multivariable, and an assortment of IB and AP classes, end up at UMD in the end. Maybe they weren’t stellar to begin with, but it just feels they would have done better in other settings.

Their mom comes back to report they were “well prepared for college” and “college was easy by comparison”. It’s UMD, and most kids of that caliber end up at more competitive colleges to begin with, where they’re challenged.

Many exceptional Maryland kids attend UMD for exactly the same reason many exceptional Virginia kids attend UVA: the state flagship has huge bang for the buck. They got into "more competitive" colleges that cost 2-3x as much as the state flagship and decided that wasn't worth it. Not every kid has a family that is willing or able to pay $90k+ a year for college.

You will note that 80% of the kids at UMD who submitted scores had SATs of 1400-1600 and it's very clear those kids could have gone "somewhere better".

Sneering at IB kids who go to UMD is simply ignorant.

They are good kids, but not exceptional, which means that are an exception in their cohort, like one or maybe two kids in their cohort. You don’t go to UMD, a top 50-100 school, and be exceptional at the same time. An SAT score of 1400 in the test optional era, is not that impressive.

Look, UMD only lists the SAT scores by 1400-1600, but anyone with a grain of common sense (ie not you) will realize that if 80% of the kids are in that group, then there are a LOT of kids who are well over 1500, which is exceptional. And yes, exceptional kids do indeed go to UMD and UVA. Your snobbery is idiotic.

Listen, UMD is respectable, with decent engineering programs, but don’t argue it’s on par with top schools just because your kid goes there, and you dug up narrowly curated statistics to prove your point. It’s a third or fourth tier school and that’s totally fine, it’s what you do with the opportunity you have.

UMD for CS is top 20.

Every CS major I know at UMD was shut out of T-15/20 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s common for advanced students in math to forgo the IB diploma and take dual enrollment math classes instead. Anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to have an adverse impact.

Agreed, my son does not find IB HL Analysis difficult compared to AP Calc BC

Advanced courses past Math HL are not going to help that much for admissions, but are better that doing the diploma.

Does anyone know if post IB classes get college credit? RMIB has a class called IB Multivariable Calculus, and I’m wondering if it’s worth taking it vs going to community college for dual enrollment.

My kid did RMIB a few years ago. Took IB HL math, AP BC calc, and MVC. Teacher is awesome. DC is a math major and said Goetz is the best math teacher they ever had.

I am asking specifically if the RMIB multivariable calculus (MVC) class gets any college credit.

Depends on the school. Most elite schools don’t give IB credit, but it would inform placement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s common for advanced students in math to forgo the IB diploma and take dual enrollment math classes instead. Anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to have an adverse impact.

Agreed, my son does not find IB HL Analysis difficult compared to AP Calc BC

Advanced courses past Math HL are not going to help that much for admissions, but are better that doing the diploma.

Does anyone know if post IB classes get college credit? RMIB has a class called IB Multivariable Calculus, and I’m wondering if it’s worth taking it vs going to community college for dual enrollment.

My kid did RMIB a few years ago. Took IB HL math, AP BC calc, and MVC. Teacher is awesome. DC is a math major and said Goetz is the best math teacher they ever had.

I am asking specifically if the RMIB multivariable calculus (MVC) class gets any college credit.

Depends on the school. Most elite schools don’t give IB credit, but it would inform placement.

Of course, but I’m asking in state for UMD. They do accept MCCC classes, and I’m wondering if IB MVC is considered dual enrollment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all the talk about how AOs are impressed by IBDP and the very challenging work, most admission results from IB schools are underwhelming, in particular for IB only schools. Some kids from IB magnet do fine, but even there, kids with 4.0 UW GPA, Multivariable, and an assortment of IB and AP classes, end up at UMD in the end. Maybe they weren’t stellar to begin with, but it just feels they would have done better in other settings.

Their mom comes back to report they were “well prepared for college” and “college was easy by comparison”. It’s UMD, and most kids of that caliber end up at more competitive colleges to begin with, where they’re challenged.

This. The worst is when promising kids sacrifice their interest for the IB diploma and for a high gpa. Like when a kid enters high school in Algebra 2, works hard to do AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Computer Computer Science, before the IBDP years, then taps out and takes the easy way out with IB HL Math, IB HL Physics and IB Computer Science. Because they want to keep their goa ant 4.0 are led to believe the IB Diploma is worth something as a stamp of being well rounded, and a seal for “critical thinking, analysis and writing” total bs.

Of course despite the 4.0, and the many doubled up advanced classes (AP and IB) they won’t do better than UMD, because the upper tier colleges want to see the student challenged themselves in high school, and didn’t just grade grub easy As.

If you sacrifice your interest and passion for the IBDP, then no, the diploma is not worth it.

You think IB HL Math and IB HL Physics are easy? You are hilariously ignorant. Opinion disregarded.

As for "sacrifice your interest and passion" what are you babbling about? lmao. Most of the IB classes are in core subjects (English, math, science, language) that you have to take anyway, you're not sacrificing anything to do that.

IB Math and Physics are similar to introductory first year classes albeit taught at slow pace of one semester per year if even that. Math doesn’t even cover the entire Calculus 1&2 and Physics is Algebra based. Go figure! They are not that hard, literally over one million take them each year. But when your degree is in French medieval literature, then it makes total sense why you believe they’re hard.

Also taking AP Physics first, then IB Physics HL is grade grubbing. Or doing the same trick with computer science. It’s the same material, it shouldn’t even be allowed since they are duplicate courses. But, yeah, that’s what “exceptional” students do.

Someone that has no interest in foreign language or silly subjects like TOK, CAS, but still takes them to get the diploma, is sacrificing their interest for a worthless piece of paper that nobody cares about.

Is that even possible? I’ve never heard of anyone doing this, what would be the point? They get credit for the same classes anyways. I doubt the high school counselor would even approve it.

UC Berkeley specifically say it’s duplicative work.

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/ap-exam-credits/#:~:text=Duplication%20with%20college%20courses,will%20award%20credit%20only%20once.

I’ve read on different forums about doing IB Physics first, and then AP Physics because it’s calculus based, but in general people agree it’s a bad idea because of the overlap.

Doing AP Physics first, then IB Physics HL part of the Diploma is quite dumb. It makes no sense and surely is a major red flag for admissions, especially if you do the same with computer science.

It’s more acceptable to take AP Calculus BC and then do Math HL AA as part of the Diploma because there are some differences, but as others said, students often just go on to do dual enrollment in math instead and don’t pursue DP.

Taking a high school level class, then the AP/HL class is fine since they are considered prerequisites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s common for advanced students in math to forgo the IB diploma and take dual enrollment math classes instead. Anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to have an adverse impact.

Agreed, my son does not find IB HL Analysis difficult compared to AP Calc BC

Advanced courses past Math HL are not going to help that much for admissions, but are better that doing the diploma.

Does anyone know if post IB classes get college credit? RMIB has a class called IB Multivariable Calculus, and I’m wondering if it’s worth taking it vs going to community college for dual enrollment.

My kid did RMIB a few years ago. Took IB HL math, AP BC calc, and MVC. Teacher is awesome. DC is a math major and said Goetz is the best math teacher they ever had.

I am asking specifically if the RMIB multivariable calculus (MVC) class gets any college credit.

Depends on the school. Most elite schools don’t give IB credit, but it would inform placement.

Of course, but I’m asking in state for UMD. They do accept MCCC classes, and I’m wondering if IB MVC is considered dual enrollment.

UMD will accept if the student passes the UMD MVC exam, which my kid did. MVC is really not an IB class, though for some reason, they have it tagged that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all the talk about how AOs are impressed by IBDP and the very challenging work, most admission results from IB schools are underwhelming, in particular for IB only schools. Some kids from IB magnet do fine, but even there, kids with 4.0 UW GPA, Multivariable, and an assortment of IB and AP classes, end up at UMD in the end. Maybe they weren’t stellar to begin with, but it just feels they would have done better in other settings.

Their mom comes back to report they were “well prepared for college” and “college was easy by comparison”. It’s UMD, and most kids of that caliber end up at more competitive colleges to begin with, where they’re challenged.

This. The worst is when promising kids sacrifice their interest for the IB diploma and for a high gpa. Like when a kid enters high school in Algebra 2, works hard to do AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Computer Computer Science, before the IBDP years, then taps out and takes the easy way out with IB HL Math, IB HL Physics and IB Computer Science. Because they want to keep their goa ant 4.0 are led to believe the IB Diploma is worth something as a stamp of being well rounded, and a seal for “critical thinking, analysis and writing” total bs.

Of course despite the 4.0, and the many doubled up advanced classes (AP and IB) they won’t do better than UMD, because the upper tier colleges want to see the student challenged themselves in high school, and didn’t just grade grub easy As.

If you sacrifice your interest and passion for the IBDP, then no, the diploma is not worth it.

You think IB HL Math and IB HL Physics are easy? You are hilariously ignorant. Opinion disregarded.

As for "sacrifice your interest and passion" what are you babbling about? lmao. Most of the IB classes are in core subjects (English, math, science, language) that you have to take anyway, you're not sacrificing anything to do that.

IB Math and Physics are similar to introductory first year classes albeit taught at slow pace of one semester per year if even that. Math doesn’t even cover the entire Calculus 1&2 and Physics is Algebra based. Go figure! They are not that hard, literally over one million take them each year. But when your degree is in French medieval literature, then it makes total sense why you believe they’re hard.

Also taking AP Physics first, then IB Physics HL is grade grubbing. Or doing the same trick with computer science. It’s the same material, it shouldn’t even be allowed since they are duplicate courses. But, yeah, that’s what “exceptional” students do.

Someone that has no interest in foreign language or silly subjects like TOK, CAS, but still takes them to get the diploma, is sacrificing their interest for a worthless piece of paper that nobody cares about.

Is that even possible? I’ve never heard of anyone doing this, what would be the point? They get credit for the same classes anyways. I doubt the high school counselor would even approve it.

UC Berkeley specifically say it’s duplicative work.

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/ap-exam-credits/#:~:text=Duplication%20with%20college%20courses,will%20award%20credit%20only%20once.

I’ve read on different forums about doing IB Physics first, and then AP Physics because it’s calculus based, but in general people agree it’s a bad idea because of the overlap.

Doing AP Physics first, then IB Physics HL part of the Diploma is quite dumb. It makes no sense and surely is a major red flag for admissions, especially if you do the same with computer science.

It’s more acceptable to take AP Calculus BC and then do Math HL AA as part of the Diploma because there are some differences, but as others said, students often just go on to do dual enrollment in math instead and don’t pursue DP.

Taking a high school level class, then the AP/HL class is fine since they are considered prerequisites.

At RMIB, the IBDP kids take IB physics HL, then self study for AP physics, as well as take IB physics exam. They are two different physics exams -- and some colleges will give you credit for both, which covers two types of physics classes. My kid is a STEM major, so that helped DC.

BTW, my kid took AP BC calc, IB HL math and MVC, passed all exams with the highest scores, and got credit for 4 math classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all the talk about how AOs are impressed by IBDP and the very challenging work, most admission results from IB schools are underwhelming, in particular for IB only schools. Some kids from IB magnet do fine, but even there, kids with 4.0 UW GPA, Multivariable, and an assortment of IB and AP classes, end up at UMD in the end. Maybe they weren’t stellar to begin with, but it just feels they would have done better in other settings.

Their mom comes back to report they were “well prepared for college” and “college was easy by comparison”. It’s UMD, and most kids of that caliber end up at more competitive colleges to begin with, where they’re challenged.

Many exceptional Maryland kids attend UMD for exactly the same reason many exceptional Virginia kids attend UVA: the state flagship has huge bang for the buck. They got into "more competitive" colleges that cost 2-3x as much as the state flagship and decided that wasn't worth it. Not every kid has a family that is willing or able to pay $90k+ a year for college.

You will note that 80% of the kids at UMD who submitted scores had SATs of 1400-1600 and it's very clear those kids could have gone "somewhere better".

Sneering at IB kids who go to UMD is simply ignorant.

They are good kids, but not exceptional, which means that are an exception in their cohort, like one or maybe two kids in their cohort. You don’t go to UMD, a top 50-100 school, and be exceptional at the same time. An SAT score of 1400 in the test optional era, is not that impressive.

Look, UMD only lists the SAT scores by 1400-1600, but anyone with a grain of common sense (ie not you) will realize that if 80% of the kids are in that group, then there are a LOT of kids who are well over 1500, which is exceptional. And yes, exceptional kids do indeed go to UMD and UVA. Your snobbery is idiotic.

Listen, UMD is respectable, with decent engineering programs, but don’t argue it’s on par with top schools just because your kid goes there, and you dug up narrowly curated statistics to prove your point. It’s a third or fourth tier school and that’s totally fine, it’s what you do with the opportunity you have.

I did not argue "it's on a par with top schools".

My kid does not go there.

I argued that some top kids go there even though it is not a "top school".

I'm sorry you are too stupid to understand this elementary point.