IB Program : college choice?

[Anonymous]

DS is currently enrolled in IB program at Marshall HS. We don't know much about it and are curious what would his college choices be like? Have any of your kids gone to Marshall IB or similar programs and where did they end up going to college?

With the coursework load, I am starting to question if it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

Are IB classes open to all comers? At W-L, anyone can take an IB class, even if not enrolled in the IB program. This means that my DS can take advantage of the in-depth study in the areas that interest him but avoid slogging through the entire curriculum. And it definitely can be a slog. I do think colleges look highly on the IB diploma, but don't have any stats to back that up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are IB classes open to all comers? At W-L, anyone can take an IB class, even if not enrolled in the IB program. This means that my DS can take advantage of the in-depth study in the areas that interest him but avoid slogging through the entire curriculum. And it definitely can be a slog. I do think colleges look highly on the IB diploma, but don't have any stats to back that up.

Yes, at least at Marshall. It's open enrollment, and they are pretty good about letting kids get their feet wet and decide if they want to stay in a pre-IB or IB course.

You don't know if you're receiving an IB diploma until after you graduate from HS, but I think schools look favorably on students pursuing an IB diploma. Having said that, you can pursue an IB diploma at Marshall, have a 4.0 or higher, and end up at a school like JMU or UMW that accepts students who haven't taken many IB or AP courses and have lower GPAs if your SAT/ACT scores are not great.

I'd focus on whether the IB courses, and the writing requirements in particular, seem to be challenging your child and preparing him to write college-level essays. The admissions will take care of themselves later on.

[Anonymous]

Here's the thing. K you are taking the IB to check a box Afor college applications then I say don't bother. If you are looking to be well,prepared for college and get a good education that will put you in good stead for the future, then go for it.

[Anonymous]

IB programs by themselves don't impact a kid's college choices. IB, AP, whatever. Kids do well and go to good colleges. Unless you have a different question. A heavy course load is heavy in IB and AP.

[Anonymous]

You can see where last year's seniors are going to school in this edition of the GCM newspaper. Honestly, I don't think it was a great year in terms of placements.

http://www.rank-n-file.com/PDF/june-2013.pdf

[Anonymous]

OP here. THank you, 12:37 PP. Good to see where everyone is ending up. I have to agree,not too shabby. My niece graduated from a MCPS school, took a few AP classes and ended up at Carnegie Mellon. Her school work wasn't nearly as diverse as at Marshall's, so go figure.

I am starting to think what's the whole point of such an in-depth workload if kids end up in so-so colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are IB classes open to all comers? At W-L, anyone can take an IB class, even if not enrolled in the IB program. This means that my DS can take advantage of the in-depth study in the areas that interest him but avoid slogging through the entire curriculum. And it definitely can be a slog. I do think colleges look highly on the IB diploma, but don't have any stats to back that up.

Yes, at least at Marshall. It's open enrollment, and they are pretty good about letting kids get their feet wet and decide if they want to stay in a pre-IB or IB course.

You don't know if you're receiving an IB diploma until after you graduate from HS, but I think schools look favorably on students pursuing an IB diploma. Having said that, you can pursue an IB diploma at Marshall, have a 4.0 or higher, and end up at a school like JMU or UMW that accepts students who haven't taken many IB or AP courses and have lower GPAs if your SAT/ACT scores are not great.

I'd focus on whether the IB courses, and the writing requirements in particular, seem to be challenging your child and preparing him to write college-level essays. The admissions will take care of themselves later on.

Th same could be said for any high school, AP or IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. THank you, 12:37 PP. Good to see where everyone is ending up. I have to agree,not too shabby. My niece graduated from a MCPS school, took a few AP classes and ended up at Carnegie Mellon. Her school work wasn't nearly as diverse as at Marshall's, so go figure.

I am starting to think what's the whole point of such an in-depth workload if kids end up in so-so colleges.

You look at one year's placement and come to that conclusion?!? Hopefully, your child is a little better at research and analysis than you are or you best get used to what you refer to as "so-so" colleges.

Marshall has sent students to plenty of good colleges over the years. I currently have two kids there, and while I agree that the IB program isn't for everyone, it's a rigorous program that really does prepare students for college by teachign them how to learn and really think, not just regurgitate facts. One of my friends is a high school teacher herself and her son people-placed at Marshall because she says the secret among teachers is that IB is a better program. I don't know whether that's true or not, but I do know that IB is the status quo overseas and much more respected abroad than AP. This is an issue for us because one of my kids is thinking of going to college in Europe, so I understand that it wouldn't apply to everyone -- but you know, global world and all.

The bottom line is, as others have noted, students who do well in whatever program will be looked on favorably by good colleges. It's not how many students a school sends to a good college, but whether your child can do well enough in the program to get into a good college. If you're willing to bet on your kid, I wouldn't worry about IB or AP. You really can't game this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are IB classes open to all comers? At W-L, anyone can take an IB class, even if not enrolled in the IB program. This means that my DS can take advantage of the in-depth study in the areas that interest him but avoid slogging through the entire curriculum. And it definitely can be a slog. I do think colleges look highly on the IB diploma, but don't have any stats to back that up.

Yes, at least at Marshall. It's open enrollment, and they are pretty good about letting kids get their feet wet and decide if they want to stay in a pre-IB or IB course.

You don't know if you're receiving an IB diploma until after you graduate from HS, but I think schools look favorably on students pursuing an IB diploma. Having said that, you can pursue an IB diploma at Marshall, have a 4.0 or higher, and end up at a school like JMU or UMW that accepts students who haven't taken many IB or AP courses and have lower GPAs if your SAT/ACT scores are not great.

I'd focus on whether the IB courses, and the writing requirements in particular, seem to be challenging your child and preparing him to write college-level essays. The admissions will take care of themselves later on.

Th same could be said for any high school, AP or IB.

I totally agree. The point is that kids looking at getting an IB diploma ought to consider the intrinsic benefits (and the time commitment) rather than assume it's going to get them into a particular school.

[Anonymous]

I think that was a great selection of colleges. Marshall is not a large high school, and all those kids were probably not in the IB program. There were some very interesting choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. THank you, 12:37 PP. Good to see where everyone is ending up. I have to agree,not too shabby. My niece graduated from a MCPS school, took a few AP classes and ended up at Carnegie Mellon. Her school work wasn't nearly as diverse as at Marshall's, so go figure.

I am starting to think what's the whole point of such an in-depth workload if kids end up in so-so colleges.

I find this line of thinking to be puzzling. Is the only goal to be able to get into a USNWR top-ranked college? Does it matter what your child actually learns and accomplishes in high school, or is only the end game important?

Not to mention the fact that there are many colleges outside the USNWR top 20 that provide top-notch educations and that by the way happen to send an impressive number of students on to top graduate schools, generate an impressive number of Rhodes Scholars, etc.

And when you consider Marshall's college placement, don't forget, too, that a large share of Marshall students come from upper middle class families. Such families will get little to no financial aid at the top-ranked colleges, most of which meet close to 100% of financial need but offer zero merit aid. A top student from one of these families therefore has the following choices: She can stay in-state and pay full-price out-of-pocket (say, $25,000/year). Or she can go to a top-20 college and pay full-price, or close to it (say, $50,000/year). Or she can go to a "so-so" private or out-of-state public that wants her badly enough to give her merit aid to bring the out-of-pocket price far below $50,000/year. The difference in price between "top-rated" and "so-so" for these families may total more than $100,000. Is it any wonder that a lot of Marshall students (and their peers at other area public high schools) are choosing the "so-so" route?

[Anonymous]

Pretty sad when parents rely on a magazine to tell them which college is right for your kid.

[Anonymous]

If college choice is your concern, I don't think the IB diploma make that much difference, but if you want college credit, different colleges grant it differently. DD is at W&M and got 3 credits, but if she had gone to VA tech, she would have had 21 credits (7 classes!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty sad when parents rely on a magazine to tell them which college is right for your kid.

Employers look at those rankings in hiring so I don't think it's so sad (not OP).