Feedback on full IB in mcps

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP is oddly invested in hating on the IB program.

Yes, I find it baffling. If it's not for their kid, it's not for their kid.who cares.

Various posters: The IB program was great for my kid.

Oddly-invested poster: NO YOU'RE RONG.

Of course it was great for your kid with all those math experiments you saw with your own eyes. Proof is in the 1850, oops I mean 1580, or maybe it was 8510 SAT score.


IB poster: it worked great for my child, he wrote a 10 page paper

Other posters: how about these downside of the IBDP

IB poster: IT WORKED GREAT FOR MY CHILD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Theres a lot less flexibility since you sign up for the two year package, the courses in math and science are are less rigurous, presumably there is more writing to make up for these shrtcomings. Not sure a 10 page writeup at the end redeems all these shortcomings, and the extended essay format is somewhat artificial and awkward. Other aspects of the program like the theory of knowledge feel gimmicky, nowhere will you find anything similar. The writing preparation seems to be focusing on the quantity instead of quality, but of course it depends on school, teacher and the student.

maybe, but the TOK and EE essays are graded by the IB org.

I didn't read all of DC's papers in IBDP, but I do know that they had to do a ton of research and experiment for their EE. DC chose the EE for their IB HL math class.

IMO, this is one of the best parts of IBDP - the research and analytical writing. I don't think the AP English classes do this much writing.

I’m wondering what kind of experiment you’d do for a high level math extended essay, perhaps you’re confused about what he actually did. Undergrad math and science classes are still mostly problem sets, lab reports and exams, do these well and you’re not going to be unprepared.

The theory of knowledge essay exemplifies how inflexible the program is, the topic doesn’t strike me as so important that every student has to write a paper on it. Also not a big fan of minimum word length requirements, makes some students adopt a convoluted writing style.

The AP diploma, research and capstone, is very similar but definitely not as successful as the IB program. Either students interested in writing gravitate towards IB or when given the choice prefer a class more focused on building the knowledge base that might help them more with college admissions.

You can wonder all you want, but I read DC's paper, and saw DC do the experiments. They got a 1580 on the SAT and is studying CS, straight As in college so far.

AP classes are nothing like IB classes. DC and all of the IB kids take both AP and IB classes. How many kids do you know who self study for IB exams, and get a 7? Whereas plenty of IB students self study for AP exams and get 5s, my DC included.

Almost all IB students have stated that IB has prepared them well for college. I don't think all AP students can say the same.

You post this dribble a lot. You've never had a kid who took both AP and IB, yet you have such strong opinions on IB. Oh, that's right.. you can have opinions about something you have never experienced because you "researched" it.

Got it, you read through your child’s paper and saw the experiments he did for his HL math essay. Sorry, but there’s not much experimentation in math, bizarre that you’re posting made up stories about your child’s success.

The fact that no AP kids self study for the IB exam, while the reverse is true, is actually an argument against IB. It’s likely because the IB credit is not as widely accepted to colleges.

You can’t self-study for IB because the scores include Internal Assessments as well as the standardized exams at the end of the course. So you must take the class in order to get a score. It’s a wider range of analytical and research skills being assessed, not just regurgitation of information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the CAS do? One of the IBDP requirements? Students do not have flexibility it seems if they want to take 2 HL science classes.

This is an issue. You can have at most 4 high level classes in the IB program.

To have a strong application to a selective college for a STEM intended major, you need rigorous classes in math, physics, chemistry and biology. Hard to get all of them and then you also need to consider colleges also want to see the student taking the rigorous classes in English, foreign language, and humanities/social studies.

Agree with this. Hypothetical comparison between a student taking 4 HL classes in IBDP versus 8 AP, and it doesn’t look great for IB.

Question for people with kids that finished IB, how do you fit advanced coursework in all these subjects: math (2 years), english (2 years), physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, foreign language, history, plus a couple of electives? Roughly the equivalent of 12 AP classes that makes a student competitive for selective colleges.

The same as you would if it were AP classes, only it's IB classes.

But they would be a mix of SL and HL classes, right? My concern is that HL is comparable with AP, while SL is not and it’s more like the equivalent of an honors class so you’d be at a disadvantage in a side by side comparison.

Who says it's not?

Every college that lists what credit equivalence is given for IB and AP classes.

Here’s one:
https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/advising-student-handbook/ap-ib-transfer

This is what Stanford says:
Only higher-level IB exams of the scores and subjects listed below are eligible for undergraduate units. Standard-level (SL) subject tests are not accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Theres a lot less flexibility since you sign up for the two year package, the courses in math and science are are less rigurous, presumably there is more writing to make up for these shrtcomings. Not sure a 10 page writeup at the end redeems all these shortcomings, and the extended essay format is somewhat artificial and awkward. Other aspects of the program like the theory of knowledge feel gimmicky, nowhere will you find anything similar. The writing preparation seems to be focusing on the quantity instead of quality, but of course it depends on school, teacher and the student.

maybe, but the TOK and EE essays are graded by the IB org.

I didn't read all of DC's papers in IBDP, but I do know that they had to do a ton of research and experiment for their EE. DC chose the EE for their IB HL math class.

IMO, this is one of the best parts of IBDP - the research and analytical writing. I don't think the AP English classes do this much writing.

I’m wondering what kind of experiment you’d do for a high level math extended essay, perhaps you’re confused about what he actually did. Undergrad math and science classes are still mostly problem sets, lab reports and exams, do these well and you’re not going to be unprepared.

The theory of knowledge essay exemplifies how inflexible the program is, the topic doesn’t strike me as so important that every student has to write a paper on it. Also not a big fan of minimum word length requirements, makes some students adopt a convoluted writing style.

The AP diploma, research and capstone, is very similar but definitely not as successful as the IB program. Either students interested in writing gravitate towards IB or when given the choice prefer a class more focused on building the knowledge base that might help them more with college admissions.

You can wonder all you want, but I read DC's paper, and saw DC do the experiments. They got a 1580 on the SAT and is studying CS, straight As in college so far.

AP classes are nothing like IB classes. DC and all of the IB kids take both AP and IB classes. How many kids do you know who self study for IB exams, and get a 7? Whereas plenty of IB students self study for AP exams and get 5s, my DC included.

Almost all IB students have stated that IB has prepared them well for college. I don't think all AP students can say the same.

You post this dribble a lot. You've never had a kid who took both AP and IB, yet you have such strong opinions on IB. Oh, that's right.. you can have opinions about something you have never experienced because you "researched" it.

Got it, you read through your child’s paper and saw the experiments he did for his HL math essay. Sorry, but there’s not much experimentation in math, bizarre that you’re posting made up stories about your child’s success.

The fact that no AP kids self study for the IB exam, while the reverse is true, is actually an argument against IB. It’s likely because the IB credit is not as widely accepted to colleges.

You can’t self-study for IB because the scores include Internal Assessments as well as the standardized exams at the end of the course. So you must take the class in order to get a score. It’s a wider range of analytical and research skills being assessed, not just regurgitation of information.

You didn’t understand the point, if IB is that great, why also take the equivalent AP exam? Again, it’s because IB credit is not as widely accepted to colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the CAS do? One of the IBDP requirements? Students do not have flexibility it seems if they want to take 2 HL science classes.

This is an issue. You can have at most 4 high level classes in the IB program.

To have a strong application to a selective college for a STEM intended major, you need rigorous classes in math, physics, chemistry and biology. Hard to get all of them and then you also need to consider colleges also want to see the student taking the rigorous classes in English, foreign language, and humanities/social studies.

Agree with this. Hypothetical comparison between a student taking 4 HL classes in IBDP versus 8 AP, and it doesn’t look great for IB.

Question for people with kids that finished IB, how do you fit advanced coursework in all these subjects: math (2 years), english (2 years), physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, foreign language, history, plus a couple of electives? Roughly the equivalent of 12 AP classes that makes a student competitive for selective colleges.

The same as you would if it were AP classes, only it's IB classes.

But they would be a mix of SL and HL classes, right? My concern is that HL is comparable with AP, while SL is not and it’s more like the equivalent of an honors class so you’d be at a disadvantage in a side by side comparison.

Who says it's not?

Every college that lists what credit equivalence is given for IB and AP classes.

Here’s one:
https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/advising-student-handbook/ap-ib-transfer

This is what Stanford says:
Only higher-level IB exams of the scores and subjects listed below are eligible for undergraduate units. Standard-level (SL) subject tests are not accepted.

Another example for Princeton:

https://advising.princeton.edu/placement/advanced-placement/ap-table-class-2027

Regarding AP vs IB equivalence, Princeton says:
Note that a score 7 on the IB (higher level) or a grade of A on the completed British A-level is considered the equivalent of a score of 5 on the AP test in most subjects; a score of 6 on the IB (higher level) or a grade of B on the completed British A-level is considered the equivalent of a score of 4 on the AP test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the CAS do? One of the IBDP requirements? Students do not have flexibility it seems if they want to take 2 HL science classes.

This is an issue. You can have at most 4 high level classes in the IB program.

To have a strong application to a selective college for a STEM intended major, you need rigorous classes in math, physics, chemistry and biology. Hard to get all of them and then you also need to consider colleges also want to see the student taking the rigorous classes in English, foreign language, and humanities/social studies.

Agree with this. Hypothetical comparison between a student taking 4 HL classes in IBDP versus 8 AP, and it doesn’t look great for IB.

Question for people with kids that finished IB, how do you fit advanced coursework in all these subjects: math (2 years), english (2 years), physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, foreign language, history, plus a couple of electives? Roughly the equivalent of 12 AP classes that makes a student competitive for selective colleges.

The same as you would if it were AP classes, only it's IB classes.

But they would be a mix of SL and HL classes, right? My concern is that HL is comparable with AP, while SL is not and it’s more like the equivalent of an honors class so you’d be at a disadvantage in a side by side comparison.

Who says it's not?

Every college that lists what credit equivalence is given for IB and AP classes.

Here’s one:
https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/advising-student-handbook/ap-ib-transfer

This is what Stanford says:
Only higher-level IB exams of the scores and subjects listed below are eligible for undergraduate units. Standard-level (SL) subject tests are not accepted.

Are you asking about college admissions, or about college credits? Because they're not the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the CAS do? One of the IBDP requirements? Students do not have flexibility it seems if they want to take 2 HL science classes.

This is an issue. You can have at most 4 high level classes in the IB program.

To have a strong application to a selective college for a STEM intended major, you need rigorous classes in math, physics, chemistry and biology. Hard to get all of them and then you also need to consider colleges also want to see the student taking the rigorous classes in English, foreign language, and humanities/social studies.

Agree with this. Hypothetical comparison between a student taking 4 HL classes in IBDP versus 8 AP, and it doesn’t look great for IB.

Question for people with kids that finished IB, how do you fit advanced coursework in all these subjects: math (2 years), english (2 years), physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, foreign language, history, plus a couple of electives? Roughly the equivalent of 12 AP classes that makes a student competitive for selective colleges.

The same as you would if it were AP classes, only it's IB classes.

But they would be a mix of SL and HL classes, right? My concern is that HL is comparable with AP, while SL is not and it’s more like the equivalent of an honors class so you’d be at a disadvantage in a side by side comparison.

Who says it's not?

Every college that lists what credit equivalence is given for IB and AP classes.

Here’s one:
https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/advising-student-handbook/ap-ib-transfer

This is what Stanford says:
Only higher-level IB exams of the scores and subjects listed below are eligible for undergraduate units. Standard-level (SL) subject tests are not accepted.

Are you asking about college admissions, or about college credits? Because they're not the same thing.

The links show how these colleges view the rigor AP and IB classes compared to their own offerings.

But sure, you can tell yourself it’s only for credit and it has no bearing on admissions. By that logic, why even submit the scores as part of the college application, when you can just submit them only if you want the credit?

[Anonymous]

Any of your DC have an IEP, 504 and took full IB?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the CAS do? One of the IBDP requirements? Students do not have flexibility it seems if they want to take 2 HL science classes.

This is an issue. You can have at most 4 high level classes in the IB program.

To have a strong application to a selective college for a STEM intended major, you need rigorous classes in math, physics, chemistry and biology. Hard to get all of them and then you also need to consider colleges also want to see the student taking the rigorous classes in English, foreign language, and humanities/social studies.

Agree with this. Hypothetical comparison between a student taking 4 HL classes in IBDP versus 8 AP, and it doesn’t look great for IB.

Question for people with kids that finished IB, how do you fit advanced coursework in all these subjects: math (2 years), english (2 years), physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, foreign language, history, plus a couple of electives? Roughly the equivalent of 12 AP classes that makes a student competitive for selective colleges.

The same as you would if it were AP classes, only it's IB classes.

But they would be a mix of SL and HL classes, right? My concern is that HL is comparable with AP, while SL is not and it’s more like the equivalent of an honors class so you’d be at a disadvantage in a side by side comparison.

Who says it's not?

Every college that lists what credit equivalence is given for IB and AP classes.

Here’s one:
https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/advising-student-handbook/ap-ib-transfer

This is what Stanford says:
Only higher-level IB exams of the scores and subjects listed below are eligible for undergraduate units. Standard-level (SL) subject tests are not accepted.

Another example for Princeton:

https://advising.princeton.edu/placement/advanced-placement/ap-table-class-2027

Regarding AP vs IB equivalence, Princeton says:
Note that a score 7 on the IB (higher level) or a grade of A on the completed British A-level is considered the equivalent of a score of 5 on the AP test in most subjects; a score of 6 on the IB (higher level) or a grade of B on the completed British A-level is considered the equivalent of a score of 4 on the AP test.

Yale policy:

https://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/table-of-acceleration-credit/

Students may receive acceleration credits by earning scores comparable to AP test scores on such tests as the International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level examinations or the General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-level examinations. In subjects for which an AP score of 4 or 5 earns acceleration credit, a score of 6 or 7 on II B higher-level exams, or B or A on A-levels, is required; in subjects that require an AP score of 5 for acceleration credit, a score of 7 on the IB higher-level or an A on the A-level is required.


By now you should get the idea on the rough equivalence between IB and AP, and that SL is certainly not equivalent to AP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the CAS do? One of the IBDP requirements? Students do not have flexibility it seems if they want to take 2 HL science classes.

This is an issue. You can have at most 4 high level classes in the IB program.

To have a strong application to a selective college for a STEM intended major, you need rigorous classes in math, physics, chemistry and biology. Hard to get all of them and then you also need to consider colleges also want to see the student taking the rigorous classes in English, foreign language, and humanities/social studies.

Agree with this. Hypothetical comparison between a student taking 4 HL classes in IBDP versus 8 AP, and it doesn’t look great for IB.

Question for people with kids that finished IB, how do you fit advanced coursework in all these subjects: math (2 years), english (2 years), physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, foreign language, history, plus a couple of electives? Roughly the equivalent of 12 AP classes that makes a student competitive for selective colleges.

The same as you would if it were AP classes, only it's IB classes.

But they would be a mix of SL and HL classes, right? My concern is that HL is comparable with AP, while SL is not and it’s more like the equivalent of an honors class so you’d be at a disadvantage in a side by side comparison.

Who says it's not?

Every college that lists what credit equivalence is given for IB and AP classes.

Here’s one:
https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/advising-student-handbook/ap-ib-transfer

This is what Stanford says:
Only higher-level IB exams of the scores and subjects listed below are eligible for undergraduate units. Standard-level (SL) subject tests are not accepted.

Another example for Princeton:

https://advising.princeton.edu/placement/advanced-placement/ap-table-class-2027

Regarding AP vs IB equivalence, Princeton says:
Note that a score 7 on the IB (higher level) or a grade of A on the completed British A-level is considered the equivalent of a score of 5 on the AP test in most subjects; a score of 6 on the IB (higher level) or a grade of B on the completed British A-level is considered the equivalent of a score of 4 on the AP test.

Yale policy:

https://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/table-of-acceleration-credit/

Students may receive acceleration credits by earning scores comparable to AP test scores on such tests as the International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level examinations or the General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-level examinations. In subjects for which an AP score of 4 or 5 earns acceleration credit, a score of 6 or 7 on II B higher-level exams, or B or A on A-levels, is required; in subjects that require an AP score of 5 for acceleration credit, a score of 7 on the IB higher-level or an A on the A-level is required.


By now you should get the idea on the rough equivalence between IB and AP, and that SL is certainly not equivalent to AP.

The assertion was specifically that college admissions officers look down on IB SL classes. If you're the person who made this assertion - how do you know this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the CAS do? One of the IBDP requirements? Students do not have flexibility it seems if they want to take 2 HL science classes.

This is an issue. You can have at most 4 high level classes in the IB program.

To have a strong application to a selective college for a STEM intended major, you need rigorous classes in math, physics, chemistry and biology. Hard to get all of them and then you also need to consider colleges also want to see the student taking the rigorous classes in English, foreign language, and humanities/social studies.

Agree with this. Hypothetical comparison between a student taking 4 HL classes in IBDP versus 8 AP, and it doesn’t look great for IB.

Question for people with kids that finished IB, how do you fit advanced coursework in all these subjects: math (2 years), english (2 years), physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, foreign language, history, plus a couple of electives? Roughly the equivalent of 12 AP classes that makes a student competitive for selective colleges.

The same as you would if it were AP classes, only it's IB classes.

But they would be a mix of SL and HL classes, right? My concern is that HL is comparable with AP, while SL is not and it’s more like the equivalent of an honors class so you’d be at a disadvantage in a side by side comparison.

Who says it's not?

Every college that lists what credit equivalence is given for IB and AP classes.

Here’s one:
https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/advising-student-handbook/ap-ib-transfer

This is what Stanford says:
Only higher-level IB exams of the scores and subjects listed below are eligible for undergraduate units. Standard-level (SL) subject tests are not accepted.

Are you asking about college admissions, or about college credits? Because they're not the same thing.

The links show how these colleges view the rigor AP and IB classes compared to their own offerings.

But sure, you can tell yourself it’s only for credit and it has no bearing on admissions. By that logic, why even submit the scores as part of the college application, when you can just submit them only if you want the credit?

Q: How do you know admissions officers look down on IB SL classes?
A: I just know! It stands to reason! Common sense! Obviously!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the parents of full IB students at one of the 8 ??? Mcps high schools with IB--- how much work has a full IB program for your kid? Are they stressed beyond expectation?
Was it a big jump from 10th to IB?
How is IB History
IB language (Spanish or French) difficult
IB Physics hard?
IB Math courses?
TOK 2 year class?
full IB worth it?

Hearing tech class doesn't need to be completed in 10th. For 10th they have signed up for health full year, Apush, four other required classes (incl their language class). If they take Physics in 10th, is IB Physics an option?

Writing writing writing even in math and science ones. Maybe even in IB Art which sounds very interesting.

My kid is in the RMIB and has not really had to ‘write’ in her Math classes. Not sure what you mean by that?

Wait for the IA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Theres a lot less flexibility since you sign up for the two year package, the courses in math and science are are less rigurous, presumably there is more writing to make up for these shrtcomings. Not sure a 10 page writeup at the end redeems all these shortcomings, and the extended essay format is somewhat artificial and awkward. Other aspects of the program like the theory of knowledge feel gimmicky, nowhere will you find anything similar. The writing preparation seems to be focusing on the quantity instead of quality, but of course it depends on school, teacher and the student.

maybe, but the TOK and EE essays are graded by the IB org.

I didn't read all of DC's papers in IBDP, but I do know that they had to do a ton of research and experiment for their EE. DC chose the EE for their IB HL math class.

IMO, this is one of the best parts of IBDP - the research and analytical writing. I don't think the AP English classes do this much writing.

I’m wondering what kind of experiment you’d do for a high level math extended essay, perhaps you’re confused about what he actually did. Undergrad math and science classes are still mostly problem sets, lab reports and exams, do these well and you’re not going to be unprepared.

The theory of knowledge essay exemplifies how inflexible the program is, the topic doesn’t strike me as so important that every student has to write a paper on it. Also not a big fan of minimum word length requirements, makes some students adopt a convoluted writing style.

The AP diploma, research and capstone, is very similar but definitely not as successful as the IB program. Either students interested in writing gravitate towards IB or when given the choice prefer a class more focused on building the knowledge base that might help them more with college admissions.

You can wonder all you want, but I read DC's paper, and saw DC do the experiments. They got a 1580 on the SAT and is studying CS, straight As in college so far.

AP classes are nothing like IB classes. DC and all of the IB kids take both AP and IB classes. How many kids do you know who self study for IB exams, and get a 7? Whereas plenty of IB students self study for AP exams and get 5s, my DC included.

Almost all IB students have stated that IB has prepared them well for college. I don't think all AP students can say the same.

You post this dribble a lot. You've never had a kid who took both AP and IB, yet you have such strong opinions on IB. Oh, that's right.. you can have opinions about something you have never experienced because you "researched" it.

Got it, you read through your child’s paper and saw the experiments he did for his HL math essay. Sorry, but there’s not much experimentation in math, bizarre that you’re posting made up stories about your child’s success.

The fact that no AP kids self study for the IB exam, while the reverse is true, is actually an argument against IB. It’s likely because the IB credit is not as widely accepted to colleges.

You're awfully sure of what IB entails for someone who's never had a child in it.

You really think that there are no IB kids who major in CS or Eng and have a high SAT score?

You are so ignorant and uninformed. Please stop posting.

To OP, it's a challenging program and heavy on writing. It will prepare your kids for college, but getting the IB Diploma is not an advantage for US colleges, and colleges are less likely to take IB credit than AP credit. But, it will show the college that the student took the most rigorous courses offered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the CAS do? One of the IBDP requirements? Students do not have flexibility it seems if they want to take 2 HL science classes.

This is an issue. You can have at most 4 high level classes in the IB program.

To have a strong application to a selective college for a STEM intended major, you need rigorous classes in math, physics, chemistry and biology. Hard to get all of them and then you also need to consider colleges also want to see the student taking the rigorous classes in English, foreign language, and humanities/social studies.

Agree with this. Hypothetical comparison between a student taking 4 HL classes in IBDP versus 8 AP, and it doesn’t look great for IB.

Question for people with kids that finished IB, how do you fit advanced coursework in all these subjects: math (2 years), english (2 years), physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, foreign language, history, plus a couple of electives? Roughly the equivalent of 12 AP classes that makes a student competitive for selective colleges.

The same as you would if it were AP classes, only it's IB classes.

But they would be a mix of SL and HL classes, right? My concern is that HL is comparable with AP, while SL is not and it’s more like the equivalent of an honors class so you’d be at a disadvantage in a side by side comparison.

Who says it's not?

Every college that lists what credit equivalence is given for IB and AP classes.

Here’s one:
https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/advising-student-handbook/ap-ib-transfer

This is what Stanford says:
Only higher-level IB exams of the scores and subjects listed below are eligible for undergraduate units. Standard-level (SL) subject tests are not accepted.

Another example for Princeton:

https://advising.princeton.edu/placement/advanced-placement/ap-table-class-2027

Regarding AP vs IB equivalence, Princeton says:
Note that a score 7 on the IB (higher level) or a grade of A on the completed British A-level is considered the equivalent of a score of 5 on the AP test in most subjects; a score of 6 on the IB (higher level) or a grade of B on the completed British A-level is considered the equivalent of a score of 4 on the AP test.

Yale policy:

https://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/table-of-acceleration-credit/

Students may receive acceleration credits by earning scores comparable to AP test scores on such tests as the International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level examinations or the General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-level examinations. In subjects for which an AP score of 4 or 5 earns acceleration credit, a score of 6 or 7 on II B higher-level exams, or B or A on A-levels, is required; in subjects that require an AP score of 5 for acceleration credit, a score of 7 on the IB higher-level or an A on the A-level is required.


By now you should get the idea on the rough equivalence between IB and AP, and that SL is certainly not equivalent to AP.

The assertion was specifically that college admissions officers look down on IB SL classes. If you're the person who made this assertion - how do you know this?

No, that’s not what assertion was made.

The claim is that college undergraduate programs view AP scores of 5 and 4 as equivalent to IB 7 and 6, and equivalent to their own first year classes. They also view SL classes as not equivalent to their own, therefore through simple reasoning below HL or the AP counterparts. Another piece of evidence, even IBO sees SL (150 hours instruction) below HL (240 hours instruction) in rigor and material covered.

Whether admissions officers look down on IB SL, that’s a matter of speculation, but given this background information I’d speculate that an applicant with an AP class will be stronger than an applicant with the same subject SL class.

Seriously, it’s not that hard!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP is oddly invested in hating on the IB program.

Yes, I find it baffling. If it's not for their kid, it's not for their kid.who cares.

Various posters: The IB program was great for my kid.

Oddly-invested poster: NO YOU'RE RONG.

Of course it was great for your kid with all those math experiments you saw with your own eyes. Proof is in the 1850, oops I mean 1580, or maybe it was 8510 SAT score.


IB poster: it worked great for my child, he wrote a 10 page paper

Other posters: how about these downside of the IBDP

IB poster: IT WORKED GREAT FOR MY CHILD

Look at the college acceptances for RMHS. Most of the ones who got into the top colleges are in the IBDP. Are you saying that these kids didn't get 1500+ on their SATs?

https://moco360.media/2023/09/13/where-montgomery-county-high-school-graduates-are-going-to-college/

IB poster: my IB student is a high stats kid who got into a great college and is majoring in STEM

IB hater: I did the research, and even though I have zero experience with IB, it isn't all that great

IB poster: my IB student thinks that the program really helped them in college

IB hater: Even though I have zero experience with IB, there's no way that IB students are writing research papers for math because I'm smarter than the parents of kids who are high achieving.

You probably don't realize how ignorant and bitter you sound.