Possible to switch from AP to IB program after freshman year?
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Anonymous
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We didn't know much about the IB program last year at this time, but now have come to think it would be a great thing for our DC. Is it too late to begin in either second half of freshman year (if its even possible to transfer mid-year) or sophomore year?
We are looking for IB classes but not necessarily the full IB diploma. Thanks |
Anonymous
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It's not too late at all. The program doesn't really ramp up until Junior year (although my DS took one IB class as a Sophomore.) The trouble you may have is getting pupil-placed in a school that has available spots.
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Anonymous
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OP, your child absolutely can start at an IB school in sophomore year. As PP says, the IB courses themselves don't really get going until junior and senior year (many are two-year classes) though yes, there are some kids that take a class or so in sophomore year. My kid took the first year of a two-year IB class last year as a sophomore and is in the second year of it now as a junior. But students definitely can come into the program as sophomores or even juniors. I'd say it's smart to move to an IB school as a sophomore since the schools (ours, at least) can structure sophomore classes like IB courses with similar assignments, so kids are well prepared for junior and senior year.
It's good that you know already that a student can just take IB classes and does not necessarily have to do the full IB diploma program. Many parents initially don't realize that students can take IB classes "a la carte" and are not required to do the full diploma. As for your nearest IB school being closed to academic transfers -- my kid is an academic transfer student who left the assigned AP school for the nearest IB school and when we did the transfer, we were advised that even if the FCPS "dashboard" web site says a school is "closed to transfers," contact the school's IB office directly and ask if they're taking new IB students. The dashboard site is not always up to date and really doesn't reflect the fact that principals at IB schools do want to accommodate kids who want to be there for the academics. Tip: I think transfer requests have to be finished in the early spring so stay on top of deadlines for transferring if you want your child to go to an IB school next fall. The request has to go to your assigned HS first and they must pass it on to the other (IB) HS so you need to stay on top of ensuring the school that will "lose" your child is doing its job with the paperwork and is staying on deadline. Talk to your current school's counseling office and the IB coordinator at the school your student wants to attend and they can guide you. You will have to renew the request every year your child is at the IB school. And you must provide transportation, OP -- high school students who transfer are not entitled to bus transportation, and this is an issue for some families. I also want to warn you that DCUM has a contingent who will turn any thread, even one like this where you already are sold on IB as the right choice for your child, into a thread where they post about how awful they think IB is, how AP is better for every student, all the time, etc. Just letting you know that you may get posts here that do not answer your question about logistics. |
Anonymous
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Wow, thank you so much for the information! This was exactly what I needed to know.
And I spent a long time on the web trying to find answers from FCPS or other sources! I really appreciate you both sharing your knowledge. Thanks! |
Anonymous
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Thank you for posting information about the IB program.
I have a question about the IB diploma vs no-diploma as it was mentioned earlier. Let's say a student who is good, takes IB courses including some HL and does not go for diploma. For the discussion sake, let's say this 'good' student has > 4.0 weighted GPA with A's and B's, more than three IB HL/SL courses, SAT low 1500's or ACT 34 and similar level extracurricular activities. Is there is drawback when not doing full IB diploma in such cases? Does it impact college admissions? Do colleges look down at students who opted to take additional Honors/SL/HL courses but did not go for the diploma? Please not make this thread another IB bashing. I am just asking questions related to IB. |
Anonymous
Colleges look down at students at IB schools who are not pursuing the full diploma. It is just too easy a way for busy admissions officers to put kids in a "no" pile. |
Anonymous
Not sure if this is true. Not even sure if colleges know whether your kid is D bounded or not. Remember IB scores and diploma are given after completion of 12th grade. College admission process is over well before then. |
Anonymous
There is a difference between being an IB diploma candidate and an IB diploma recipient. Colleges can and do figure out the former before making admissions decisions. |
Anonymous
New to the whole IB curriculum and just starting to research it for DS. Why would someone take IB classes and not pursue the full diploma? Thank you. |
Anonymous
There are additional requirements for the full diploma, including service, activity and creative hours, a course called "Theory of Knowledge" and a lengthy paper. It's a significant amount of work. |
Anonymous
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My kid went into an IB school thinking they would take a few courses and essentially found themselves eligible for being a candidate by virtue of their interest in the theory of knowledge class and the existing courses they had signed up for junior year. At that point, it was just the extended essay and project so they decided to go for it and successfully completed the diploma.
Based on their review of UVA three years in, the IB program made college coursework seem like a breeze, fwiw. |
Anonymous
My junior ds is doing the full IB diploma and his younger brother likely won't. We have been touring colleges and have asked this question of several admissions officers, including at one Ivy. The answer was resoundingly opposite of what you say. They do not view a student who takes a handful of IB classes differently than they would a student who takes a handful of AP classes. One admissions official told me specifically that they "hold the IB diploma in high regard." Another told me that they consider an IB diploma student to be the equivalent of a full AP course load for two years. The only one who had little regard for IB was JMU, who didn't even mention IB in their presentation, but only talked about AP and dual enrollment. Luckily for us, ds had zero interest in the school anyway. |
Anonymous
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the IB diploma also requires achieving Level 5 competency in a language - which generally means at least 4 years of language and this is a big hurdle for many students.
it's a bit surprising that an IB student would find UVA to be a "breeze": most IB students are keen to challenge themselves and it's pretty common to find that they work very hard at their studies, and (2) that they would not pursue the same rigor in their studies in college. We hear, and have personal experience, that IB students are well prepared for college level work. That said, those we know are taking challenging courses and not "breezing" through their studies at the Naval Academy, Princeton, Chicago and Columbia. |
Anonymous
Admissions offers can be good at telling people what they want to hear. It can translate into application fees. Even so, non-IB diploma candidates at IB schools are at a disadvantage, and full IB diploma candidates have no advantage over kids who've taken a lot of AP courses. That's just the way it is. If it were different, Whitman and Langley would have IB. |
Anonymous
I didn't state that IB diploma candidates have an advantage over students with a full AP courseload, and you are wrongly assuming that an IB course is seen as inferior to an AP course. If you know anything about college admissions, you know that each student is considered within he context of their school and what is offered. |