AP vs. IB?

[Anonymous]

Not necessarily asking if one is better than the other. I'm more interested if one suits a particular type of student better than the other. My daughter has excellent grades right now in middle school, but I'm not sure she's the most critical thinker out there. Would IB be too difficult? Or help develop those skills?

[Anonymous]

More flexibility with AP.

[Anonymous]

IB is MUCH more demanding than AP. AP is individual courses - IB is an entire rigorous college prep program. Even though more universities are set up to honor AP credits (it's a much older program, after all) most admissions officers will tell you that IB certainly stands out more on an application.

[Anonymous]

Hands down AP is better than IB, unless the student is doing the full IB diploma program. Individual IB courses are hardly as good as individual AP courses.

[Anonymous]

At my high school classes were AP/IB--the same class. Maybe this isn't the case anymore? Few people did the full on IB.

Of course, this was quite a while ago. . .

[Anonymous]

Individual AP courses are nothing more than that: individual courses. The IB diploma is an entire 2 year program and the students must complete six assessments, including 3 core requirements. Students must study a second language, complete a thesis, and perform community service. Students aren't just mastering coursework and taking a test, they're learning how to learn and demonstrating their ability to succeed in high level academic environments.

The IB was designed to serve the children of diplomats, who due to the nature of their parents' professions were moving around among (elite) schools all over the world. The program was created to prove they had mastered demanding coursework that would allow them to attend universities all over the world (not just those of a particular country).

See the following for more detailed information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IB_Diploma_Programme#Core_requirements

http://www.ibo.org/diploma/

http://www.collegebound.net/content/article/what-is-an-ib-diploma/8719/

[Anonymous]

I'd base my decision on the child's talents and interests...as well as what you know of the teachers....I'd sooner have my child in IB, but the combination of classes offered won't work with entry to engineering school (his current focus), so it's looking like AP...

[Anonymous]

Also depends on the school - lot of schools have IB programs but graduate very few IB diploma candidates. Richard Montgomery in Montgomery and Marshall in Fairfax, for example, have a lot of graduates receiving full IB diplomas. That's not going to be the case at some of other schools like Lee or Mount Vernon.

Also have to laugh at the suggestion that individual AP courses are better than individual IB courses. It depends heavily on the teachers as well, and there are plenty of so-so teachers in the system teaching AP courses to bored students who don't do all that well on the AP exams.

[Anonymous]

My problem with AP course is that they are college level "survey" classes ... you will remember these classes from your freshman year, no doubt. They are jam packed with facts but very little deep investigation of any particular topic. That in depth study is designed to occur during future classes within the major. For high school level kids, the quantity of reading and memorization is very high ... AP classes are very demanding and so allow kids to show prospective colleges that they are hardworking and capable of cramming for a test.

BUT. Do the kids really learn that much? I would prefer that kids study fewer topics, but learn more about the ones they cover. Spend some time reflecting, making connections with things they already know and other topics that are related ... the interdiciplinary approach that the IB program is designed to include, ideally. Practice their critical thinking, writing, research, and other skills. Not all IB programs are as good in practice as they are in theory, of course.

I think both AP and IB both allow kids to demonstrate their abilities to colleges and both are very demanding in terms of homework time. If IB was not available, I would want my kid to take at least some AP classes, if appropriate for his ability level at the time, to allow him to be competitive during college admissions.

But IB is definitely my preference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Also have to laugh at the suggestion that individual AP courses are better than individual IB courses. It depends heavily on the teachers as well, and there are plenty of so-so teachers in the system teaching AP courses to bored students who don't do all that well on the AP exams.

Have to laugh at the inference that individual IB courses are better than individual AP courses. Good luck getting any sort of college credit/placement with an individual IB SL course. There are also plenty of so-so teachers in the system teaching IB courses to bored students who don't do all that well on the IB exams.

[Anonymous]

In a nutshell, IB is a philosophy - beginning with PYP at the elementary level and MYP at the middle/early high levels.

The IB courses offered are designed to allow students to walk away with a global view. Yes, it is demanding, but IN MOST CASES (not all, depending upon the teacher) AP classes are technical. You will not walk out of an IB English class as a junior knowing terms such as a priori or alliosis.

In other cases, AP and IB courses have been collapsed into one, particularly in the arts b/c of the economic crunch. So yes, there are critical thinking skills shared by both programs. But the instructional techniques used by classroom teachers are often very different. AP English courses, for example, train the student to make meaning of the text; they do not require that students make connections to other subject areas. So on the AP exam, incorporating terminology specific to the content is significant. For IB, however, making connections among the different disciplines on an assessment is the emphasis. So if am using Shelley's Frankenstein as my focus, it would benefit me to discuss scientific thought, in addition to analyzing political and cultural influences.

In the past, more colleges accepted AP scores. This is changing.

Students need to work within their areas of strength and they should LIKE what they're studying. So one is not better than the other - only different in their approaches.

To each his/her own, I say.

[Anonymous]

AP may be more practical, especially at a state school. IB is more prestigious, something that stands out on an elite college application.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP that an AP is more practical, particularly in the hard sciences, mathematics, computer science, etc., vs. the liberal arts. Liberal arts/humanities majors would likely gain more benefit from the IB diploma.

[Anonymous]

If you take all AP classes, that is the same amount of work as IB.

[Anonymous]

OP: Explore more at the actual school your child will attend. It REALLY matters.

* Do the AP kids get 4s and 5s? If not, those courses are watered down.

Ask things like that.

I have done some college interviewing, and can say that in my experience, the IB kids (even those completing most but not all of the program) were a notch above the AP kids. Not just my opinion - reflected in admissions, too.