BCC HS but not IB?

[Anonymous]

Hi there, we are newly considering moving to BCC high school area (had been looking at Walter Johnson and Richard Montgomery but tried the commute a few times and just couldn't get it under an hour). Whitman would be even closer but we're a little worried about too much competition and stress. BCC and related middle schools seem like they might be a decent medium, but I am having a trouble getting a grip on some of the pluses of BCC--is it mainly the IB program? Any thoughts from those whose kids go to BCC and don't do IB? our older son is just not big project/writing oriented, more math and science, and I think would really struggle with the IB structure. DCC has more magnet options but location not as good for us.

TIA!

[Anonymous]

I have a rising sophomore at BCC and went to the IB meeting. From what I understand it’s application only and a very small part of the school. My kid has trouble with foreign languages, so it’s not going to be something she does. There are plenty of honors and AP classes to do instead.

[Anonymous]

This is from the website:

Do a lot of students take IB courses at B-CC?
A. There are currently 185 Diploma candidates in 11th and 12th grade, and another 300 who take one or more IB courses but not the full program. About 55% of the students in the junior and senior classes take at least one IB course

https://ib-bcc.com/about/faq/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I have a rising sophomore at BCC and went to the IB meeting. From what I understand it’s application only and a very small part of the school. My kid has trouble with foreign languages, so it’s not going to be something she does. There are plenty of honors and AP classes to do instead.

BCC IB program is NOT application only. any student may opt in for a class or the entire program.

My DC opted not to do the IB degree, instead doing a mixture of IB classes and AP classes. DC was admitted to an Ivy, so opting out of IB had no impact on college outcome.

[Anonymous]

Not sure where you are commuting.

Have you looked at WJ's Wygate/Alta Vista neighborhoods?

[Anonymous]

IB program is a bonus if that's right for your HS student, but most students just take a class or two. Some do the full program; many take no IB classes at all.

Pros of BCC are urban campus with walk-off lunch (or a con, depending on your outlook,) new addition so less overcrowded than some, new field /stadium opening any day now. Not as diverse as some MCPS schools; but not the least diverse, either. Not the biggest or smallest MCPS HS, BCC definitely has plenty of challenging courses for high performers, but plenty for "average" students, too. My son is not in the IB program; plays sports; and we like it just fine.

[Anonymous]

OP here--thanks. I guess I was also wondering if there is any chance to have a smaller cohort like the do at WJ, based on academic interest or inclination. But it doesn't seem from looking at the website like there is that kind of structure.

[Anonymous]

Other parents and educators have told me, and I tend to agree, that IB isn't recognized at its full value, compared to AP classes.

1. It's SUCH a lot of work, and what makes it hard is that if you commit to the full IB program, some small or large portion of it won't be to the student's liking, since it's all assigned. So it's work that isn't always to your liking, but it still needs to be done near perfectly in order to get a good final score.

2. Regarding the final score, many universities don't understand that a good IB grade isn't as forgiving and elastic as the letter grade system. The scoring system is much more demanding, and many schools ask for completely unrealistic numbers for IB.

If your child doesn't want IB, then they should check whether there are enough APs at BCC to interest them. Last I checked, BCC offered less APs than WJ or WW.

Personally, I would never turn down a school just because I was afraid it might be too competitive or stressful. Especially if it meant a shorter commute!

[Anonymous]

BCC will have the same stress levels as WJ and Whitman.

[Anonymous]

We have a soon-to-be sophomore at BCC, considering the IB program but not certain. The PP's description of the school seems right. Fwiw my son is not a kid who typically enjoys school and he has only good things to say about BCC. I don't think BCC is somehow immune to anxiety and stress esp among high achievers. But fwiw for my fairly typical kid, it has been a good environment so far.

[Anonymous]

OP, FWIW, many kids who are strong in math take all the AP maths available and then move on to take higher level maths at MoCo Community College (I think UMD is also possible, but not as sure about this). One of DS’s BCC friends is doing a joint MCPS/MoCo program and is taking all his classes off BCC’s campus. I think this means he took the Multi-variable/DiffEQ available at BCC already.

As for science, BCC has normal AP Bio, Chem and Physics offerings plus other AP sciences. But, kids who are really interested in science can apply for internships at NIH and Walter Reed/Bethesda Naval thru BCC’s internship program. Both these are close enough to ride a bike or bus to, so parents don’t have to transport. Some kids have had pretty cool internships.

[Anonymous]

^ I should add that it’s the rare kid who is very talented in math that needs to go beyond Multivariable Calc in HS. I can’t believe there’d be more than a handful of such kids at BCC each year.

[Anonymous]

My DS is at Whitman and he has friends at BCC. I like BCC for it's open campus and more diverse (kind of) population. But both are high stress environments with essentially the same type of kids and parents. I think its similar to WJ, I prefer all of these to the parents and kids we know at Churchill.

[Anonymous]

So after Westland, what stands out at BCC? Are the teachers better? Is it the maturity of the students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is at Whitman and he has friends at BCC. I like BCC for it's open campus and more diverse (kind of) population. But both are high stress environments with essentially the same type of kids and parents. I think its similar to WJ, I prefer all of these to the parents and kids we know at Churchill.

How is it at Churchill? Don’t know anyone there.