Reply to Things I wish I knew before DC started at FCPS IB High School

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[quote=Anonymous]First of all,
You have to learn to completely ignore the anti-IB posters on this board. It’s a very strong program, and a very rigorous program, but colleges recognize this. Posters here will tell you that the students at an IB school who are not completing the full diploma are at a disadvantage, which is simply not true. After speaking to several college admissions reps as I toured schools with my kids, they have all told me that in regards to admissions, they view AP and IB courses as being on the same level. So, if your kid is only taking certain IB classes, it is no different than a student who is only taking certain AP classes. A handful also told me that they view the full IB diploma as the most rigorous high school program available. So, ignore the naysayers and do your own research.

I have a junior and a sophomore at a FCPS IB school. My junior is well into the program, and my sophomore is planning o completing it. My junior is a math and science kid, and my sophomore loves history and art. Both have become very strong writers and aren’t intimidated by 15 page papers or multiple-essay tests.

What we did, was sit down and plan out what the 4 years of HS would look like with the full IB diploma. Other than starting language in 8th grade, there are no other prerequisites. My junior did the EPF requirement online over the summer, and my sophomore will do the same this summer. They both took regular PE at school as a welcome break in the day.

My juniors course load has been as follows

9th
Bio Honors
Algebra 2 Trig/Honors
English 9 Honors 
World History 2 Honors
French 2
Computer Science 
PE

10th
IB Chem SL 1
IB Math SL 1
English 10 Honors 
US Govt Honors
French 3
Sports Medicine
PE

11th
IB Bio SL
IB Physics SL 
IB Math HL 1
IB Lang and Lit SL 1
IB History HL 1
IB French SL 1
IB Therory of Knowledge

12th
IB Bio HL 
IB Physics HL
IB Math HL 2
IB Lang and Lit SL 2
IB History HL 2
IB French SL 2
IB Theory of Knowledge

The requirements are, 3 HL classes (all require a 2 year sequence), 3 SL classes (some are 1 year, others are 2), and the IB TOK class. Outside of school, they do 150 hours of creativity/action/service hours over their junior and senior year. They also complete a 4,000 word extended essay (which seems like a huge deal, but they are ready for it and they pick a topic they are interested in and are assigned a faculty advisor)

I’d be happy to answer any further questions. Best of luck! [/quote]

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