Reply to IB - chance that schools will drop IB for AP

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Other than the theory of knowledge course which is unique, why is IB desirable if kids in general are not well rounded enough to get an IB diploma?[/quote]

you also have to do 50 hours of community service in each of three genres and a long thesis-type of paper.  But, most of the kids in the IB schools are are the lower end of the SES ladder and therefore, it's more of the population not being IB-capable.  That said, I didn't [b]like the structure of the IB program (pre-defined requirements:  must do one class in each of 6 subject areas, plus the things listed above).... [/b] so when we were looking to move, the IB pyramids were deal-breakers for us.  It was maddening to our real estate agent, and frustrating for us b/c there were houses that would have been good for us but for the IB.  We went with an AP pyramid b/c it has a more a la carte program.

If your kid is definitely a strong student and motivated to complete all the different requirements for IB, it is a good program and will look good for applications.  BUT, [b]if you have kids who may or may not be strong in one or more subjects, and may not be ambitious enough to complete the outside requirements, then IB is not ideal.[/b]  AP gives more flexibility without the stigma of "didn't go the extra mile."[/quote]

Re: bold above: You're referring to the IB diploma requirement of six classes plus Theory of Knowledge class and the extended essay and service.

Those are for the diploma. But any student in an IB school can take any IB class as an "a la carte" class, like AP students take AP classes a la carte. It's a common misunderstanding about IB, but it's not true that everyone must do the full diploma. While there's a lot of emphasis on trying to do the full IB diploma, any student can take any IB classes, and the IB exams that conclude the classes. And colleges will look at those a la carte IB classes and many give credit for them-- you do not have to have the full IB diploma course load for a college to consider your one or more solo IB classes.

There are often claims on DCUM that "colleges are more familiar with AP and AP gets you out of some college classes" but DC is currently visiting and applying to colleges and every single one has discussed IB and AP in the same way, admissions officers have said they see increasing numbers of both IB diploma students and students with some IB classes, and they are familiar with the level of work involved in IB just as they are for AP. I don't know that colleges have a "stigma of 'didn't go the extra mile'" as PP thinks.

I'm not here to try to convince the OP that IB is right for her kids; I'm just correcting some misconceptions about the idea that the diploma path is the only thing IB is about. 
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