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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][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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I'm not misunderstanding IB.  I know that you can take it in pieces.  But, you are in a system where you are doing less than the full diploma.  In an AP school, there is no "full" AP program.  It is understood and assumed that you are taking it a la carte.  So there is no implication that you didn't do the full program when other people did.  You pick two English AP classes if you like English.  You pick several AP math classes if you like math.  You do what plays to your strength.  Yes, you can take a few IB classes in an IB school, but you are by definition not doing the full diploma -- meaning some kids are.[/quote]

I wonder if you had a bad experience with someone saying that doing anything less than the full diploma was looked down on (by the school? Other families? Colleges?). At our IB HS, yes, the diploma is considered an academically strong thing to do if you can -- but the counselors also put real effort into talking to students and actually encouraging them to drop the diploma track if it's killing them and/or they're struggling with making it. Students who do even one IB course but not the diploma track are supported and encouraged and like AP students they can take classes that appeal to their strengths. Maybe your concern is more about colleges seeing individual IB courses that aren't on a diploma track and thinking the student is "less than" for not doing the diploma. I can only say six different colleges have told us they value the diploma because they know students who do it are doing it across different subjects (including ones that may not be the student's especial strength) but they also look favorably at individual IB classes like they look at individual AP classes--they know the level of rigor involved.

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I wonder why you keep beating this dead horse when OP expressed a clear preference for AP.  Is it important to you to convince others that an IB class is as good as an AP class, but that an IB diploma is somehow better than AP?  Or does it bother you that someone might not consider a house in your neighborhood because you're zoned for an IB school?

Admissions officers are good at figuring out what parents want to hear and adjusting their answers accordingly.  Many believe, however, that non-IB diploma candidates at IB schools are at a disadvantage compared to both IB diploma candidates and students taking AP.  It is much easier for admissions officers to look at students at IB schools in a binary manner:  either they are IB diploma candidates or they are not.  Or, as a UVA admissions officer once reportedly said in a moment of candor: "If you are at an IB school and you are not going for the IB diploma, don’t waste your time applying to UVa. or any other top-rated schools. Your child’s application will go to the bottom of the admissions pile."

IB has other disadvantages.  The scheduling at an IB school is oriented around making sure that the diploma candidates can fulfill all the IBO requirements.  If that disadvantages the non-IB diploma kids, the school's hands are tied, and the IBO could not care less.  Satisfying the diploma requirements also limits an IB student's ability to pursue individual subject areas in greater depth, which could help a student stand out when applying to colleges and universities.

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