Reply to 2023 college acceptances at DCI and rivals

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If you stick with DCI for HS, you want to look up IB rules about testing yourself on the IB Geneva web site. The rules say that kids can only take 2 SL exams early, in June of junior year. You want to have your kid do this, although it's not required by DCI or by IB Geneva. Make sure your kid prepares for the test by taking a couple SL subjects that are offered as 1-year classes, geography, environmental systems, a few other options, so they're well prepared for early exams.

AP language exams are easier than IB (hardly any speaking or listening on AP) so have your kid take AP language in May of junior year.  A few enterprising DCI parents have kids take Cambridge AS-Level Exams in Nov of senior year at the British Intl School of DC (look that up) to add standardized test scores for college applications.  I'm not sure how seriously colleges take "predicted IB exam scores" on the remaining IB exams taken in June of senior year on applications. 
The counselors claim that predicted scores are as good as real IBD test scores, which I highly doubt.

You get the message, you want to make sure that your kid has some standardized test scores before applying to colleges in Jan of senior year.
[/quote]

Thank you, this is interesting and helpful.

2 Questions:

1. What is an "SL exam"?  I assume the L is language, but SL?

2. What is a "Cambridge AS-Level Exam"?[/quote]

SL stood for subsidiary level when I was an Ib student. I is now “standard level”. You need to take a certain number of exams Higher level and a certain amount of exams standard level.

No clue about the Cambridge exams since I wouldn’t send my kid to the UK.l[/quote]

Cambridge International Exams are a UK exam brand that's catching on in elite college admissions in this country mainly because, unlike AP exams, they're given in both Nov and May/June.  Highly competitive US colleges know Cambridge exams well because they're v. popular abroad, taken by foreign students applying to US colleges from around the world, particularly from British Commonwealth countries.

Cambridge exams can be taken on three levels, GCSE (10th grade), AS-Level (11th grade, half an A-Level) and A-Level (roughly comparable to the content of a Higher Level IB exam).  Cambridge tests in 55 subjects, AP only in 32, so if your kid has a quirky interest they've developed, like Marine Biology, or Islamic Studies, or Accounting, they can demonstrate mastery by taking a Cambridge Exam.  AS-Level Cambridge is roughly comparable to AP.  Detailed curricula for Cambridge exams are published on the company's web site and prep materials aren't hard to come by.

Some kids like Cambridge exams because there's no multiple choice, kids have to write out answers and spell out math problems.  These exams are more sophisticated than AP.  Colleges like to see good Cambridge exam scores partly because they show initiative - here's what I'm good at, here's what I like, here's an extra test score to show what I know.  Cambridge Exams run you around $200 at the DC British Intl school, easy to register.  Good option for the unusually enterprising in US college admissions.[/quote]

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