OT: AP or IB program for HS student

What is "IB"? My school offered AP courses, but I've never heard of IB courses.

I am not too familiar with IB, but if your son is taking AP classes as a sophomore, holds onto his GPA, has a good number of extra-curricluar activities, and does well on the SAT/ACT then he should not have much trouble getting into any schools that he chooses. A lot of schools also require an essay in which he might be able to explain why he chose to take AP and the extra-curricular activities instead of the IB class. That's my two cents any way.

IB stands for International Baccalaureate. It's similar to AP in how classes prepare you for college, but one of the primary difference is that IB is standardized world-wide, whereas AP is more of a domestic thing. I've taken IB classes, and really, they're quite manageable. If your son sits down and puts in the time, he'll pull out good grades from IB, no more different than those he'd receive in AP.

My son is going into HS and is looking at both; I was told that many schools don't accept IB credit, where most schools accept AP. YMMV.

I would only have him enroll in the IB if he wants to. From everything I've heard, it's a pretty intense program and you really only should worry about it if you want to go to an Ivy or top-notch international school, such as Oxford. Unless your kid is extra-super-duper-special stuff (be honest with yourself here..), I wouldn't worry about the "low-hanging fruit."

i sat on the admissions committee of a top 5 college, and i can tell you that AP vs IB is really a rather insignificant detail when it comes to admissions. as long as your son is doing one or the other WELL (that's the key word, WELL). and even more important are solid extra-curriculars. research experience, especially if accompanied by a recommendation from the professor supervising the work, is gold. academic summer programs at major universities are gold. leadership roles in legit clubs/sports (i.e. no making POS clubs up just to pad your app) are gold. focus in showing that you do a few things very well (as opposed to trying to do everything, and not being a shining star in any one thing), is gold. as far as AP vs IB, as long as his GPA is very high, his standardized tests are high, and his scores on the AP/IB tests are high (yes, colleges do look at those when they make their decision), the difference between the two is really minor.

Since you're instate, as long as you have a challenging curriculum and succeed, your son should have a good chance of getting into Michigan. Some schools may factor it in more, but for Michigan specifically (which is to what I can best speak), it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Plenty of kids get into Michigan after taking like 2-3 AP classes. From the sounds of things, your son is a smart kid, and he should have a great chance of getting into Michigan (High GPA + AP Classes + Top High School (I'm guessing based on the fact that they offer IB and AP)).

It's great if he wants to take them, but I'm not convinced colleges give them that much weight. I didn't take any (our school offered several AP classes) and I got into Miami (NTM), Colorado, and Michigan. There are more important things than the results of an $80 test. Enjoy high school and take your time is my advice.

I have a hard time believing that IB courses are any more "relevant" than AP courses, but I digress. I would encourage him to take the IB courses, there's no way it's a noticeably heavier workload than the "real" AP classes (As my Calc teacher put it. Meaning that AP History isn't on the same level as AP Calc/Physics/Chem... etc.). You hint that he's an athlete as well, and that isn't an issue if he's motivated to work daily (Which I'm assuming he is, being in this position). I had AP Calc/AP Physics my senior year along with football, and it was manageable (Could play a game if I was craving it, "had a life" on the weekends). This is a sidebar, but I don't think the real benefit in AP/IB classes is the extra weight, it's the impression you give them that helps the most. I have nothing to back that up, but if I was choosing kids, that would be in my mind.

If you son dreams of Harvard, Yale, or Stanford, IB is a great program. It separates him from the rest and makes him look like a student that likes to challenge himself and is generally interested in learning. If your goal is to get in here, I see no purpose. At Ross and at U of M in general, almost no one has taken IB courses in the past. AP classes are plenty, and as long has your son takes 2 or 3 each year for his final two years, if available, he will be fine. If there aren't that many available, have him take as many as possible.

I don't have any experience with IB courses, so it's possible, even likely, that this will be completely irrelevant. I'd suggest, however, that you also look into what credit the various schools offer for IB and AP courses and what the standard of performance is in order to earn those credits. Because I'd suggest that a kid with excellent grades from a prep school (I'm guessing Country Day or Brother Rice or Cranbrook, something along those lines) isn't going to see himself denied from school solely on the basis of a lack of IB courses. You definitely want to see what those courses can do for you once enrolled, and how likely it is your son will meet the necessary standard to earn that credit. Because, for serious: not having to take first-year English in college is literally what kept me on track to graduate on time. You never know what'll happen down the road and you want those credits in your pocket.

If your son is really proud of his GPA but dodging tough courses, I'm not sure thats so noble. If there are practical reasons for maintaining a GPA, thats understandable, but you can't boast about a 4.0 if you took easy classes and avoided challenges. If your son thinks he can handle it, you should encourage him to step up to the more difficult classes. If he can't handle tough course work in High School, it might shed light on the best place for his collegiate experience. (i.e. Michigan might be a better fit than an Ivy if the IB classes are too hard to get an A in.) Its not always best to go to the most prestigious school that will admit you. Best of luck.

I have an IB diploma, but my IB classes were not all that much different than what I understand AP classes to be. The biggest difference between the two is that IB is a diploma program, which means you earn a second diploma in addition to your HS diploma by meeting its requirements. With that said, you can take IB classes without being an IB diploma candidate. In this instance you can treat them as slightly more difficult AP classes. In the case of becoming a diploma candidate, IB requires 150 hours of what it calls Creativity Action Service (CAS), which are met primarily through extracurricular activities and community service. It also requires a thesis project, some science experiments, and some other stuff that I can't remember. It's been If your son is all ready actively involved in extracurriculars, then IB might not end up being a whole lot of extra work for him. As to how much it factors into an admissions decision, it's hard for me to say since schools never really tell you why they do or do not offer you admission.

My school only offered AP classes, so I'm only going on what I've heard from others concerning IB. The first thing you should probably do is sit down with your son and see what he plans on studying on college (if he knows) and what school he would prefer to attend (again, if he has an idea). If he wants to focus on the hard sciences and/or engineering, then the APs are probably the better bet. If he intends to study the arts or literature, then maybe the IB diploma is a bit more impressive than a bunch of AP exams. That said, if your son can show on his resume a consistent ability to balance a challenging workload and extra-curriculars, he will have done all he can when it comes to the admissions office.

I went through the IB program in high school and I'm currently a student at Michigan. My two cents on the matter are: 1) The IB program is certainly manageable as long as he's proactive and knows how to manage his time. As long as he's focused on learning the material then he should have no problem getting good grades. 2) You can still take AP classes while enrolled in the IB program; that's what I did. 3) IB does have Higher Level math and Higher Level Physics classes offered, so it's not just a "liberal arts" program 4) However, top schools like the Ivy's and Michigan will only take some IB credit. This certainly isn't a bad thing as it will allow your son to adjust to college-level grading and expectations at a level that is manageable. 5) If his high school offers the IB program and he doesn't take part in it, it will certainly look bad. Some peers at my high school didn't do the IB program and had 3.95/4.0 GPAs but they didn't even get into the University of Florida. 6) Also, if your son wants the best shot of getting into an Ivy league school, make sure he not only well-rounded, but also shows exceptional talent in a particular area.

IB is not just lib arts. the maths & sciences are both challenging. from what I know, the IB focuses a bit more on understanding concepts AND knowing how to manipulate the equations, so it could be seen as slightly more difficult. IB courses are generally designed to be taken to obtain the IB diploma. given that many schools do not take IB courses for college credit while most take AP... I'd recommend considering NOT taking IB unless you want the whole diploma. course -to- course, there isn't a significant difference for people. However, if there is a specific reason you want the IB diploma, go in that direction. If there is not, then why take a specific IB course over an AP class? IDK, so just take the AP.

Taking AP over IB won't, by itself, result in a college rejecting him.

both are fine, but IB tends to stand out a bit more, as it shows the student is taking the most difficult classes in all subjects. While most top colleges will take IB test scores for credit, they usually require a 6 or 7, which is harder to score than the 4 or 5 on the AP tests.

If your son, from the sounds of it, has a high GPA (3.7+), participates in 2 full time extracurriculars (baseball, football), and is taking at least 20-30% AP classes, you have nothing to worry about. As long as he scores around a 29 ACT he's into Michigan, no problem. He's in state, and that's well in the top 5% of Michigan's HS population. If you are giving Harvard, Yale, and Stanford a shot, I'd recommend taking the IBs. The difference is very small, but IB looks better. For those schools, every single tiny thing makes a difference. Full disclosure: I used to work in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Michigan, not as a counselor, and you should never treat my words as gospel.

I can tell you that it isn't easy, and is definitely harder than the AP classes I have taken due to all the extra requirements IB throws at you. I am somewhat unsure as to whether it helped me as far as college admissions goes; I got in to Michigan, Miami (Fl), Florida, Loyola Chicago, and Aquinas, and am still waiting to hear from USC and Boston College. I feel like I probably could have gotten in to these places taking AP. One of my fellow IB'ers is the #1 ranked student in our graduating class this year; you probably know him. He has a perfect GPA in the toughest possible classes, and scored a 36 on his ACT as well. He got into Notre Dame, but was defered from MIT and Cal Tech. IB does not ruin your social life, but you life DOES revolve around it. You have virtually no flexability with choosing classes, and senior year is unfairly hard, as you have to watch your fellow classmates, even those in AP, take it easy while YOU take care of all the extra, out of class requirements for IB. Not fun. But, from what I have heard, all this extra work prepares you very well for college; I sure hope so, as I am enrolling at Michigan this fall, and I hear the classes are tough. As far as GPA goes, mine actually went up, but that probably has more to do with my increased self-motivation junior year rather than IB. That is my perspective, FWIW, and I hope it helps you decide.

I don't teach IB, but we made the switch two years ago. It is a very worthwhile program, and it is likely to replace AP at some point. The fact is there is a lot of money behind this program because it's suppose to present a more global approach to education. AP courses are rigorous, but I think IB is more difficult for kids because they're taught a certain way through their career, and IB asks students to take a different, deeper approach to learning. That is the key. They stress more depth and less breadth. Students are so used to following a very systematic approach to learning, that the adaptation to IB can be challenging and frustrating for some of the brightest students.