UphillBattle

microblaster, i think we'd all appreciate it if you could enlighten us on your school's program and how they measure GPA and IB scores etc. What kind of system is it and how you can have a 3.14 GPA with a 40 IB score.

Hunt

"If you take the full IB diploma program like i have, with TOK, CAS, Extended Essays, World Literature etc. i'm pretty sure there's no such thing as a GPA."

I can't speak for the OP, but I can tell you how it is for many IB programs in the US, including the one my son is in. While it's a full IB diploma program with CAS, TOK, EE, etc., they still receive regular letter grades in each class, including all the IB classes. They also take the IB exams. So, they have a GPA which is averaged over all of their classes (all will have at least some non-IB classes as well, such as band). At my son's school, IB classes are weighted for GPA purposes the same as AP or honors courses. Thus, colleges will get a transcript that looks like a typical American high school transcript, with letter grades for each course for each semester, and showing weighted and unweighted GPAs. I think that IF a school produces grades like this, a college in the US is much more likely to focus on those grades than on the somewhat speculative predicted IB score. Obviously, if there are no such grades, the colleges will look at what you do have.
I should add that in this system it's easy to see how one could have a 3.14 GPA but have a high IB score.

dconcerned

thks a lot, hunt & uphillbattle, for your input. i learned something new today. so in the us, some schools offering ib full diploma program still give grades to individual courses. that should make it easier for colleges to consider/compare. but we must remember that ib full diploma program in essence emphasizes the scope, depth and analysis of not only each and every individual subjects (3 HLs and 3 SLs) but also how they're all related to one another and that should reflect in the courseworks of tok, ees, cas etc. in ib philosophy with which i totally agree, by giving grades to each/individual subject defeats the purpose of ib full program. also students taking ib in their first year are likely to not be given the full academic scope/strength of the whole 2-yr program yet. is that why grades (gpas) are somewhat deflated? i mean if you compare predicted grades of 40/45 (more or less A plus) as opposed to
3.14 gpa which is just B something.

beefs

Don't waste your time on a Chicago application.

palmettotree

You'll get into Vanderbilt no sweat. They eat up Internationals like home cooked apple pie.

Hunt

"is that why grades (gpas) are somewhat deflated?"

For my son, the difference is in what generates the grades. His IB score will be generated primarily by the IB exam, and by some specific assessments, but his letter grade is generated by tests, quizzes, and homework over the course of the semester. So. for example, he's taking the IB SL math test today and tomorrow, but the "IB" course he's actually taking is essentially AP Calculus BC (he's also taking the AP test today!). The IB exam covers mainly precalc material, which he had last year. So there may be some connection between his IB score, his AP score, and his class grades, but it's very easy to imagine that he might get a high score on the standardized tests but get a B on his transcript for the semester. Similarly, his semester grade in French will depend entirely on grades given by his teacher, while his IB score will depend on more standardized assessments. Thus, for example, if a student simply fails to hand in a few homework assignments, he could get a B on his transcript, while still doing very well in his IB scores.

dconcerned

hunt: this really helps explain and clears a lot of questions regarding final ib scores, ib-grades-assigned gpas and so on. thanks a lot.

microblaster

ok the reason for the low GPA is because when i graduate, I would have taken more than 30 credits whilst only needing 24 to graduate, this kind of confroms to taking 5 years in high school in 4 years, in addition in IB we get our predicted's based upon HLs: a 75-80 and up are 7s (our school only gives ib specific papers, for example all of our essay topics in english are manipulated exam questions along with all other subjects.) for SLs: its like a 80-85 and up, so therefore im getting 7s in econ and 6's in everything else. And my EE was scored by some teachers who siad it was excellent

Hunt

So, microblaster, it sounds like you get numerical grades that are translated into letter grades for the purposes of GPA?

fiN01

What I am thinking is that you are applying to ivies so that if you do get accepted and enroll you can say you went there. In other words, you want to go to Dartmouth so you can say you went to Dartmouth. This isn't aimed specifically at you, but I get the impression that many people choose their colleges based on prestige instead of what is really best for them. My sister went to USC even though she was the most outstanding student I have ever seen and could definitely get accepted at an ivy league...your education is more important than the name of the school you go to.

*end rant*

microblaster

how the hell can you say that, you dont even know my academic interests, you have no idea why I want to attend theses schools, you tool.

nj_azn_premed

actually fiN01 just made one of the most sensible comments I've witnessed on these forums...Why do you think so many CEOs went to lesser known and lesser ranked schools? Why do you think so many (I believe the majority) of physicians in the US went to their state college/med school? If you can't see it, you're a nearsighted fool and completely oblivious to human existence. Neither your college nor your intelligence truly define you in modern society. A person is defined by how he/she acts and his/her success corresponds with those actions. Additionally, though you should have already been told this/realized this, "success" is a very relative term. If "success" for you means accumulating wealth and fame, then by all means, simmer in your own purposeless superficiality. You'll fit right in with many of the other mindless, elitist, and downright lost individuals you can find at the top schools. If at least you understood yourself and had a direction for yourself, perhaps you could justify attending a top college. However, as fiN01 so aptly noted, you have no direction; you are one of the growing rat race of baffoons scrambling to conform to the ridiculous societal definitions of success.

UphillBattle

microblaster and Hunt thanks for explaining how the system works, i get it now

Yep Hunt i just sat Math HL and Chem HL today... -_- nearly 5 and a half hours of examination in one day...

nj_azn_premed just because so many CEO's went to lesser known/ranked schools doesnt make the decision to go to those schools any better than the decision to aim for an ivy. And as for physicians who go to state/med schools , the fact is that the quality of medical education that you get from a state med school and an ivy med school is almost comparable and because of admissions selectivity and cost it doesn't seem worth it to the majority of aspiring doctors to attend an ivy med for the same education. And i'm sure "success" for quite a lot of people is defined as wealth + fame. Who doesn't want to work hard to get to the college they want so that they can be financially comfortable later on in life?

Hunt

While the rants may be merited by some posters on CC, I think microblaster's questions were stated very reasonably, and didn't show any signs of prestige-grubbing.