<p>alex, if you read my posts, I was in IB who took some AP exams. I was giving you my opinion. Most of my former classmates thought the same.</p>
<p>Calculus, I beg to differ. I think the learning is better in IB classes. I took AP psychology this year as an elective and we had to rush through really important subjects just to cover everything. IB breaks everything into options and the teacher can slow down and spend more time on a few subjects that he deems more important. I prefer the in depth study of IB to the complete survey that AP attempts.</p>
<p>This also reminds me that the purpose of IB and AP exams are different. The ONLY thing that determines what credit you receive in an AP course is the test. It makes sense for those tests to be harder. They need to put in the hard “gotcha!” questions in there to make sure what’s going on in the classroom isn’t a joke. IB tests are a substantial part of your score, but far from the only measure of success or failure… you’re gaged throughout the year with IAs and what not. It makes sense that the IB tests aren’t as hard. </p>
<p>And I don’t believe test difficulty is the end-all factor of determining which is better… Even though I felt the IB tests were “easier” I felt that it gave me a better opportunity to show what I had learned… To me the IB philosophy just makes more educational sense than does the AP philosophy.</p>
<p>AP goes at a certain pace because there is no choice. You have to go very fast you must be finished with all the material before exam time. i took 9 APs and from what people who took both AP and IB courses (they transfered from a school with IB to my school which offers only AP) and from what I hear the APs and their exams are harder and more rigorous from their perspective. Both school are ranked in the top 100 in the nation in case anyone is wondering.</p>
<p>See my problem is that people are becoming too worried about rigor and have lost sight of learning. Students who are too obsessed with the difficulty of their schedules aren’t pursuing their passions. I just wish this generation would take a step back and stop worrying about getting into the best school or getting the highest GPA. Students should be pursuing the classes that interest them… not the ones with the highest GPA weight.</p>
<p>Did you notice that Florida had 22 of the top 100 schools on the list? That’s amazing. I’m really impressed!</p>
<p>g8rmom</p>
<p>calculus: “Also, and as far as more than academics…it’s an ACADEMIC program, so I don’t know what you mean there at all. Does it promote uhh…respect? Athleticism? I don’t think so lol?”</p>
<p>were you really in IB because if you were i doubt you would be asking that… ever heard of CAS hours? ib is mainly academics yes, but it throws in stuff like CAS and TOK to develop you not only intellectually but as an individual. </p>
<p>and i apologize i didn’t read that you were in ib GatorEng, i thought you had said only AP.</p>
<p>i still believe ib is better, i’ve taken AP before and it’s generally not as difficult in my opinion and it only concerns itself with academic achievement. ib is more well-balanced.</p>
<p>I was arguing just based on the exam difficulty, not the program. There is no AP program, just exams, so there is no argument. I still think you are glorifying IB quite a bit, it’s not that amazing. It’s definitely better than your regular hs program, but I don’t think it’s that rigorous. My old hs is in the top 60 in that ranking (if you even want to call it that) and I didn’t find it that tough of a program to get through. HS was a breeze. And again, it wasn’t just my feeling.</p>
<p>I’m not saying it was hard either, I just think rigor shouldn’t be the end all and be all of education.</p>
<p>That’s your opinion… Theory of Knowledge is a joke and uhh…anyone who wants to get into a respectable college does service hours.</p>
<p>Think what you want about IB, you’re certainly welcome to your opinion. But a test is the only OBJECTIVE measure of what you have learned, and the AP tests are solid on that aspect. The IB program is just some joke program some people cooked up. It’s really not even competitive with AP tests. Colleges always ask for AP scores first.</p>
<p>Visirale: AP Philosophy is not a subject.</p>
<p>Calc I’m not talking about a class. I’m talking about each program’s school of thought.</p>
<p>There is at least one HS in FL with an AP “program”. Timber Creek HS in Orlando has a program called AP Choice. From their website: "The AP Choice program is a structural program for the academically talented and highly motivated student. Our mission is to guide, to inspire and to recognize students who pursue a specific program of acadamic excellence. The AP Choice Program offers students academic challenges and introduces them to college-level work. Students entering the APC Program in 9th grade take Pre-AP courses to introduce them to the demands of college-level work and to prepare them for Advanced Placement classes. Throughout their high school years, APC students have the opportunity to earn college credits and/or advanced course placement in college. Students who complete this program and achieve the prescribed requirements may be eligible for the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Students will also receive an APC seal on their diploma and honor cords at graduation.</p>
<p>Requirements for this program include a minimum of 6 total AP courses in 3 different disciplines during sophomore, junior and senior years."</p>
<p>Although it is not identical to IB, it is definitely a rigorous program.</p>
<p>I am wondering if the differences of opinion about the value of IB programs might arise somewhat from the differences in programs at each school. Certainly, there are great IB programs, and mediocre ones.</p>
<p>yeah thats a good point orchid…
some schools have ****ty ass ib programs but awesome ap
my school is ranked in the top 10 most rigorous ib programs in the state but our ap isn’t so well-known.
calculus say what you want, not everyone is going to do 80 hours of volunteer work and do 60 hours of creative work and 60 hours of active/sports.
and saying tests are the only “objective” measure of determining how great a program is is bs.
the only reason colleges would ask for AP scores first is that almost every school in the country has ap, but there are ALOT less schools that have ib… thats why people that are out of zone for a school have to drive 20 min everyday to get to school for ib</p>
<p>You also focus only on schools in this country, saying that they ask for AP first. Schools around the world respect IB very highly, often times even more so, because it is a program they are more familiar with. US schools are simply more familiar with AP, in the exact same way, because it is more common here. It doesn’t mean one is better.</p>
<p>I agree that many AP tests are more challenging than IB ones, but the reverse is also true. I would say that as a rule of thumb, in difficulty SL<AP<HL. How that’s VERY general. SL Psychology is much harder than AP Psych (generally acknowledged as an easy AP). I felt like HL Chem and AP Chem were about the same. IB HL English was harder than either English AP.
AP Physics B was harder than SL Physics. And all of that is only my opinion…others, or those in other years, might have different experiences.</p>
<p>I also definitely agree that it depends largely on the school. The strength of the IB program, the AP offerings…I think both are excellent choices. In fact, I am VERY thankful that my school has us both fulfill the IB program, and take AP tests.</p>
<p>Oh lol, my bad Visirale.</p>
<p>g8trmom,
The Newsweek top high school methodology is skewed in favor of Florida since FL requires AP students to take the year end tests and pays for them, while most states do not. According to <a href=“http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/reports/pdf/2-8-07_Accelerated_Mechanisms.pdf”>http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/reports/pdf/2-8-07_Accelerated_Mechanisms.pdf</a> Florida leads the nation in percentage of AP test takers but is 41st in percentage of AP passers. (The Newsweek list is based on AP/IB test takers, not passers.)</p>
<p>Florida also pays for IB tests, which many states do not, and that also contributes to its having the highest number of IB candidates. This, incidentally, gives UF a big advantage in snagging IB grads, too.</p>
<p>I love that Florida pays for AP exams. I would never been able to afford them otherwise.</p>
<p>Same here. There’s no way I could have paid for the AP exams I took in addition to the $500+ that the IB exams would have cost (forget the the exact number for the IB exams cost).</p>
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<p>Maybe that’s the hardest in Florida, but it’s not the hardest in the country. My high school was not even that great for our area and students had the option of completing a similar program. I know other high schools had even better programs.</p>
<p>IB exams are 80some dollars</p>