So here’s the deal: at my school we have a program called global which is basically international Baccalaureate. I’ve been in the program for a year (I’m a rising junior) and because I’m in this program I cannot take ap classes. However I am taking honors bio and honors history and because I am in this program, our teachers are encouraging us to take the AP exam at the end of the year because we learn a lot of the same things that AP students will learn. For example, I am doing the same summer work that my fellow AP peers are doing. So basically it’s AP but called honors because I’m in global (IB program). A lot of my friends have told me that it’s looks better to stay in global, take the hardest classes that global has to offer (which I am doing) and then leave senior year and take AP’s. So should I stay in global or leave? Does it look better to take AP’s or to take honors and get a certificate in the global program. PS: I am taking the AP exams if I stay in global honors because the teachers teach the same curriculum and they want us to take them in may.
Please let me know!
Thanks
Take the AP exams in May Jr year.
Look at the way the school profile describes GLOBAL.
Is it correct to assume it’s similar to IB but not IB? How are the classes weighted? Is being enrolled in global automatically list rigorous?
Yes it is similar but not IB. I know that regular and honor classes in global are harder than regular and honor courses taken outside of global but I do not know how they are weighted. Sorry I do not know a ton about gpa and college stuff lol.
Colleges generally consider AP and IB to be roughly equivalent. Not a lot of high schools offer both. Is your Global program a true IB program? Does it offer the IB exams?
If you can afford the $94-per-test cost for the AP exams, you have little to loose by taking them, since you can choose which ones to submit or not. Before you spend that time and money, however, you should check the admissions requirements for each college of interest to you. Some will offer the same benefits for IB as for AP (either college credit, higher placement, or exemption from a requirement).
No my global program is not an IB program. I know that being in the global program is harder than being in a regular classes and I would say alittle more prestigious.
Also I know this is off topic but is it okay to take honors classes? Does it still help the college admission process?
If it is not a true IB program, then go for AP classes senior year. If you will, in fact, receive an IB, then it would be equivalent to a senior year full of APs as far as most colleges are concerned.
GPA is very important, though. Don’t take AP classes if you don’t think you can do well in them. It is possible to just take the APs related to your work field if you are unsure of your ability to handle the workload. Get tutoring at the first sign of trouble.
In DD’s high school, APs are considered higher than honors. They are weighted the same for GPA, but honors classes are considered less rigorous than AP classes (no IB program). I suggest if demonstrating rigor is important in order to get into the colleges to which you aspire, you should talk to your guidance counselor about what classes you would have to take, and then you can evaluate your own potential to do well in them.
Alright thanks for the advice everyone!
Also one last question: if I apply early decision to college, do colleges know ur senior year courses/grades? My goal is to apply early decision to tufts.
I would love tufts to see my ap classes senior year but if I apply early will they see?
Also, is the best way to gain acceptance early decision is to have amazing junior year grades?
Your high school will send transcripts at the end of each semester. So, yes. Although they won’t have your final grades, they’ll make a contingent acceptance.
So in the end is it okay to take 2-3 honors junior year or do I need to take ap’s Junior year to help me gain acceptance to a few top 50 colleges. Right now I plan on doing honors bio (AP Exam), honors History (AP Exam), and self studying for economics AP Exam (maybe).
Oh and maybe honors English (and AP Exam) because I have the ability to go up and down from regular to honors bc of global
As an incoming junior, you’re still kind of early to chance for a T50 (because even if you are a straight A student, you don’t have all your test scores in and you may not have achieved recognition or leadership positions in ECs, you probably don’t; know what kind of LORs you will get or who will write them), but you are still free to post a “chance me” thread in the “What Are My Chances” board. You’ll have to list all your classes, GPA, test scores, ECs, etc. If your high school offers access to Naviance software, use it.
The T10 are used to seeing all As in all AP classes, and then they’re going reject 90%+ of applicants anyway. T30–T50? Well, they’re used to seeing a more liberal mix of honors and APs but they’re still going to reject 60-80% of all applicants. There just isn’t enough places. Some colleges will tell you if they prefer clear evidence of rigor over straight As, but each college is different and the only thing that will please everyone is all A’s in all APs. Without a crystal ball…
Protect your GPA and talk to your guidance counselor about your aspirations, what you have to do to get where you want to be, and how the school can help you get there.
Ok thanks so much I do agree that it is wayyyy too early to predict all of these things.
How many students apply from your school to the colleges you want to attend? If your school uses Naviance, you can see your own GPA, and see a profile of which students were accepted or rejected at each school (assuming there is enough data to not identify individual students).
It would be helpful to know if the global programs is truly a distinct program, with their own internal class ranking, in which case the GPA of AP courses would be less important. The more familiar an adcom is with your high school, and the global program, the more likely they are to understand the rigor of the classes, and recognize that it may be as rigorous as taking AP classes, but a different path. Keep in mind that some top high schools don’t offer AP classes, because they choose their own curriculum that is equally (or even more) rigorous.
When you apply ED or EA, your senior year classes will be listed on your application, even if there are no grades, so colleges will know the rigor of your senior year classes. Again, what you need to know is how colleges view the rigor of the global program.
- If you enjoy this global program, keep at it.
- Take the AP tests…it is a no lose proposition…if you get good scores, you can use them for college credit. If you get bad scores, don’t submit them.
- Your school will send colleges a school profile that explains how your “Global” program works. They will explain its rigor. My DD went to a Top 10 in the nation public magnet school that had few “APs” but many courses “taught at the honors level”…the profile explains the rigor of the program and the average SAT scores of the students.
Thanks everyone!
And to answer your question scoutmom, I am not sure how many apply to the schools that I want to however I do know that my dream school (tufts university) accepted 8-10 from my school last year- 8 are attending in the fall. I will check to see if I have Naviance. I hope to apply ED to tufts and I am planning on taking AP US government, AP bio, and AP economics. Also I know this isn’t a chance thread but sophomore year was a 3.4 gpa. I was the class president, Coach of a 4th grade basketball team, DECA member, and I attended a Harvard medical school program this fall that was very hard to get into with an acceptance rate of 13 percent. I have also won multiple sportsmanship awards for my high school baseball and basketball team and am planning on co founding a club with my friend next year.