Hi there,
I go to a dominantly IB school. I’ve seen some statistics online claiming that taking the IB program can increase college admissions chances. Is this true?
At most of the US schools that offer IB, students pursuing the IBD will be considered to be taking the most rigorous course load, and this is very important to the most selective schools. They also know that it is comprehensive.
In addition, the grading standard is helpful to AOs as many schools have had serious grade inflation, and IB scores are a helpful means of calibrating. At a level though, this is only helpful for the SL scores from junior year as you won’t yet have your 2nd year scores. Predicted scores are helpful if the AO knows your school and its record in terms of prediction accuracy. And of course, you need good scores.
So yes, being an IBD candidate can help but you also need to be doing well.
2 Likes
What colleges are you considering? Depending on the college, if you have high predicted scores, yes, I think IB can be helpful. The IB diploma program is considered very rigorous. On its own, IB diploma isn’t going to get you in over a similarly qualified applicant whose school doesn’t offer IB. But let’s say your school offers IB and regular courses, then you might have an advantage over a student who just took a schedule of regular courses.
2 Likes
my school is only IB and I’m mostly aiming for some Ivy’s and more prestigious med schools like John Hopkins
The only “official” IB data I’ve seen dates back to 2011/2012. It appears in this document posted by the Atlanta Public Schools - the page with Boston College at top and Wake Forest at the bottom: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwinoK-7mMmEAxWjUqQEHas1CJgQFnoECBcQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.atlantapublicschools.us%2Fcms%2Flib%2FGA01000924%2FCentricity%2FDomain%2F4389%2FIB%2520College%2520InfoPresentation.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0NHkvMZNSGHi3gt9c_sHXP&opi=89978449
I’m not clear what you mean by med school. You would not be applying to JHU’s med school for many years. Be aware that you can get into med school from all kinds of colleges. Your GPA, recs, experience, and MCAT scores will be far more important than the name of your undergraduate institution. Also, med school is extremely expensive. If it’s definitely in your plans, it’s best to consider now how you will finance it.
1 Like
sorry, I didnt realize I used to wrong terminology. I meant to say premed/bsmd programs that certain colleges like Brown offer. I keep getting them confused.
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.