<p>We are at a full IB school with lots of AP options. My son mixed AP and IB while my D is a full diploma candidate. When my son did SL Physics it was a double class period, one year course. Incredibly intense and he loved it. Almost got a C but he loved it. Word is that AP Physics is much more intense and more memorization than the IB class but not such good labs. Because of the intensity, the administration made AP,HL and SL sciences all two year courses making them much more doable. HL IB and AP Bio are considered the easiest science classes…Chemistry medium and only SL physics is offered and is considered the best but toughest science course at the school. </p>
<p>So my daughter has:
English A HL
Spanish A HL (native speaker so bilingual diploma)
Social Anthro (SL–may add a second year and turn to HL)
Math SL–by FAR her toughest course and will also take BC calc exam next year so not sure why it is SL other than they aren’t allowed to take so many HL classes. </p>
<p>History of the Americas (SL) easy but poor teacher
Physics SL
Camera III (takes AP Photography next year)</p>
<p>I think she does TOK and topics next year. She is supposed to start the extended essay this spring…when? how? are they nuts? Oh and CAS hours along with her girl scout gold award…why not? there are 24 hours in a day. Why would she need to sleep? I think IB was way way too much for a kid who is smart but has to work hard for the grades. Also, I am absolutely dreading next year with varsity sport/team captain and applying to college in the fall. I forsee the need for a gap year just for her to get some perspective before starting 4 more years of academics.</p>
<p>Apart from academics, I have some reservations about the whole IB diploma thing at our hs.
My son had a lot happier junior and senior year taking a mixture of courses including at least one non-honors/non-AP/IB class in order to see some of his friends from MS. Frankly, at our school, IB diploma and full AP programs are effectively the same as streaming aka segregation like when I was in a southern HS. My son and one or two other minority friends often thought of themselves as “token” minorities in the AP/IB classes, particularly in the sciences. I would have liked my daughter to have had a more integrated HS experience and regret letting her do the full IB. At least she has the Spanish with other hispanic kids but there is no real socio-economic mixing.</p>
<p>They try to make every student at our public HS take at least one college level class. I think they should make each student, each year take one class that is NOT college level. You would see a lot more social/ethnic/economic mixes this way and have kids who can relate to their peers on a number of levels.</p>