Hi,
Looking for some advise on IB and AP
which one is better.
Any pros and cons
Good verses bad experience when it comes to rigor etc
What’s the experience of an IB students day to day life during school and after school realistically. Is it as bad as people say it is?
Since OP is a parent, I’ve moved to parents’ forum
What do you mean by “bad”?
When it comes to rigor etc… would kids have life or just study all the time if they take IB
Depends on the HS and the student.
What’s it like at yours? Ask older students.
Are you good at every subject? Are you aiming for selective colleges?
Would selective colleges prefer one verses other ?
My kids had good experiences with IB classes. My D just took IB higher level classes in English and French and had a lot of AP classes as well. My S did the full IB diploma, but he also had many AP classes (so could see the comparison). My own opinion is that the IB classes had heavier writing requirements and better prepared them for college classes. Both had demanding extracurricular activities but no jobs during the school year. It was a lot of work, but they did not have to study all the time.
The full IB automatically has the “most rigorous” check which matters to very selective colleges and it guarantees them a high level in several subjects, with a lot of writing and worjing fron primary sources.
However if you apply to public universities and you want credit you’re better off either taking APs or taking IB but also the APexam corresponding to your IB SL (if you want credit for your SLs).
APs are more flexible. IB requires 6 high level courses, 3 roughly at AP level and 3 post AP.
How demanding the IB program depends on the school.
Thanks for the insight. The school offers only IB and does not offer any AP courses.
In that case it’s the only rigorous pathway offered; if your choice is IB or regular classes then it all depends on what colleges you’re aiming for but if you’re aiming for selective colleges then they’ll expect IB since AP isn’t offered at all.
You can however personally register for AP exams in the SL subjects you want credit for.
I had one kid who took a ton of AP classes and was able to max out credit at a large public university (which was the equivalent of a year and a half of college and was extremely helpful in allowing him flexibility to do a dual major across two university schools. There is no way he could do it in 4 years without significant AP credit).
I’m not an anti-AP person at all in terms of content – I think the courses are pretty well done in terms of framework and providing good overarching information about subjects. But now that I see my younger kid doing a full IB diploma, I agree that the broader writing and independent research portions of the IB diploma more closely approximate and prepare for college level work. (The AP capstone program is an attempt to do that, too, and it works, I think – but there’s just a lot less of it. My older kid did a science research project that helped in that regard, but it was outside the AP program.)
I am, though, a little annoyed by colleges’ much more limited acceptance of IB credits (the SL courses) for college credit – at my younger kid’s HS, they all take 6 two-year IB courses, 3 HL and 3 HL, so at most she will be able to get 3 college course credits from what I am seeing. So we’ve just started looking into the process of self-studying for AP Calc exams, finding a high school – not hers – where she can register/take for the AP exam, hope she can find a time that doesn’t conflict with the IB exams next year etc. I’m not sure it will work – and we learned about the issue too late for her to register to take the exam this year (her junior year when she doesn’t have IB exams in May).
IB course content is not as well aligned to typical US frosh level college course content as some corresponding AP courses content.
I have little insight as to the differences in rigour between AP and IB other than to say it is frequently said that AP is more about breadth and IB is more about depth. Beyond that, the biggest difference I have found is in terms of course selection. AP can work better for those targeting STEM programs for college as the full IB diploma restricts the number of senior level sciences a student can take.
Are you choosing between different high schools, e.g. School A vs School B? Your op implied your kid had a choice between IB and AP, and your follow-up post says the school only offers IB.
What are your kid’s strengths and interests?
Yes, he got accepted to AP school and IB school. He is not super hardworking kid but intelligent.
AP then. IB is not for students who are not hardworking regardless of how intelligent they are.
I think the question of which is better depends on the kid. My son had a clear preference for IB because (in his understanding) the IB program focuses more on research and writing, whereas AP is more test-focused. It was the right decision for him, and the IB program was excellent preparation for college, but I can imagine that AP might work better for a different kid. Based on our experience talking with Admissions people at the schools he applied to, I do think the IBDP is held in high regard by many colleges. As others have mentioned, IB credits aren’t always accepted easily by some colleges as AP, so consider if that would be an issue for you and your son. (It varies a lot from school to school and you can find the information on their websites.)
I just saw @Franklynn 's comment above and wanted to add something to my response. The IBDP is a lot of work, but it’s manageable if the kid is motivated. My son is also not super hardworking, and he got through the program while commuting three hours a day and also running track, doing theater and playing in a musical group. He did not have perfect grades, LOL, but he got through and had good results in the admissions process.
The IB program is somewhat complex, so if you and your son are considering it, I suggest you read the materials for the IB school he’s been accepted to - the first two years would be in the Middle Years program and the last two in the Diploma Program. Read about Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay, which are a feature of all IBDP programs, understand the other requirements and understand what classes would be available to him. See if it appeals to him.
Our kids’ HS offers both an AP and an IB track.
Our kids chose the AP track because it allows them to take all the AP sciences (AP Chem, AP Bio, AP Physics C), and has more room for electives (they wanted to take advanced orchestra all four years of HS). The IB track at our school limits the number of high level sciences and does not have room for as many electives.
I do think that the IB track gives students stronger writing preparation for college. My kids tried to counter this by choosing the teachers within the AP track that have a reputation for focusing more on writing and research within their classes.
Oh boy, IB. Ill throw my two cents here as a current IB senior (In the midst of IB exams)
IB definitely has several pros and cons that set it distinctively apart from AP. IB oftentimes is considered by universities has more rigorous than AP, as it comprises of a 2 year program versus a 1 year program.
Pros:
IB focuses a lot more on writing. Students write research papers called IA’s in senior year, as well as a 4000 word Extended Essay research paper. A lot of work in the classroom is also very writing heavy, which can sometimes appeal to certain skillsets. I classify this as a pro as it gets IB students use to the level of writing colleges expect of students, so I feel confident in the stuff that I write. This can also be a Con, depending on how you see it.
There is a “holistic view” in IB - IB being international and all. The sense that I’ve gotten from IB in general is that students are expected to think more critically about each of their courses and see how they intertwine through interdisciplinary links. We’re oftentimes asked to consider how our actions or our conclusions in classes could have potential effects on the world around us.
Deeper level of thinking is oftentimes encouraged in all classes. DP students take a course called “Theory of Knowledge,” where students essentially question everywhere they get their knowledge, asking questions like “To what extent is knowledge free of bias,” “What counts as knowledge?” and much more. Each of these questions, and the overall experience of TOK and other IB courses encourages students to think more critically bout where they get their information from and how to take things with a grain of salt.
Group work is a BIG THING in IB. I oftentimes find myself working with my friends and classmates often. Especially now, as we’re taking our IB exams, I’m studying with them nearly every day. The way that IB is structured forces students to work together, through collaborative projects and more. Also depending on the school, the way that IB was taught in my school teachers encouraged group study and a lot more that encouraged collaboration. I feel like having the heavy encouragement to study with others really helped me forge stronger bonds with my classmates and also learn about things I otherwise would have not have noticed.
IB has definitely improved my character - students do something called “CAS” in their later IB years, defined as “Creativity, Activity, and Service.” Here students have to complete activities that comprise of some sort of creativity, activity, or service, which often makes them go outside of their comfort zone. IB also uses the “Learner Profile Traits” which I’ve found I’ve encompassed more now that Im cognizant of what each of them are and how they apply to my learning and more. SOme of these traits include “caring,” “communicator,” “risk taker,” and much more.
Cons:
To answer your question about day-to-day life, it really depends on the students. I know many of my fellow IB students who balanced both IB work and sports, and a job. It all depends on how you work in class, and the teacher. Classtime sometimes consisted of a lecture, or group work time. This is all teacher dependent, but my teachers in IB focused a lot on group work. Especially this year, I was able to complete most of my classwork within school hours, in time set aside by the instructor. This left a lot of my evenings open to do many extracurriculars and a bunch more.
In the runup to important dates like exams, I found plenty of time to study for the exam with my friends, while cutting back a bit on my ECs. The way that IB can affect your personal life is definitely subjective to how many ECs you undertake, and how the coursework is structured in your class. However, from my experience, life isn’t that bad, and I enjoyed my time doing IB.
Hope this helps!
The advantage of the AP track is that you can balance it the way you want in number - 2 Sophomore yr, 3 Jr year, 4 Sr year - and in rigor - some are easier than others (APES v.AP chem, Ap Psych v. AP Euro).
With IB, you have 6 high level classes plus CAS, EE and Tok. You can’t decide to take only 2 SLs and 1 HL.
So it may be easier fir your son to transition to the AP HS than to the IB school where he’ll be thrown into the deep end right away.