No problem! I’ll try to remind myself to PM you once I get my scores. Definitely talk to your GC because the beauty of the IB is that you have the chance to spread out your work. I’m glad you’re choosing to go full IB!
Okay, so diploma v. certificate. The diploma is the three HL, three SL, TOK, EE, and CAS programme that everyone hears about. With the diploma, you have to average a certain score on your HLs/earn a certain amount of marks in addition to satisfactory completion of TOK, CAS, and the EE in order to gain the diploma. The certificate is just taking the exams, almost like how the AP program is run; if you pass your exams (a 3 out of 7 is passing), you get the certificate. The certificate is basically the diploma without the point requirement and the TOK, CAS, and EE.
If you’re looking at it from a college admissions standpoint, the diploma is worth more. But, as http://web.wis.edu.hk/public_html/IB_University_Acceptance_Rates.pdf shows, the IB is very valuable when it comes to college admissions, regardless of diploma or candidate. Even though the data is a bit outdated, take Stanford for example. Stanford’s acceptance rate this year was 5.1%, making it the most selective university in America. From the year this table was made, the acceptance rate was 13%, but the acceptance rate for IB students was 17%. While that statistic is not stellar, it is better than the total acceptance rate. Being an IB student is just one part of the application, so while it will not get you into a university, it will definitely help.
I hope I was able to help!