<p>My friend is dead set on becoming a pharmacist. She has been interested in pharmacology for at least a year now and I believe she will see her goal through. However, pharmacists must go to college for six years & that’ll be a lot of money for her (an average middle class kid). She’s planning on enrolling in PSEO (Post Secondary Enrollment Options) for 11th-12th grade in place of pursuing an IB Diploma. By doing this, she hopes to save some college money & getting a few college credits early. AP is not offered at our HS, so that is not an option. I keep telling her that an IB Diploma will get her a good merit scholarship at our state school, which is where she plans to go to college. I think an IB Diploma will pay off in the end, but she thinks that PSEO will save her the most money. Who is right?</p>
<p><em>bump</em></p>
<p>I need help!</p>
<p>I am currently pursuing an IB Diploma at my school. A lot of my friends are dropping and saying it’s not worth it, but truly, IB shows colleges you are taking the hardest classes you can possibly take, you are serving your community (since 150 hours are required), and you are capable of taking college courses. In the end, if it’s down to two people left for 1 spot at a college, chances are the IB Diploma student would be accepted first. Of course this is my own personal bias…</p>
<p>Also, if your school offers IB and you do not take it, it looks even worse when you apply for college. So this may also affect your friend.</p>
<p>thanks for a response :)</p>
<p>I think the PSOE may save her more money and time. With the IB, you have to study to score well on the tests in order to get the diploma. With the PSOE you just need to take the course.</p>
<p>You do not need to be in IB to do volunteer work (I’ve done more volunteer work than most IB kids at my school and actually ENJOYED it unlike them who are doing it just to have hours under their belt).</p>
<p>Instead of showing you are capable of doing college courses… why not uhm… actually take a college course? PSOE!</p>
<p>Yeah, the IB kid will be taken over the PSOE kid if the IB kid has better grades and the PSOE did nothing but go to school…</p>
Without a question, the PSEO route is the way to go. I have served as my daughters academic advisor for over 2 years now. At the beginning of her Jr year she switched from BE Emerson Hockey Academy to a quasi home school/PSEO at Saint Paul College. This past year, she switched into the SPPS Highland Park Sr high, but continued taking pseo (college) classes full time at UMN, Hamline Univ and Saint Paul College. she has amassed 56 college credits that will transfer to any public university and most private colleges. This spring, the semester grades were sent to the home address, showing her 4 courses (15 credits worth) It was the equivalent to opening up a letter and finding a $25,000 check that I don’t have to write out in the future to OSU. Not bad. Over all, I calculated that by taking PSEO course, she has saved the family the equivalent of $110,000 in tuition, R&B and other costs equivalent to 2 years of college at a major university. So financially, its a no brainer … pseo over IB every time. Academically, the best indicator of how you are going to do in college is by how you do in college courses. So if your student is motivated and mature enough to take class at your local community college or university, THAT is what colleges look at with regard to your expected ability to handle a college class load, not ACT score nor IB grades at your high school. 40 years ago when I went to HS we could take classes at the local college, but we had to pay the tuition. Now states like Minnesota, Wisconsin and Wyoming have the PSEO/BOCES programs that pay the tuition for the high school student. Yes, it is possible to have your cake and eat it too.
If she knows where she wants to go to college, she could email the admissions office and ask which would be better (as far as financial aid, transferring credits, and so on). [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1627595-pseo-advice.html%5DHere%5B/url”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1627595-pseo-advice.html]Here[/url] is an old post I wrote about my experiences with Ohio’s equivalent of PSEO.
Um, this is really old. It’s older than some people I know b