Should I drop from diploma to certificates?

gardenstategal
Thu, 07 Jan 2016 23:03:55 +0000

You sound truly unhappy, and only you know if you can motivate yourself to do well and finish the diploma. I would recommend finishing it if you can do it. The reason I say that is that many colleges will give you a full year of credit for the diploma, whereas they won’t give you credit for SL exams (even though some are at the same level as the AP exams), and they’ll often only give you credit for HL exams with a 6 or 7. Depending on your plans, the diploma could save you time and money. (You could even do a gap year if you’re feeling so burnt out.) I don’t want to suggest that I’m advocating for completing college in 3 years, but this is an option you’re giving up. I know that for some students embarking on a path that requires many years of schooling, they see the IB diploma as a way to “get one year free”, particularly if it relieves them of requirements unrelated to their major.

If you’re already registered as a diploma candidate, there are costs to switching to the certificate program. This shouldn’t be a driver of the decision, but I don’t know your situation and you should check this with your program coordinator.