Should I take the IB diploma (ToK)?

I am debating if becoming an IB diploma is worth the time. I won’t have any trouble with volunteer hours with or without the diploma, and even if I don’t become a diploma candidate, I’d still be taking enough classes for a diploma (4 HL, 2 SL). The only difference between getting a diploma and not getting one, for me, would be taking the Theory of Knowledge class; I’d have to get up an hour earlier every day just for this class, and I already struggle with 5-7 hours of sleep each night.
Everyone who has taken the TOK class says it’s BS (for my school). Frankly, if I had to lose an hour of sleep every day, I’d rather do something more productive.
Another thing is that if I don’t take ToK, I’d have enough time during my senior year to take both IB biology HL and IB chemistry HL, rather than having to choose just one of the two. If I do take ToK, I’d probably take only 1 HL science class, and IB philosophy (another BS class for my school).
But if being an IB diploma candidate will boost my chances for getting into a good university, I’ll do it. Will being an IB diploma candidate be worth it, despite taking the ToK class?
Thanks in advance to anyone who read this long message!

Do what most kids do in TOK and fall asleep in the class while the usual suspects listen to themselves talk. It’s two semesters of chit chat. Do the diploma or don’t do IB, that is my parental opinion. Half arsing it is pointless.

The evidence suggests that acceptance rates at many colleges is higher for IB diploma candidates than non-IB diploma candidates–for some, much higher.

The best evidence, unfortunately, is about ten years old and so is a bit out of date, but we can still use it to draw inferences. Even though admissions rates have changed pretty drastically since then, I go under the assumption that the same level of preference (or not) still exists, just scaled down a to match the current overall admissions rate.

Anyway, this was revealed in a student-reported survey around 2008 or so. It has almost competely disappeared from the internet, but I found it in one place. Go to this link: https://www.rjuhsd.us/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=13340&ViewID=7b97f7ed-8e5e-4120-848f-a8b4987d588f&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=16706&PageID=7234, click the link, and it is the middle document that you can access.

My recommendation is to skim through the list for the schools you’re interested in, and then decide if it is worth it.

(Incidentally, my daughter was forced to repeat Calc I as a result of entering IB, to let the rest of the students catch up to her (she had been a year ahead in math up to then). We thought it was still worth it. You need every single tiny advantage you can find in the current admissions environment, but the important thing is doing well and not getting overwhelmed). Best of luck.

Talk to your guidance counselor to see if non-diploma students are still listed as “most rigorous curriculum available” students on the GC’s form for college applications. It usually depends on the school and on what else the students is doing instead of the full diploma requirements. For instance, at our school, some of the super STEM-y research kids were not full diploma kids because they were taking a college science or math course in our town rather than taking IB BIO HL or Math HL. Those kids were still considered “most rigorous curriculum” kids. Other kids who chose not to do the full diploma for reasons such as timing and schedules, were not “most rigorous curriculum” kids.

My diploma kid’s application experience suggested that being a diploma candidate carried a lot of weight, and many of his interviews involved talking about his EE, TOK etc.

TOK is not the only difference between being a diploma candidate and not. There’s also the EE.

IB’s rigid structure is not well suited for the most advanced-in-math students, since its usual math offerings are designed for students to finish at +0 (studies SL) to +1 (HL) and are not supposed to be taken early. (Why wouldn’t IB allow the most advanced students to take math or foreign language earlier than the usual schedule?)

Also some colleges give you more credits for the IB Diploma…e.g. SUNY Binghamton
https://www.binghamton.edu/harpur/advising/transfer-credit-evaluation/ib-credits.html

Students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program may receive up to 32 credits. To receive the full 32 credits, the following conditions must be met:

The IB Diploma must be completed with a score of 30 or more points; and
The student must complete at least three Higher Level exams with a score of 5 or higher.
Diploma holders who meet these conditions receive credit for their individual exam scores plus additional liberal arts elective credit to total 32 credits.

@ucbalumnus, we struggled over this, and eventually contacted the admissions office of an Ivy where my with is an alumna for advice and input. They, more than anything else, convinced us that it was better for her to get the IB diploma than to stress about losing her advantage in math. Incidentally, the time that the admissions office spent with us over this was mind-boggling, and really brought home the advantage of going to a school that will truly support you for life.

Anyway, I suspect that getting that IB diploma will pay dividends in the long run, even if you can’t fully quantify it, but again, the important thing is being in an environment where you will thrive. But OP, why not drop the philosophy (saving it for college) and take both sciences? My D is taking both HL physics and HL bio. Someone else mentioned the EE, which can serve as an incredible writing sample if and when you need one–not to mention that it will train you well for the sort of research you will have to do later in your academic life.

My majored in Math daughter did the IB Diploma with HL (Chem, Physics, Math) and SL (English, Business, German Ab initio).